The testimony “Mohammad is the messenger of Allah” entails several fundamental implications. It means:
Know Prophet Mohammad Foundation (KPMF) works to bring the proofs of the three above points to humanity in the most creative and engaging ways.
Our first campaign, “Proofs of Prophethood in Every House” , aims to provide people around the world well-researched and highly engaging materials that demonstrate the authenticity of the prophethood of Mohammad (peace be upon him).
In the first part of this campaign, we will author and publish some engaging stories in multiple languages proving to middle and junior high school students the truth about the prophethood of Mohammad (peace be upon him). We will reach out to Islamic schools and centers and work with them to integrate these books into their Islamic and Arabic studies programs. The books will be given to these institutions for free or sold at a nominal price. In return, the institutions, through their designated personnel who teach the contents, will provide KPMF feedback.
When possible, the Academic Advisory Committee and other qualified persons appointed by the committee will also give seminars and workshops to the stakeholders explaining the essential lessons from the materials and the most effective ways of delivery.
During the expedition of Tabuk, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Mu’adh ibn Jabal: “Mu'adh, it is likely that if you live long that you see what is here filled with gardens.” [Sahih Muslim Book 30, Hadith 5662].
Using that hadith as a basis, the Academic Advisory Committee of KPMF published an engaging book to prove to middle and junior high school students that Mohammad (peace be upon him) is a true messenger of Allah. While the book's content revolves around the life experience of a middle school student, it shows how the area of Tabuk at the time of the expedition was utterly barren. Anyone inhabiting such a harsh environment during those times would not ever rationally conceive of the possibility that one day there would be a plentiful supply of water and abundant crops.
However, in the last 40 years, the area of Tabuk has transformed into fertile green land, with numerous agricultural projects attracting many major agricultural companies. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, in its publications of Volume 13, Issue 1, showed the continued increase of farming activities in the area of Tabuk and produced the following table and graph.
The study also concluded that although the agricultural activities in the Tabuk area have been increasing since the late 1980s, soil characteristics and groundwater quality did not deteriorate. For more reading on this scientific study, click here.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) stood to gain nothing by making such a shocking prediction over 1,400 years ago. On the contrary, it may have given some of his enemies a reason to mock and undermine him as a Prophet. But he (peace be upon him) made the statement with certainty and publicly because it was a knowledge that came to him from Allah (the most-Powerful). As such, he knew it was going to happen for sure.
In this story, we use Prophet Mohammad’s (peace be upon him) amazing reaction upon hearing what the people of Medina were saying about the reason the sun eclipsed the same day his son, Ibrahim, died to prove to middle and junior high school students that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) was a true messenger of Allah.
The death of Ibrahim was one of the most tragic and painful experiences Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) faced. Upon hearing the critical condition his 18-month-old baby was in, he went to the home of the wet nurse of Ibrahim to tend to him. He took the baby, kissed him and smelled him. As Ibrahim was taking his last breath, the Prophet (peace be upon him) started to cry and said:
"The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord, O Ibrahim! Indeed, we are grieved by your separation" [Sahih al-Bukhari 1303]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) wept more and displayed emotions that his companions who (may Allah be pleased with them all) were not used to seeing in him to a point where some of them asked him how a prophet would feel this level of pain for a worldly matter such as a loss of a loved one. However, even in that challenging circumstance, he would put his emotions aside and teach the companions the Islamic etiquettes of grief.
On the same day, right after Ibrahim passed away and some of the companions gave their condolences to the Prophet (peace be upon him), a total solar eclipse was observed in Medina. In those days, people around the world associated eclipses with myths and legends, such as the death of a significant person like a king. For more reading on this, click here.
Some of the people of Medina thought the eclipse occurred as a result of the death of Ibrahim, which signifies the high status of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), giving him divinity. When he was informed of this, only a few hours had passed since his son passed away, and he was still in a high state of grief. He put his grief aside and gathered the people of Medina in his mosque to end the superstition and lead the congregation in a long prayer performed when an eclipse is observed. After the prayer, he stood on the pulpit to teach the people that the eclipse was not related to the death of his son and did not imply that he was special. He said to them:
"The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse on the death or life of anyone. So, when you see the eclipse, remember Allah and say Takbir, pray and give Sadaqa" [Sahih al-Bukhari 1044]
Instead of taking advantage of the claim people made about him to build himself up and to gain some worldly benefit, prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) quickly debunked the superstition and corrected their beliefs. Because he was Allah's true messenger, he would not use people’s shortcomings and ignorance to his advantage. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) knew his role as a messenger of Allah was to explain to the people the messages regardless of the circumstance. Therefore, even in times of severe personal grief, such as losing his beloved son, he still had to correct people’s misunderstandings.
