The Life of Muhammad Read online

  The Life of Muhammad

  (Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him)

  by Muhammad Husayn Haykal

  Translated by Isma’il Razi A. al-Faruqi

  Translator’s Preface

  Haykal’s Hayat Muhammad has a long and strange story. Its translation into English and publication by the University of Chicago Press was discussed by numerous western experts in the forties and early fifties. Obvious as the need for a scholarly sympathetic biography of the Prophet may be, negotiations took years to complete. Agreement, however, was not reached until 1964. When in 1968 the translation was completed, approved by the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, Cairo, Egypt, and the University of Chicago Press, the manuscript copy edited, and its actual production begun, mysterious forces intervened and the University of Chicago Press unilaterally withdrew from its agreement.

  Another agreement was negotiated de novo between the same parties and Temple University Press, on practically the same terms as Chicago, in 1969. Five years passed with little or no action. Then, mysterious forces again intervened and resulted in the unilateral withdrawal of Temple University Press from its agreement.

  This Determined opposition to the publication of the work did not dissuade the translator from preparing this new translation with the encouragement of the Muslim Students’ Association of the United States and Canada, an agency interested in the promotion of Islamic scholarship.

  Temple University

  The Life of Muhammad

  (Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him)

  by Muhammad Husayn Haykal

  Translated by Isma’il Razi A. al-Faruqi

  Translator’s Acknowledgments

  The assistance of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, Arab Republic of Egypt, in making the translation of this work possible; of Professor Roger Parsell in copy editing; of Professor Erdogan Gurmen, Sr. Freda Shamma, Miss Andree Coers, Mrs. Margaret Peirce, Dr. Lois Lamiya’ al Faruqi, and Dr. Kaukab Siddique in proofreading; of Sr. Anmar al Faruqi in preparing the index; of Dr. Lois Lamya’ al Faruqi in preparing the maps and illustrations; and of the North American Islamic Trust in the production of this book is gratefully acknowledged.

  I wish to acknowledge with thanks the financial help and encouragement extended to this work by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Saudi Arabia.

  Contents

  Foreword to the English Edition

  Foreword to the First Edition

  Preface to the First Edition

  Preface to the Second Edition

  Preface to the Third Edition

  1. Arabia before Islam

  2. Makkah, the Ka’bah, and the Quraysh

  3. Muhammad: from Birth to Marriage

  4. From Marriage to Prophethood

  5. From the Beginning of Revelation to the Conversion of ‘Umar

  6. The Story of the Goddesses

  7. The Malevolent Conduct of Quraysh

  8. From the Violation of the Boycott to al Isra’

  9. The Two Covenants of al ‘Aqabah

  10. Al Hijrah, or the Prophet’s Emigration

  11. Beginning of the Yathrib Period

  12. The First Raids and Skirmishes

  13. The Great Battle of Badr

  14. Between Badr and Uhud

  15. The Campaign of Uhud

  16. The Effects of Uhud

  17 The Prophet’s Wives

  18. The Campaigns of al Khandaq and Banu Qurayzah

  19. From the Two Campaigns to the Treaty of Hudaybiyah

  20. The Treaty of Hudaybiyah

  21. The Campaign of Khaybar and Missions to Kings

  22. The ‘Umrah or Lesser Pilgrimage

  23. The Campaign of Mu’tah

  24. The Conquest of Makkah

  25. Campaigns of Hunayn and al Ta’if

  26. Ibrahim and the Wives of the Prophet

  27. Campaign of Tabuk and the Death of Ibrahim

  28. The Year of Deputations and Abu Bakr’s Leadership of the Pilgrimage

  29. The Farewell Pilgrimage

  30. The Prophet’s Sickness and Death

  31. The Prophet’s Burial

  32. Conclusion in Two Essays :

  Islamic Civilization as Depicted in the Qur’an

  Islamic Civilization and the Western Orientalists

  Foreword to the English Edition

  The book, Hayat Muhammad, by Dr. Muhammad Husayn Haykal is well known to the Arabic reader. It is a biography of the Holy Prophet, salla, Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, written in light of all the rules and requirements of modern, exacting scholarship. As its author has said, it is a renewed effort to establish the historical truth of the details of the Prophet’s life in accordance with these rules, as well as to refute, by the same means, the false allegations against Islam and its Apostle. It has derived its materials from genuine sources and treated them with a mind unshackled by parti pris or superstition, by ignorance or false hopes. We trust that it will be followed by the research works of many other scholars; for the English readers stand in great need for books to enlighten them in the nature and history of Islam.

  Fortunately, Islamic sanity has persistently resisted all attempts at deifying the Prophet’s person. Despite the fact that no human being has ever commanded as much respect and none has ever been object of so much affection by his followers, Muslims have rejected every suggestion imputing to the Prophet superhuman power or characteristics. By itself, and when compared with the conceptions of the careers of charismatic founders and leaders of other religions in history, the Muslims’ insistence on Muhammad’s humanity remains a miracle, a genuine triumph of the Muslim’s historical sense. This book is a tribute to the Muslim’s critical attitude in religious matters.

  This is the fact which makes the quest of the historical Muhammad not only possible, but certain of achieving its objectives. It underlies this book and blesses its findings, as it invites further research and offers greater promise. Biography was never a critical science (it may even be contended that it ever existed!) before the Muslims began to sift the oral and written traditions concerning the Prophet. They undertook this task with a mind unwaveringly committed to Muhammad’s humanity, absolutely convinced of his fulfillment of his mission under the full light of history.

  It was these Muslim endeavors that produced the science of textual criticism. Firstly, the language, style, form, redaction and vocabulary of every reported tradition was subjected to the most complete analysis. Secondly, the ideational content of every tradition was subjected to critical tests of internal and external coherence (i.e., with itself, with the Holy Qur’an, with other traditions, with other established historical data). That content was further tested for historical relevance and relationality, and for reasonableness or systematic correspondence with reality. Finally, every isnad (or chain of reporters) was subjected to the most exacting tests of historicity and verification, giving birth to ‘llm al Rijal, or the critical establishment of the minutest details of the personal lives of thousands of Muhammad’s companions and contemporaries. This was Islamic “Criticism”-a whole millennium ago! It was objective and scientific textual research such as the world has never seen nor probably ever will, despite the tremendous advances the science of criticism has made in modern times. This academic sophistication has made of Islam the scholarly, modernist; critical religion long before the priesthood, not to speak of the laity, of other religions achieved the minimum standards of literacy. Unfortunately for humanity as a whole, this critical and scientific spirit was lost to the Muslims with their decline.

  How refreshing it is to see in this book evidence of awakening and reactivation of this spirit which Islam, the foremost champion of natural religion, of reasonableness i
n religion, has nurtured through the centuries! Great as the achievements of our ancestors are, it is our duty to make ourselves worthy of them. Benefit from their achievement, we certainly must. Indeed, inspired by their example, we ought to move and aspire to match and surpass them. Muhammad Husayn Haykal’s Hayat Muhammad is a fair step in that direction.

  This book has another value. For centuries, the English reader has been presented with prejudiced literature about Islam and the Prophet. Such polemics has prevented the non-Muslim from appreciating the genuine light of revelation, the beneficial contribution Islam can make to the solution of humanity’s spiritual and social ills in modern times. It is certainly high time for the voice of Islam to be raised against the forces of atheism and materialism which have blinded modern man and dissipated his effort at finding the truth. Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, does not wish man to be lost in skepticism, to be corrupted by injustice, alienation and ethnocentrism. On the contrary, He wishes him to realize universal brotherhood through justice, truth, dignity and mercy; to restore to him his lost poise and equilibrium; to guide him towards peace, well-being and happiness. It is He Who said in His Holy Book

  “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know and cooperate with one another” (Al-Qur’an 49 :13)

  “O mankind! Reverence your Guardian Lord, Who created you from a single person; Who created the first person’s mate of like nature; Who created from them twain all men and women on earth” (Al-Qur’an 4:1).

  “The believers are but a single brotherhood” (Al-Qur’an 49:9)

  “God commands justice, the doing of the good, and liberality to kith and kin. He forbids all shameful deeds, injustice and rebellion. Thus does he instruct you, that you may receive admonition” (Al-Qur’an 16:90)

  The Prophet of Islam (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has said:

  “All Muslims are equal like the teeth of a comb.”

  “In relation to one another, the Muslims are like a building: every unit reinforces and is reinforced by all others.”

  These values of Islam are indeed the only ones capable of saving humanity from its certain collapse. The life of the Prophet is the guide and key. His conduct is the example for everyone to follow at all times and places.

  It is of the essence of rational religion, as it is of the truth, to convince and to persuade its audience by mere presentation. But presentation must be honest and critical, thorough and substantiated, as well as alive and appealing. It is by Allah’s grace that Professor Isma’il Raji al Faruqi completed translation of this volume. He is a Muslim scholar of great renown, gifted with deep Islamic knowledge and commitment.

  Recognition is equally due to the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and to the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada for their part in bringing this project to fulfillment. We pray that Allah may continue to guide them, as well as all other organizations and Islamic academic establishments dedicated to Islam, and assist them in their work for the salvation of mankind.

  Allah alone is our help! He alone is Witness of our commitment and Judge of our deed!

  Riyad, Dhu al Hijjah 1395

  Hasanibn‘Abdullah Al al Shaykh

  President, World Assembly of Muslim Youth

  Minister of Higher Education Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  Foreword to the First Edition

  Ever since man appeared on earth he has been anxious to penetrate the universe and discover its laws and secrets. The more he came to know, the more he wondered at its greatness, the weaker he appeared to himself and the less reason he saw for vanity. The Prophet of Islam-may God’s peace be upon him is very much like the universe. From the very beginning, scholars worked hard to uncover various aspects of his great humanity, to grasp the realization of the divine attributes in his mind, character and wisdom. Certainly they achieved a fair measure of knowledge. Much however has escaped them; and there still lies ahead a long and indeed infinite road.

  Prophethood is a gift which cannot be acquired. In His wisdom God grants it to whosoever stands prepared for it and is capable of carrying it. He knows best when and where it will be of most benefit. Muhammad-may God’s peace and blessing be upon him-was indeed prepared to carry the prophetic message unto all the races of mankind. He was equipped to carry the message of the most perfect religion, to be the final conclusion of prophethood, the unique light of guidance for ever and ever.

  The infallibility of the prophets in the conveyance of their message and the performance of their divine trust is a matter on which the scholars have agreed for a long time. Once they are chosen for their task, the prophets’ conveyance of their message and their performance of the duties entrusted to them carry no reward. Their work is a necessary consequence of such divine revelation. Like all men, prophets are truly fallible; their distinction lies in that God does not leave them in their error. He corrects them and often even blames them therefore.

  Muhammad-may God’s peace and blessing be upon him-was commanded to convey a divine message. But he was not shown how to carry it out nor how to protect the fruits of his work. It was left to him as any rational and sentient being to conduct his affairs as his intelligence and wisdom might dictate. The revelation which he received was absolutely precise and clear in all that concerns the essence, unity, attributes and worship of God. But this was not the case as regards the social institutions of family, village and city, the state in its relations with the said institutions and with other states. There is hence wide scope for research on the Prophet’s greatness before his commission as prophet, as there is after his commission had taken place. He became a messenger for his Lord, calling men unto Him, protecting the new faith and guaranteeing the freedom and security of its preachers. He became the ruler of the Ummah of Islam [’Ummah’ is not translatable into English. It “is not merely the ‘nation’ of the English language, nor ‘la nation’ of post-revolution France and European nationalism. It adds to the utilitarian, practical connotation of the former, and the rationalistic idealistic meaning of the latter, the cosmological sense of being the eternal reality in which ‘nations’ in the foregoing senses may come and go, and the religio-axiological sense of being the real-existent substrate of divine will” (Faruqi, I. R., On Arabism, ‘Urubah and Religion, Amsterdam: Djambatan, 1962, p. 15). -Tr.], its commander in war and teacher, the judge and organizer of all its internal and foreign affairs. Throughout his career he established justice and reconciled hopelessly disparate and hostile nations and groups. His wisdom, farsightedness, perspicacity, presence of mind and resoluteness are evident in all that he said or did. From him streams of knowledge have sprung and heights of eloquence have arisen to which the great bend their heads in awe and wonder. He departed from this world satisfied with his work, assured of God’s pleasure and crowned with the gratitude of men.

  All these aspects of the Prophet’s life deserve special study and research. It is not possible for any one scholar to give them their due; nor to exhaust the meanings inherent in any one of them.

  Like that of any other great man, the biography of Muhammad-may God’s blessing be upon him and upon his house-has been expanded by many an imaginary story, whether innocently or with ulterior motive, deliberately or accidentally. Unlike all other biographies, however, a great portion of it has been included in the divine revelation and has thus been preserved forever in the pure Qur’an. Another fair portion has been safely preserved for us by trustworthy narrators. From these unmistakable sources the biography of the Prophet should be constructed, and on their basis its hidden meanings and complicated problems should be investigated, and its moral established. Its constitutive materials should be subjected to objective and scholarly analysis taking well into consideration the circumstances of time and environment as well as the prevalent beliefs, institutions and customs.

  In his book, The Life of Muhammad, Dr. Haykal gave us the biography of the Prophet-may God’s peace and ble
ssings be upon him-which I have had the pleasure of reading in part before printing. Dr. Haykal is well known to the Arabic reader; his many books obviate the need for an introduction. He studied law and familiarized himself with logic and philosophy. His personal circumstances and career enabled him to study ancient as well as modern culture and to learn a great deal from both. He lectured on and debated, attacked and defended many questions of belief, of social organization and politics. The maturity of his mind is matched by the perfection of his knowledge, and the wide range of his readings. He debates with powerful, convincing arguments and he treats his subject with sound logic and a style all his own. Such preparation stands behind Dr. Haykal’s book. In his Preface, Dr. Haykal wrote: “No one should think that research in the life of Muhammad is completed with this work; and I am far from making any such claim. It is closer to the truth for me to say that my work is really only the beginning of scientific research in this field in Arabic. [See Preface to the First Edition] The reader might be surprised if the strong resemblance of the modern scientific method to the call of Muhammad is pointed out. The former demands that the investigator suspend his own beliefs and refrain from prejudgment, to begin his investigation with observation of the data, and then to proceed to experimentation, comparison, classification and finally to conclusion based upon these objective steps. A conclusion thus arrived at is scientific in that it is itself subject to further testing and critical analysis. It is reliable only as long as further scientific investigations do not disprove any of the premises on which it is based. True, the scientific method is the highest achievement of the human race in its effort to liberate man’s thought, but it is precisely the method of Muhammad and the foundation of his call.

  Dr. Haykal’s new-method is truly Qur’anic. For he has made reason the judge, and evidence the foundation, of knowledge. He has repudiated conservatism and castigated the conservatives. Agreeing with the Qur’anic principle “opinion and speculation are no substitute for true knowledge” (Qur’an, 53:28), Dr. Haykal has chastised those who speculate without evidence; who regard the old purely for its age, as sacred. He has imposed the teaching of the truth upon all those who have the capacity to grasp it. “Muhammad-may God’s peace and blessing be upon him-had only one irresistible miracle-the Qur’an. But it is not irrational. How eloquent is the verse of al Busayri : ‘God did not try us with anything irrational. Thus, we fell under neither doubt nor illusion.’ “