Muhammad was born in the year 570 A.D. in a prominent family, the Quraish, the foremost and richest family of Arabia. They were the descendants of Ishmail, son of Abraham, and had in their keeping the Ka'bah, the place of pilgrimage in all the Hebrew countries to which all prophets, from the time of Abraham, had made pilgrimage. The year of the birth of Muhammad was the same as the year recognized by the Arabs as the Year of the Elephant. An invader had entered Mecca riding upon an elephant, but was forced away by a disaster of nature - in absence of a fortification or a proper defense. Therefore, for having obtained a victory without great effort, Muhammad's birth was considered by the Meccans as a good omen.

As every event that may be of some little importance, whether it be a war or a marriage or the birth of a child, is announced by signs - as Allah foretells all events by signs - so the mother of Muhammad saw every night, until the birth of the child, the messengers of God appearing one after another. They congratulated her upon the child that was to be born saying, "Blessed be thou, Ameenah, to bear a son, the ideal of Allah, who shall be the consoler of the wretched and the liberator of humanity". She saw a great light arising from herself, spreading its rays over the world. This experience she explained to her husband Abdullah who, bowing his head, happily yielded to the will of Allah. Unfortunately life did not permit him to see this blessed child as he passed away before his birth. The unusual events which took place during the time of Ameenah's pregnancy and the wonders which are said to have happened at the time of Muhammad's birth undoubtedly startle the skeptical mind which cannot see beyond the reasons of its reach. Therefore even Muslim authors of the modern school have tried in their works, when presenting Muhammad to the Western world, to prove false such traditions as are beyond the reach of their intellectual perception. I would not blame them for doing so, for it is better to disbelieve than to darken one's own intelligence out of respect for a religious belief. But to the eye of the mystic all that the world calls superstition is super-science. What is a puzzle to the world, to him is a mirror. In all times the world has believed and will always believe - however civilized it may become - that every essential event has been foretold by different means. All the world's religions had prophecies as their foundation. Every intelligent and righteous person can see the little affairs of his life manifesting before him in his dream, either clearly or unclearly. Every little occurrence foretells the coming of some important event.

The influence of every soul born has a certain limit. Many times a child born is said to have brought good luck to the family. A prince born in the palace sometimes brings his good or bad influence to the whole kingdom. In every way it is reasonable if the world teacher shows the signs of his bearing the divine message by different wonderful occurrences happening throughout the world. This is not for a single moment to be doubted.

If Ameenah, the mother of the Prophet, was congratulated in her dreams by all the prophets, if different signs in the world showed the coming of the world teacher, if marks of the prophetic genius were traced in him before he bore the message, what surprise is there to an awakened mind ? The owl cannot see during the day; this does not mean that there is no light. It is the eyes of the owl which deprive it of seeing.

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