Part 2 - Adapted into English from Shaykh Dr. Othman Al-Khamees's Arabic Seerah lecture preserving the original meaning while presenting the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
After years of preparing His Messenger, Allah decreed that the light of prophethood would finally illuminate the earth. Muhammad (peace be upon him) had reached the age of forty when the greatest event in human history unfolded: the beginning of revelation.
Our mother 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates this event, although she herself was not yet born at the time. The Prophet (peace be upon him) later related these events to her, and she preserved them for the Ummah.
She says that the first sign of revelation was the true dream. Whatever the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw while asleep would come to pass exactly as he had seen it, as clearly as the breaking of dawn. These dreams were not ordinary dreams; they were divine preparations, reassuring him that Allah had chosen him for a tremendous task.
Unlike ordinary people, whose dreams may come from Allah or from Shaytan, the dreams of the Prophets are entirely truthful. Allah protects His Prophets from Satan's influence, nurturing and preparing them long before they receive revelation. As Allah said concerning Musa (peace be upon him):
Allah knows best where to place His message, and He prepares His Messengers accordingly.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) developed a love for solitude and regularly withdrew to the Cave of Hira'. He would remain there for several nights, taking provisions with him before returning to Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) for more supplies, then returning once again to the cave.
What exactly did he do there?
The precise details are known only to Allah. Prayer had not yet been prescribed, and revelation had not yet descended. Yet there still remained traces of the religion of Ibrahim and Isma'il among the Arabs. People knew there was one Creator. They retained fragments of worship such as pilgrimage, remembrance of Allah, and an understanding of lawful and unlawful wealth, even though these practices had become mixed with innovations and associating partners with Allah (shirk) over the centuries.
The Shaykh points to Abu Dharr al-Ghifari as an example. Before accepting Islam, Abu Dharr had already abandoned idol worship. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) later asked how he worshipped before Islam, he replied:
"I would turn towards Allah."
He would stand, pray, remember Allah, and continue until exhaustion overcame him.
Likewise, there were individuals such as Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl, who rejected idolatry and believed in the oneness of Allah despite not possessing the complete revealed law. The Prophet (peace be upon him) informed us that Zayd would be among the people of Paradise.
Another was Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who had embraced the original monotheistic form of Christianity. He rejected the practices of Quraysh, refused idol worship, and remained upon belief in one God. Although the exact form of the Prophet's worship in Hira' is unknown, it was undoubtedly directed solely to Allah.
Then the appointed moment arrived.
While the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in the cave, Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him and said:
"Read."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered truthfully:
"I cannot read."
Jibril embraced him firmly until it became extremely difficult for him, then released him and repeated:
"Read."
Again the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied:
"I cannot read."
This happened three times. After the third embrace, Jibril recited:
These were the first verses ever revealed from the Quran.
Overwhelmed by what had occurred, the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned home frightened and deeply shaken.
He told Khadijah what had happened.
She did not dismiss his experience, nor did she increase his fear. Instead, she comforted him with remarkable certainty.
She reminded him of his character: he maintained family ties, spoke the truth, carried the burdens of others, honoured guests, and helped those in need. A man with such noble qualities, she said, would never be abandoned by Allah.
Her response demonstrates one of the greatest qualities of a believing spouse: offering reassurance during moments of uncertainty while directing the heart back to Allah.
She then took him to her cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who was knowledgeable in the previous scriptures.
After hearing the account, Waraqah immediately recognised what had happened.
He declared:
"This is the same Namus (Jibril) who came to Musa."
He then made a statement that astonished the Prophet (peace be upon him).
He told him that his own people would eventually expel him.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was surprised.
"Will they really drive me out?"
Waraqah answered that no man had ever brought what Muhammad (peace be upon him) would bring except that he faced hostility. If Waraqah were still alive when that day came, he promised he would support the Prophet (peace be upon him) with all his strength.
Soon afterward, Waraqah passed away, having fulfilled what Allah had decreed for him. He recognised the Prophet's prophethood but died before the public message began. Therefore, the Shaykh explains that Waraqah is not counted among the Companions, because he witnessed the beginning of prophethood but not the period of the Prophet's public mission.
Why were Waraqah ibn Nawfal and Zayd ibn 'Amr left alone by Quraysh, while Muhammad (peace be upon him) would soon be persecuted? The answer is profound. Waraqah and Zayd were righteous individuals. They corrected themselves. They rejected idolatry. But they did not undertake a public mission to reform society.
The Prophet (peace be upon him), however, was not merely salih (righteous); he became muslih (one who reforms others).
Allah commanded him:
"Arise and warn."
He openly called people to abandon falsehood, challenged their beliefs, condemned their idols, and invited them to worship Allah alone.
That is why opposition began.
The Shaykh applies this lesson directly to every Muslim. We should never be content merely with personal righteousness while remaining passive. We begin by reforming ourselves, but then strive-according to our ability-to spread goodness, call people to Allah, encourage righteousness, and forbid evil with wisdom.
One cannot become a reformer without first becoming righteous, but righteousness should not remain confined to oneself.
After these first verses, revelation ceased for a period.
Some scholars mention six months, while others mention three years. This interval became known as the period between prophethood and the full public mission.
During this time Waraqah died, having already testified to the truth of Muhammad's prophethood.
The Shaykh then addresses a commonly misunderstood report concerning this pause in revelation.
Some people claim that the Prophet (peace be upon him) attempted to throw himself from a mountain during this period, arguing that this is found in Sahih al-Bukhari.
The Shaykh explains that this is incorrect.
The wording comes from a report introduced by al-Zuhri with the phrase:
"It reached us..."
This is not a connected chain of narration from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Rather, it is one of al-Zuhri's disconnected reports (balaghat), which the scholars of hadith do not treat as authentic evidence.
Its presence within al-Bukhari's compilation does not make it part of the rigorously authenticated narrations of Sahih al-Bukhari. The Shaykh cites the criticism of Shaykh al-Albani, who described attributing this report to Sahih al-Bukhari as a serious mistake because it gives people the false impression that the narration meets al-Bukhari's conditions of authenticity.
For this reason, he cautions Muslims not to be deceived when critics of Islam claim that the Prophet (peace be upon him) attempted suicide based on this disconnected report.
Since the discussion had turned to revelation, the Shaykh concludes by explaining the six ways revelation came to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The first was through truthful dreams, as happened before revelation formally began.
The second was inspiration cast directly into the Prophet's heart while awake.
The third was Jibril appearing in the form of a human being, often resembling one of the Companions.
The fourth was Jibril appearing in his true angelic form. The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him twice in this form, possessing six hundred wings that filled the horizon.
The fifth-and the most difficult upon the Prophet (peace be upon him)-was revelation coming like the ringing of a bell. During these moments he would perspire heavily, even on cold days, and those near him could physically feel the immense weight of revelation descending upon him.
The sixth was Allah speaking directly to His Messenger, as occurred during the Night Journey and Ascension, just as Allah spoke directly to Musa (peace be upon him).
Thus ended the period of preparation.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) had now received revelation, understood the reality of his mission, and was about to begin calling mankind to the worship of Allah alone-a mission that would soon transform history forever.
Waraqah ibn Nawfal had fulfilled the role Allah had decreed for him. Drawing upon his knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel, he recognized that Muhammad (peace be upon him) had received the same heavenly messenger who came to Musa (peace be upon him). He informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) that the path ahead would not be easy. Just as the previous messengers were opposed, Muhammad (peace be upon him) would also be rejected by his own people because he had been entrusted with the call to monotheism (tawhid).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) now knew what awaited him. His mission would not be welcomed. It would demand patience, perseverance, and complete trust in Allah.
During this early period, the Prophet (peace be upon him) began by calling those closest to him.
The very first person to believe in him was his wife, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her). She became the first human being to accept Islam and believe in his prophethood.
Among the men, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to embrace Islam.
Among the children, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam while still a young boy.
Among the slaves, Bilal ibn Rabah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to believe.
Among those who had been freed from slavery, Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to embrace Islam. Before the prohibition of adoption, people even referred to him as "Zayd ibn Muhammad" because of his close relationship with the Prophet (peace be upon him). Later, Allah revealed:
Quran - Surah al-Ahzab (33:5)
"Call them by their fathers."
From then on he was known once again as Zayd ibn Harithah.
The Shaykh then narrates the story of 'Amr ibn 'Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him).
Even before Islam, he sensed that the Arabs had gone astray. He found no logic in carving idols with one's own hands only to worship them afterward. He believed the people were following falsehood.
When news reached him that a man in Makkah was preaching something different, he traveled there to investigate.
He found the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) secretly inviting people to Islam while suffering abuse and hostility from Quraysh. Entering discreetly, he asked:
"Who are you?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied:
"I am a Prophet."
"What is a prophet?"
"I have been sent by Allah."
"With what have you been sent?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered that Allah had sent him to uphold family ties, destroy idols, and establish the worship of Allah alone without associating partners with Him.
When 'Amr asked who had accepted this message, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied:
"A free man and a slave."
He was referring to Abu Bakr and Bilal. 'Ali was still a young child, and Khadijah was not among those publicly carrying the message.
'Amr immediately offered to remain with the Prophet (peace be upon him), but the Messenger of Allah instructed him to return to his family. The circumstances in Makkah were not yet suitable. He told him to come back once Islam had become established. Later, after the Prophet's migration to Madinah, 'Amr returned and embraced Islam openly. Looking back, he would say that he had been the fourth person to accept Islam.
The earliest believers were not strangers.
Abu Bakr had been the Prophet's closest friend long before revelation.
Khadijah had lived beside him for years and knew his character better than anyone.
'Ali had been raised inside the Prophet's own home.
The Shaykh explains how this came about. Abu Talib had many children and lived in poverty. Out of compassion, the Prophet (peace be upon him), along with al-'Abbas and Hamzah, offered to help him by taking responsibility for some of his sons. Al-'Abbas took 'Aqil, Hamzah took Ja'far, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised 'Ali in his own household alongside Khadijah.
Thus, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) invited 'Ali to Islam, the young boy readily accepted the message because he had grown up witnessing the Prophet's honesty and noble character every day of his life.
Among those dearest to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was his uncle Abu Talib.
After the death of 'Abd al-Muttalib, Abu Talib had raised Muhammad (peace be upon him) as his own son. He protected him, defended him, and stood beside him during the most difficult years of persecution.
Out of gratitude and sincere concern, the Prophet (peace be upon him) repeatedly invited his uncle to Islam.
Even on his deathbed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sat beside him and pleaded:
"O Uncle, say 'There is no god but Allah,' a statement by which I may argue for you before Allah."
Abu Talib acknowledged the Prophet's honesty. He admitted that the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the finest of religions. Yet he confessed that fear of public criticism and disgrace among his people prevented him from embracing Islam.
As the Prophet (peace be upon him) urged him to accept faith, Abu Jahl and 'Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah stood beside the dying man, repeatedly saying:
"Will you abandon the religion of your forefathers?"
The Shaykh pauses here to draw another lesson: the enormous influence of companionship. Even during the final moments of life, righteous company may become a cause of salvation, while evil companions may become a cause of destruction.
Abu Talib died upon the religion of his forefathers.
Remarkably, the Shaykh notes that the very man urging Abu Talib not to accept Islam-'Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah-later embraced Islam himself. Allah guides whom He wills according to His perfect wisdom.
To contrast Abu Talib's story, the Shaykh recounts another incident.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once visited a young Jewish boy who was dying. He invited him to embrace Islam. The boy looked toward his father, seeking permission. His father surprisingly replied:
"Obey Abu al-Qasim."
The boy accepted Islam, and shortly afterward he died.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) left praising Allah for saving the young man through him.
From these two stories, the Shaykh draws an important lesson: never despair of inviting people to Allah. As long as a person's soul has not reached the point where repentance is no longer accepted, Muslims should continue calling them to faith. Guidance belongs to Allah alone, and no one knows whose heart may soften in their final moments.
Gradually, more believers entered Islam.
Among them were 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam, Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Talhah ibn 'Ubaydillah, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam, and later Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
Because Quraysh had not yet launched full-scale persecution, the Prophet (peace be upon him) gathered these believers secretly in the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam. There they learned the religion, strengthened one another, and quietly laid the foundations of the future Muslim community.
The Shaykh pauses once again to reflect.
This great religion, which Muslims honour and cherish today, was established largely through young people.
Many of the earliest believers were teenagers.
'Ali was only eight or ten years old.
Al-Zubayr was around fifteen.
Talhah was fifteen.
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas was about sixteen.
Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr was around fifteen.
Al-Arqam was approximately seventeen.
These were not elderly leaders or experienced statesmen. They were young men whose faith, sacrifice, and determination became the means through which Allah established Islam.
For this reason, the Shaykh directly addresses Muslim youth: never underestimate yourselves. Those whom Allah used to establish His religion in its earliest days were themselves young. Every generation of Muslim youth is called to support this religion through knowledge, character, sincerity, and service.
After approximately three years of secret preaching, Allah revealed:
He also revealed:
With these commands, the private stage of the mission ended.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) climbed Mount Safa and called the clans of Quraysh one after another.
He warned each family to save themselves from the Fire, making it clear that family ties alone would not benefit anyone before Allah. Even his beloved daughter Fatimah was included in the warning:
"O Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, save yourself from the Fire, for I cannot avail you before Allah except through the ties of kinship."
In another narration, he first asked the people:
"If I were to tell you that an army was behind this valley preparing to attack you, would you believe me?"
They answered without hesitation:
"We have never known you to lie."
Only then did he announce:
"I am Allah's Messenger sent to warn you before a severe punishment."
At that moment, Abu Lahab responded with contempt:
"Perish you! Is this why you gathered us?"
Allah Himself answered Abu Lahab by revealing Surat al-Masad:
The Shaykh concludes this section by noting that from this point onward everything changed. The secret invitation had become a public proclamation. Quraysh could no longer ignore Islam. Their opposition would now begin openly, and the next stage of the Prophet's life would be marked by patience, persecution, and unwavering trust in Allah.
For nearly three years, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) invited people to Islam quietly and privately. During this period, the believers met in secret, learned their religion, and strengthened one another while avoiding unnecessary confrontation with Quraysh.
Then Allah commanded His Messenger to proclaim the message openly. The mission entered a completely new stage. The private call to Islam (da'wah) had ended, and the public proclamation of monotheism (tawhid) had begun.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) first directed his efforts toward Quraysh, his own tribe and closest relatives.
The Shaykh reminds us that Quraysh was not simply the Prophet's tribe; it was his extended family. Every clan within Quraysh shared ancestry with him. They all traced their lineage back to Fihr, who is commonly identified as Quraysh himself.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) even said that Allah chose Kinanah from among the descendants of Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him), chose Quraysh from Kinanah, chose Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and finally chose him from Banu Hashim.
Because of this close family connection, the Quran instructed him to begin by warning those nearest to him before extending the message to everyone else.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) no longer limited his invitation to private gatherings.
He walked through the streets of Makkah, visited the meeting places of Quraysh, and spoke openly to people wherever they gathered. His message remained simple and unchanged: worship Allah alone, abandon idols, maintain family ties, establish prayer, and live righteously.
As word spread beyond Makkah, pilgrims and visitors arriving for the annual seasons began hearing about a man who claimed to be Allah's Messenger. Naturally, many wanted to learn more.
This growing interest alarmed the leaders of Quraysh. They realized that if every visitor heard a different accusation about Muhammad (peace be upon him), their credibility would collapse. They needed a unified strategy.
Among those who recognized the seriousness of the situation was al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, one of the most respected elders of Quraysh and the father of Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him).
He gathered the leaders and warned them that delegations from across Arabia would soon arrive in Makkah. They had already heard reports about Muhammad (peace be upon him), and they would undoubtedly ask questions.
Al-Walid urged everyone to agree on a single description of the Prophet. If one person called him a poet while another called him a madman, and another claimed he was a fortune-teller, people would immediately recognize the contradiction and lose trust in Quraysh's claims.
The leaders accepted his advice and asked him to guide the discussion. Rather than deciding for them immediately, he invited them to present their own suggestions first.
The chiefs of Quraysh proposed several labels.
First they suggested calling Muhammad (peace be upon him) a fortune-teller.
Al-Walid rejected the idea immediately.
He explained that the Arabs knew what fortune-tellers sounded like. Their speech was filled with mysterious chants and peculiar expressions, nothing like the clear and dignified words of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Next they proposed calling him insane.
Again, al-Walid refused.
He reminded them that they had seen genuine madness before. Muhammad (peace be upon him) displayed none of its signs.
They then suggested calling him a poet.
Once more he dismissed the claim. The Arabs were masters of poetry. They knew every style and form of Arabic verse, yet the Quran resembled none of them.
Finally they proposed calling him a magician.
Even this description did not satisfy al-Walid, who admitted that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was unlike the magicians they had encountered.
Each accusation collapsed because the truth was too obvious to deny.
At this point, al-Walid made an extraordinary confession.
He declared that the words of Muhammad (peace be upon him) possessed a remarkable sweetness. They were deeply rooted and immensely fruitful. Whatever description they invented, people would recognize it as false.
Yet despite acknowledging this, he still refused to accept the truth.
Instead, he concluded that the closest accusation they could agree upon was to call the Prophet (peace be upon him) a magician-not because they believed he practiced magic, but because they hoped to convince visitors that his message separated fathers from sons, husbands from wives, brothers from brothers, and relatives from one another.
It was not an honest conclusion.
It was a calculated strategy.
The leaders of Quraysh accepted this recommendation and stationed themselves along the routes into Makkah. Whenever visitors arrived, they warned them to stay away from Muhammad (peace be upon him), repeating the same accusation over and over.
The Shaykh then explains that Allah did not leave al-Walid's words unanswered.
Verses were revealed condemning him, describing how he reflected, calculated, frowned, and arrogantly concluded that the Quran was nothing more than inherited magic and human speech.
The revelation exposed not only his false accusation but also the deliberate process that led him to reject what he knew to be true.
The warning concluded with Allah's promise that He would cast him into Hellfire.
The Shaykh emphasizes a striking point here.
Al-Walid himself had admitted that the Prophet's words could not honestly be described as poetry, madness, fortune-telling, or magic. Yet he knowingly chose falsehood for the sake of protecting the authority of Quraysh.
His problem was not ignorance.
It was deliberate rejection after recognizing the truth.
By this stage, people had begun accepting Islam. Not in great numbers, but steadily enough to concern the leaders of Makkah.
Unable to refute the Prophet's message through reason, Quraysh shifted their focus to controlling public opinion. Their campaign against Islam was carefully organized, built upon coordinated accusations rather than sincere debate.
This marked the beginning of an open conflict that would only intensify in the years ahead.
As the Shaykh's lecture now moves forward, Quraysh's verbal campaign would soon develop into ridicule, negotiation, and eventually physical persecution against both the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers.
