The dark clouds of the Age of Ignorance had covered the skies of the Arabian Peninsula. Ugly deeds, oppressive practices, bloody wars, plunder and robbery, the burying of infant girls alive, and the killing of children had erased every moral virtue from the Arab environment. Arab society had reached a strange descent into misery, with only a thin veil and a short distance separating them from death!

At that very moment, the sun of happiness and life rose upon them, illuminating the region of the Arabian Peninsula that was immersed in complete darkness. This occurred when the land of the Hijaz was brightened by the blessed birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Thus, the necessary conditions were prepared for the rise of a backward people who had long remained under the darkness of ignorance and underdevelopment and had suffered bitter misery. It was not long before the light of this blessed child filled the corners of the world and established a great human civilization throughout the earth.

All stages in the lives of great men are worthy of contemplation and deserving of study. Sometimes greatness in a person's character reaches such breadth and elevation that it encompasses every stage of his life, beginning with childhood and even the period of nursing. His entire life and personality then become a continuous chain of links of greatness.

All the stages and periods in the lives of great figures, geniuses, leaders of human societies, and pioneers and builders of human civilizations generally contain remarkable and sensitive points, as well as circumstances that inspire admiration.

The pages of their history and lives, from the moment their conception takes place in their mothers' wombs until the final moment of their lives, are filled with mysteries and abundant with wonders.

We often read about such great figures during their childhood and find that their early lives were accompanied by a series of extraordinary and miraculous events.

If it is easy for us to believe in such matters concerning ordinary men who became great figures in the world, then believing in similar events concerning the prophets and messengers should be much, much easier.

The Holy Qur'an describes the childhood period of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) as being surrounded by many mysteries. In summary, it tells us that hundreds of children were killed and slaughtered by order of Pharaoh at that time, in an attempt to prevent Moses from being born and raised.

But God's will decreed that the one who would speak with God should be born, and this divine will continued to protect him from the schemes of those who sought to harm him. Not only were his enemies unable to destroy him or cause him harm, but he was even raised in the house of Pharaoh, his greatest enemy.

The Qur'an says in this regard:

“And indeed, We had already conferred favor upon you another time, when We inspired to your mother what We inspired: ‘Put him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there an enemy to Me and an enemy to him will take him.’ And I bestowed upon you love from Me so that you would be brought up under My eye.”
[Ta-Ha: 38–39]

Then it says:

“When your sister went and said, ‘Shall I direct you to someone who will take care of him?’ So We restored you to your mother so that she might be comforted and not grieve.”
[Ta-Ha: 40]

The Holy Qur'an then relates the story of the birth of Christ and depicts his childhood and upbringing in an even more remarkable manner:

“And mention in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her people to an eastern place. And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Spirit, and it appeared before her as a well-formed man. She said, ‘Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you should be fearing of God.’ He said, ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy.’ She said, ‘How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?’ He said, ‘Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, “It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.”’ So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, ‘Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.’ Then he called her from beneath her, ‘Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be content. And if you see any human being, say, “Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to any human.”’ Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, ‘O Mary, you have certainly done something unprecedented. O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.’ So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?’ He said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and charity as long as I remain alive, and [made me] dutiful to my mother. And He has not made me a wretched tyrant.’”
[Maryam: 16–31]

If the followers of the Qur'an, the Torah, and the Gospel acknowledge the truth of these accounts concerning the births of these two great prophets, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them), then there is no reason in this case to find it strange that similar events occurred in connection with the Messenger of Islam. Nor should we be surprised by the extraordinary events that preceded or accompanied his blessed birth and regard them as superficial matters that have no significance.

We read in historical books and collections of hadith about extraordinary events that occurred on the day of the birth of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), such as: the shaking of the palace of Khosrow and the falling of fourteen of its balconies; the extinguishing of the Persian fire that had been worshipped; the drying up of Lake Sawa; the idols placed in the Kaaba falling face-first; a light emerging with him (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that illuminated a vast area of the Arabian Peninsula; the frightening vision seen by Anushirwan and his priests; and the birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) circumcised and with his umbilical cord already severed, while saying:

“Allah is the Greatest, and abundant praise belongs to Allah. Glory be to Allah morning and evening.”

All these matters have been recorded in early historical sources and معتبر collections of hadith.

When we consider what has been reported about Moses and Jesus, some of which we have cited here, there remains no room to doubt the authenticity of these events.

Yes, we should ask here: What was the purpose of these extraordinary events?

In answering this question, we must say that these miraculous and extraordinary events served two purposes:

First: They were intended to make tyrants, idolaters, and idol worshippers reflect upon their circumstances and ask themselves: Why had their fires, which had remained burning for so long and were guarded by prominent priests and custodians, suddenly been extinguished?

Why did a slight tremor cause the magnificent and firmly constructed palace of Khosrow to shake, while not even an old man's house in that same country suffered anything?

Why did the idols placed in and around the Kaaba collapse and fall upon their faces, while everything else remained as it was and suffered no harm?

Had they reflected upon those events, they would have realized that these occurrences heralded a new era—an era marking the end of idolatry, the disappearance of the manifestations of satanic authority, and its defeat.

Second: These events came to demonstrate the significance of the great child and to show that he was not an ordinary newborn. He was like the other great prophets whose births were accompanied by similar extraordinary events and unusual occurrences, as the Holy Qur'an tells us in its accounts of the lives of the prophets—as we have seen—and as recorded in the histories of Christian and Jewish peoples and communities.

Basically, such events do not necessarily have to serve as lessons or means of reflection at the very moment they occur. It is sufficient for an event to take place in one year and for people to draw lessons from it many years later. The events surrounding the birth of the Prophet therefore belonged to this category, because their purpose was to create a disturbance in the consciences of those people who had become completely immersed in the mire of idolatry, oppression, and moral corruption, while ignorance and heedlessness had taken deep root within them.

Those who lived during the era of the Prophet's mission, as well as those who came after them, when they heard the call of a man who rose—with all his strength—against idolatry and oppression, and then studied his background and noticed alongside it the great events that had occurred on the night of his birth and corresponded with his mission, would undoubtedly regard the coincidence of these two kinds of events as evidence of the truth of his claim and the sincerity of his words. They would therefore believe in him and join under his banner.

The occurrence of such extraordinary events at the births of prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Christ, and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon them all) is no less significant than their occurrence during the periods of their missions and prophethood. All of these events stem from divine grace and take place for the purpose of guiding humanity and attracting it toward the call of God's messengers and apostles.