Raising Mohammad and protecting him was of great concern for Abi Taleb, that he even took him with him as he travelled outside Mecca or Hejaz...

At Your Service O' Prophet Mohammad - Part 5

 

As we have mentioned previously, the prophet (pbuh) lived with his uncle Abu Talib after his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib's death. Raising Mohammad and protecting him was of great concern for Abi Taleb, that he even took him with him as he travelled outside Mecca or Hejaz. Chroniclers said that the prophet made two journeys to the Levant before his marriage to Sayyeda Khadija (as).

The prophet's (pbuh) first journey with his uncle Abi Taleb

The prophet's first journey with his uncle Abi Talib was along with a trade caravan from Quraysh when he was 12 years old. Chroniclers say that on their way to the Levant, the caravan stopped in a region called "Al-Nasra", where lived a Christian monk called "Bahira" who was of high respect among the Christians there.

It was said that the monk met the caravan and when he saw Mohammad (pbuh) he was impressed with his characteristics and figure, especially after he noticed a cloud following him wherever he sat to protect him from the sun. He asked some of the people in the caravan about him and they referred him to Abi Taleb and told him: "He is his uncle." Monk Bahira went to Abi Taleb and indicated to him that his nephew is the prophet of this nation. He spoke even more about him after he saw the Seal of Prophethood  between his shoulders and found in him the signs he was described with in the Torah, Bibles, and others.

Some texts indicate that monk Bahira asked Abi Taleb to return Mohammad (pbuh) to Mecca and keep him under his supervision for fear of the Jews and others who saw in Mohammad the signs described in their books. Abi Taleb cut the journey to the Levant and returned him to Mecca. Chroniclers and writers of the prophet's life mention that during this stage many miracles and virtues appeared for the prophet, like the cloud that protected him from the sun, the water that flew from the desert, the dead trees that returned to life after the prophet sat below them, and others incidents.

Some orientalists took advantage of Monk Bahira's meeting with the prophet (pbuh)

The case of the meeting between the prophet (pbuh) and monk  Bahira in "Al-Nasra" region was a simple and short incident which only included informing Abi Taleb and his company of Mohammad's (pbuh) prophecy and advising him to return to Mecca for fear of the Jews and others who wanted to harm him and harm everyone who wanted to put end to their aggression and exploitation. However, some orientalists used this incident as an allegation that all the superior teachings that the prophet (pbuh) gave after 28 years of this incident, and which succeeded in transferring people from the lowest level of ignorance to the top of civilization and from darkness to light, where taught to him by monk Bahira during that journey.

They also say that Mohammad with his great spirit, strong memory, pure soul, and accurate mind learned in that meeting with Bahira the stories of the prophets and many of his vital teachings.

Undoubtedly, such claims don't match or agree with the reality of the prophet's (pbuh) life, they are rather rejected by mental balances as well as objective and historical facts. Following are some evidence to that.

First, it is confirmed and with consensus among chroniclers that prophet Mohammad (pbuh) was illiterate. He didn't learn to read or write, and during his journey to the Levant where he met monk Bahira, he was only 12 to 13 years old. How could someone rational believe that a young boy in that age, who haven't learned to read and write, would comprehend all these teachings about the Torah and Bible, and offer them to people at the age of 40 under the title of divine revelation and law? This contradicts with mental balances and is closer to the impossible.

Second, the duration of that meeting was too short for the prophet (pbuh) to learn the Torah and Bible, because the coincident meeting in "Al-Nasra" between the prophet and the monk lasted only a couple of hours... So how could the monk give all this knowledge in a few hours? And how could a boy who haven't learned how to read or write comprehend it in a few hours? Moreover, it is wrong to say that the prophet stayed for a longer period in that region and learned the teachings of the Torah and the Bible, because this contradicts with all the historical texts that talked about this trip to the Levant. 
Even if we suppose that Abi Taleb continued his journey along with the prophet, this was a trade journey that did not last more than four months, and no one, not even the greatest scholars could learn all the content of the Torah and Bible in such a period...

Third, if the prophet (pbuh) had received his teachings from monk Bahira, Quraish would've certainly knew about that and spread the news after returning from the journey... Additionally, if the prophet (pbuh) received his teachings from Bahira, he couldn't have claimed later that he was illiterate.

Polytheists of Mecca had leveled all kinds of accusations against the prophet (pbuh) and they used to search for any point of weakness in his personality, message, and the Holy Quran. Yet, we haven't heard or read that any of the polytheists leveled the accusation that the prophet had received his teachings and knowledge from monk Bahira. This is in itself an evidence that all these claims by orientalists are a figment of their imagination.

Fourth, the stories of the prophets as were narrated in the holy Quran do not completely match with the stories of the prophets in the Torah and Bible.

 

Translated by Sara Taha Moughnieh