Although his youthful years were relatively uneventful, various incidents occurred to show that the Prophet (SAW) was being prepared for great things to come in the future; and at least on one occasion, he was recognized as being the awaited Prophet (SAW) that was mentioned in the revealed scriptures of both Jews and Christians. When the Prophet (SAW) was only 12 years old, he (SAW) accompanied his uncle on a business trip to Ash-Sham (Syria and surrounding regions) a land that was inhabited primarily by Christians.

During that trip, Abu Talib saw things that confirmed his faith in the bright and great future of his nephew, and as a result, he tried even harder to protect and take care of him. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari (RA) said, “Along with a group of Quraishi chieftains, Abu Talib went to Ash-Sham, taking with him the Prophet (SAW) When their traveling party overlooked (the monastery of) a well-known monk, they descended (towards him) and unpacked their things in order to make temporary camp there. The monk came out to them, which was strange since, in the past, he would never come out to them whenever they passed by him; he would not even look in their direction or pay any attention to them. While they were unpacking their things, the monk walked slowly by each one of them until he reached the Messenger of Allah (SAW). He then took the Messenger of Allah’s hand and said, “This is the chief of all created beings; this is the Messenger of the Lord of all that exists: Allah has sent him as a mercy to all created beings. The chieftains of the Quraish said, ‘And how do you know this?’ The monk replied, ‘When you overlooked this spot from the mountain road, every tree and stone in this area fell down to the ground and performed prostration. And they perform prostration only for a Prophet. And verily, I recognized him (as being the awaited Prophet) by the seal of Prophethood that is like an apple in shape and that is situated beneath the soft bone of his shoulder.’”

The same narration goes on to describe how, in an empty sky, a single cloud appeared in order to provide shade for the Prophet (SAW); similarly, it describes how a tree near the monastery literally leaned over in order to provide shade for the Prophet (SAW) (Tirmidhi)

The monk ordered Abu Talib to send the Prophet (SAW) back to Makkah; he had every reason to fear for the Prophet’s life, since he knew that if the Jews were to find out about his existence, they might try to harm him, angry and bitter because the awaited Prophet was not one of them, but instead an Arab.

Having returned safely to Makkah, the Prophet (SAW) worked first as a shepherd and then later as a businessman under the employment of a woman, whose hand in marriage was more sought after than any other member of the Quraish. That woman was Khadijah bint Khuwailid (RA), and it was because of her honor and chastity that she was so highly regarded by Makkah’s chieftains. After her last husband died, a number of Arab chieftains, including the evil Abu Jahl, proposed to her, but she refused all of their offers. A strong and wise woman, Khadijah (RA) herself chose and proposed to the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

At first, the Prophet (SAW) would simply do business on Khadijah’s behalf. But as their business relationship blossomed, Khadijah (RA) found that the Prophet (SAW) was not only bringing in the most profits from the various men she employed but also was supremely honest and trustworthy. His noble qualities captured her interest, and she decided to order her servant, Maisarah, to accompany the Prophet (SAW) on one of his business trips and to learn as much about him as possible. Maisarah was amazed by the wonderful character of the Prophet (SAW), and upon returning to Makkah, he informed his mistress about everything that he had learned about the Prophet (SAW) while being in his company.

Khadijah (RA) realized that the Prophet (SAW) was the man she wanted to marry, and so she proposed to him. Their marriage took place shortly afterward; he (SAW) was 25 years old, and she was 40.

During his youth, the Prophet (SAW) did not receive revelation; nonetheless, he was still protected from the evils of polytheism and wicked acts, an amazing feat considering the fact that he lived in a society that thrived on evil, wicked, and lewd acts. So although the Prophet (SAW) was not a Prophet at the time, he was protected from all moral defects.

The greatest moral defect of all – associating partners with Allah in worship – He (SAW) was innocent of his entire life. Although he was asked to do so on numerous occasions, he never worshipped, glorified, or bowed down to an idol; he never attended a gathering in which idols were glorified; he never drank alcohol; and he never perpetrated a vile or lewd act. He knew that his people were upon falsehood, and were prone to perpetrate inappropriate acts at any given time, and so he avoided attending their parties and celebrations.

by Sa’eed bin Ali bin Wahf Al-Qahtani