Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
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Newsletter for December 2016
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Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
By Syed Muhammad Hussain Shamsi
Translated by Syed Haider Hussain Shamsi
The Last Prophet of Allah
Allah proclaimed Muhammad as the
last prophet. In
the Qur'an, he is called "Rahmatun-lil-aalameen, "
the blessing for the universe.
Names of Muhammad
The Prophet of Islam has many
popular names. He
was named Muhammad at birth. Other
names include Ahmad, Taha,
Yaseen, Muzammil, Mustafa,
Rahmatun-lilaalameen, Khairul
Mursaleen and Khatainun
Nabiyyeen. His
Kunniyya include Abul Qasim and
Abu Ibrahim.
The Genealogy of Muhammad
The genealogy of Muhammad can be
traced eighteen generations back
to Abul
Aarab Ismail,
son of Ibrahim. His
father Abdullah was one of the
ten sons of Abd al-Muttaleb bin
Hashim, the highly respected
chief in the clan of Quraysh. His
mother Amenah, daughter of Wahb,
belonged to the respected clan
of Banu Zuhra in the clan of
Quraysh.
The
Birth and early life of Muhammad
According to the popular
tradition, Muhammad was bom in
Makkah (Mecca) on Friday, 17
Rabi-ul Awwal in the year of the
Elephant (Am
al Feel), or
August 29, 570 AD. Muhammad's
father had died a few months
before his birth. His
grand-father, Abd al-Muttaleb
took him under his own foster
care.
According to the custom of
Quraysh, the women from modest
tribes living in the desert
around Makkah were engaged for
wages to suckle the new bum
babies. These
were sought for the infant
Muhammad. After
trying no less than eight
prospective nurses, the grand
son of Abd alMuttaleb felt
comfortable in the lap of
Haleemah, a magnificent lady
from the tribe of Banu S'ad. He
stayed with Haleemah in the
desert up to the age of about
four (or six) years.
When he was returned to the full
care of his own mother, she took
him to her ancestral city,
Yathreb (later renamed Madinah),
to introduce him to the people
of his martial clan. On
their way, she died in the
village of Abwa', between
Madinah and Makkah, and she was
buried there. Muhammad
was brought back to the care of
his grand father.
Muhammad was only eight years
old when his grand father, Abd
al-Muttaleb also died. At
this time, his uncle Abu Talib
(father of Ali) took his orphan
nephew in his personal care. He
grew up under the most
affectionate guardianship of Abu
Talib and his wife Fatirnah
binte Asad. They
always treated him like one of
their own sons.
Observations on the early life
of Muhammad
Muhammad grew to his youth in
the house of Abu Talib, who
adored his nephew for his good
nature and style. He loved him
more than his own children. Abu
Talib made many observations on
the habits of Muhammad. Some
of these are quoted below:
Whenever Muhammad had a meal, he
always started by saying "Bismillah ....
i.e. I begin with the name of
Allah, and finished by saying Alhamdu
lillah ....
i. e. all praise to Allah. "
He said that they were so
touched by this fine habit of
Muhammad that the whole family
adopted his manner.
Abu Talib noted Muhammad saying
his prayers in a way not known
to him before. He
asked his nephew to explain to
him the method of his worship. When
he heard the reasons for the
rituals, he was so pleased that
he urged his sons to join
Muhammad in his ritual worship.
It is quoted from Abu Talib that
Muhammad never told lies nor
fabricated events. He
did not waste his time nor
indulged in unproductive
activities. He
liked solitude, and devoted some
of his time for meditation. He
spoke to others with courtesy
and respect. He
was so honest in his dealings
that he became known as "Al
Ameen" (the most honest and
trustworthy person).
Trips to Syria with Abu Talib
Muhammad accompanied his uncle
twice on trading trips to the
city of Damascus, in the then
Roman province of Syria.
Many traditions are quoted by
several authors regarding these
trips. On
the first trip he was only
thirteen years of age. A
Christian monk named Bahera
observed Muhammad closely and
cautiond Abu Talib to take
particular care of the youth,
for he saw signs of greatness in
him. On
the second trip, now fully grown
to manhood, he met the same monk
again. This
time Bahera told Abu Talib that
he saw signs of prophethood in
his nephew and that he should
protect him from harm.
Trips to Syria in the employment
of Khadija
Khadija was a wealthy
busineswoman who used to send
out reputable traders to Syria
to conduct trading business on
her behalf. She
was a very kind hearted lady who
spent a lot of her wealth on
social services amongst her
tribe. One
of her widowed cousins named
Hala lived in her household with
her three daughters, and she
brought up these girls after her
death.
Abu Talib wanted to introduce
his favourite nephew Muhammad
into an independent trade. At
the same time, Khadija had heard
about the honesty of Abu Talib's
nephew. On
the recommendation of Abu Talib,
she gave an appointment to
Muhammd to lead her trade
caravan to Syria. During
this trip, he was accompanied by
Khadija's personal servant,
Maisarah.
On this trip, they came across
another monk called Nestorah who
also affinned the previous
predictions of Baherah. The
trading went exceptionally well
and they made unusual profit in
their transactions. They
returned home laiden with
exchanged merchandise. Khadija
was very pleased at the great
success of her trading mission
under Muhammad and wondered over
the stories her servant had told
her about him.
Marriage to Khadija and their
progeny
Muhammad had reach ' ed
marriageable age of twenty five
years. Khadija
was forty. The
proposal of marriage for the
two, originating from Khadija,
was gladly accepted by Muhammad,
after consultation with his
uncle, and they were married. The nikah was
recited by Abu Talib. They
had three sons and one daughter
from this marriage, but only the
daughter Fatima survived. Her
brothers Qasim, Abdullah and
Taher (Tayyeb) all died in
infancy.
The Cave of
Hira and the beginnings of
Divine Revelations
Muhammad regularly visited a
cave known as Hira, high in one
of the mountains surrounding
Makkah. He
meditated and pondered over the
complications and intricacies of
the creation. During
one of these days when he was
deep in thought, the archangel
Jibril of Allah appeared in
front of him and asked him to
read. Muhammad
asked him what was he to read,
for he had not received any
formal education. Jibril
told him again " Read in the
name of Allah who created man
from but a mere clot. It
is only He whom you must trust. It
is He who teaches every thing. He
is who teaches all that can be
inscribed, and it is He who
taught man what he knew not."
After this extra-ordinary
experience in the cave, Muhammad
returned home and narrated this
to his wife Khadija. She
at once remembered the
predictions that had been made
about the prophethood of her
husband. She
comforted him and he laid down
under the cover of a light
blanket.
Jibril came down to him again
with the message of Allah, "O,
you who is lying under cover of
the blanket, this is no time to
rest! Get
up and spread the message with
energy and diligence!" This was
a formal mandate to him to
proclaim his prophethood.
According to some reports, his
daughter, Fatima was bom in the
same year.
The Methods of Spreading the
Message
The task was tough. The
people were totally immersed in
idolatory. Many
of them were rich and arrogant. He
wondered how would he approach
them and commence his task. Allah
sent Jibril again and advised
him not to despair for He would
provide him with guidance and
systematic instructions on how
to begin the mission of
spreading His message:
i Start
with your closest relatives
ii For
those who accept your teachings,
show kindness and forbearance
and encourage them towards
compliance
iii For
those who defy you, just tell
them that you had delivered the
message of the Creator, and that
from then on you exonerate
yourself from their deeds
iv Do
not despair. Trust
in Allah. He
will help you in your task. Be
confident that your sustenance
and support for this mission
comes only from your Provider,
Allah.
The
First Muslims
Encouraged by these clear
instructions from Allah the
Prophet of Islam, Muhammad
started his mission by calling
his relatives to a banquet on
two separate occasions. He
announced his prophethood as
ordained by Allah. They
ridiculed him and did not accept
his message. His
beloved wife Khadiia gave him
support and consolation at these
frustrating moments and became
the first one to accept him as
the messenger of Allah. She
laid down her entire wealth and
personal resources in the
service of Islam.
His nephew Ali, whom he had
nurtured from infancy, was the
first youth of Makkah to accept
the prophethood of Muhammad. In
fact he stood up at each of the
banquets boldly and confirmed
the prophethood of Muhammad.
Zaid bin Harith, a youth
fostered by Muhammad, known in
some traditions as his adopted
son was also one of the first to
accept Islam.
Abu Bakar was the first amongst
the elders to join the small
group of the early muslims.
General Call to join the Truth
Undaunted by the hostile
response from his clansmen and
other Makkans, the Prophet went
to the holy precinct of the
Ka'ba to make his announcement. He
called upon the people to
abandon worship of false gods
and idols and return to the
Creator, the All Powerfull
Allah. He
said that if they would join him
in his call, Allah would make
them a very respected community
and grant them power and control
over vast lands beyond their
own. People
initially laughed at such
prospect. Their
hearts were hardened. They
did not want to give up the
worship of their popular gods
that had been handed down to
them for generations. Later,
they became more hostile to
Muhammad and his followers.
Hostilities of the Kuffar
against the Muslims
The arrogant and rich elite of
Makkah subjected the early
musihns to painful torture which
killed some of them and maimed
others. The
steadfast believers did not
waver in their belief.
Having failed to achieve their
ends through the use of force,
the pagan Arabs sent a
delegation to Abu Talib to
protest agais'L- Muhammad
and his teachings. They
told him that they were prepared
to pay Muhammad any amount of
money he wanted, or he could
marry any beautiful woman he
chose, and they would even
accept him as the Chief of
Makkah if he stopped talking
against their idols. Muhammad refused their
offers and said that the mission
on which he had embarked, could
not be bought or bribed with any
amount of worldly riches.
They turned to Abu Talib and
offered Ghamaza bin Walid in
exchange for Muhammad, but he
refused the absurd exchange. He
said that he would never
surrender his nephew to them for
any reason. He
asked Muhammad to continue doing
what he must, and that he would
always support him.
First Hijra to Abyssenia
Muhammad was into his fifth year
of teaching while his followers
continued to suffer untold
tortures at the hands of
kuffar. He
ordered his followers to leave
the hostilities of the kuffar
and take refuge in the Christian
kingdom of Abyssenia under king
Negus. There
were only eleven men and four
women among the first migrants
to Abyssenia. Utlunan
and his wife Ruqayya were also
amongst this group of
believers.
Second Hijra to Abyssenia
Only a short while later, a
second group of eighty two
muslims were instructed to
migrate to Abyssenia. The
group was led by Ja'far bin Abu
Talib. The
kuffar were enraged at the
escape of their fugitives to the
neigboring kingdom across the
Red Sea. They
sent their representation to
King Negus, along with presents
and gifts, and asked the
extradition of their fugitives.
The Address by Jalffar bin Abu
Talib and the recitation of al
Qur'an in the court of King
Negus
The kuffar alleged that the
fugitives rebuked their gods and
idols, and were disrupting the
practice of their old religion. King
Negus was a Christian and did
not believe in idolatory. So
he was not prepared to release
the fugitives on that ground. The
kuffar then lied that the
Muslims said unkind words about
Isa and his mother Maryam. At
this allegation, the king asked
the leader of the fugitives to
come forward and answer the
allegations. Ja'ffar
bin Abu Talib got up and
addressed the king and his court
thus: "
0 king,
we were a people sunken deep in
ignorance. We
had abandoned the teachings of
our fore fathers Ibahim and
Ismail. We
worshiped idols and false gods,
indulged in base activities
without shame or remorse. We
had lost affection for the very
young and showed no compassion
for the aged or infinn, and
killed our female infants. Allah
has sent us a prophet whose
truthfulness is acknowledged
even by his foes. He
comes from a pure family and
teaches us things that make us
respect life and the bounties of
the Creator. He
tells us to believe in one God
only, and not split Him or
attribute partners with Him. He
tells us to deal with others
with honesty, not usurp others'
rights, love children and
respect elders. He
has taught us to handle our
women with love and respect, and
give them the rights that they
deserve as mothers, wives,
daughters or sisters. He
forbade us to kill our daughters
as their provision comes from
the Divine Sustainer of all
creation.
"We decided to follow him in
what he has taught us. We
have stolen nothing, nor are we
fugitives of war. He
told us to flee from oppression
into your protection.
"As for the allegations
regarding Isa, the Qur'an has a
chapter regarding the events of
his birth and prophethood. "
He then recited a few ayat (verses)
from Sura Maryam. The
style and melody of his
recitation, and the truth and
the contents of the ayat had
a profound effect on the king
and his courtiers. Their
hearts moved and their eyes were
moistened with tears.
The king announced that the
immigrants were not to be
treated as fugitives in his
country but as their respected
guests. They could live as they
pleased and trade in peace under
his protection. He
told the pursuers to leave his
country and never come again
seeking extradition of the
Muslims.
The Declaration of Faith by
Hamza and Umar
The unsuccessful return of the
envoy from Abyssenia further
fueled hostilities against
Muhammad and his followers. One
day Hamza bin Abd al-Muttaleb
came to know that the kuffar had
stoned the Prophet and had
thrown garbage over him during
his prayer. He
came storming to the scene, beat
up the infidel crowd until they
ran for their lives. Hamza
recited the kalima in
public and joined the roup of
the believers.
Umar bin Khattab was short
tempered by nature. One
day he heard his sister reciting
from al Qur'an. He
admonished her, and in a rage,
rushed to the place where the
Prophet was addressing the
Muslims. On
hearing the Prophet recite the ayas of
Qur'an, his anger melted away,
and he accepted Islam by
reciting the kalima.
The Muslims seek shelter in
Shelbe Abi Talib
Islam was making steady
progress, to great frustration
of the kuffar. Their
opposition to the Prophet
reached its peak. Abu
Sufyan spearheaded the move to
boycott Muhammad and his
followers and forced them and
their Hashimite supporters to
take shelter in a fortress known
as She'be Abi Talib. The
blockade included total boycott
of the Muslims and the
Hashimites from all social and
economic activities. The
agreement was written and
unanimously signed by all the
chiefs of the kuffarclans
of Makkah in 616 AD. The kuffar enforced
a ban and excommunication
against the ininates of She'be
Abi Talib. Abu
Sufyan also had personal motives
to get the leadership of Makkah
transferred from the house of
Hashhn to his own. The
kuffar demanded
from Abu Taleb to either
surrender unconditionally, or to
hand over to them Muhammad and
his followers. Abu
Talib refused their demands and
suffered the blockade along with
the Muslims. He
suffered a considerable
financial and social set-back
due to the blockade. The
Muslims remained steadfast in
their beliefs, and continued
their practice of Islam under
the protection of Abu Talib.
Abu Talib wrote a beautiful
eulogy about his nephew, the
Prophet of Islam. It
is a written testimony of his
love for the Prophet and his
mission. The kuffar got
tired of the three year long
blockade and had no choice but
to lift it completely. The
Muslims returned to their homes
once again and resumed their
social interactions with the
other towns people.
The Year of Grief
It was only two months after the
lifting of the blockade, that
Abu Talib passed away. He
had fostered Muhammad as his own
son, introduced him to trading,
and got him married. He
protected and defended him
against the kuffar. He
declared his faith in Islam
before he died. He
was a respected elder of the
community and was able to serve
Islam in its early days. He
was a true ally of the small
community of early Muslims. He
provided them support and
shelter in their hardship. His
death was indeed a great loss to
Muhammad and his friends.
To further grief of the Prophet,
only three days after the death
of his beloved uncle, his
devoted wife Khadija also died. Khadija
was not only the first of the
believers but also a comforter
of the Prophet in his difficult
days. She
was a great sustainer and
benefactor of the early
muslims. Her
death was a painful loss for
Muhammad as well as his
followers.
This year was named by the
prophet as Aamm-ulHuzn (the
year of grief) because of these
two deaths.
Visit to Taif
The Prophet had lost his two
best supporters. The
Makkan's enemosity reached its
highest peak and they increased
their atrocities against the
Prophet and his followers.
The Prophet of Allah decided to
take his mission to Taif, a town
about seventy miles east of
Makkah. He
called upon the people to stop
bowing to false gods and idols
and return to the worship of
Allah, the one and only Lord and
Sustainer of the Universe. He
was not received well in the
town. The
people threw stones at him. Bruised
and bleeding, he left Taif.
Heart broken and disappointed at
the response of the people of
Taif, the Prophet returned to
Makkah. He
was received with ridicule and
opposition, but he continued his
mission in an undaunted and
resolute manner.
By now, the news of the
teachings of Muhammad had also
reached the people of Yathreb
(later renamed Madinah, or
Medina)
Spreading the Message to Yathreb
Six men from the tribe of
Khazraj (in Yathreb) were
visiting Makkah. They
met with the Prophet and
accepted Islam. They
returned to their homes with new
enlightenment. The
following year twelve more
people from the Banu Khazraj
visited the Prophet and joined
the group of believers. Upon
their return, the Prophet sent
one of his companions to further
the cause of Islam in Yathreb. The
next year more people from Banu
Khazraj as well as Banu Aws
visited the Prophet and accepted
Islam as their way of life. Upon
their returning home, they
extended invitation to the
Prophet and his followers to
emigrate to Yathreb so that
other members of their tribes
could benefit from his
teachings.
Al-Isral- A Unique Miracle
Just before the Prophet had
migrated to Yathreb, Allah took him on
a miraculous ascention to the
Heavens, known as al-Isra'(or
al-Me'raj). One
night while he was resting in
the house of his cousin
Unim-e-Hani, he was transported
to the mosque, al-Aqsa (Bait-ul-Muqqadis)
in Jerusalem. After
he had offered his prayers, he
was taken on a miraculous tour
of the skies and worlds beyond. The
divine vehicle used for his
flight is known as Burraq which
can be translated "as fast as burq(lightening)."
This extaterrestrial experience
was in body, not in soul. By
al-Isra', Allah had intended for
Muhammad to see the span and the
vastness of His universe and
secrets of the heavens. After
all, unlike other prophets, his
prophethood encompassed the
whole universe. The
Prophet returned to pursue his
task with a renewed vigor.
Some people consider al-Me'raj
as a spiritual, not bodily
experience. They
lose sight of the infinite
powers of Allah and other
reported miracles of the
Prophets Ibrahim, ldris, Ilyas,
Musa and Isa. There
is nothing difficult for Allah. Al-Me'ra
of the Prophet of Islam was
truly a precursor of the modem
day man's flight in space.
Hijra
The Prophet and his followers
had to suffer at the hands of
kuffar of Makkah for fourteen
years until he told his
followers to start emigrating to
Yathreb. The
move was to be slow and casual
so that the kuffar would not
cause trouble or block it. In
the meantime he remained in
Makkah to continue his mission
and supervise the slow
emigration of his followers. The
few people left in Makkah beside
himself included his daughter
Fatima, his cousin Ali, Ali's
mother Fatima binte Asad and his
friend Abu Bakar. The
time for their migration had now
come. He
assigned Ali to stay back, and
sleep in his bed. He
asked him to distribute all the
goods to the people who had
deposited these with him for
safe keeping. Accompanied
by Abu Bakar, the Prophet left
Makkah in the darkness of
night.
In the meanwhile, the kuffar patrolled
the streets around the house of
Muhammad and looked over the low
walls of his courtyard. They
saw nothing and suspected no
movement in the house through
the night. As
the day dawned, they broke into
the house. They
were enraged to see Ali on the
bed instead of Muhammad. They
angrily asked Ali regarding the
whereabouts of Muhammad. Ali
asked them if they had left him
in his custody. They
were embarrassed by this clever
answer and left the house in
search of the Prophet.
Ali carried out the instructions
of the Prophet and hastened to
join him at Quba, on the way to
Yathreb.
The Cave of Thaur and the
Miracles of Allah
The Prophet and his companion,
Abu Bakar took refuge in the
cave of Thaur, just outside the
city of Makkah. The
kuffar were not about to give up
their search for the escapees. Their
search brought them to this
cave. Upon
hearing the footsteps of the
pursuers, Abu Bakar showed fear
for their being discovered in
the cave. The Prophet told him
not to be scared because Allah
was with them. Just
then a spider spun a web at the
entrance of the cave, and a dove
laid eggs over a nest. Hence the kuffar did
not suspect there was any body
in the cave. They
left to continue their search
elsewhere.
The Prophet and his companion
stayed in the cave for three
days. When
the danger had subsided, they
made their way towards Yathreb.
Arrival at Yathreb
The Prophet approached the city
of Yathreb on 12 Rabi ul-Awwal,
according to 2 July, 622AD and
made his first stop at Quba. Ali
joined them at this location,
and the caravan proceeded
towards the city. A
Mosque was subsequently built at
Quba and exists to this day.
The people of Yathreb who had
been receiving muslim refugees
from Makkah were anxiously
waiting for the arrival of the
Prophet himself. Everybody
wanted the Prophet to stay in
his house. The
Prophet took a unique precaution
so that no body would feel left
out. He
freed the reins of his camel and
said that the camel would stop
wherever Allah wanted it. Finally
the camel sat down in front of
the house of Abu Ayyub Ansari. The
Prophet stayed with this family
until his own quarters were
ready. The
city of Yathreb became popularly
known as Madina-tunNabi i.e.
the city of the Prophet, and
later as Madinah (or Medina).
Building of Masjid-un-Nabi
The Prophet bought an empty lot
from the owner and built the
Grand Mosque at that site. It
was not grand because of the
beautiful construction but
because it was built by the
Prophet for the first grand
congregation of muslims. The
Prophet and his family built
their quarters around this
mosque, as did some of his
companions too.
Initiation of the Brotherhood of
Islam
As a fairly large number of
refugees had come to Madinah,
mostly without their belongings,
it was necessary to provide for
their needs as well as integrate
them with the host community. It
was for this reason that the
Prophet initiated at a simple
ceremony, what is called the Akhuwwa or
Brotherhood among his
followers. According to this,
each Medinite was named to be
brother of a refugee from
Makkah, and like real brothers,
they now would equally own their
businesses or properties. It
was in the same year that Salman
Farsi and Abdallah bin Salman, a
Jew, visited the Prophet and
accepted Islam.
The Causes of
Battles
The emigration of all muslims
and the Prophet from Makkah
angered the kuffar. They
had wanted to kill Muhammad but
Allah saved him from their
sinister designs. They could not
see the small community of
musliins living in peace
elsewhere. They
ambushed them and robbed or
killed the isolated travellers. They
teamed up with other kuffar
communities around Madinah to
perpetuate their ill treatment
of the muslims. They
even had the local clans of Bani
Israil join them in their
hostile plans, and make mischief
against the muslims in Madinah
and in the Jewish habitations
near the city. The
Makkans were furious because
Muhammad asked them to worship
Allah the one and only God, and
taught them respect for life in
general, and mutual love and
tolerance amongst humans. The
Prophet however did not sit back
passively to take the insult
from the enemy. He
collected his believers and
trained them to defend
themselves, their families and
their property against
aggression or oppression. Although
initially small in numbers and
limited in resources, the
Muslims were well armed with
faith and confidence.
The Rules for the Battles
The Prophet had an exceptionally
kind and gentle personality. He
had shown his talent in peaceful
settlement of quarrels amongst
warring clans even before the
proclamation of prophethood. The
Prophet laid down 'Rules of
Warfare' to be followed when it
appeared to him that war was
unavoidable to protect the
Muslims and their families
against the enemy's offence. These
rules are listed below:
-Call upon Allah for help when
you mount for a battle in His
name
-Try and negotiate settlements
with peace
-If you have to draw arms in
war, do not resort to devious
means in your battles and avoid
the tactics of ambush
-Do not disfigure or dismember
the fallen
-Do not kill or hann the old,
the sick or the infirm, women
and children
-Leave the monks and ascetics
alone
-Do not cut or bum fruit trees
-Do not destroy cultivations or
other vegetation
-Do not harin those who seek
your protection. If
they agree to pay the tythe for
their safe conduct, accept it
-Allow the besieged to come out
for peace or safe conduct
These rules made a revolutionary
change in the old, brutal and
ruthless methods of war amongst
the Arabs of that time, and in
the future. There
was to be humanity and
compassion even when the two
parties had to come out in
arms. It
is a pity that the modem states
and nations totally overlook
these moral restraints in their
conduct of war.
The Battles of the Prophet
Wars with the opposing forces of
evil started from the first year
of emigration of the muslirns
from Makkah. It
would be difficult to describe
each one of them in this
booklet. The
reader is referred to several
other larger works that are
available on the subject. Many
of these battles were with the kuffar and
Abu Sufyan bin Harb, the arch
enemy of Islam. Others
were with the mischievous Bani
Israil in Madinah and at Khyber,
in north east of Madinah. The
major battles were Badr, Uhad,
Khandaq, Hunayn and Khyber.
Treaty of Peace with the Kuffar
When the kuffar failed
to weaken the Muslims in their
faith, despite their tactics,
they retracted into their
stronghold in Makkah. By
this time, the numbers of the
Muslims had increased. They
wanted to go for pilgrimage to
the holy precinct of Ka'bah
which is located in the heart of
Makkah. When
a large entourage of Muslims,
accompanied by the Prophet
approached Makkah, it made the kuffar nervous
about the intentions of the
Muslims. They
intercepted and the Treaty of
Hudaybiya was signed between the
Muslims and the kuffar of
Makkah. According
to the terms of this treaty,
Muslims would not enter the city
that year. They
performed their ritual
sacrifices at their encampment,
and returned to their homes. They
were a little disappointed for
not having been able to enter
the holy precinct. The
Prophet comforted them and said
that they would all return to
Makkah and perform their full
rituals the following year.
The follwing year, the Muslims
entered Makkah under the
treaty. According to the
agreement, the city was vacated
by the kuffar who pitched their
tents on the hills surrounding
the holy precinct. They saw the
muslims perform the rituals of
Umra, all clad in white robes,
quiet and sober in
behaviour. There was no music
or dancing or drinking or noise
or screams. Their hearts were
stirred by the discipline and
organization of the Muslims.
The Conquest of Makkah
The mischief mongers among the
kuffar caused breach in the
peace treaty and killed some
members of the Muslim
alliance. Such conduct could
not go unchallenged. The muslim
community had to protect the
rights of allies and their
property. The leader of kuffar,
the arch enemy of Islam, Abu
Sufyan bin Harb went to Madinah
to make repairs but he had to
return to Makkah without
forgiveness in this
matter. Muhammad collected a
large army of his faithfulls and
marched on Makkah. The
overwhelmed kuffar were unable
to face this formidable
force. When Abu Sufyan saw that
he had no choice but to
surrender, he accepted Islam and
rushed home to tell others to do
the same.
Muhammad declared total amnesty
for all. The lives of all those
who would gather under his
banner, or keep inside their
homes, or collect within the
holy precinct of Ka'ba, or even
those who would gather in the
house of Abu Sufyan would be
spared. They were to accept
Allah as their supreme Lord, and
Muhammad as His Messenger. This
was a momentous day for the
Muslims. They were back home to
see their relatives and
properties as free
citizens. The mercy of the
Prophet protected their former
tormentors from revenge. The
city of Makkah was declared as
the city of Peace and sanctuary
for all mankind.
Cleansing of Kalba from idols
The Prophet entered the gate of
Ka'ba and joined Ali to break
the idols which had for so long
desecrated the House of Allah. The
debris was quickly removed from
the yard while the Muslims
prepared for the first
congregational prayer in the
holy precict of Ka'ba. The
numbers of the Muslims had
swelled with the addition of the
new converts. Bilal,
the African, called out the Azan (the
call for prayers) in his
melodious style which brought
tears in the eyes of the
people. The
events of past few years went
rapidly through their minds and
they thanked Allah for His mercy
and benevolence.
Sura Barat
Whereas the Ka'ba had been
cleansed, and the style of Hajj
and Umra had been established by
the Prophet himself, the kuffar
from other districts were
unaware of the recent changes. They
would come to Makkah in the old
style, singing and dancing,
howling and screaming, exposing
their bodies and carrying idols
and pagan offerings, unbefitting
the piety restored to the
sanctuary and the city of
peace. As
the sacred season of the year
9AH was approaching, Allah sent
sura Barat to be announced to
the pilgrims. It
was to forbid the entry of all
idolater's in the sanctuary of
Ka'ba. Abu
Bakar was deputed to carry out
this function. He
was gone only a short distance
when the Prophet received a
Command from Allah and in
compliance with it, he
instructed Ali to overtake Abu
Bakar, take back the verses and
himself announce these to the
pilgrims at Makkah, on behalf of
the Prophet. Abu
Baker returned to Madinah with
his entourage.
Mubahila with the Christians of
Najran
In the same year, the message of
Islam was conveyed to the
Christians of Najran. They
were invited to believe in the
Oneness of Allah, give up the
false belief in Trinity and the
distorted notion that Jesus
(Isa) was the Son of God. This
was followed by long discussions
and debates in Madinah, but the
Christian bishops held fast to
their beliefs. While
this argument was in progress,
the Prophet received a
revelation : "...And he who
disputes with thee concerning
him after the truth had come to
thee, say thou, come, let us
call together our sons, and your
sons, our women and your women,
and our selves and your selves,
then let us invoke and lay the
curse of Allah on the liars. "
The Christian were informed and
they accepted to meet the
Prophet at an open place. On
the appointed day and time, the
Prophet took with him his
daughter Fatima, her two sons
Hassan and Hussain, and his
cousin and son-in-law Ali.
When the Christian priests saw
this small group marching
towards the arena, they saw in
them the signs of extra-ordinary
nature. Filled
with an awe, they agreed to pay
tax and withdrew from the
contest.
Missionaries of Muhammad
The people of Yatnan requested
the Prophet to send them some
one who would teach them Islam. The
Prophet initially sent Khalid
bin Walid, who quickly became
unpopular due to his hostile
manners. The
Prophet recalled him and sent
Ali to Yaman. The
people of Yaman became very fond
of Ali as a teacher. They
had also known him as the
champion of Islam in many
important battles. Ali
demonstrated his compassion for
the people, and his depth of
knowledge of the Qur'an.
The Last Hajj
By the tenth year of al-Hijra
Islam had reached throughout the
Arabian peninsula, and Ka'ba had
been cleansed of all vestiges of
paganism. The
strict orders of conduct for Haj
and Umra had already been laid
by Allah through His revelation
of Sura Barat. The
Prophet decided to perform the
ritual of Hajj along with his
friends and followers. Ali
who was in the south, hastened
to join the Prophet on this
auspicious occasion, to perform
the first complete ritual of
Hajj, led personally by the
Prophet.
The faithful came, drones upon
drones, from all directions to
join the Prophet on this blessed
occasion. The
Prophet conducted the Hajj
complete in ceremonies and
delivered his famous sermon at
Jabal-an-Noor.
The Last Revelations from Allah
It was at Khum-e-Ghadir, about
half way to Madinah when Jibril
brought the last revelation from
Allah: "...O though, Apostle,
proclaim what has been sent down
to thee from thy Lord; and if
though did not, it was as if
though had not completed thy
mission at all (and fear not),
Allah will defend thee against
men; verily Allah guideth not
the unbelieving people.
The Prophet, on receiving the
above Commandment immediately
stopped the caravan and recalled
the Muslims who had already
departed in different
directions. Standing
on top of a raised platform,
made in a make-shift manner,
with the camel seats, the
Prophet then announced to the
people that he was to leave them
soon, and they should follow the
two things he was leaving
behind, Allah's Book (al-Qur'an)
and his Ahle Bait. Then
he took Ali's hand in his hand
and raised him, proclaiming,
"Whomsoever I am the guardian,
Ali too will be his guardian."
Muslims gave their greetings and
assurance to Ali. When
this was happening, the Prophet
received his last revelation and
after that there was not to be
any revelation: "...This day, we
have perfected your religion and
perfected you in my grace.
Death of the Prophet
Soon after his return from the
last Hajj, the Prophet passed
away after a short illness. His
death was deeply felt by his
family, friends and thousands of
his followers. He
was the last prophet of Allah,
who left a legacy of his
complete and superb personality,
his excellent conduct, the
Qur'an, his family, his
companions and a rich body of
traditions to guide mankind for
all times.
The Achievements of Muhammed
In a short period of ten years
after his emigration from
Makkah, the power of arrogance
and ignorance had been
completely routed, idolatory had
been totally wiped out, and the
Message of Allah had spread
throughout the Arabian
peninsula. The
Prophet himself had already sent
letters to the rulers of the
neigboring lands to quit
paganism and called them to
accept Islam and true
monotheism. The
teachings of Islam had started
to spill over to lands beyond
Arabia. The
glory of the House of Allah, the
sanctuary for mankind, had been
re-established. The
ritual of Hajj became sanctified
and the rules for its proper
conduct were established. The
Arabs, who were divided into
splintered group of clans and
tribes were wrought into a
nation, charged with spirit and
purpose. Within
only fifty years after the death
of the Prophet, the Muslim
rulers had conquered vast lands
and peoples from east to west. Conquests
of hearts and minds with Islamic
idealogy followed these
conquests. Today
over one billion Muslims harken
to the Message of Islam in many
ethnic communities throughout
the world.
The rights of the individual
were secured and the rights of
others in society were
established. Women
were given the dignity and
respect as wives, daughters,
mothers or sisters. Their
rightful place in society was
recognized and their right of
inheritance was established. The
Prophet had given his followers
a code of conduct which was to
govern the lives of all
generations of Muslims in the
future. They
were true then and are true
today. Muhammad
was truly the greatest of all
messengers of Allah who had
completed His mission on earth,
and had sealed prophesy for all
times to come.
Observations on life and
character of Prophet Muhannnad
- When
someone approached him,
the Prophet always paid him his
full attention
- He spoke softly, briefly but
precisely and clearly. He
avoided purposeless speech or
discussion
- While being addressed, he did
not interrupt the speaker
- He pointed with hands not with
eyes
- He smiled on happy occasions
and never reacted with laughter
- He was always the first to
offer greetings
- While shaking hands, he
avoided pulling his hand
- He walked on earth with
humility, and with a down ward
gaze
- He greeted children with
affection and always spoke to
them with kindness
- He treated the elderly with
compassion and respect
- He kept the good people around
him and preached to the
misguided with kindness
- In a meeting, he had no
reserved place, and sat at the
available place
- While seated on the floor, he
did not stretch his legs
- While seated with visitors, he
was not the first to leave. He
waited until the visitors left
- His company was always
pleasant and informative
- The tone of speech and
discussions were always low in
his company
- He helped any one and every
one with whatever he had at the
time
- If, for any reason he was
unable to fulfill the needs of
one seeking assistance, he spoke
to him kindly and begged for
his/her forgiveness for not
being able to provide the
service at that time
- When some one spoke to him
with rudeness, he remained
quiet
- He was not seen to speak or
deal with any one with anger
- His sayings and deeds were
always in concordance with the
Qur'an and the Will of Allah
- He sat at the same level with
others and ate the same food as
those who served him
- He did most of his own
house-hold or other personal
chores
- He mended his own attire,
including his shoes
- He encouraged the owners not
to cordon their fruit groves so
that less fortunate may also
enjoy the bounty of Allah
- He usually accepted invitation
to have meals with friends and
believers but told them that sadaqah,
khayrat and zakat were haram for
him
- He avoided colorful and
decorative attire
- He treated his servants with
kindness and never rebuked or
punished them for error
or mistake
- If a servant wanted his
attention, Muhammad would get up
and go to him before the servant
could get to him
- He did not travel mounted
while a companion was a foot
- He always kept his promise
- He slept little, and spent his
time either in worship or
serving others
- He had immense knowledge about
all kinds of things and subjects
although he never attended any
formal school or other
tutorship |
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