Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was born on the seventeenth of Rabi ul- Awwal, in the town of Meccah to parents named Abdullah and Aminah. He had not yet been born when his father 'Abdullah passed away. His mother remained alive until Muhammad was six and then she too passed away. After the demise of Aminah he was looked after by his grandfather, Abd ul-Muttalib.
Abd ul-Muttalib loved Muhammad very much and was very affectionate towards him. He had heard from the Jewish and Christian scholars that a great Prophet would be raised in Meccah, and in Muhammad (s.a.w.) he saw those signs. 'Abd ul-Muttalib was very respected among the Arabs.
He would sit beside the Ka'bah and the people would sit around him. Muhammad was the only person who used to sit next to him. Sometimes, when they wanted to stop Muhammad from approaching his grandfather, Abd ul-Muttalib would tell them:
"Let my child come. I swear by Allah, there are great signs evident on his face. I can see the day when he will be your great leader and deliver you from degradation, injustice and oppression."
Abd ul-Muttalib would place Muhammad beside himself and pat him on the back. And because he knew about Muhammad's future, he would always be with him, eating with him, attending to him, and was only separated from him when necessary From his childhood Muhammad (s.a.w.) was very alert and intelligent. His uncle Abu Talib said of him:
"Whenever Muhammad would start to eat he would say 'Bismillah', and after finishing his meal he would thank Allah, saying 'al-hamdu lillah' "I never heard Muhammad tell a lie, nor did I ever see him do anything wrong. Never did he laugh out loud and his laughter was a smile. He was kind to the other children and never called anyone by bad names."
source : http://www.maaref-foundation.com
