The Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was endearingly called by Allah as Rahmatan lil-Alameen or “mercy for the worlds” (21:107) in the Holy Qur’an, but he was also addressed as “Abduhu” (His servant) in the Qur’anic Surah of Bani Israel: “Glory to (Allah) who did take his servant for a journey by night from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque.”
The night mentioned is the night of Ascension (or Miraj). Abduhu must indeed be the highest possible and most honorific attribute given to a human being. The Qur’an also praises the personality of the Prophet in the following words: “And surely thou hast sublime morals” (68:4).
What is the significance of servanthood of the Prophet?
One of the earliest interpretations comes from 11th century Sufi scholar, Hazrat Abul Qasim al-Qushayri. In his book Al-Risala, he says: “Servanthood means to fulfill the duties of obedience unstintingly, to look at what proceeds from as insufficient and to view what is produced by your virtues as ordained by God. And it is said that servanthood means to give up your own will for the sake of the manifest order of God.”
The emphasis on Abduhu served to remind Muslims always to remember Muhammad (pbuh) as a created being even during the height of his mystical experience, and however much God had glorified him and exalted him among all creatures.
We know that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an orphan; his father Abdullah, son of Abdul Muttalib died before his birth; his mother Aminah died when he was six years old. His guardian grandfather Abdul Muttalib died when he was eight years old.
He was born in the Hisham branch of the clan Quraish. When the Prophet was born, Aminah was in her uncle’s house and she sent a word to Abdul Muttalib, asking him to see his grandson. He took the boy in his arms and carried him to the sanctuary and into Kabaa, the Holy House where he prayed a prayer, thanking God for this gift.
It was customary for all great families of Arab towns and certainly of Bani Hashim to send their sons to be weaned by a foster mother chosen from the Bedouin tribes living on the fringe of the desert, near Makkah.
Normally, foster parents were on the lookout for a baby from well-to-do or influential families, not so much for monetary considerations, but for social relationships at a later period when the child grew up.
Rumi explains that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called ‘unlettered’ not because he was unable to read or write, he was called that because his ‘letters’ -- his knowledge and wisdom -- were innate, not acquired
In the case of Muhammad (pbuh), his father was dead, his mother was poor, and his grandfather, though famous, was old and distant.
Halima, the foster mother of the Prophet, was initially reluctant to accept Aminah’s son when she came to the town to look for a foster child. Having failed to manage a suitable ward, she accepted him just to avoid going home empty-handed.
While staying at a foster parent’s house, an unearthly incident happened to young Muhammad (pbuh).
One day, Halima’s son reported to his parents that two men clothed in white had taken young Muhammad (pbuh) and had laid him down and opened his chest and stirred it with their hand. They asked Muhammad (pbuh) what exactly had happened -- he confirmed Halima’s son’s claims, and said: “They searched for it for I know not what.”
Yet, there was not even a scar on the foster child’s body. Out of apprehension and fear, Halima returned the child to Aminah, who was surprised at the undue return.
The Holy Qur’an, in a different context, alludes to the above incident in an allegorical tone: “Have we not expanded thee thy breast? And removed thee thy burden which did gall thy back?” (94:1) The Holy Prophet’s human nature had been purified, expanded, and elevated.
Addressing the Prophet as “Ummi”
The Prophet of Islam was addressed as “Ummi” by Allah in the Holy Qur’an (Surah Al-Araf/7:157-188), a word generally interpreted in Islamic tradition as unlettered/illiterate.
The Qur’anic verse: “Say, O man I am sent unto you all as the Messenger of Allah to whom belongeth the dominions of heavens and Earth: There is no God but He that giveth life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger the unlettered Prophet who believeth in Allah and His words -- follow him that (so) you may be guided.”
Rumi, the great Sufi sage and poet explains that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called “unlettered” not because he was unable to read or write, he was called that because his “letters” -- his knowledge and wisdom -- were innate, not acquired.
Prophets come out of non-phonic world into the world of words. Once Rumi commented: “Those who have united worldly intellect, which is partial in nature with the universal intellect, which is preserved within the tablet of heart, are prophets and saints.”
Another poignant and perceptive point in calling the Prophet (pbuh) “Ummi” was observed by the late professor of Indo-Muslim culture, Anne Marie Schimmel of Harvard University: “Just as in Christianity, where God reveals Himself through Christ, the virginity of Mary is required in order to produce an immaculate vessel for the divine word, so in Islam where God reveals Himself through the word of the Qur’an, the Prophet had to be a vessel that was unpolluted by ‘intellectual’ knowledge of word and script so that he could carry the trust in perfect purity.”
Let the Almighty Allah’s mercy and blessings be bestowed on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Syed Rezaul Karim is the Ex-Managing Director of Hoechst Bangladesh Ltd and Advisor to Allama Rumi Society, Dhaka.