When Prophet ﷺ was twelve, he went to Syria accompanying his uncle Abu Talib. At a place called Bostra, there was a Christian cell which had been occupied by a Christian monk called Bahira.
Bahira was well versed in the prophecies of the promised Prophet ﷺ, and like Waraqah, the cousin of Mother Khadija, he felt that the coming of the prophet would be in his lifetime.
He saw the Prophet’s ﷺ caravan from a distance and what amazed him was a small low-hanging cloud that moved slowly above their heads so that they were always under shade.
Bahira understood that only some great spiritual presence could explain this phenomenon, and immediately he thought of the expected Prophet ﷺ. To confirm this, he...