The Sanctuary in the Desert 21monk gave him a brief examination, and declared to everyone present
that this was “the Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds.”
Muhammad was nine years old.
If the childhood stories about Muhammad seem familiar, it is because
they function as a prophetic topos: a conventional literary theme that
can be found in most mythologies. Like the infancy narratives in the
Gospels, these stories are not intended to relate historical events, but
to elucidate the mystery of the prophetic experience. They answer the
questions: What does it mean to be a prophet? Does one suddenly
become a prophet, or is prophethood a state of existence established
before birth, indeed before the beginning of time? If the latter, then
there must have been signs foretelling the prophet’s arrival: a miracu-
lous conception, perhaps, or some prediction of the prophet’s identity
and mission.
The story of the pregnant Amina is remarkably similar to the
Christian story of Mary, who, when pregnant with Jesus, heard the
angel of the Lord declare, “You will be with child and will give birth to
a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and
will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31–32). The story of
Bahira resembles the Jewish story of Samuel, who, when told by God
that one of Jesse’s sons would be the next king of Israel, invited the
entire family to a feast in which the youngest son, David, was left
behind to tend the sheep. “Send for him,” Samuel demanded when
the rest of Jesse’s sons were rejected. “We will not sit down until he
arrives.” The moment David entered the room, he was anointed king
(1 Samuel 16:1–13).
Again, the historicity of these topoi is irrelevant. It is not important
whether the stories describing the childhood of Muhammad, Jesus, or
David are true. What is important is what these stories say about our
prophets, our messiahs, our kings: that theirs is a holy and eternal
vocation, established by God from the moment of creation.
Even so, when combined with what is known about pre-Islamic
Arabian society, one can glean important historical information from
these traditions. For example, we can reasonably conclude that
Muhammad was a Meccan and an orphan; that he worked for his
uncle’s caravan from a young age; that this caravan made frequent