Muhammad (pbuh) was an illiterate but wise and well-respected man who was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E., at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. His first years were marked by the deaths of his parents. Since his father died before his birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected tribe of Quraysh, raised him. As Muhammad (pbuh) grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. His reputation and personal qualities also led to his marriage, at the age of twenty-five, to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in business. Thenceforth, he became an important and trusted citizen of Makkah. Historians describe him as calm and meditative. Read of All

The fourth of the six fundamentals of (belief) îmân is “to believe in Allâhu ta’âlâ’s prophets,” who were sent to make people attain the way He likes and to guide them to the right path. Literally ‘rusul’ (pl. of rasûl) were the ‘people sent, messengers, ’ In Islam, ‘rasûl’ means ‘noble, respectable person whose nature, character, knowledge and intellect are higher than those of all the people of his time, having no bad trait in his character and no disliked manner. ’ Prophets had the quality ’Isma, that is, they did not commit any grave or venial sins before or after they were informed of their nubuwwa (prophethood, prophetship).

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