But, en route to Mecca, his mother, Aminah, passed away.

But, en route to Mecca, his mother, Aminah, passed away. She was laid to rest at al-Abwa', a village halfway between Mecca and Madinah. Umm-Ayman resumed the journey alone, and in Mecca she was devoted to him as his mother was, while his grandfather looked after him as if he were his son. But, it was not long before Abdul-Muttalib died. The Prophet was, at the time, eight years old. UNDER THE CARE OF ABU TALIB Abu Talib,(8) his uncle, took him and treated him very kindly.

He even gave him precedence over his sons. Muhammad (s.a.w.) would sleep in the bed of his uncle, sit next to him, eat with him, and go out with him. ADULTHOOD As soon as he came of age, Muhammad (s.a.w.) began to work to earn his living. First, he became a shepherd. Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, related that he was with the Prophet (s.a.w.) with other Muslims, picking al- Kabath (a kind of fruit). The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: "Pluck the black ones. They are sweetest.

I used to gather it while pasturing my sheep". "You were pasturing the sheep, O Messenger of Allah?", we asked him. "Yes", he replied, "every prophet was at sometime a shepherd".(9) Allah, the Most High, was able to spare His Prophet (s.a.w.) the tiresome task of working. He willed to set the Prophet (s.a.w.) as an example for the people so that nobody would rely on anybody else for earning his living. Islam stressed the importance of work.

The Prophet (s.a.w.) is reported to have said: "Cursed be who throws his burdens on other people".(10) "Worship is of seventy kinds, the best of which is earning one's living righteously". "An excellent help to guard against evil is wealth."(11) MARRIAGE At the age of twenty-five he went to Syria on a mercantile mission on behalf of Khadij ah the daughter of Khuwailid, may Allah be pleased with her. Khadijah was the best among the women of Quraish.

She was the richest, the noblest and the most beautiful among them. She was called "the chaste", and the mistress of Quraish. She would hire men to work in trade for her in return for a fixed percentage of the profit. When the Prophet (s.a.w.) became to be widely known for his faithfulness and the smoothness of his manners, she offered him money to go to Syria and promised him a good share in the profits, more than any share given to any man before him.

He set out for Syria, leading a big caravan. Maisarah, her slave, went with him. They sold articles and bought merchandise and returned with profuse sums of money.