The Old Woman and the Prophet ﷺ

The old woman’s hands trembled as she tied the last knot around her bundle.

Her tiny clay house in Makkah stood silent — too silent for a city that once felt alive. She paused and looked around one last time. The walls that had echoed her laughter now only echoed fear.

“This city has changed,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s no longer the Makkah I knew.”

She was tired — tired of the arguments, the strange new message spreading through the streets, the name that had divided the people: Muhammad.

She had never met him, but she had heard enough.

They said he spoke against their gods.

They said he turned sons against fathers.

They said he brought a new religion that would destroy the old ways.

So she made up her mind — she would leave Makkah forever.

The bundle of her few belongings — dates, water, and a worn blanket — was heavier than it looked. Her back ached, but her heart was heavier still.

“I must get away from this Muhammad,” she whispered. “May the gods protect me from his madness.”

A Kind Stranger

The road out of Makkah was long and lonely. The sun burned above her, the sand stung her feet, and the weight of her bundle slowed her every step.

After a short distance, she stumbled. The bundle slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. Her face twisted in pain and frustration.

“Is there no one to help an old woman?” she cried, her voice cracking.

A gentle voice answered from behind her,

“Peace be upon you, mother. May I help you?”

She turned to see a man standing there — tall, with kind eyes and a calm presence. His face was neither proud nor harsh; it carried a peace she couldn’t explain.

“I am leaving this city,” she said quickly. “I cannot bear to stay where that man Muhammad spreads his lies.”

The stranger said nothing at first. He simply nodded, picked up her bundle, and placed it upon his back.

“Come, mother,” he said softly. “I will walk with you.”

And so, they began their journey.

The Journey of Words

The old woman talked endlessly as they walked. The man listened quietly, step after step.

“They say Muhammad calls people to leave their gods,” she said bitterly. “They say he’s tearing families apart. Young people follow him like he’s some kind of prophet.”

The man’s voice was calm, steady.

“And what if his message is only to bring people closer to the truth — to worship the One who created us all?”

She frowned.

“That’s what his followers say! But can one man be right while all of Makkah is wrong?”

He smiled gently.

“Sometimes, mother, truth is not in the crowd — it is in the courage to see beyond it.”

She looked at him curiously. There was something different about this man. His tone carried no argument, no pride — only calm certainty.

Still, she shook her head.

“You speak kindly, traveler, but I fear this man will destroy everything we’ve known.”

“Perhaps,” he said softly, “he is not destroying — but rebuilding.”

His words settled over her like the evening wind — quiet, gentle, and full of meaning she couldn’t yet understand.

Acts of Mercy

The sun grew hotter. The old woman’s steps became slower. The traveler noticed her pain and stopped. He offered her water from his own flask, then adjusted her bundle to make it easier to carry.

“You must rest,” he said.

“I’m fine,” she muttered stubbornly, though her hands trembled.

He smiled. “You remind me of my mother — strong and proud.”

Something in his voice softened her heart. No one had spoken to her like that in years.

When she stumbled again, he caught her arm gently, steadying her.

“You are too kind, my son,” she said finally. “If only that man Muhammad were like you, perhaps I would not hate him so much.”

The man did not reply. He simply smiled, his eyes filled with mercy.

At Journey’s End

By the time they reached the edge of the desert, the old woman was exhausted.

“This is far enough,” she said. “You have done more than enough for me.”

He carefully set her bundle down beside a rock and wiped the dust from his hands.

“May Allah bless your journey, mother,” he said softly.

She looked at him, puzzled.

“You keep saying ‘Allah.’ You sound like that Muhammad.”

He looked at her with gentle eyes.

“Mother, if I told you who I am, would you be angry?”

“Tell me,” she said.

“I am Muhammad ibn Abdullah.”

The air around her seemed to freeze.

Her breath caught.

Her eyes widened.

Her voice trembled.

“You… you are him? The one I’ve been cursing all along?”

He nodded quietly.

“You carried my burden?” she whispered. “You walked beside me, cared for me, listened to me speak against you — and said nothing?”

“Yes,” he said. “Because Allah commands us to show kindness even to those who hate us.”

Tears filled her eyes. The bundle she thought was heavy suddenly felt light — because her heart had begun to lift.

The Light of Realization

The old woman sank to her knees, her voice trembling.

“I have never seen such patience, such goodness,” she said. “If you are the man they call a liar, then what truth is left in the world?”

Her hands shook as she raised them.

“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that you, Muhammad, are His Messenger.”

A smile spread across his blessed face.

“Peace be upon you, mother,” he said. “Allah guides whom He wills. You have found what you were truly seeking — peace.”

The Lesson That Endures

The old woman never forgot that journey.

Years later, whenever she saw travelers on the road, she would tell them,

“Once, I cursed a man I did not know. And that same man carried my burden without saying a word. His kindness led me to the truth.”

Her story spread across Makkah and beyond — a living reminder that the Prophet ﷺ did not win hearts through argument, but through compassion.

His power was not in wealth or armies, but in his gentleness, his patience, and his love for all creation.

The Legacy of Kindness

Even today, centuries later, the lesson remains:

When people speak harshly of you — respond with mercy.

When someone wrongs you — forgive them with grace.

When the world turns hard — be the one who stays soft.

Because kindness is the language every heart understands.

That day, the old woman left Makkah to escape Muhammad ﷺ —

but she found him on the road,

and through his kindness,

she found Allah.