AMINAH’S PREGNANCY WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD
^Abdullah, the Prophet’s father, married a woman from the tribe of Bani Zuhrah named Aminah Bint Wahb Ibn ^Abd Manaf Ibn Zuhrah Ibn Kilab. She conceived the Master of all Creations and Nations whom Allah brought into existence as a blessing .Allah willed to bestow the endowment of emerging Prophet Muhammad in this existence as a mercy for all—Arabs and non-Arabs. His Message is a guiding light for Bedouins and city dwellers alike.
Ibn Sa^d narrated in his book, Tabaqat Ibn Sa^d, from the route of the aunt of Yazid Ibn ^Abdullah Ibn Wahb Ibn Zam^ah that she said, “We used to hear that Aminah said about her conceiving and carrying the Prophet:
I felt neither conceiving him nor the burden of pregnancy women usually feel. However, I did notice skipping my menstruation, and perhaps it used to appear and disappear. Someone came to me while I was half asleep and half awake and asked me, ‘Do you feel you have conceived?’ It was as if I answered, ‘I do not know.’ He told me, ‘You have indeed conceived the Master of this nation and its Prophet.’ This confirmed to me that I was pregnant. It was on a Monday. When the time of my delivery became near, he came again and said to me, ‘Say: I seek refuge for him by the One Who does not have a partner in Godhood (al-Wahid), the One of Whom the entire creation is in need (as-Samad)– from the evil of every envious person.’ She said, ‘This is what I used to say’.”
THE HONORABLE BIRTH OF THE PROPHET
Imam Ahmad narrated (in his Musnad), al-Bayhaqiyy (in Ad-Dala’il), al-Hakim (in his Mustadrak), and others from the route of al-^Irbad Ibn Sariyah, the Companion of the Prophet, that he said: “I have heard the Prophet say:
<< إنى عبد الله وخاتم النبيين، وإن ءادم لمنجدل فى طينته، وسأخبر كم عن ذلك: دعوة أبى إبراهيم، وبشارة عيسى بى ورؤيا أمى التى رأت، وكذلك أمهات النبيين يرين.وأن أم رسول الله رأت حين وضعته نورا أضاءت له قصور الشام >>“
This means: <<I was decreed by Allah as His slave and the last of the prophets when Adam, prior to his creation, was still a form of clay. And I shall tell you more. My revelation as a prophet was Allah’s answer to Prophet Ibrahim’s supplication. ^Isa, the son of Mary, announced the good news of my forthcoming. My mother saw the dream about me as all mothers of prophets see dreams about them.>> When the Prophet’s mother delivered him she saw a light that illuminated the palaces of the countries of ash-Sham.” Al-Bayhaqiyy commented that Prophet Muhammad was predestined as the slave of Allah and the last of the prophets before Adam was created as the father of humans and the first of the prophets.
Imam Ahmad, al-Bayhaqiyy, and at-Tayalisiyy narrated from Abu ‘Ummah that he said, “It was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how did you come about?’ The Prophet said:
<< دعوة أبى إبراهيم، وبشارة عيسى ابن مريم، ورأت أمى أنه خرج منها نور أضاءت منه قصور الشام >>“
which means: <<In revealing me as a prophet, Allah answered the supplication of my forefather, Prophet Ibrahim, and confirmed the good tidings announced by ^Isa, the son of Maryam, and my mother saw a light come out of her that illuminated the castles of ash-Sham.>> Ibn Sa^d narrated that the Prophet said:
<<رأت أمى حين وضعتنى سطع منها نور أضاءت له قصور بصرى >>
which means: <<When my mother delivered me, she saw a light glowing out of her that illuminated the palaces of Busra. It was narrated that when Aminah delivered the Prophet, he landed on his knees with his head raised to the sky. A light came out with him that illuminated the palaces of ash-Sham and enabled his mother to see the necks of the camels in Busra (an old Damacene city known as Huran by the Jordanian borders).
Ayahs 126 and 129 of Surah al-Baqarah tell about the supplication of Prophet Ibrahim (mentioned in the previous hadith) which he made after he finished building the Ka^bah. Verse 126:
{وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا بَلَدًا ءَامِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ}
Means: [And remember Ibrahim said, “My Lord make this a city of peace and feed its people with fruits, those of them who believe in Allah and the last day”]. Verse 129:
{رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ}
means: [Our Lord, send amongst them a messenger of their own, who shall recite to them Your Verses and teach them the Qur’anic scripture and the wisdom, and purify them, for You are the ^Aziz and the Wise.] Allah answered Prophet Ibrahim’s supplication for a prophet to be sent and sent our prophet, Prophet Muhammad.
The good tidings that Prophet ^Isa announced to his people regarding the forthcoming of Prophet Muhammad (mentioned in the previous hadith) is told to us in the Qur’an in Surah as-Saff, Ayah 6:
{وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَابَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ}.
This ayah means: [And remember, Jesus the son of Mary said, “O children of Israel, I am the Messenger of Allah sent to you confirming the Torah which came before me and giving good tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.”]
The night of the Mawlid is an honorable, blessed, and grand night. It is a sublime night full of evident illuminations; a precious night on which Allah brought Prophet Muhammad into existence. His mother conceived him in a valid marriage and gave birth to him on that honorable night. The narrations, texts, and news testify to the mind-boggling and sight-astonishing enormous merits and blessings that accompanied his birth.
THE SIGNS THAT ACCOMPANIED THE PROPHET’S BIRTH
Many signs accompanied the honorable birth of the Prophet. Al-Bayhaqiyy, Ibn ^Asakir and others narrated from the route of Hani’ ِl-Makhzumi that he said, “On the night of the birth of the Messenger of Allah, the palace of Kisra (the King of the Persians) shook and fourteen (14) balconies fell from it. The fire of the Persians which had been burning continuously for one thousand (1,000) years went out. The lake of Sawah (in Persia) dried up.
The fourteen (14) fallen balconies from the palace of Kisra mentioned in the hadith was a sign that the ruler ship of the Persians would last for only fourteen (14) more Persian kings. And this is what happened—the fourteenth (and last) Persian king ruled during the caliphate of ^Uthman, may Allah raise his rank.
The fire of the Persians is in reference to a fire that they had kept burning day and night for one thousand (1,000) years. At the time of the birth of the Prophet, the Persians were fire-worshipers. They worshipped the fire unrightfully. On the night of the birth of the Prophet, this fire went out—a sign of the truthful call of Prophet Muhammad to worship Allah alone.
The lake of Sawah mentioned in the hadith was a lake so vast that ships used to sail in it. It dried up when the Prophet was born.
Some scholars mentioned that another sign which accompanied the birth of the Prophet was that the devils were stricken with falling stars and were blocked from hearing any of the news exchanged by the angels in the sky. However, the more famous saying is that the devils were stricken with falling stars when Allah revealed Muhammad as a prophet.
The Hafidh al-^Iraqiyy mentioned in his book, Al-Mawlid Al-Hani, from the route of Baqiyy Ibn Makhlad, “Among the signs is that Iblis, the forefather of the devils, was blocked from the news of the sky so he rang out a very loud scream. Likewise, he rang out when he was damned, when he was taken out of Paradise, and when the Chapter of the Fatihah was revealed.”
Also among the signs are the sounds that were heard at the time of Zawal (beginning of noon time) coming from the interiors of the idols in Makkah announcing the good news of the appearance of Prophet Muhammad.
THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE PROPHET’S BIRTH
Although some scholars have different opinions regarding the year in which the Prophet was born, most of them agree that he was born in the Year of the Elephant. Ibn ^Abd al-Barr said that the Prophet was born a month after the incident of the elephant. It was also said his birth was forty (40) days after that incident, and others said after fifty (50) days. Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated in his book, Dala’il An-Nubuwwah, from the route of Ibn ^Abbas, that he said, “The Prophet was born in the year of the Elephant.”
The Prophet was born in the month of Rabi^ al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The adopted saying is that he was born after the lapse of twelve (12) nights of the month of Rabi^ al-Awwal. The scholars agree that he was born on a Monday. Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the route of Abu Qatadah al-Ansariyy that when the Messenger of Allah was asked about why it is sunnah to fast on Monday, he replied:
<< ذاك يوم ولدت فيه، وأنزل على فيه>>
This means: <<This is the day on which I was born and the day on which I received the Revelation.>> The Prophet was born in the honorable city of Makkah, most likely in an area known as Suq al-Layl. The mother of Harun ar-Rashid turned this place into a mosque, as was mentioned by the Hafidh al-^Iraqi and others. Al-Azraqi said, “There is no difference in opinion among the people of Makkah that the Prophet was born in that house.” Nowadays this place is known as ‘Mahallat Al- Mawlid.’