In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

Birth and EdJlcation

And among His Signs is this: you see the earth humble [because of

drought]; but when \"'('e send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields

increase. Truly, He who gives it lite can surdy gi'"e life to the dead, for He

has power over all things.l1

13

This relationship with namre was so present in the Prophet's life from

his earliest childhood that one can easily come to the conclusion that liv-

ing close to namre, observ1ng, understanding, and respecting it, is an

imperative of deep faith.

Many years later, when the Prophet was in Medina, facing conflicts and

wars, a Revelation in the heart of night turned his gaze toward another

horizon of meaning: "In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and

the alternation of night and day, tbere are indeed signs for all those

endowed with insight.,,]2 It has been reported that the Prophet wept all

night long when this verse was revealed to him. At dawn, when Bilal, tbe

muezzin, coming to call fo r prayer, asked ab01.:.t the cause of those tears,

Muhammad explained to him the meaning of his sadness and added:

"\'1ioe to anyone who bears that verse and does not meditate upon it!"

Another verse conveys the sa me [eacbing, referring to multiple signs:

In cile creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of night and

day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of

humankind; in the rain that God sends down ftOm the skies, and the life

which He then gives to the earth after it had been lifeless; in the beasts of

aU kind that He scatters through thc earth; in the change of the winds, and

the clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and the earth;

[here] indeed are signs for a people who are wise. 13

The flfSt years of Muhammad's life undoubtedly fasbioned bis outlook,

preparing him to understand the signs in tbe universe. The spiritual teach-

ing that can be drawn from them is essential, botb for the Prophet's edu-

c<.cion and for our own education throughout bistory: being close to

nature, respecting what it is, and observing ~nd meditating on what it

shows us, offers us, or takes (back) from us requirements o f a faith tbat,

in its quest, attempts to feed, deepen, and renew itsclf. Nature is the pri-

mary guide and the intimate companion of faith. Thus, God decided to

expose His Prophet, from his earliest childhood, to the natural lessons of