His Mission at the Age of Forty Was One Proof of His Prophecy
Allah says,
قُل لَّوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا تَلَوۡتُهُۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَلَآ أَدۡرَىٰكُم بِهِۦۖ فَقَدۡ لَبِثۡتُ فِيكُمۡ عُمُرٗا مِّن قَبۡلِهِۦٓۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ
[ يونس : 16 ] .
It means,
{Say (oh Muhammad, sws), "If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. Verily, I stayed amongst you a lifetime before this. Have you then no sense?"}
[Yunus 10: 16]
The message of Muhammad (sws) is the culmination of all previous messages, in every place and every time, so it requires a great deal of evidence to support it and make people believe in it. The mission of the Prophet (sws) at the age of 40 was one of the supporting pillars of his call.
The Prophet (sws) lived amongst the people of Quraish. He was a pure, good-natured soul, well-tempered, honest and trustworthy. Neither Quraish nor the whole of mankind have ever witnessed a better man than him.
The people of Mecca themselves called him, "The Honest" and "The Trustworthy," both before and after his mission, because of his good manners and generous qualities, especially truth and honesty. They would frequently mention his characteristics before his name, saying, "The Honest and Trustworthy Muhammad" (sws). Here are two incidents as proof:
A - The first incident: The rebuilding of the Kaäba and the issue of arbitration
The people of Mecca once agreed to allow the first person to come to arbitrate their dispute, and Muhammad (sws) was the first to arrive. On seeing him, all of them consented to let him decide a solution.
B – Allah says,
وَأَنذِرۡ عَشِيرَتَكَ ٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَ
[ الشعراء : 214 ] .
It means,
{And warn your close relatives of your tribe.}
[Al-Shu`araa' 26: 214]
When Allah asked His prophet (sws) to declare his message, he climbed up Mount Safa and called the tribes of Quraish.
The Prophet (sws) said,
أرأيتم لو أخبرتكم أن خيلا بالوادى تريد أن تغير عليكم أكنتم مصدقي ؟ " قالو نعم ما جربنا عليك إلا صدقاً"It means,
"He asked them, 'What would you say if I told you that horses were in the valley, preparing to attack?' They replied, 'Yes. We have known nothing from you but the truth.'"
The Prophet (sws) was sent at the age of forty, though many prophets were sent at a younger age, like Yahya (peace be upon him).
Allah said,
يَٰيَحۡيَىٰ خُذِ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ بِقُوَّةٖۖ وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ ٱلۡحُكۡمَ صَبِيّٗا
[ مريم : 12 ].It means,
{(It was said to his son): "Oh John! Hold fast to the Scripture (the Torah)!" And We gave him wisdom while yet a child.}
[Maryam 19: 12]
Now, what is the wisdom behind the mission of the Prophet (sws) not beginning until the age of forty? The message of Muhammad (sws) was the final messages. It was for all people. Therefore, it needed a lot of evidence to support it and prove it believable. The age of the Prophet (sws) was one of the supporting pillars of his call. He was the trustworthy and honest man, the likes of which they had not witnessed before.
The age of the Prophet (sws) when he received the mission worked in his favor. At forty years of age, he was the best example of honesty and trustworthiness, but that is not the reason the people of Mecca did not obey his call; it was their disbelief, obstinacy and ingratitude that madethem fight and harm him.
• Allah Almighty sent His prophet at the age of forty, the age which represents the culmination of the full bloom of youth, when hearts were full of hope and goals. The Prophet (sws) did make any indication of his mission before that age. Then, when the
active spirit and hopes were quieting down, the Prophet (sws) declared his mission and general, comprehensive message for the whole world.
• The age of forty was the best time to be sent; it was evidence of his prophecy. Allah Almighty decided the time of this mission. Allah wanted victory for His call. To spread this great message, it required a long time, effort and patience. Allah was able to utilize all of His creatures to grant this last message victory at the time He ordained.
• The Prophet (sws) declared his message at the age of forty, though he knew that his father had died when he was still in his mother's womb. He declared his message at the age of forty despite the death of his mother when he was six years old. He declared his message at the age of forty despite the death of his grandfather when he was eight and then later, his uncle and guardian. Why did Allah choose to send him at the age of forty and not at the prime of his life when he was still a young man?
• Who informed him that he would live after the age of forty to complete his call and message? Who made him certain about the success of his call, even though he had lost relatives before? Undoubtedly it was Allah alone Who chose the time of the message. Only Allah knew how long he would live. He knew that he would live long enough to reach the fulmination of his call and message. Allah knew for sure that the call would be a success despite everything that had happened. All of this proves that Muhammad (sws) truly is the Prophet of Allah.
