The Last Prophet of Allah
by Ghulam Nabi Muslim
Muhammad the Prophet (pbuh)
One day the angel Jibrail [Gabriel] came to him and said,
“O Muhammad! Read.”
“I do not know how to read,”
replied Muhammad.
Then the angel embraced him and said,
اِقۡرَاۡ بِاسۡمِ رَبِّکَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ ۚ﴿۱﴾ خَلَقَ الۡاِنۡسَانَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ ۚ﴿۲﴾ اِقۡرَاۡ وَ رَبُّکَ الۡاَکۡرَمُ ۙ﴿۳﴾ الَّذِیۡ عَلَّمَ بِالۡقَلَمِ ۙ﴿۴﴾ عَلَّمَ الۡاِنۡسَانَ مَا لَمۡ یَعۡلَمۡ ؕ﴿۵﴾
“Read in the name of Allah Who created. He created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is Honourable, Who taught with the pen. He taught man what he knew not.” [The Holy Quran, 96:1–5]
And Muhammad did read these words.
The angel then told Muhammad that Allah had chosen him as His Nabi (Prophet) and Rasul (Messenger). After this the angel disappeared. Muhammad knew that his mission was very heavy and full of dangers. He hurried back to his beloved wife, and said to her,
“I have fear for my life. Wrap me up in a blanket.”
Now Khadija was a wise and learned lady. She consoled her husband saying,
“Do not fear. You love your kith and kin, and you help the poor,the helpless, the orphans and the widows. God will never give you up.”
Then she took Muhammad (peace by upon him) to his cousin Warqa bin Naufal. Warqa could read the Bible and other sacred books. When he heard the story, he said to Muhammad,
“You have met the angel (Jibrail). He is the messenger of God. He brings divine messages to the prophets. God has chosen you as a prophet for mankind.”
A few days later, the Prophet lay asleep wrapped up in a blanket. All of a sudden, he heard the voice of Jibrail again saying,
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الۡمُدَّثِّرُ ۙ﴿۱﴾ قُمۡ فَاَنۡذِرۡ ۪ۙ﴿۲﴾
“O, you wrapped one! Arise and warn.” [The Holy Quran, 74:1–2]
This was the beginning of his mission. Hs was ordered to carry the message of Allah to mankind; and this he did for the rest of his life.