The Lineage and Features of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and His Condition Before and After the Call ​

The Fourth Proof:
The Lineage and Features of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and His Condition Before
and After the Call 

The Lineage and Features of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and His Condition Before
and After the Call
Prophet Muhammad (sws) had the best and most notable lineage in the tribe of Quraish.
1 – Hashim, the Prophet's (sws) forefather, took over the responsibility from Bani Abd-Manaf of
providing pilgrims with water during the pilgrimage. He was a very wealthy and noble man. He
was the first to feed the pilgrims thareed, a dish of stewed meat, broth and crushed bread. In fact,
his real name was `Amr; he was only called Hashim due to the crushing (hashm) of the bread. He
was also the first one to organize Quraish's two caravans, one in winter and one in summer.
2 – Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's (sws) grandfather, took over the job of providing pilgrims with
water in Mecca after Hashim's death. He was treated with great honor and deference. Quraish
called him 'The Overflowing' because he was so generous. He was one of the most prominent
men in Mecca.
Allah's Messenger (sws) was known to the people of Mecca as the best of them in upbringing
and the greatest in terms of character and virtue. Everyone from of tribe of Quraish knew this,
and no one could claim otherwise. He was known to them as 'The Honest' and 'The
Trustworthy,' and the members of Quraish testified absolutely to his scrupulousness and
credibility.
As proof, we can read what al-Bukhari (one of those who collected and verified the records of
the Prophet's (sws) speech and actions after his death) wrote. This is an extract taken from a
message sent by the Prophet (sws) to the Byzantine emperor. He wrote:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
From: Muhammad (sws), the son of Abdullah and Allah's Messenger
To: Heraclius, the Emperor of Byzantium
Peace be upon those who follow the path of righteousness.
Become a Muslim and be safe. Become a Muslim, and Allah will reward you twice. But if
you will not, you will bear the sins of the population. Oh people of the scripture, follow
the right way, worship none but Allah, with no partner, and do not make gods of each
other beside Allah. Then, if you refuse, bear witness that we are Muslims.

He then chose one of his companions to deliver the message. Bukhari mentioned: Abu Sufiyan
(one of the polytheists of Mecca who incidentally later embraced Islam) was on a business trip in
Syria at the time when he was summoned to Heraclius' court after the latter received the message.
Heraclius asked for his interpreter and asked, "Who is the nearest in kinship to this man who
claims to be a prophet?"
Abu Sufiyan said, "I am his closest relative."
Heraclius said, "Bring him to me, and let his companions stand right behind him." Then he said
to his interpreter, "I am going to ask about this man, and if he lies, they will show us."  

Abu Sufiyan, who later narrated the story admitted, "By Allah, had I not been afraid they would
expose me, I would have lied about him." Thus, he was forced to tell the truth about Muhammad
(sws) that was obvious to Quraish.
The first question Heraclius asked was, "How is his lineage considered amongst you?"
Abu Sufiyan said, "He has a good lineage."
Heraclius asked, "Has anyone among you ever made the same claim before?"
Abu Sufiyan answered, "No."
Heraclius asked, "Is it the nobles who follow him or the weak?"
Abu Sufiyan replied, "It is the weak."
Heraclius asked, "Are they increasing or decreasing?"
Abu Sufiyan said, "They are increasing."
Heraclius asked, "Has any one of them apostatized in anger at the religion after he entered it?"
Abu Sufiyan replied, "No."
Heraclius asked, "Is he deceitful?"
Abu Sufiyan answered, "No, but we are currently in a period of time in which we do not know
what he will do." (Abu Sufiyan commented, "I was not able to get in a negative word about him
beside this.")
Heraclius asked, "Have you fought him?"
Abu Sufiyan replied, "Yes."
Heraclius asked, "And how was it?"
Abu Sufiyan said, "It had its ups and downs; sometimes we beat them and sometimes they beat
us."
Heraclius asked, "What is he telling you to do?"
Abu Sufiyan replied, "He tells us to worship only Allah, with no partners, and to abandon what
our forefathers said. He also tells us to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste and to maintain bonds of
kinship."
Then Heraclius said,
I asked you about his lineage and you said that he has a good lineage, and that is one of
the features of a messenger amongst his people.
Then I asked you if anyone has ever made the same claim before, and you said no. So I
figured that if anyone had ever made the same claim before, I would have thought he is
just imitating something that has been said before.
I asked you if any of his forefathers were kings, and your answer was no. If you had
answered yes, perhaps he is just reclaiming his father's kingdom.
I asked if you had accused him of lying before this claim, and you said no. So I knew
that he would not be careful to avoid lying to people only to do so about Allah.
I asked if the noble or the weak follow him, and you said the weak. Those are indeed the
followers of Allah's messengers.
I asked if they are increasing or decreasing, and you replied that they are increasing, and
that is how faith is: it grows until it is fulfilled.
I asked you whether anyone has apostatized from this religion after embracing it, and
your answer was no. Indeed that is the characteristic of faith when its joy mixes with  hearts.  

I asked if he is deceptive, and you said no. That is how the messengers are; they are not
treacherous.
I asked what he tells you to do, and you said that he orders you to worship only Allah,
without any partners, to forsake the worship of idols, to perform prayers, and to be
truthful and abstinent.
If what you say is right, he will take my place. I knew that he was coming, but I did not
know that he would be one of you; if I knew that I could get to him, I would be eager to
meet him; and if I arrived, I would wash his feet. He then asked for the Prophet's (sws)
Book to read it, and when he had finished, voices were raised, developing into an uproar,
so he ordered us to go.
Abu Sufiyan said that, after that incident, he was sure that Muhammad (sws) was the Messenger
of Allah.
Let us return to the age in which the Prophet (sws) was raised. We see that he was brought up
in an age in which ignorance and misguidance prevailed, amongst an illiterate, disbelieving and
idol worshipping people, who did not believe in the Last Day and lived a life of amusement.
They became fanatic over the most trivial things. They lived in tribes that plotted against one
another and clans that slaughtered one another. They did not live under the protections of a
proper state: no government with authority, no army to defend them against aggression, no
constitution to sort out their rights and duties, and no law to determine punishments.
The Prophet (sws) was brought up in such an environment, yet he still had pristine powers of
perception, a tremendous personality and noble moral values.