Prophet Muhammad (SAW) — The Seal of Prophets

Al-Mustafa — The Chosen One

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّد O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.

Everything in the Bohra tradition returns to this one man: Sayyidna Muhammad ibn Abdullah (SAW) — born in Mecca in approximately 570 CE, died in Medina in 11 AH / 632 CE. The Seal of the Prophets. The Natiq (Speaker) of the sixth divine dispensation. The one who transmitted the Quran, established salah, performed Hajj, and — at Ghadir Khumm — appointed Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) as his rightful successor.

His life is not merely history. It is the living ground of every Bohra prayer, every salawat, every misaq, every du’a, every journey to Mecca or Medina. When the Bohra mumin says Ya Allah and turns to Allah, the path runs through him.

His Names and Titles

The Prophet (SAW) has many names and titles, each illuminating a different aspect of his being:

Birth and Early Life

The Prophet (SAW) was born on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant (Aam al-Fil), when Abraha’s army had marched on Mecca — and been destroyed by a divine sign.

He was born into the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe — among the most honored lineages of Arabia. His father, Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, died before his birth. His mother, Sayyida Aminah bint Wahb, died when he was approximately six years old. His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib then raised him; when Abd al-Muttalib died, his uncle Abu Talib (father of Imam Ali AS) took him in and raised him.

The boy grew up marked by a quality the Meccans could not help but notice: profound trustworthiness and integrity. They called him al-Amin — the Trustworthy. He mediated disputes, cared for the poor, honored his word. Before a single verse of Quran had descended, Mecca already knew this was no ordinary man.

He worked as a merchant. He was employed by Sayyida Khadija (RA) — a wealthy businesswoman of Mecca — to lead her trade caravan to Syria. His conduct was so exemplary that Sayyida Khadija (RA) proposed marriage. He was 25; she was approximately 40. The marriage was one of the great love stories of history.

The Revelation — Iqra

In the year 610 CE, when Muhammad (SAW) was approximately 40 years old, he was spending a period of spiritual retreat in Ghar Hira on Jabal Nur above Mecca. He had been doing this for years — drawn to solitude and contemplation in a society steeped in idol worship and injustice.

Then the angel Jibrail (AS) came.

Jibrail (AS) embraced him tightly and commanded: “Iqra!” — Read! Three times. And then the first words of the Quran:

اقرَأ بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَق · خَلَقَ الإِنسَانَ مِن عَلَق “Read, in the name of your Lord who created — created the human being from a clinging clot.” (Quran 96:1-2)

The Prophet (SAW) returned to Sayyida Khadija (RA) trembling: “Cover me, cover me.” She wrapped him in a cloak and calmed him. When he told her what had happened, she said the words that affirm what she had always known:

“By Allah, He will never disgrace you. You keep ties of kinship, bear the burden of those in difficulty, give generously to those who have nothing, honor the guest, and help those afflicted by hardship.”

She was the first to believe. And from that day, the Quran was revealed over the next 23 years — gradually, in response to events, to questions, to communities, to battles, to grief, to celebration. The complete Quran that the mumin reads today was assembled under divine guidance, preserved first in hearts, then in writing.

The Mission and its Trials

The Prophet (SAW) began to call the people of Mecca to the recognition of one God and to justice and moral accountability. The wealthy and powerful of Mecca — who built their comfort on the exploitation of the poor and the slave trade — resisted fiercely.

The early Muslims were a small community: Sayyida Khadija (RA), Imam Ali (AS) — a young boy in the household of the Prophet — Zayd ibn Haritha, and Abu Bakr among the first. As the community grew, so did the persecution.

The Quraysh:

• Spread slander and ridicule
• Imposed economic boycotts on the Banu Hashim
• Tortured and murdered enslaved Muslim converts (Bilal al-Habashi, Sumayyah — the first shahid of Islam)
• Eventually plotted the Prophet’s assassination

Through these years, the Prophet (SAW) was protected partly by his uncle Abu Talib — who shielded him politically even as the Quraysh pressured him to abandon his nephew. In 619 CE — the Year of Sorrow — both Abu Talib and Sayyida Khadija (RA) died within weeks of each other. The Prophet (SAW) lost his two greatest supports in one terrible season.

The Isra and Mi’raj — The Night Journey and Ascension

Among the most extraordinary events of the Prophet’s life: Laylat al-Isra wal-Mi’raj (27th Rajab). The Prophet (SAW) was carried in a single night from Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem (the Isra — Night Journey). From there, he ascended through the heavens (Mi’raj) — meeting the Prophets, traversing the realms of existence, until he reached a proximity to Allah that no creation has ever reached before or since.

In this ascension, the five daily prayers were enjoined upon the Muslim community.

27 Rajab (Laylat al-Mi’raj) is observed in the Bohra community with mawlid gatherings and salawat — honoring this night when the Prophet (SAW) ascended beyond the veils of creation.

The Hijra — Migration to Medina

In 622 CE, the persecution in Mecca reached a crisis point. The Prophet (SAW) received revelation permitting migration. He and his companion Abu Bakr departed secretly; the Quraysh, learning of the escape, pursued them. They hid for three days in Ghar Thawr (the Cave of Thawr) before traveling north to Medina (then called Yathrib).

This migration — the Hijra — marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. From Medina, the Prophet (SAW) built the first Islamic community-state. He constructed Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque). He established the Constitution of Medina — a document governing relations between the Muslims, the Jews of Medina, and other communities. He led the community in battle when battles became necessary (Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaybar, and others). He sent delegations to the rulers of the world calling them to Islam.

Over ten years in Medina, the Muslim community grew from a refugee community of hundreds into a force that transformed Arabia.

The Farewell Hajj and Ghadir Khumm

In 10 AH / 632 CE, the Prophet (SAW) performed what would be his only and final Hajj — Hajjat al-Wada (the Farewell Pilgrimage). More than 100,000 Muslims accompanied him. On the plains of Arafat, he delivered the Khutbat al-Wada — the Farewell Sermon — affirming the sacred nature of Muslim life and property, announcing the equality of all believers, and instructing care for women.

On the return journey, at a place called Ghadir Khumm, the Prophet (SAW) received revelation:

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيكَ مِن رَبِّكَ “O Messenger, convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord.” (Quran 5:67)

He halted the entire caravan. He had a pulpit constructed from camel saddles. He gathered the people. He took the hand of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) and raised it, saying:

مَن كُنتُ مَولَاه فَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ مَولَاه “For whomsoever I am the master (mawla), this Ali is his master.”

This event — Ghadir Khumm — is the foundation of the Bohra understanding of the Imamate. The Prophet (SAW) publicly, explicitly, by divine command, designated Imam Ali (AS) as his successor and the continuing authority over the community. The 18th of Dhul Hijjah (Eid al-Ghadir) is observed in the Bohra community as one of the greatest celebrations of the year.

His Wafat

The Prophet (SAW) passed from this world on 28 Safar, 11 AH (approximately 8 June 632 CE) in Medina — in the house of Sayyida Aisha (RA) — with his head resting on her lap. He was 63 years old.

Sayyida Fatima al-Zahra (AS) — his daughter, the Lady of Light — was present. She was inconsolable. The grief in Medina was overwhelming.

He was buried where he died — in the room of Sayyida Aisha (RA), which is now within Masjid al-Nabawi, marked by the green dome. The Rawdah al-Mutahharah — the sacred enclosure between the Prophet’s grave and his minbar — is one of the most holy spots on earth.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “The space between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise.”

The Prophet (SAW) in the Bohra Heart

In the Bohra tradition, love of the Prophet (SAW) is not merely theoretical. It is expressed:

In Salawat: Every prayer, every gathering, every call to action begins with salawat upon the Prophet and his family. The full Bohra salawat in Lisan ud-Dawat is among the longest and most detailed expressions of love and honor for the Prophet in the Islamic world.

In Mawlid: The celebration of the Prophet’s birth (12 Rabi al-Awwal) is observed with mawlid gatherings — recitation of praises, poetry, and gratitude for his coming into the world.

In Lisan ud-Dawat: The Bohra community’s spoken language carries the name of the Prophet’s dawat — the language of the mission. Every word spoken in Lisan ud-Dawat is, in a sense, an inheritance from the Prophet’s community.

In Ziyarat: Visiting the Prophet’s grave in Medina — offering salaam at the Rawdah — is among the most moving experiences a Bohra mumin can have. The tradition of saying:

السَّلَامُ عَلَيكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ · السَّلَامُ عَلَيكَ يَا حَبِيبَ اللَّه Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Beloved of Allah.

In the chain of Imamate: The Prophet’s mission did not end with him. It continues through the Imams of his family — specifically through Imam Ali (AS) and Sayyida Fatima (AS) and their descendants — and through the Duat Mutlaqeen who represent the hidden Imam in the time of satr. Every act of walayat given to the Dai, every misaq, every salawat — it flows back to the Prophet (SAW) who established the structure that carries this light across the centuries.

A Word on the Salawat

The Quran itself commands salawat:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ · يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسلِيمًا “Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with a worthy salutation.” (Quran 33:56)

Every Bohra mumin grows up hearing and saying salawat from the moment of birth. It is the beginning and end of every gathering. It is the fragrance that permeates Bohra culture. And it is always salawat upon Muhammad wa aale Muhammad — the Prophet and his family, for the family is inseparable from the mission.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِك وَسَلِّم

O Allah, send your blessings, peace, and benedictions upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.