protection from anything to do with pagan worship. More relevant here is his refusal to attend this festival year after year despite pressure from his aunts to take part in it. This tells us that he was totally unconvinced by the worship of such idols, as it did not meet his criteria for what was right. To him those idols were useless objects, made by people, placed in position by people and venerated by people: this was absurd to Muhammad, who always looked for what was right.
These are but two examples of a lifetime in which he always steered away from idolatry. At no time in his life before prophethood did Muhammad address himself to any of those deities worshipped by his people. He neither touched any of them nor sought to be blessed by any. He simply removed himself from the rudimentary religion of his people, rejecting it in totality.
If we examine Muhammad’s life before prophethood, we see a man who is dedicated to his family. When he lost loved ones, he passionately grieved; when he was in his uncle’s home, his interaction with the family was that of a caring person; when he was twelve, he clung to his uncle at the point of his departure because he did not want to lose him even for a few weeks; when he got married, he was a model husband and father. He participated in every noble thing his family and clan did, including fighting alongside his uncles. He took part in the alliance to remove injustice. Seeing him so involved with his family and clan, we wonder what reason he could have to absent himself from religious festivals to which his family attached much importance. The only reason for this is that such worship was contrary to his sense of truth and his keen pursuit of right.
When he was in his mid-thirties, Muhammad began to seek solitude as a form of refuge from the disgusting aspects of life in Makkah: its pagan worship and loose morality. He would go to a cave in Mount Ḥirā’, a few kilometres outside Makkah, and stay there for several days in a sort of worship that had no recognized form or pattern. The cave was small and totally isolated, with room for only one person to stand, sit or lie down. At the entrance, the Kaʿbah could be clearly seen at a distance through a small opening at the other end. In front of the cave, there was a small open area shaded from the sun by two large rock masses on two sides, with the fourth side totally open, giving a slight refreshing breeze. There Muhammad would stay for several days, in total devotion. The Arabic term for such devotion is taḥannuth, which means “self purification.” The Prophet did not tell us what sort of worship he used to offer in those days. The Qur’ān, however, tells us that he never expected to receive revelations from on high prior to the moment when the angel came to him with the first revelation.7 It also states that he never read any book nor could he write with his hand.8 During this period, Muhammad had no clear concept of God. As one of those individuals who sought to follow a religion that provided a clear vision, Zayd ibn ʿAmr used to address God and say: “My Lord, I do not know a proper method of how to worship you.” Probably Muhammad would have said the same during that time.
Some Muslim historians say that before prophethood, Muhammad worshipped according to the religion of Abraham. In pre-Islamic days, the Arabs used to take pride in the fact that they were the descendants of Abraham through his son Ishmael. However, the religion their ancestors followed, as taught to them by the Prophet Ishmael, had become so blurred that only some rudimentary aspects of it remained, mostly in connection with the pilgrimage. Even the pilgrimage rituals had been vastly distorted. They continued to believe in God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but to them God was distant. Hence, they believed that they needed to worship deities and idols, which would bring them closer to God.9 Therefore, what we understand by the statement that Muhammad in those days of solitude worshipped according to Abraham’s religion is that he addressed his devotion to God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He, however, had no clear notion of God or how to worship Him. His devotion was merely an attempt to have a better notion through solitude and contemplation. Hence, we take his periods of solitude, which became more frequent in his late thirties, as consistent with his pursuit of right. What he was after was a correct understanding of man’s position and life.
During one of those periods of solitude the angel came to him for the first time (as related in Chapter 1). This was his first communication with the realm beyond. No human being is ever prepared for such contacts; hence, Muhammad trembled and felt fear. He did not know the nature of the contact, nor the nature of the angel he received. He could not tell anything about it. This explains his speedy flight home, and his appeal to his wife to cover him and wrap him with something warm. Reassurances by his wife did not give him any certainty, however; how could he be certain when she had no knowledge of the matter either? Yet her reassurances were based on the fact that he was of noble character. She said to him: “You are kind to your kinsfolk; you help the weak; you are generous to the poor; you welcome guests.”10 She also said that he always told the truth. She added that a person of such qualities could never be let down by God.
Muhammad was not satisfied with his wife’s reassurance, as it was merely a logical argument, and he wanted more. Hence, he went with his wife to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a cousin of hers. Waraqah was an old blind man who had travelled far and wide in pursuit of the right faith. He converted to Christianity and was well versed with the Bible. Waraqah listened to every detail of the encounter with the angel before he made his conclusion: “You have met the archangel who used to come to the Prophet Moses.” Waraqah also told him that he would be the Messenger that had been promised in all Divine scriptures. He further stated that Muhammad’s task would be difficult, and that his people would drive him out: “I wish I will be alive then, for I will be certain to give you unwavering support.”11 It appears from the reports we have that Waraqah met him more than once over the next few days, giving him reassurance. However, Waraqah was soon to die.
Here we see a man who has had a unique experience, the like of which was unknown to anyone among his people. There was no record of anyone who was a Prophet among the Arabs since Ishmael. Hence, the truth of the matter should be arrived at, and that was the purpose of those meetings with Waraqah. From him, as a human scholar who was keenly interested in religion, Muhammad had received some insight into prophethood. Therefore, he could better understand the reassurances given by the angel on the subsequent visits, and the truth was soon arrived at.
Hence, the next revelation reassured Muhammad about the future, but advised him that he needed to get ready for the task assigned to him, which was to be a difficult one. He could only prepare himself for it through long hours of devotion and prayer during the night:
You enfolded one! Stand in prayer at night, all but a small part of it, half of it, or a little less, or add to it. Recite the Qur’ān calmly and distinctly. We shall bestow on you a weighty message. The night hours are strongest of tread and most upright of speech. During the day you have a long chain of things to attend to. Therefore, remember your Lord’s name and devote yourself wholeheartedly to Him. He is the Lord of the east and the west. There is no deity other than Him. Take Him for your guardian (73: 1-9)
The Prophet complied: he stood in worship for long hours every night for a whole year. He knew that it was his duty, and this gave him further reassurance. He realized that he had been assigned a difficult task that would put humanity on the right course in the most important questions of religion and worship. This was the absolute truth coming to him from the right source, God Almighty. He no longer needed to pursue right, as he would know it in every situation for the remainder of his life.
1 Ibn Hishām, Al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah, vol, 1. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, (n.d.), p. 359.
2 Ibn Hishām, op. cit., pp. 280-281. Also, Amīn Duwaydār, Ṣuwar Min Ḥayāt al-Rasūl, op. cit., pp. 144-145; Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ (Arabic) vol. 2, al-Maktabah al-Raḥīmiyyah, India, pp. 702-703.
3 Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Hasani Nadwi, Muhammad Rasulullah (The Life
