Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

Journey to Syria
Uncle and nephew travailed together until they reached Durra to the South of Syria. Historians state that in this journey a Christian named Buhaira saw Muhammad (PBUH) ancWiseovered in him signs of the promised Prophet mentioned in Christian books and that he advised Abu Talib not to take him to Syria lest the Jews might recognise these signs and do him harm. Harm or no hajm, however, God’s purpose was being fulfilled. Muhammad’s (PBUH) soul was being educated for the task that was coming the journey made him realise how vast the earth was. He saw the beauty of the heavens and the rising and the serving of the stars in the clear
’Ibid
’ The Cambridge History of Islam, Voi I. London. 1980, P 38
Muhammad (PBUH)
57
atmosphere of the desert. His soul was making an excursion of the heavens and listening to the spiritual music of the spheres.
Up to this time he had lived in an unproductive desert but now he was in the midst of the fruit gardens of Syria what an agreeable change! And what a contrast to the barren hills of Makkah! His free and unfettered soul observed all this just as porous and thirsty earth absorbs the heavenly rain. He also passed by Madyan, Wadi-ul-Qura and the territory of the Thamad. He saw their ruins, and in the Qur’an God reminds the Arabs of these ruins which they pass by in their journeys. He was still in his twelfth year but his penetrating mind, his powers of observation and memory were already as vast as the heavens and as deep as the universe. God, the master of creation, was perfecting the masterpiece of his creation, Muhammad (PBUH). The world stood still between the two. Abu Talib also made such a profit in their journey as he had never done before and he never made a similar journey thereafter.8
Youth
Muhammad (PBUH) was a very hard working young man, who was prepared to do any honest work to earn his living. He learned trading from his uncle and became a trader. First he went with his uncle on commercial trips to the Middle East countries but then he began to trade on his own. He was extremely honest and fair in his dealings with all people. He lived a very quiet and peaceful life and was respected and honoured by all the people of Makkah, rich as well as poor. In his youth, he was a firm believer in one God and despised polytheism and he never participated in any sort of ceremony of the Makkans involving polytheism.
He was a young man of very modest habits and good and decent manners. He possessed a strong and spotless moral character and people of all shades of opinion respected and honoured him and thoroughly trusted him. He was sincere, loving and kind to his friends, generous, sympathetic and helpful to the poor and needy and truthful considerate to all. He was completely faithful in respect of his promise and trusts to his friends as well as to his enemies. He lived very simple life and was humble even in his youth and hated vanity and pride. He shared in the pains and sufferings of the poor, widows and orphans by helping them. He greatly impressed the
Ahmad Galwash, I he Religion of Islam. I ondon, 1985, P.29.

58 Political and Cultural History of Islam

people of Makkah by his spotless character and was commonly
known as as-Sadiq and al-Amin.9
Manhood
As the Holy Prophet grew older the qualities of goodness and righteousness became well known to his friends and fellow citizens in the city of Makkah and its suburbs. His reputation as an honest and virtuous man was well established in the community by the time he attained maturity. I have already mentioned that the people of Makkah respected him and called him al-Amin and alSadiq and his reputation grew but he felt sick of the corrupt society around him and often went to a mountain called Hira, now commonly known as the Jabal-i-Noor about three miles from Makkah. He meditated there and often pondered on the way out of the prevailing darkness of ignorance, evil and polytheism. TheWarofFijar
The divine will had determined that Muhammad (PBUH) should have an experience of warfare as well as of commerce and religious disputations. He was about fifteen years of age when one of the perpetual feuds amongst the Arabs occurred in the sacred months and hence was called Harb ul-Fijar or the unholy war. War was, by custom forbidden during the sacred months first, second, eleventh and twelfth of each year. The main cause of the war was: A man called Numan bin al-Manzir used to send a caravan once every year to Ukaz (where the Arabs met for trade and religious and literary disputations) carrying musk and bringing in return hides, ropes and other Yeman produce. It occurred to one Barrad bin Qais of Banu Kanana to capture this caravan and who belonged to Banu Hawazin was coming to Hijaz via Najd. Barrad found this out, followed Urwa and captured his caravan killing Urwa. Then some one amongst the Quraysh spread the news that Banu Hawazin were coming to revenge themselves upon the Quraysh.
The Quraysh and the Hawazin met outside the limits of the sacred territory surrounding Makkah and a fight began between the two tribes. The Quraysh had to retreat till they sought refuge in the sacred territory. Banu Hawazin then challenged them for war next year at Ukaz, and this bloody war lasted for four years, each succeeding year being worse than the one previous and scores of lives were lost on both sides. Harb father of Abu Sufyan, who was
For detail see Encyclopaedia of Seerah Vol. I, London, 1988.
Muhammad (PBUH)
59
the leader of the Quraysh, was also killed in this war. At last peace was made on the Quraysh paying an indemnity for twenty lives that being the number of Hawazin warriors killed in the war in excess of the Quraysh. Bui, this unholy war enfeebled the country for a long time to come. Muhammad’s (PBUH) part in the war consisted in picking up the stray arrows thrown by the enemy and handing these back to his uncle Abu Talib who was the chief of Banu Hashim in this war. The Holy Prophet did not himself kill or wound anyone. He was more or less a mere onlooker but the knowledge he gained of the Arab methods of fighting and their mentality was of the greatest use to him thirty six years afterwards.10
The League of Fuzul (Hilf-ul-Fuzul)
The war of Fijar so decimated the ranks of the Quraysh, and its uselessness so impressed the minds of some of the thoughtful amongst them, that they made up their minds to prevent any future wars like these. The fact was that the most exemplary chara’ ’r of Muhammad (PBUH) and the kind-heartedness of his uncle Abu Talib were having their moral effect on the Quraysh. Under these circumstances Zubair bin Abdul Muttalib, an uncle of the Holy Prophet, invited representatives of Banu Hashim, Zuhra and Tism to the house of Abdullah bin Jadam and gave them a feast. After the feast it was covenanted and agreed in the name of God (Allah) that each one of them would help all helpless persons till their dues were restored to them, howsoever great or small they might be. The Holy Prophet though young was one of the moving spirits of this league and it is to the credit of the league that no more wars or inequities took place for many years after its formation. Muhammad’s (PBUH) supplying water to the pilgrims and his care of the pilgrims and his nobility of character soon won him a name and a fame which no other young man possessed. The Holy Prophet used to say in his later life: I loved the oath in which 1 was present at the house of IbnJadans better than the gift of red camels, and I would do it again if I ’were called to it.11