The
City
of
Light

Well, here we are again, back at the Thruway for the City of Light,

but this time we're at the start of Level 2.

Now we have the chance to learn more about

what made Muhammad the Messenger so special.

For Muhammad was known to be a special person

long before he first heard the words of God in the cave at Hira.

When he was young he would look after the animals when they grazed,

to see that none were lost or came to harm,

and even then those around him knew he was a child who could be trusted.

But at the age of nine, or some say twelve,

he was taken on a trading journey

to Syria with a merchant caravan,

and with that began his interest in

the buying and selling of goods.

So, as he grew older he joined with more caravans,

soon earning a reputation for his honesty

as well as his good business judgement.

By the time he was twenty,

one trader even trusted him to be in charge of his whole caravan

and all the trading involved,

and with that Muhammad was able to earn a better living

until eventually he could set up in business for himself.

By the time he was twenty-five,

Muhammad's reputation had grown,

and he was known throughout Makkah as al-Amin,

the Reliable, the Trustworthy, the Honest one,

and his reputation reached the ears of

one of the richer merchants in Makkah,

a woman called Khadija.

Khadija had been married twice,

but both husbands had died,

since when she had taken care of

all their business on her own.

But she did not go with her caravans

on their long, hot and dangerous journeys herself,

she hired men to manage that part of her business for her,

and having heard of Muhammad's good character

as well as his good business sense,

she sent word to ask him if he would take charge of

a trading caravan for her.

Muhammad accepted,

and the business he did was a great success,

and Khadija was able to sell the goods he brought back to Makkah

at a handsome profit.

But Khadija was less interested in the profit, than in the man she had employed,

who had lived up to his reputation for honesty and nobility of character.

So as he told her of the business he had done on her behalf, she looked at the man himself.

He was of medium size,

quite slim but well-proportioned,

with a large head and broad shoulders.

His hair and beard were thick and black and slightly curled.

His hair reached midway between the lobes of his ears and his shoulders,

and his beard was of a similar length.

He had large wide oval eyes, with extremely long lashes

and full eyebrows, slightly arched but not joined.

Most describe his eyes as black,

but some say they were brown.

His nose was aquiline,

and his mouth was wide and finely shaped,

and he never allowed the hair of his moustache to grow over his upper lip.

His skin was pale, but tanned by the sun.

Khadija not only noticed his natural beauty, however,

but also saw that he seemed to shine with a light from within,

almost as though his goodness radiated out from him,

and despite the fact that she was fifteen years older than him,

she decided to ask Muhammad to marry her.

Muhammad was amazed

that this rich woman of noble birth

would see fit to ask him,

a man who seemed to have so little to offer in return,

to be her husband,

especially as

she was also extremely beautiful.

So it did not take long for him to agree,

and so began a long and happy marriage

that brought him children

as well as comfort and support

during the difficult times that were to follow.

How did the Messenger tell his story?

Tales of the Makkan Days of Islam?