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The Precursors to the Prophet's Mission
Author : Mufti Basem Al-Qudah
Date Added : 18-08-2025

Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "It is He Who has sent amongst the Unlettered an apostle from among themselves, to rehearse to them His Signs, to sanctify them, and to instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom,- although they had been, before, in manifest error;-." [Al-Jumu'ah/2].

Each year, we commemorate the birth of the Chosen One (peace be upon him)—the advent of light that dispelled darkness, the emergence of a spring that transformed barren deserts into flourishing gardens, and the arrival of a spiritual revival that awakened souls once lost in ignorance.

Speaking about the aspects of greatness in the personality of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is difficult for speakers and orators. It is like searching for a ring in a vast desert. Nevertheless: "What cannot be attained in its entirety should not be abandoned entirely." May Allah be pleased with Khalid Ibn Al-Walid (May Allah Be Pleased with), who, when asked to describe the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), said: "Do you want me to be long or short?" They said: "Be short." He replied: "He is the Messenger of Allah, and the Messenger is according to the One who sent him."

Let us review some of the precursors and signs (Irhasat) of his prophecy (peace be upon him), beginning with those that occurred at his birth:

Among what happened at the time of his birth was the shaking of the palace of Chosroes of Persia and the fall of fourteen of its balconies. This was interpreted as the fall of fourteen of their kings; ten of them fell within four years, and the other four fell during the era of the Islamic conquest. The fire of Persia, which had not been extinguished for a thousand years, was also put out.

Among the precursors were events that happened to him (peace be upon him) when he was a nursing infant in the care of Haleema. Haleema narrated that when the Messenger (peace be upon him) was first presented to her, she turned away, as did the other wet nurses, because he was an orphan. What good, she thought, could come from an orphan? When she found no other child to take, she returned and took this orphan. As soon as she took him, her breasts became full of milk, and their she-camel, which had not given milk for a long time, suddenly became full of milk. Her husband said to her: "By Allah, Haleema, you have taken a blessed soul." Haleema continued: "Then we left, and I rode my she-donkey with him, and by Allah, I outpaced the caravan in a way that none of their donkeys could, so much so that my companions said to me: "O daughter of Abu Dhu'ayb, woe to you! Wait for us! Isn't this the same she-donkey you left with?" I said to them: "By Allah, it is indeed the same one!' They replied: "By Allah, he has a great matter!"

Among the precursors was the splitting of his chest that occurred while he was with the family of Haleema. Haleema narrated: "He was with his brother (Prophet`s brother by suckling/Haleema`s son) behind our houses when his brother came running to me and his father and said: "My Qurayshi brother, two men in white garments have taken him, laid him down, and have split open his belly." I went out with his father—Haleema's husband—towards him and found him standing, his face pale and changed. I hugged him and his father hugged him. We asked him: "What is wrong with you, my son?" He said: "Two men in white garments came to me, laid me down, and split my belly, and searched for something in it, but I don't know what it was."

Among the precursors was the acknowledgment of his prophecy by Bahira the monk, who advised his uncle Abu Talib to be wary of the Jews. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was twelve years old, he traveled with his people. Bahira the monk was a scholar in that region due to his knowledge and merit. He looked out from his cell and saw a caravan, and a boy was shaded by a cloud. He had never seen such a sight before, so he prepared a feast for them and invited them. He had never cared for them before. When they came, the boy Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not present, so he sent for him. When he came, Bahira scrutinized him and asked him about the Seal of prophecy on his back. He knew then that he was the Prophet promised in the Torah and the Gospel, so he advised his uncle Abu Talib to protect him well and warned him that the Jews might try to assassinate him.

Among the precursors in his youth was Allah's protection of him from attending anything forbidden. One day, he heard the sound of flutes and drums and decided to go to the wedding. He fell asleep and did not wake up until the heat of the next day's sun.

Among the precursors was the trees and stones greeting him (peace be upon him) as he walked in Mecca. [Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir by At-Tabarani/vol. 2/pp.351].

One of the signs of his perfect character was that his private parts were never exposed. It is narrated that he was participating in the rebuilding of the Kaaba with his people. His people were lifting their garments onto their shoulders to protect themselves from the rough stones, while he was placing the stones on his shoulder without any covering. His uncle Al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him and said: "Why don't you lift your garment over your shoulder so the stones won't hurt you?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) did so, and his private parts were exposed, at which point he fell on his face and was called out to: "Cover your private parts." An angel called to him, and after that, his private parts were never seen again.

Among the signs of his perfect character was that Allah Made him Detest idols and all forms of falsehood, as well as the singing and drinking of wine that the people of Quraysh engaged in. It is narrated from him (peace be upon him): "When I grew up, idols became hateful to me, and poetry became hateful to me. I did not intend to do anything that the people of the Age of Ignorance used to do except twice. Each time, Allah Almighty Came between me and what I intended, and I never intended to pursue poetry after that until Allah Honored me with His Message..." [Al-Shifa' by Al-Qadi Iyad/vol.1/pp.8].

Undoubtedly, this was due to Allah's protection of him (peace be upon him) from anything that would harm his lofty status and high rank.

Among the precursors is what Maysarah narrated when he traveled with the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a trade journey for Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid to Sham (Syria). He saw two angels shading him from the heat of the sun in the scorching midday. Also, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sat under the shade of a tree near a monk's cell. The monk saw him and asked Maysarah about him. Maysarah said: "He is a man from the Sacred Precinct, a Qurayshi." The monk replied: "No one has ever sat under this tree except a prophet."

Among the precursors were the true visions just before his mission. He would not see a vision in his sleep by night or by day except that it came to pass like the breaking of dawn. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the first thing with which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) began were true visions. He would not see a vision in his sleep except that it would come true like the breaking of dawn. She said: "And solitude was made dear to him, and he would go to the cave of Hira to seclude himself, meaning to cleanse himself from what he saw or heard of the polytheism and falsehood among the people of his tribe, Quraysh."

This is but a small portion of a great many manifestations of human perfection that preceded the mission of the Messenger (peace be upon him). And all praise is due to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

References:

1. Sahih Al-Imam Al-Bukhari.

2. Musnad Al-Imam Ahmad.

3. Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir, Al-Tabarani.

4. Al-Shifa, Al-Qadi 'Iyad.

5. Muhammad, the Beloved (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr Al-Jazairi.

6. Noor Al-Yaqeen, Muhammad Al-Khudari.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Sharia basis of the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is firmly established through the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus (Ijma') of the Muslims:
1. Evidence from the Holy Quran
Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Hajj/36]. He also says {what means}: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]" [Al-Kawthar/2]. According to the most well-known scholarly interpretations of this verse, "prayer" refers to the Eid prayer, and "sacrifice" refers to the slaughtering of the Udhiyah.
2. Evidence from the Sunnah
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing we start with on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before [the prayer], it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it is not part of the ritual sacrifice in any way" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed two white rams with horns. He slaughtered them with his own hand, mentioned the name of Allah (Tasmiyah), and said the Takbir" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
3. Evidence from Scholarly Consensus (Ijma')
The Muslims have reached a unanimous consensus on the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah, and no one among the scholars has disagreed with this. [Al-Sherbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj, Vol.6/P.122].And Allah the Exalted knows best.

If the menses lasted for over than 9 to 10 days, considered menstruation?

If the duration of the bleeding does not exceed fifteen days, it is all considered menstruation, even if the usual pattern changes.

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on offering a sheep as a sacrifice (Udhiyah) if its fat-tail is sound, except that when it was young, the tip of its fat-tail was cut so that it would grow larger? And what is the ruling in case of doubt regarding the amount that was cut?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Cutting a minor, insignificant portion from the tip of an animal's fat-tail (al-alyah) to encourage it to grow larger is not considered a defect, and it does not prevent the animal from being valid for sacrifice (Udhiyah).
 
It is stated in Tuhfat al-Muhtaj (Vol.9/P.352): "There is some scholarly deliberation regarding the common practice of cutting the tip of the fat-tail so that it grows larger. It could potentially be likened to a partial cut of the ear—supported by the jurists' general rule: 'even if it is a small amount.' On the other hand, if it is an exceptionally minor cut, it might have no effect on validity. This is explicitly clarified by the juristic exception to the general rule, which states that cutting a tiny piece from a large limb causes no harm. This latter view is more well-founded.
 
Furthermore, I found that some scholars investigated this matter and concluded: 'It should not affect validity if a custom-sanctioned portion of its fat-tail is removed during its youth to make it grow larger and look better, just as castrating a male animal causes no harm.' However, applying this unconditionally contradicts the established texts of the jurists, as understood from what I have laid out; thus, the restriction I specified is what must be relied upon."
 
Similarly, it is mentioned in Nihayat al-Muhtaj (8/135): "If a small piece is cut from the fat-tail to help it grow larger, the most well-founded view is that the sacrifice remains valid, as was given in a formal legal verdict (Fatwa) by my father [Shihab al-Din al-Ramli], may Allah be pleased with him. This is proven by the jurists' maxim: 'The loss of a tiny piece from a large limb causes no harm.'"
 
In cases where there is doubt as to whether the portion cut was large or small, the animal is still deemed valid for sacrifice. It is noted in Hashiyat al-Shubramallisi ‘ala Nihayat al-Muhtaj (Vol.8/P.135):
 
"This matter requires careful consideration, but the closer and more correct view is that it is valid. This is because soundness is the default state for the animal from which the piece was cut, and it aligns with what usually occurs—namely, that the part removed to help the fat-tail grow larger is naturally very small." And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

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