Introduction:
The early years of childhood are decisive in a man’s life. You are what you do. Kid Mohammad was lonely after his mother’s death. He didn’t have a father, a mother, a sister or a brother. Whole generations didn’t do anything interesting in Makkah. People lived whole lives and died without any effect on their societies. The Arab didn’t have any significance before Islam. Other cultures and surrounding nations never cared for the inhabitants of the sands of Arabia. Except for a few poets, the Arabs didn’t make any contribution to humanity before Islam.
Mohammad,the shepherd boy:
Lonely, orphan and poor as he was, kid Mohammad began to make his journey in life. At the age of about six, prophet Mohammad had to make his living. His uncle Abu Talib, who looked after kid Mohammad, was not well off. Rather, Abu Talib had too many mouths to feed. So, it was a must for kid Mohammad to do something to support himself. Prophet Mohammad, the kid, took up his first profession. He worked as a shepherd boy to some people in Makkah. Kid Mohammad began to tend sheep for very little money.
The desert over and over:
Since he lived with Halima in her tent in the desert, kid Mohammad learnt how to enjoy the landscape. Therefore, it was very easy for kid Mohammad to adapt to living in the desert. Unlike his peers, kid Mohammad was peaceful, kind, calm and wise. He didn’t like the bad habits of al-Jahilia. On the contrary, he was decent and refined by nature. So he was caring and merciful to the goats and sheep he tended. Tending the sheep was a good training and exercise for kid Mohammad for the heavy burdens to come in the future.
Allah is everywhere:
Kid Mohammad spent his time reflecting and contemplating. He thought of the greatness of the creation of the sheep he tended. Hethought about the incredible height of the clear blue desert sky over his head. Like his great grandfather Ibrahim had done many centuries before, Kid Mohammad, enjoyed looking at the mountains, the desert, the rising and setting sun by day; and the shiny moon and sparkling stars in the clear desert sky by day.
The education of a prophet:
In fact, the desert was the school in which prophet Mohammad was educated. Kid Mohammad always thought about the Creator of such great phenomena. He knew that that Creator must be one and matchless. Again, like his great grandfather Ibrahim, kid Mohammad felt and enjoyed the company of Allah, the Creator of the whole universe.
Birds are created to fly and sing:
Caring for his orphan kid nephew, Abu Talib decided to accompany Mohammad on a trade journey to Syria. Abu Talib aimed to teach his orphan kid nephew the secrets of the trading profession. It was the first time for kid Mohammad to leave Makkah to another country. Men in the caravan saw strange things happening on the way to Syria. In the blazing hot weather of the desert, the men saw a cloud over kid Mohammad’s head providing shade to protect the blessed kid with the necessary protection during that unbearable heat.
Signs of prophethood revealed:
At the Syrian town of Busra, Abu Talib met a Christian monk called Bahera. The monk was very interested in kid Mohammad. Baheera met Abu Talib and asked about kid Mohammad’s father. Abu Talib figuratively claimed that he himself was Mohammad’s father. Baheera said that that was impossible. Abu Talib was astonished and asked Baheera how he knew. Baheera told Abu Talib that no tree or rock saw Mohammad without falling in prostration. Then Baheera asked Abu Talib to show him Mohammad’s shoulder bone. Baheera saw an apple-like mark on Mohammad’s shoulder bone. Baheera said that it was the mark of prophethood. Eventually, Baheera asked Abu Talib to return back with his nephew to Makkah. Baheera said that Mohammad was the last Messenger and feared that the Romans and the Jews would kill the kid if they recognized him.
