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XIII
THE QURAN
fifteen year of their marriage, 695 - 610 A. D., he would retire for
days to a cave called Hira on a hill near Makkah for meditation
and spiritual devotion, she never complained, and always
welcomed him back home. When in 610 A. D. he received
Divine call, she was the first to recognize him as the Apostle of
Allah and to convert to Islam, remaining until her death in 620
A.D. a source of comfort and support to him.
Muhammad's Divine call began in 610 A. D. when he, while
engaged in meditation in the above-mentioned cave, received the
first of a long series of revelations which continued to be
revealed in portions and on occasions until his death in 632 A. D.
In these revelations Muhammad was warned that God had
chosen him as His Apostle and that he was charged with the task
of communicating His message to mankind.
Muhammad's career as Prophet lasted for about 23 years, about
half of which he spent in Makkah and the other in Madinah,
which lies about 280 miles north of Makkah. During the first
period, his efforts to win the Makkans to Islam met with
vehement opposition, and in 622 A. D. he had to emigrate, along
with the few followers he had been able to convert, to Madinah.
Here the Prophet was given a hearty welcome, and moved from
one success to another. By the time he died in 632 A. D. he had
united all Arabia under the banner of Islam and completed his
message to mankind.
M. Y. Zayid
M.Beirut,
19 Ramadan. 1400
31 July, 1980