| | | PART ONE |  |
| | | كاتب الموضوع | رسالة |
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أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 49335
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: PART ONE الأربعاء 6 يوليو - 22:47 | |
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PART ONE
1- From Adam to the Messiah
All of the prophets who came into this world had an identical mission. They taught that man’s life on earth was but an infinitesimal part of his eternal life.
In this world he was put to the test. Reward or punishment would come in the next. After death, if he had followed the Lord’s path, he would find his eternal abode in heaven. But, if he had strayed from it, he would be plunged straight into hell. His damnation would be everlasting. This was the reality of life taught by each and every one of the prophets. Adam was the first man on earth and also the first prophet.
He was succeeded by a long line of prophets right up to the time of the Messiah. Altogether there have been some 124,000 messengers of God, of whom 315 have been prophets. They appeared in different lands and among different peoples, preaching the word of God and exhorting people to live in fear of Him. But very few of those they addressed have ever proved willing to give up their freedom for the sake of God.
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Few people, for instance, followed the Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) and he died a martyr’s death. When Lot left his people, only two of his daughters accompanied him. According to the Old Testament, only eight people entered the ark along with Noah.
When Abraham left his native country, Iraq, the only people to accompany him were his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot, although they were later joined by his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Even after great missionary effort on the part of Jesus, the priests and religious authorities who heard his teachings did not follow him, and even his twelve friends temporarily forsook him at the moment of truth.
This was the unhappy lot of most of the prophets. The ties of kith and kin sometimes brought a handful of followers to the more fortunate, but as often as not, would-be prophets were forced by the inattention and insensitivity of those around them to live out their lives in solitude and persecution.
This verse of the Quran very aptly sums up common attitudes to prophethood throughout the history of mankind: “Alas for the servants! They laugh to scorn every prophet that comes to them.”1
In God’s sight, the prophets stand head and shoulders above the human race. How extraordinary it is, then, that they are the very ones to whom the least historical importance has been attached. History has fully chronicled the lives of kings and soldiers, but not one single prophet’s life has been given its due place in the annals of history. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who was born one thousand years after the Prophet Moses, was not even acquainted with Moses’ name.
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The reason is not far to seek: most of the prophets were rejected bym their challenged the giant, and killed him. In this way he became the son-in-law of the King of Israel. In a subsequent war, both King Saul and his heir apparent were killed in battle. David was thereupon crowned King of Israel. Solomon was David’s son, and succeeded to his father’s throne. As for Joseph, he was endowed by God with the ability to interpret dreams and the King of Egypt, impressed by his ability, went so far as to entrust the affairs of state to him. But the King still remained head of state and he and his subjects continued to adhere to their pagan religion.
This hostile treatment meted out to the prophets throughout the ages, deprived people of true guidance and, what was even more serious, made the preservation of the scriptures and teachings of the prophets impossible. Only a prophet’s followers can preserve his teachings after him; but the prophets either had no followers, or so few as to be unable to counter the challenges of their society to the preservation of the Holy Scriptures.
The knowledge of God is eternal. He sees the future just as He does the past. He was aware, before the sending of the prophets, that this would be the fate of the human race. So He had decreed that He would remedy this situation at the
end of the prophetic era by sending His own special envoy to the world: a prophet whose task would be not only to preach religion, but also to exalt it above all others on earth.
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He would be granted special succour from God, enabling him to compel his people to bow to the truth. God would keep him on earth until he had rectified the perversions of the society around him. God’s own might would assist the Prophet to vanquish his enemies. In this way the true religion would be established on solid foundations and God’s word would be perpetuated, as it says in the Bible, “for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea.” 2
Translations and additions have taken the present-day Bible very far from the original. But it still contains multiple references to the coming of the Prophet Muhammad. If one studies the Bible objectively, one will find certain references
that cannot be applied to anyone else. The very purpose of the mission of the Prophet Jesus was to announce to the world, and to the Jewish nation in particular, the coming of the final prophet. The “New Testament” to which he referred was, in truth, Islam, for it marked the end of Jewish religious hegemony and projected the Children of Ishmael as the true recipients of the word of God. Hence the rise of the Prophet Muhammad.
The Prophet Jesus came to the world six hundred years before the last of the Prophets. In one reference to Jesus, the Quran has this to say: And remember the Prophet Jesus, who said to the Children of Israel: “I am sent forth to you by God to confirm the Torah already revealed and to give news of an apostle that will come after me whose name is Ahmad.”3
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The words “Ahmad” and “Muhammad” have the same meaning: the praised one. In the Gospel of Barnabas the name of the coming prophet is given quite clearly as Muhammad.
But since Christians consider the Gospel of Barnabas to be apocryphal, we do not consider it proper to quote from that source. We cannot even be sure whether Jesus, in his prophecy, referred to Ahmad or Muhammad. Most probably he used a word with the same meaning as these names.
In his biography of the Prophet, Ibn Hisham quotes the historian, Muhammad ibn Ishaq, the most authentic source on the Prophet’s life, as saying that when Jesus spoke in his mother tongue, Syrian, the word that he used of the coming
prophet was “Munhamann” meaning “the praised one.” This traditionally accepted appellation was probably passed on to him by Palestinian Christians who had come under Islamic rule. When the Bible was translated into Greek, the word became “Paraclete”.
NOTES
1. Quran, 36:30.
2. Bible, Habakkuk, 2.14.
3. Quran, 61:6.
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| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 49335
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART ONE الأربعاء 6 يوليو - 22:51 | |
| 2- The Emergence and Legacy of the Prophet Muhammad
Poised between Africa, Asia and Europe, the Arabian Peninsula lay at the very heart of the ancient world. Yet no ambitious conqueror had invaded the territory; no ruler had sought to bring it under his domain. All military campaigns had been limited to the area bordering Arabia—Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. As for the Arabian Peninsula, no one had considered it worth fighting for. True, its shores were lapped by three seas, but its interior offered little beyond inhospitable desert and barren mountains.
Makkah was the central township of this land, it was in this “uncultivable valley” in which it lay that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, on whom be peace, was born. His father, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib, died a few months before the birth of the Prophet. He was only six years of age when his mother, Aminah, also passed away. For two years he was cared for by his grandfather, ‘Abdul Muttalib, and, when he too died, the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, became his The Emergence and Legacy of the guardian.
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Abu Talib’s demise occurred three years before the emigration of the Prophet to Madinah. The Prophet then, at the most difficult stage of his life, was left without a protector.
But nature had endowed the Prophet with a remarkable personality. Those who saw him in his youth used to remark: “This boy has a great future.” His dignified and impressive personality grew with age. ‘Ali1 once commented, “Those who saw him for the first time were filled with awe, and those who came close to him grew to love him.” The Prophet’s noble character was undisputed, yet when in his fortieth year, he announced his prophetic mission, people’s attitude to him changed. They poured scorn on his claim to prophethood.
“Look at this village boy who reckons he’s in contact with the heavens,” they would say.
His preaching mission extended over a mere twenty-three years. It was during this short time that he brought about a revolution among the Arab tribes, the like of which the world had never seen. Within one hundred years this revolution had vanquished both the Sassanian and the Byzantine Empires.
With the fall of these two great empires of the world, Islam annexed the territory extending from Iran and Iraq to Bukhara in the east, while in the west, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and then the whole of North Africa also fell to Islam. And the torrent did not halt there. In A.D. 711 Islam surged forward across the Straits of Gibraltar into the Iberian Peninsula. In 732 a Frankish prince, Charles Martel, arrested the advance of Islam at Tours. Then followed the Crusades, stretching over two centuries, and after the Crusades the horrific onslaughts of the Tartar tribes.
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But despite these attacks from outside, the Islamic Empire held its own until the 15th century, when, due to infighting among the Muslims themselves, Spain was lost.
It was then the turn of the Turks and the Mughals to be aroused by the spirit of Islam. In 1453 the Turks conquered Constantinople and advanced into Eastern Europe as far as Yugoslavia. A Turkish army remained encamped outside Vienna until 1683. In the 16th century the Mughals established Islamic rule in India and Afghanistan. Over the last thirteen centuries Muslims have spread to every corner of the globe.
Close on four-dozen countries of Asia and Africa have come to constitute a Muslim world. According to the World Muslim Gazetter2 there are 900 million Muslims in the world today.
This was all the result of a twenty-three year effort conducted in Arabia under the Prophet’s guidance. In this short space of time, the Islamic revolution not only assured itself of a permanent place in human history; it also created a new history of its own. Humans alone do not have it in them to accomplish such a gigantic task; it can only be done by God. The Islamic revolution was truly the work of God.
When the Muslims were returning from their victory at the Battle of Badr, they were met at a place called Rauha by some well-wishers, who congratulated them on the outcome of the fighting. “Why do you congratulate us?” asked Salmah ibn Salamah. “The enemy were just like tethered camels, and we duly slaughtered them.”3
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All of this was evidently pre-ordained by God. From the bare Arabian Desert He raised up a people of extraordinary tenacity, a people whose characters had been tempered by their environment. They knew only acceptance or denial; for them there was no third alternative. In them were preserved all the natural qualities needed for dedication to a cause.
Added to this there was the fact that the two great powers of the day lay on the borders of their country. It was only natural that the mighty empires of Rome and Persia should not take kindly to the emergence of a new power on their doorstep.
In their attempt to arrest the rise of Islam, they waged war against the Muslims. In so doing, they forced the Muslims to fight back. This gave the Muslims the chance to conquer the empires of Rome and Persia, whose borders, at that time, extended to the farthest reaches of the known world. There is no doubting the fact that the conquests of Islam were not wars of aggression against others; rather they were a response to aggression from others. They were wars of self-defence and never, in any country of the world, have there been two minds on the justification for such wars.
Over and above the political significance of these events was the fact that the Islamic revolution opened out hitherto unexplored opportunities for humanity. It made God’s revealed religion a historical reality, something that it had not been before.
It ushered in the age of the press, ensuring the preservation of the Quran for all time. It brought the age of democracy and freedom of speech to the world, removing all artificial barriers that had obstructed preachers in their call to truth.
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It made new discoveries possible in the world of science, enabling religious truths to be proved and explained on a rational, intellectual level.
An even more important aspect of this revolution was that, through the Prophet, God showed the world what would happen in the hereafter. His life and mission provided us with a preview of the events of the next world. Those who accepted and patterned their lives upon the truth that he brought to them were made supreme, and that is how they will remain forever in the hereafter, if God wills. The wicked, meanwhile, were made to taste the humiliation that they would forever be a prey to in the world to come.
History shows that those who devote their lives to God always appear in a passive and depressed condition, while those devoted to wealth and power always seem to have their way in the world. Such is the sombre evidence of the history of saints and prophets. This state of affairs is quite contrary to reality, for, eventually, God will bestow everlasting honour and glory upon His true servants, while self-worshippers and worshippers of the world will forever be assigned to a pit of humiliation and disgrace.
This world is for our trial. Here, people have the chance to act as they please. That is why God does not hold anyone in check in this world. But once, at least, by means of the prophet of Islam, God has shown on earth the situation that will prevail in its most complete and permanent form in the next world.
The companions of the Prophet, whose homes were demolished, for whom the earth had become a place of unmitigated oppression, who were robbed of their properties, who were so victimized and terrorized that they lived in constant fear of extermination—these very people were raised to a position of great honour. The Quraysh and the Jews, the Romans and the Iranians, the Yemenis and the Ghassanis 4 — those who took pride in their wealth and power—were meanwhile reduced to ignominy and disgrace.
Every prophet who comes from God provides a criterion of divine justice. Through him God announces to humanity the decisions that He Himself will announce in the next world. But the Prophet of Islam gave such a display of divine justice that it became a world experience; it became an accepted historical reality. We could see with our own eyes how God honoured His faithful servants and degraded those who rebelled against Him. Heaven and hell were realities that would be made manifest in the next world. But we had been given a preliminary glimpse of them in this world so that we might take heed.
What really emerged with the prophethood of Muhammad was the divinity of God Himself. That is why the New Testament foretells of his prophethood as the “Kingdom of God.” There is no doubting the fact that the revolution of the Prophet had great political and strategic implications.
But its main importance is as an earthly manifestation of God’s glory, a revelation of divine justice. The revolution of the Prophet Muhammad showed us in advance the realities that would come upon us in stark and absolute form in the hereafter.
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NOTES
1. The Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law.
2. World Muslim Gazetter published by Mu’tamaral- ‘Alam-al-lslami, 1971
3. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, p. 153.
4. Arabian kingdom prominent as a Byzantine ally in the 6th century A.D. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 49335
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART ONE الأربعاء 6 يوليو - 22:59 | |
| 3- Exemplary Conduct
The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was born in Arabia on 22 April A.D. 570, and died on 8 June A.D. 632. He was a very handsome and powerfully built man. His childhood gave indications of the sublime and dynamic personality that was to emerge. As he grew up, the nobility of his personality used to have an effect on anyone beholding him, but he was so soft-spoken and of such genial disposition that anyone coming into close contact with him would learn to love him. A perfectly balanced personality—tolerant, truthful, perspicacious and magnanimous—he presented the highest example of human nobility. According to Daud ibn Husayn, he became known as he grew older as the most chivalrous among his people, tolerant and forebearing, truthful and trustworthy, always the good neighbour. He would stay aloof from all quarrels and quibbles and never indulged in foul utterances, abuse or invective. People even left their valuables in his custody, for they knew that he would never betray them. His unimpeachable trustworthiness won for him the title of “al-Amin,” a faithful custodian, an unfailing trustee.
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When he married at the age of twenty-five, his uncle Abu Talib performed the marriage service. “There is no one to compare with my nephew, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah,” he said. “He outshines everyone in nobility, gentility, eminence and wisdom. By God, he has a great future and will reach a very high station.” Abu Talib did not utter these words in the sense in which later events proved them to be true. He meant them in a worldly sense. Nature had endowed his nephew with a magnetic and versatile personality. His people would surely appreciate his qualities, and raise him to a high position. Abu Talib envisaged a future of worldly success and accomplishment for his nephew; this was the “great future” which he referred to in his sermon.
Without doubt the Prophet had every opportunity for worldly advancement. He was born into a noble family of Makkah and his virtues guaranteed his success in life.
True, he had inherited just one camel and one servant from his father, but his inborn high qualities had impressed the richest woman in Makkah, Khadijah, a forty-year-old widow belonging to a family of merchants. When the Prophet was twenty-five, she offered herself to him in marriage. Not only did marriage with Khadijah provide the Prophet with wealth and property; it also threw open to him a vast field of business in Arabia and beyond. The Prophet had every opportunity, then, of leading a successful and comfortable life. But he forsook all these things and chose something quite different for himself. Quite intentionally, he took a road that could lead only to worldly ruin. Before his marriage, the Prophet had earned his living in different ways.
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Now he relinquished all Exemplary Conduct such activity, and dedicated himself to his lifelong vocation—the pursuit of truth. He used to sit for hours and ponder over the mysteries of creation. Instead of socializing and trying to gain a position for himself among the nobles of Makkah, he would wander in the hills and dales of the desert. Often he used to retire to the loneliness of a cave in Mount Hira’—three miles from Makkah—and stay there until his meagre supply of food and water was exhausted. He would return home to replenish his supplies, and then go back to the solitude of nature for prayer and meditation. He would beseech the Maker of the heavens and the earth for answers to the questions surging in his mind. What is our true role in life?
What does the Lord require of us, as His servants? Whence do we come and whither will we go after death? Unable to find answers to these questions in the centres of human activity, he betook himself to the stillness of the desert; perhaps, there, the answer would be forthcoming.
The Romanian orientalist Konstan Virgil George (b. 1916) writes in his book, The Prophet of Islam: Until one has spent some time in the wilds of Arabia and the Middle East, one cannot begin to understand how the vastness and tranquility of the desert expands the human intellect and fortifies the imagination. There is a great difference between European and Arabian plants. There is no plant in the arid reaches of the desert that does not exude a sweet fragrance; even the acacia trees of this land are aromatic. The desert stretches for 3,000,000 square kilometres. Here it is as though man comes into direct contact with God.
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Other countries are like buildings in which massive walls obstruct one’s view; but there is nothing blocking one’s vision of reality in the vast open reaches of Arabia. Wherever one looks, one sees endless sands and fathomless sky.
Here, there is nothing to stop one from consorting with God and His angels.1 It was no small matter that a young man should be taking up this course in the prime of his life. He was renouncing worldly happiness and choosing a way fraught with difficulties and sorrow. He had all conceivable means and opportunities for a comfortable life, but his turbulent soul did not find
satisfaction in them. He attached no value to them and could not rest content until he had unravelled the mysteries of life.
He sought to delve beyond external appearances, and seek out the reality of life. Worldly gain and loss, comfort and distress, did not concern him; what mattered to him was the all-important question of truth and falsehood. This phase of the Prophet’s life is referred to thus in the Quran: Did he not find you wandering and guide you?2
The word used in this verse for “wandering” (“dhallan”) can also be used to describe a tree standing alone in an empty desert. The Prophet, then, was like a lone tree standing amidst the vast wilderness of ignorance that was Arabia of the time. The idea of consolidating his position in this society was abhorrent to him. He sought the truth, and nothing less than the truth could satisfy his soul. His quest had reached a point when life had become an unbearable burden.
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The Quran looks back on that time: Have We not lifted up and expanded your heart and relieved you of the burden, which weighed down your back?3 God, indeed, relieved him of his burden. He turned in mercy to His Prophet, illuminating his path and guiding him on his journey. On February 12, A.D. 610, the Prophet was sitting alone in his cave. The angel of the Lord appeared before him in human form and taught him the words, which appear at the beginning of the ninety-sixth chapter of the Quran.
The Prophet’s quest had finally been rewarded. His restless soul had joined in communion with the Lord. Not only did God grant him guidance; He also chose Muhammad as His Prophet and special envoy to the world. The mission of the Prophet extended over the next twenty-three years. During this period the entire content of the Quran—the final divine scripture—was revealed to him.
The Prophet of Islam discovered Truth in the fortieth year of his arduous life. If was an attainment that was not to usher in ease and comfort, for this Truth was that he stood face to face with an Almighty God. It was discovery of his own helplessness before the might of God, of his own nothingness before the supernatural magnitude of the almighty. With this discovery it became clear that God’s faithful servant had nothing but responsibilities in this world; he had no rights.
The meaning that life took on for the Prophet after the Truth came to him can be ascertained from these words: Nine things the Lord has commanded me.
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Fear of God in private and in public; Justness, whether in anger or in calmness; Moderation in both poverty and affluence; That I should join hands with those who break away from me; and give to those who deprive me; and forgive those who wrong me; and that my silence should be meditation; and my words remembrance of God; and my vision keen observation.4
These were no just glib words; they were a reflection of the Prophet’s very life. Poignant and wondrously effective words of this nature could not emanate from an empty soul; they themselves indicate the status of the speaker; they are an outpouring of his inner being, an unquenchable spirit revealed in verbal form.
Even before the dawn of his prophethood, the Prophet’s life had followed the same pattern. The motivation, however, had been subconscious; now it came on to the level of consciousness. Actions which had previously been based on instinctive impulses now became the well-conceived results of profound thinking. This is the state of one who reduces material needs to a minimum; whose life assumes a unique pattern; who in body lives in this world, but in spirit dwells on another plane.
The Prophet once said, A discerning person should have some special moments: a moment of communion with God; a moment of self-examination; a moment of reflection over the mysteries of creation; and a moment which he puts aside for eating and drinking.5
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In other words, this is how God’s faithful servant passes the day. Sometimes the yearning of his soul brings him so close to God that he finds something in communion with the Lord. Sometimes fear of the day when he will be brought before the Lord for reckoning makes him reckon with himself.
Sometimes he is so overawed by the marvels of God’s creation that he starts seeing the splendours of the Creator reflected therein. Thus he spends his time encountering the Lord, his own self, and the world around him, while also finding time to cater for his physical needs.
These words are not a description of some remote being; they are a reflection of the Prophet’s own personality, a flash from the light of faith that illuminated his own heart. These “moments” were an integral part of the Prophet’s life. One who has not experienced these states can never describe them in such a lofty manner. The soul from which these words emanated was itself in the state that they describe; through words that state of spiritual perfection was communicated to others.
Before he received the word of God, this world—with all its shortcomings and limitations—appeared meaningless to the Prophet. But now that God had revealed to him that besides this world there was another perfect and eternal world, which was the real abode of man, life and the universe took on new meaning. He now found a level on which his soul could subsist, a life in which he could involve himself, heart and soul. The Prophet now found a real world into which he could put his heart and soul, a target for all his hopes and aspirations, a goal for all his life’s endeavours.
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Suhayl ibn ‘Amr. A fiery speaker, he used to denounce the Prophet virulently in public to incite people against him and his mission. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab suggested that two of his lower teeth be pulled out to dampen his oratorical zeal. The Prophet was shocked by ‘Umar’s suggestion. “God would disfigure me for this on the Day of Judgement, even though I am His messenger,” he said to ‘Umar.
This is what is meant by the world being a planting-ground for the hereafter. One who realizes this fact lives a life oriented towards the hereafter—a life in which all efforts are aimed at achieving success in the next, eternal world; a life in which real value is attached—not to this ephemeral world—but to the life beyond death. One becomes aware that this world is not the final destination; it is only a road towards the destination, a starting-point of preparation for the future life. Just as every action of a worldly person is performed with worldly interests in mind, so every action of God’s faithful servant is focused on the hereafter. Their reactions to every situation in life reflect this attitude of looking at every matter in the perspective of the life after death, and of how it will affect their interests in the next world. Whether it be an occasion of happiness or sorrow, success or failure, domination or depression, praise or condemnation, love or anger—in every state they are guided by thoughts of the hereafter, until finally these thoughts become a part of their unconscious minds. They do not cease to be mortal, but their minds come to function only on matters related to the world of immortality, making them almost forget their interest in worldly matters.
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HUMILITY AND FORBEARANCE
The Prophet was a man like other men. Joyous things would please him while sad things would sadden him. Realization of the fact that he was first and foremost God’s servant, however, prevented him from placing more importance on his own feelings than upon the will of God.
Towards the end of the Prophet’s life Mariah Qibtiyah bore him a beautiful and vivacious son. The Prophet named him Ibrahim, after his most illustrious ancestor. It was Abu Rafi’ who broke the good news to the Prophet. He was so overjoyed that he presented Abu Rafi’ with a slave. He used to take the child in his lap and play with him fondly. According to Arab custom, Ibrahim was given to a wet nurse, Umm Burdah bint al-Mundhir ibn Zayd Ansari, to be breast-fed. She was the wife of a blacksmith, and her small house was usually full of smoke. Still, the Prophet used to go to the blacksmith’s house to visit his son, putting up in spite of his delicate disposition—with the smoke that used to fill his eyes and nostrils. Ibrahim, was just one and half years old when, in the tenth year of the Hijrah (January A.D. 632), he died. The Prophet wept on the death of his only son, as any father would: on this respect the Prophet appears like any other human being. His happiness and his grief were that of a normal father. But with all that, he fixed his heart firmly on the will of God. Even in his grief, these were the words he uttered: God knows, Ibrahim, how we sorrow at your parting. The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we will say nothing that may displease the Lord.
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It so happened that the death of Ibrahim coincided with a solar eclipse. From ancient times people had believed that solar and lunar eclipses were caused by the death of some important person. The people of Madinah began attributing the eclipse to the death of the Prophet’s son. This caused the Prophet immense displeasure, for it suggested this predictable astronomical event was caused out of respect for his infant son. He collected the people and addressed them as follows: Eclipses of the sun and moon are not due to the death of any human being; they are just two of God’s signs. When you see an eclipse, then you should pray to God.
On one of his journeys, the Prophet asked his companions to roast a goat. One volunteered to slaughter the animal, another to skin it, and another to cook it. The Prophet said that he would collect wood. “Messenger of God,” his companions protested, “we will do all the work.” “I know that you will do it,” the Prophet replied, “but that would amount to discrimination, which I don’t approve of. God does not like His servants to assert any superiority over their companions.” So humble was the Prophet himself that he once said: By God, I really do not know, even though I am God’s messenger, what will become of me and what will become of you.7
One day Abu Dharr al-Ghifari was sitting next to a Muslim who was black. Abu Dharr addressed him as “black man.” The Prophet was very displeased on hearing this, and told Abu Dharr to make amends “Whites are not superior to blacks,” he added.
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As soon as the Prophet admonished him, Abu Dharr became conscious of his error. He cast himself to the ground in remorse, and said to the person he had offended: “Stand up, and rub your feet on my face.”
The Prophet once saw a wealthy Muslim gathering up his loose garment to maintain a distance from a poor Muslim sitting next to him. “Are you scared of his poverty clinging to you?” the Prophet remarked.
Once the Prophet had to borrow some money from a Jew by the name of Zayd ibn Sa’nah. A few days before the date fixed for the repayment of the debt, the Jew came to demand his money back. He went up to the Prophet, caught hold of his clothes, and said to him harshly: “Muhammad, why don’t you pay me my due? From what I know of the descendants of Muttalib, they all put off paying their debts.” ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was with the Prophet at the time. He became very angry, scolded the Jew and was on the point of beating him up. But the Prophet just kept smiling. All he said to the Jew was: “There are still three days left for me to fulfill my promise.” Then he addressed ‘Umar “Zayd and I deserved better treatment from you,” he said. “You should have told me to be better at paying my debts, and him to be better at demanding them. Take him with you, ‘Umar, and pay him his due; in fact, give him 20 sa’ahs (about forty kilos) of dates extra because you have alarmed him with your threats.” The most remarkable thing about this episode is that the Prophet could still behave with such forbearance and humility even after being established as head of the Muslim state of Madinah.
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So successful was the Prophet’s life that, during his lifetime, he became the ruler of the whole of Arabia right up to Palestine. Whatever he said, as the messenger of God, was accepted as law. He was revered by his people as no other man has ever been revered. When ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud was sent to him as an envoy of the Quraysh (A.H. 6), he was amazed to see that the Muslims would not let any water used by the Prophet for ablution fall on the ground, but would catch it in their hands, and rub it on their bodies. Such was their veneration for him. Anas ibn Malik, the Prophet’s close companion says that in spite of the great love they had for the Prophet, out of respect they could not look him full in the face. According to Mughirah, if any of the Prophet’s companions had to call on him, they would first tap on the door with their fingernails.
One night, when the moon was full, the Prophet lay asleep, covered in a red sheet. Jabir ibn Samrah says that sometimes he would look at the moon and sometimes at the Prophet. Eventually he came to the conclusion that the Prophet was the more beautiful of the two.
Arrows rained down on the Prophet from the enemy ranks, but his followers formed a ring around him, letting the arrows strike their own bodies. It was as though they were made of wood, not flesh and blood; indeed the arrows hung from the bodies of some of them like the thorns of a cactus tree.
Devotion and veneration of this nature can produce vanity in a man and engender a feeling of superiority, but this was not the case with the Prophet.
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He lived among others as an equal. No bitter criticism or provocation would make him lose his composure. Once a desert-dweller came up to him and pulled so hard at the sheet he was wearing that it left a mark on his neck. “Muhammad!” he said. “Give me two camel-loads of goods, for the money in your possession is not yours, nor was it your father’s.” “Everything belongs to God,” the Prophet said, “and I am His servant.” He then asked the desert-dweller, “hasn’t it made you afraid, the way you treated me?” He said not. The Prophet asked him why.
“Because I know that you do not requite evil with evil,” the man answered. The Prophet smiled on hearing this, and had one camel-load of barley and another of dates given to him.
The Prophet lived in such awe of God that he was always a picture of humility and meekness. He spoke little and even the way he walked suggested reverence for God. Criticism never angered him. When he used to put on his clothes, he would say: “I am God’s servant, and I dress as befits a servant of God.” He would sit in a reverential posture to partake of food, and would say that this is how a servant of God should eat.
He was very sensitive on this issue. Once a companion started to say, “If it be the will of God, and the will of the Prophet ... “ The Prophet’s face changed colour in anger when he heard this. “Are you trying to equate me with God?” he asked the man severely. Rather say: “If God, alone, wills.”
On another occasion a companion of the Prophet said: “He that obeys God and His Prophet is rightly guided, and he who disobeys them has gone astray.”
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“You are the worst of speakers,” the Prophet observed, disliking a reference, which placed him in the same pronoun as the Almighty. Three sons were born to the Prophet, all of whom died in infancy. His four daughters, all by his first wife, Khadijah, grew to adulthood. Fatimah was the Prophet’s youngest daughter, and he was extremely attached to her. When he returned from any journey the first thing he would do, after praying two rak’at8 in the mosque, was to visit Fatimah and kiss her hand and forehead. Jumai’ ibn ‘Umayr once asked ‘A’ishah whom the Prophet loved most. “Fatimah,” she replied.
But the Prophet’s whole life was moulded by thoughts of the hereafter. He loved his children, but not in any worldly way. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Fatimah’s husband, once told Ibn ‘Abdul Wahid a story about the Prophet’s most beloved daughter. Fatimah’s hands, he said, were blistered from constant grinding; her neck had become sore from carrying water; her clothes would become dirty from sweeping the floor. When the Prophet had received an influx of servants from some place, ‘Ali suggested to his wife that she approach her father and ask for a servant. She went, but could not speak to the Prophet because of the crowd. Next day, he came to their house, and asked Fatimah what she had wanted to see him about. ‘Ali told the Prophet the whole story, and said that he had sent her. “Fear God, Fatimah,” the Prophet said, “Fulfill your obligations to the Lord, and continue with your housework.
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And when you go to bed at night, praise God thirty-three times, and glorify Him the same number of times; exalt His name thirty-four times, and that will make a full hundred. This would be much better than having a servant.” “If that is the will of God and His Prophet,” Fatimah replied “then so be it.” This was the Prophet’s only reply. He did not give her a servant.
The truth revealed to the Prophet was that this world did not spring up by itself, but was created by one God, who continues to watch over it. All men are His servants, and responsible to Him for their actions. Death is not the end of man’s life; rather it is the beginning of another, permanent world, where the good will enjoy the bliss of paradise and the wicked will be cast into a raging hell. With the revelation of this truth also came the commandment to propagate it far and near. Accordingly, ascending the height of the rock of Safa, the Prophet called the people together. First he made mention of the greatness of God. Then he went on to say: By God, as you sleep so will you die, and as you awaken so will you be raised after death: you will be taken to account for your deeds. The good will be rewarded with good and the evil with evil. And, for all eternity, the good will remain in heaven and the evil will remain in hell.
One who goes against the times in his personal life is faced with difficulties at almost every step, but these difficulties are not of an injurious nature. They may wound one’s feelings, but not one’s body. At the most, they are a test requiring quiet forbearance.
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But the position is quite different when one at the time that even these gallant soldiers were not able to protect him fully. ‘Utbah ibn Abi Waqqas hurled a stone at the Prophet’s face, knocking out some of his lower teeth. A famed warrior of the Quraysh, ‘Abdullah ibn Qumayyah, attacked him with a battle-axe, causing two links of his helmet to penetrate his face. They were so deeply embedded that Abu ‘Ubaydah broke two teeth in his attempt to extract them. Then it was the turn of ‘Abdullah ibn Shahab Zuhri, who threw a stone at the Prophet and injured his face. Bleeding profusely, he fell into a pit. When for a long period the Prophet was not seen on the field of battle, the word went around that he had been martyred. Then one of the Prophet’s companions spotted him lying in the pit. Seeing him to be alive, he cried jubilantly, “The Prophet is here!” The Prophet motioned to him to be silent, so that the enemy should not know where he was lying.
In this dire situation, the Prophet uttered some curses against certain leaders of the Quraysh, especially Safwan, Suhayl and Harith. How can a people who wound their prophet ever prosper!’ he exclaimed. Even this was not to God’s liking, and Gabriel came with this revelation: It is no concern of yours whether He will forgive or punish them. They are wrongdoers.9
This admonition was enough for the Prophet and his anger subsided. Crippled with wounds, he started praying for the very people who had wounded him. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud later recalled how the Prophet was wiping the blood from his forehead, and at the same time praying: Lord, forgive my people, for they know not what they do.10
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Biographies of the Prophet are full of incidents of this nature, which show his life to be a perfect model for mankind.
They show that we are God’s servants, and servants we should remain in every condition. Being God’s humble servants, we should always remain in a state of trepidation before our Lord and the life hereafter. Everything in the universe should serve to remind us of God. In every event we should see the hand of the Almighty, and, for us, every object should portray God’s signs. In all matters of a worldly nature, we should remember that everything will finally be referred to God. Fear of hell should make us live humbly among our fellows, and longing for paradise should impress on us the significance of this world. So conscious should we be of God’s greatness that any idea of demonstrating our own greatness should appear ridiculous. No criticism should provoke us and no praise should make us vain. This is the ideal human character, which
God displayed to us in the conduct of His Prophet.
NOTES
1. Konstan Virgil George (b 1917), The Prophet of Islam.
2. Quran, 93:7.
3 Quran, 94:1-3.
4. Hadith of Razin.
5 Hadith of Ibn Hibban.
6. Miswak, a stick used as a dentifrice.
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7 Hadith of al-Bukhari.
8. Rak’at, section of prayer.
9 Quran, 3:128.
10. Hadith of Muslim. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 49335
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART ONE الأربعاء 6 يوليو - 23:06 | |
| 4- Sublime Character
In the Quran the Prophet Muhammad is described as being of “sublime character.”1 Here are two sayings of the Prophet, which throw light on what this “sublime character” consists of: Never debase your character by saying that if people treat you well, you will treat them well, and if they harm you, then you will do worse to them. Rather, become accustomed to being good to those who are good to you, and not wronging those who harm you.2
Join hands with those who break away from you, forgive those who wrong you, and be good to those who harm you.3
The sublime character described here was displayed in its noblest form by the Prophet himself Such character is required of ordinary Muslims as an accessory, but with the Prophet it was a basic requisite.
There are two levels of character, an ordinary and a superior level. An ordinary character is based on the principle: do as you have been done by.
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Such a character might be termed a “knee-jerk character,” for those possessed of such a character offer only reflex responses to treatment by others, breaking with those who break with them, wronging those who wrong them, and harming those who harm them.
But the higher level of character is based on the principle: do as you would be done by. Those possessed of such a character deal with both friend and foe in the same principled manner, irrespective of how they have been treated. They are reconciliatory, even joining with those who break with them.
They are compassionate, even to those who seek to harm them. They are forbearing, even towards those who wrong them.
According to the French philosopher, Voltaire (1694–1778), “No one is a hero to his valet.” The reason for this is that a valet has access to a person’s private life, and in private life no one is perfect. Those close to a person usually do not
hold him in such high esteem as those who are further off.
That is why they cannot come to think of him as a hero. But this does not hold true for the Prophet Muhammad. History shows that the closer one came to him, the more one was impressed by his fine qualities.
Once some members of the tribe of Banu Qayn ibn Jasr attacked the camp of the Banu Ma’an, a branch of the Tay’ tribe. In the midst of plundering they captured an eight-year-old boy called Zayd, whom they subsequently sold as a slave at the fair of ‘Ukaz. It so happened that the latter came into the service of the Prophet, having been presented by his buyers to Khadijah shortly before her marriage to the Prophet.
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The boy’s father and uncle soon learnt of his whereabouts, and came to Makkah to recover him and take him home with them. They met the Prophet, and said that they would give any compensation that he required, so long as he returned the child to them. The Prophet said that he did not want any compensation; if Zayd wanted to go with them, they could take him. He called Zayd, and asked him if he knew these people. Zayd said that he did: they were his father and uncle.
“They want to take you with them.’ “I won’t leave you to go anywhere: Zayd replied. His father and uncle were incensed on hearing this. “What, do you prefer slavery to freedom?’
they asked. “Do you want to forsake your own folk, and live amongst others?’ “I cannot prefer anyone to Muhammad.’
Zayd replied, “not after seeing the qualities that he has.’ They had no choice then but to go back home without him. Such was the charisma of the Prophet.
This incident, which occurred before the commencement of the Prophet’s mission, reveals the tenderness that was inherent in his nature. The Quran has referred to this characteristic of his in the following words: It was thanks to God’s mercy that you were lenient to them. Had you been cruel and hard-hearted, they would surely have deserted you.4
It was this magnanimity of the Prophet that gave him the power to capture people’s hearts: the closer one came to him, the more one would be won over by his noble character.
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The Prophet once said: “Honouring ties of relationship does not mean honouring your ties with those who honour their ties with you; it means honouring your ties with those who severe their ties with you.’ The well-known case of ‘A’ishah, wife of the Prophet and daughter of Abu Bakr, being accused of adultery, is an apt illustration of this principle.
This accusation brought against ‘A’ishah when she was accidentally left behind while returning from the expedition to Banu al-Mustaliq (A.H. 6), then rescued by a young companion of the Prophet by the name of Safwan ibn al-
Mu’attal was absolutely slanderous. Indeed, the episode has become famous in Islamic history as the “case of the slander.’
One of the persons responsible for fabricating it and then spreading it far and wide was a relative of Abu Bakr named Mistah. When Abu Bakr learnt that Mistah was one of those who had defamed his innocent daughter, he cut off the allowance that he used to grant Mistah as a needy relative.
When Abu Bakr took this step, God revealed this verse of the Quran to His Prophet: Let not the honourable and rich among you swear not to give to their kindred, the poor, and those who have migrated for the cause of God. Rather, let them pardon and forgive. Do you not wish God to forgive you? He is Forgiving, Merciful.5
That is, a person who is in need should not be denied financial assistance because of his misconduct. Rather one should pardon him and continue to help him.
A man came up and insulted Abu Bakr one day when he was sitting with the prophet. Abu Bakr listened but remained silent. The man continued to abuse him. Again Abu Bakr still held his peace.
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When the man kept on repeating his foul tirade, Abu Bakr could contain himself no longer, and answered back. On hearing this, the Prophet immediately got up and left. “Why have you left your place, Prophet of God?’ Abu Bakr enquired. “As long as you remained silent, Abu Bakr,’ the Prophet replied, “God’s angel was answering for you. But as soon as you burst out, the angel left.’ Thus the Prophet illustrated that God requites any wrong done to one, as long as hone does not oneself retaliate. To one who seeks revenge God turns a deaf ear. Obviously retribution will be more complete if it is left to God.
The Prophet once borrowed some money from a Jewish scholar. After a few days the Jew came to demand payment of his debt. “At the moment, I have nothing to pay you with,’ the Prophet told him. “I won’t let you go until you have paid me back,’ the Jew retorted. And so he stayed there, from morning until night, holding the Prophet captive. At this time the Prophet was the established ruler of Madinah: he had the power to take measures against the Jew. His companions, indeed, wanted to rebuke the man and chase him away. But the Prophet forbade them to take any action.
“A Jew is holding you captive,’ protested one of them. “True,’ the Prophet replied, “but the Lord has forbidden us to wrong anyone.” Night turned to morning. With the light of dawn, the Jew’s eyes opened. He was profoundly moved on seeing the Prophet’s tolerance, notwithstanding the latter’s power to take action, and he thereupon embraced Islam.
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This Jew, a rich man, had detained the Prophet the day before on account What a terrible thing it must have been for a man such as the Prophet when, as night was falling, he found the urchins of Ta’if chasing him out of town and pelting him with stones.
Ta’if was the place where the Hijaz aristocracy used to while away their summer days and the Prophet had made the fifty-mile trip from Makkah to call them to Islam. But the lords of Ta’if did not listen to his well-meaning words; instead they set the street-urchins on him, and they kept on chasing him until night had cast a veil between them and God’s Prophet. His body was covered in wounds. Bleeding from head to foot and utterly exhausted, he took refuge in a vineyard. This, even for the most ordinary of men, would have been a traumatic experience. The Prophet once told his wife, ‘A’ishah, that it had been the hardest night of his life. But even at this gravest of moments, the Prophet did not wish his enemies any harm.
All he said was: “Lord, guide them, for they know not what they do.’ Such was the noble character of the Prophet, and it was this nobility, which finally subdued his opponents and brought the whole of Arabia within the Islamic fold. The force of his sublime spirit was enough to conquer all in its path.
No prejudice, antagonism or contumacy could withstand the magical power of good that was embodied in his person.
ABSENCE OF ACRIMONY
The Prophet had made peace with the Quraysh at Hudaybiyyah (A.H. 6) on three conditions: one was that if any Makkan accepted Islam and wanted to settle in Madinah, he must be surrendered to the Quraysh.
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But if any of the Madinan Muslims should go to Makkah, the Makkans would not send them back to Madinah. No sooner had this treaty been made than a Makkan youth by the name of Abu Jandal escaped from Makkah and came to Hudaybiyyah, his body bearing weals and bruises where chains had abraded his skin. “Save me from the enemy!’ he cried to the Muslims.
This was an extremely sensitive moment. The companions of the Prophet drew their swords. The sight of Abu Jandal had aroused their feelings to such a degree that most of them wanted to break the treaty and save his life. The Quraysh meanwhile reminded the Prophet that this was an occasion on which he would be obliged to abide by the pact that had been made between them. Finally the Prophet decided that he could not go back on the terms that had been agreed upon.
Painful as this decision was for the Muslims, Abu Jandal was returned to the Quraysh. Ostensibly the Prophet was putting an innocent victim of oppression back into the clutches of his oppressors. But, in effect, he was acting on the highest of moral principles. The oppressors in turn were confounded and awestruck by such uniquely moral conduct, and then it became no ordinary matter for them to take Abu Jandal away and imprison him; rather the event became symbolic of their own degradation in contrast to the moral ascendancy of Islam. The result of this was that the people of Makkah were won over by the high ethical standards of Islam, which many of them started to embrace. Abu Jandal’s very presence in Makkah became a living testament to truth of the prophet’s faith.
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Even as a prisoner, Abu Jandal began to appear to his captives as a threat to their national security. Eventually they deemed it prudent to free him and deport him from Makkah.
While the Prophet was living in Madinah, where he had attained religious and political leadership, he sent some riders to Najd, the inhabitants of which were his sworn enemies. On the way, they came across the ruler of the city of Yamamah, Thamamah ibn Uthal. They took him captive and brought him to Madinah, where they tied him up against a pillar of the mosque. The Prophet came to enquire after him. “If you kill me,” Thamamah said, “my people will avenge my blood; and if you release me, I will always be indebted to you. If it’s money you want, then I am ready to give you as much as you desire.” The Prophet did not kill Thamamah physically, but by his humane treatment he conquered the man’s soul. After his release, Thamamah went to a nearby garden, had a bath, and then returned to the mosque. People wondered what he had come back for. But when he proclaimed his conversion to Islam by pronouncing the testimony of faith in a loud voice, people realized that, by releasing Thamamah, the Prophet had in effect taken him captive for all time. Thamamah then went on a pilgrimage to Makkah. When the people of Makkah heard of his conversion, they told him that he had lost his faith. “I have not lost my faith,” Thamamah answered.
“Rather I have adopted the faith of God and His Prophet.”
Thamamah, moreover, became a source of strength to Islam.
Yamamah was one of the main places from which the people of Makkah used to collect grain.
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Thamamah told them that without the permission of the Prophet Muhammad, he would not provide them with a single grain. The case of Thamamah shows that noble conduct—though it may appear to have no practical value—is something which can win the world.
Adopting a high code of ethics means practising what one preaches; treating the weak with the same courtesy and deference as one shows to the strong; setting the same standards for oneself as one sets for others; never budging from one’s principles; maintaining a high moral bearing even when others stoop to the depths of degradation. From this point of view, the prophet of Islam stood at the highest pinnacle of human ethics, never abandoning the lofty standards that he preached. Expediency or dispute could not make him resort to unethical conduct. No evidence could be more substantial in this regard than that of his closest companions.
Sa’id ibn Hisham belonged to the generation immediately following that of the Prophet Muhammad. He once asked ‘A’ishah, the Prophet’s widow, about her late husband’s character. “He was a personification of the Quran’, ‘A’ishah replied. That is to say, the Prophet moulded his own life in accordance with the ideal pattern of life, which he presented to others in the form of the Quran. Anas ibn Malik served the Prophet for ten years. He says that the Prophet never even rebuked him. “When I did something, he never questioned my manner of doing it; and when I did not do something, he never questioned my failure to do it. He was the most good-natured of all men.” According to ‘A’ishah, the Prophet never beat a servant, a woman or anyone else.
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To be sure, he fought for what was righteous. Yet, when he had to choose between two alternatives, he would take the easier course, provided it did not involve sin: no one was more careful to avoid sin than he. He never sought revenge—on his own behalf—of any wrong done to him personally. Only if divine commandments had been broken would he mete out retribution for the sake of God.
It was this conduct on the part of the Prophet, which made him respected even in the eyes of his enemies. His followers stood by him through all kinds of hardship and misfortune.
He was as loved in times of oppression as in times of victory and supremacy. His immediate followers found him without blemish—just as he appeared from afar. He provided mankind with an inimitable model of exemplary conduct.
The principles on which the Prophet based his life were in the same mould as his sublime disposition. These principles never wavered. They formed a permanent part of his life. He applied them in equal measure to those who followed his path and to those who had harmed or aggrieved him.
Even in pre-Islamic times—known as the Age of Ignorance—the office of gate-keeper of the Ka’bah had been held in high esteem. From ancient times the task had been allotted to one particular family. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad a member of that family, ‘Uthman ibn Talhah retained it in his custody.
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Al-Bukhari, the greatest compiler of traditions of the Prophet, has related how the Prophet, before his emigration to Madinah, once desired to go inside the Ka’bah for worship.
He asked ‘Uthman for the keys, so that he could open the gate. ‘Uthman refused and insulted the Prophet. ‘Uthman,’ the Prophet said, ‘perhaps you will see that one day I will have these keys in my hands. I will have the power to dispose of them as I will.’ “It will be a day of disgrace and woe for the Quraysh when the keys of the Ka’bah are handed over to one like you,’ ‘Uthman retorted.
Then the time came when the Prophet conquered Makkah and reigned supreme there. The first thing he did on entering the holy city was to go to the House of God. Seven times he circumambulated the Ka’bah. Then he summoned ‘Uthman ibn Talhah. According to one account, ‘Uthman had become a Muslim during the period in between the peace of Hudaybiyyah and the Conquest of Makkah. The Prophet took the keys from him, opened the gate of the Ka’bah, and went inside. He remained there for a while, demolishing the idols that remained standing within its walls.
Then he came outside, holding the keys in his hands. On his lips was this verse of the Quran: God commands you to hand back your trusts to their rightful owners.6
It was then that ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, stood up: “God bless you,’ he said to the Prophet, “but we Banu Hashim have always been entrusted with the task of bearing water for pilgrims. Now is the time to take over the office of gate-keeper as well.’
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The Prophet did not reply to ‘Ali, and asked where ‘Uthman ibn Talhah was. When he came forward, the Prophet handed the keys over to him. ‘Uthman,’ he said, “here are your keys. This is a day of righteousness and fulfillment of promises. They will remain in your family from generation to generation. It is only a wrongdoer who will take them away from you.’
This action of the Prophet illustrates that Muslims should be meticulous in fulfilling obligations and returning trusts. Even if they have been treated acrimoniously by those with whom they are dealing, they should still pay them their full due. However much it may hurt them, they should never deny people their rights.
When worldly people gain power, the first thing they do is punish their opponents, removing them from their posts and installing their own henchmen instead. All people who come to power think in terms of supporters or opponents.
Promoting supporters and demoting opponents is an essential part of their policy. But when the Prophet of Islam gained power in Arabia, he did quite the opposite. He did not look at matters in terms of supporters and opponents; he considered only what was right and fair. He buried all grudges and dealt with everyone as justice and compassion would demand.
NOTES
1. Quran, 68:5
2. Hadith quoted in Mishkat al-Masabih.
3. Hadith of Razin.
4. Quran, 3:159.
5 Quran, 24:22.
6. Quran, 4:58 |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 49335
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART ONE الأربعاء 6 يوليو - 23:17 | |
| 5- Lessons of the Prophet’s Life
THE REWARDS OF RESTRAINT
In the Quran, these words have been addressed to the faithful: You have a good example in God’s Apostle for anyone who looks to God and the Last Day and remembers God always.1
It is clear from this verse that, in the life of the Prophet Muhammad, there is a perfect example for every human being. But the only real beneficiaries will be those whose apprehension of God is already profound, whose hopes and aspirations centre on God, whose lives are lived in fear of the punishment of the Lord. Those who cherish the thought of eternal bliss and truly yearn for it with every fibre of their beings will be the ones to learn from the Prophet’s example.
Why should this be so? The reason is that one has to be sincere in one’s search for truth if one is going to find it. If one “looks to God and the Last Day,” one will be sincere with regard to them.
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Sincerity will enable one to see the After intense mind-searching they will ask themselves: if you are required to fight in defence of your property, life, religion and family, why then are there cases in the Prophet’s life of his not doing so? Why, in the face of manifest oppression, did the Prophet—on many occasions—adopt a passive attitude and exhort others to do the same?
The following incident, for instance, has been recorded by Ibn Hisham on the authority of Abu ‘Uthman al-Nahdi.
When Suhayb decided to emigrate to Madinah, the Quraysh said to him: “You came to us in an abject and destitute state.
You became rich while with us, until eventually you reached your present state of wealth. Do you think we will let you run away and take everything with you? If so you are mistaken!”
Suhayb enquired, “If I hand over all of my wealth to you will you let me go then?” They said they would, so Suhayb gave them everything he had. When the Prophet heard about this, he said: “Good for Suhayb! He has made a fine profit.”
If the previously mentioned hadith means—in an absolute sense—that one should fight and give one’s life in defence of one’s property under any conditions whatsoever, the Prophet should then have condemned Suhayb’s failure rather than felicitated him on his success.
The case of Abu Jandal (see Part I, Chapter IV) also illustrates this point. When, at Hudaybiyyah, in the year of A.H. 6 during peace negotiations with the Quraysh young Abu Jandal, bloodstained and in chains, pleaded with the Muslims not to send him back to the idolaters now that he had accepted Islam, the Prophet ordered that, according to the terms of the treaty which had been agreed upon, he be sent back to Makkah.
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“Abu Jandal,” he said, “be patient. God will grant you, and those persecuted along with you, release from your suffering.” If the previously mentioned hadith enjoined on one to fight and be martyred irrespective of the conditions, the Prophet would not have urged patient resignation on Abu Jandal; rather he would have told him to seek martyrdom; he and his companions would have fought with great zeal at Abu Jandal’s side.
During the same Hudaybiyyah encounter, the Quraysh told the Prophet that they would not let him enter Makkah that year. Accepting this, the Prophet returned to Madinah, without insisting on visiting the House of God. This was an entirely religious affair; indeed, the Prophet had acted on divine inspiration in setting out for Makkah with his companions.
Even so, he withdrew. If the previously mentioned hadith had referred to fighting and being martyred in an absolute sense, the Prophet would have insisted on visiting the House of God that year, whether he had succeeded in his purpose or been martyred in the process.
‘Ammar ibn Yasir and his parents were slaves of the Banu Makhzum tribe in Makkah when they accepted Islam. Their conversion was complete anathema to the Banu Makhzum.
They would take the family out to the desert in the heat of noon and lay them down on the blazing sand, where they would savagely torture them.
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They even went so far as to murder ‘Ammar’s mother. Relating this incident, this is what the Prophet’s biographer, Ibn Hisham, writes: When the Prophet passed them by, from what I have heard, he would say to them: “Be patient, family of Yasir, heaven is your promised land.”3
If the hadith mentioned above was meant in an absolute sense, then the Prophet’s advice to Yasir would have been tantamount to encouraging cowardice. The Prophet would then have never given such advice. Rather he would have urged Yasir to fight and be martyred. He himself would have taken up this holy cause, whether the result had been Yasir’s release, or his own martyrdom.
The truth is that the example of the Prophet is open to more than one interpretation, and it may happen that the wrong—or right—interpretation is made. Only if one is sincere will one interpret the situation correctly, and this can only be achieved through the realism that comes from the fear of God.
When sincere people consider these incidents in the Prophet’s life, questions such as those posed here are bound to crop up in their minds. They are not just seeking a meaning, which will serve their ends; rather they are seeking to ascertain the exact nature of the example imparted by the Prophet. This approach keeps them from misinterpretation.
They will look at the matter objectively, and God’s grace will enable them to arrive at the heart of the matter. They will see that the secret lies in realizing one thing: that trifling losses must be endured for the sake of great gain.
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The consideration that should be uppermost in a believer’s mind is what serves the interests of Islam, not their own personal interests. Their preoccupation must be with preaching the message of Islam. If there is a clash between personal and preaching interests, then preaching of the faith must come first.
It was in the interest of his preaching mission that the Prophet advised patience in the situations mentioned above. The Prophet endured all kinds of personal, financial and domestic losses in his life, just to ensure the continuation of his efforts to spread the faith. He knew that the Muslims’ success in this life and the next lay in their pressing on with missionary work.
When one has a purpose in life, that purpose assumes over-riding importance. One will bear losses in life in order to achieve it. In the absence of such a purpose one becomes preoccupied with every trivial matter. Seeking to avoid small losses, one has to put up with even greater ones. The preachers of God’s word are the most purposeful people in the world: they endure small losses in pursuit of their greater aim. They avoid clashing with others on any issue, for this would be detrimental to their missionary work. They only act when forced to do so in self-defence, for this does not interfere with their greater goal.
Bearing this in mind, let us look at some incidents of great moral significance, which occurred during the life of the Prophet Muhammad.
NEVER YIELDING TO DESPAIR
The tribal system prevalent in the time of the Prophet was one, which afforded protection to individuals. It was seldom that anyone could survive without it.
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At the beginning of the period he spent in Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad, enjoyed the protection of his uncle, Abu Talib, chieftain of the Banu Hashim. In the tenth year of his mission, Abu Talib died, and his mantle descended upon Abu Lahab. Since Abu Lahab refused to extend any protection to him, the Prophet began seeking the protection of some other tribe, so that he could continue his preaching work. It was for this purpose that he went to Ta’if.
Along with Zayd ibn Harithah, the Prophet made the 65- mile journey to Ta’if, a fertile oasis south-east of Makkah. He had some relatives in the town, but at that time power rested with three individuals: ‘Abd Yalayl, Mas’ud and Habib. The Prophet met all three of them, and all three refused to join him, or even extend their protection. “I will tear the curtain of the holy Ka ‘bah, if God has made you His Prophet,” one of them said. “Couldn’t God find anyone else to send as His Prophet,” added another sneeringly. “I swear that I won’t speak to you!” said the third. “It would be an insult to you for me to do so if you are a true prophet, and an insult to myself if you are false in your claims.”4
Dispirited, the Prophet set out on the return journey. But still the people of Ta’if did not leave him alone. They set the urchins upon him, and a volley of stone-throwing and abuse drove him out of town. Zayd tried to shield the Prophet with his blanket, but with no success: he was wounded from head to foot.
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Some way out of town, there was a vineyard belonging to two brothers by the name of ‘Utbah and Shaybah. It was dusk when the Prophet reached there, and he took refuge in it. His body was covered in wounds, but on his lips were prayers. “Lord,” he cried, “help me; do not leave me to fend for myself.”
‘Utbah and Shaybah were both idolators; but when they saw the Prophet’s condition, they took pity on him. They had a Christian slave by the name of ‘Addas. They told him to fetch a few bunches of grapes, and take them in a bowl before their guest. ‘Addas did as he was told: he brought some grapes to the Prophet and requested him to partake of them. The Prophet recited the name of God as he took them in his hand to eat. ‘Addas looked at the Prophet’s face. “By God,” he said, “it is not usual for people in this land to utter these words.”
The Prophet asked ‘Addas where he came from, and what his religion was. ‘Addas replied that he was a Christian, and hailed from Nineveh in Iraq. “So you are from the town of the good Jonah, son of Matthew,” the Prophet observed. “How do you know Jonah, son of Matthew?” ‘Addas retorted. “He was a prophet, and so am I,” the Prophet said. On hearing this, ‘Addas bowed before the Prophet, kissing his head, hands and feet.
‘Utbah and Shaybah were looking on. “Look,” they said to one another. “This fellow has corrupted our servant.” “Shame on you.” they said to ‘Addas when he returned. “What were you kissing the fellow’s head, hands and feet for?” “Master,”
‘Addas replied. “There is nothing greater than him on the face of the earth. He told me something that no one but a Prophet can reveal.” “Shame on you!” they repeated.
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“Be careful that he does not turn you away from your religion; for your religion is better than his.”
In a single journey, God’s Prophet was treated in three different ways by three different groups of people: one pelted him with stones; a second extended hospitality to him; a third acknowledged his prophethood.
There is a great lesson to be learnt from this event, namely, that there is no end to possibilities in this world. If you stand in an open plain, there is sure to be a tree’s shade in which you can find rest. If you are treated cruelly by some, do not despair, for if you adhere to the path of truth, and do not respond in a negative way to such treatment by others, God will surely come to your assistance. Some may not rally to your cause, but you are sure to find a place in the hearts of others.
THE PROPHET FORCED INTO EXILE
The Prophet Muhammad met with dire opposition when he started his preaching mission in Makkah in the year A.D. 609. When he presented the message of Islam before the disbelievers of Makkah, they proudly pointed out that they were already involved in great religious work. “Why should we become Muslims,” they protested, “when we already look after the Sacred Mosque, and give water to the pilgrims?”
This verse of the Quran was revealed in condemnation of their argument: Do you pretend that He who gives a drink to the pilgrims and pays a visit to the Sacred Mosque is as worthy as a man who believes in God and the Last Day and strives for God’s cause?
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These are not held equal by God. He does not guide the wrongdoers. Those that have embraced the faith and migrated from their homes and striven for God’s cause with their wealth and their persons are held in higher regard by God. It is they who shall triumph.5
Initially, the message of the Prophet of Islam had nothing but conceptual truth behind it. It was an abstract message, with no material grandeur attached. The Ka’bah in Makkah, on the other hand, had assumed the status of an institution, backed up by grand architecture and glorious historical traditions. To associate oneself with the Ka’bah was socially acceptable; it had even become a symbol of pride. To associate oneself with the message of the Prophet of Islam, meanwhile, amounted to belief in a religion, which had not yet come into its own and had no material benefits to offer.
The people of Makkah, therefore, did whatever they could to thwart him and he was subjected to torment upon torment. But his mission continued to gain ground, and finally the message of Islam reached the people of Madinah, the majority of whom accepted Islam. Together with the Prophet, other Muslims were also persecuted in Makkah. The Prophet told them to go to Madinah, where they would be received by their Muslim brethren, who were ready to give them succour. One by one, the Muslims started emigrating to Madinah. When the Quraysh heard about this scheme, they made efforts to prevent the Muslims from leaving Makkah: some they beat up, some they took captive; but somehow most of the Muslims managed to reach their refuge in Madinah.
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“Don’t worry,” the Prophet reassured him: “God is with us. We are only two,” he continued calmly, “but how do you rate two men who have God as a third companion?”
ABSOLUTE TRUST IN GOD
Another such incident occurred during an expedition made by the Prophet known as Dhat al-Riqa’ (A.H. 4). Recorded in al-Bukhari, as well as in biographies of the Prophet, it is related by Jabir.
“Would you like me to kill Muhammad?” This terrible question was put by a member of the Banu Ghatfan tribe, Ghaurath ibn al-Harith, to his tribes people. The answer was overwhelmingly in the affirmative, but they wanted to know how it would be possible. Ghaurath replied with confidence, “I shall catch him unawares and kill him!” And this is exactly what he set out to do. When he reached the camp of Muhammad and his companions, he chose his moment well. He waited until the Prophet and his companions had settled down to rest, unarmed, in the shade of the trees. The Prophet lay all-alone, and his sword dangled from the branches above him. Ghaurath darted forward, snatched the weapon, then bore down on the Prophet. “Who will save you from me?” he challenged, no doubt savouring this moment. “God,” the Prophet replied quite simply.
Daunted, Ghaurath said, “Take a look at the sword I am holding! Don’t you fear it?” “Of course not,” the Prophet said. “Why should I fear it, when I know that God will save me?” The supreme confidence of the Prophet’s reply proved too much for Ghaurath, and his courage left him.
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Instead of attacking the Prophet, he put the sword back in its sheath and returned it to him. The Prophet then made him sit down, and called his companions. When they arrived, he told them the whole story. Ghaurath was petrified, expecting to be killed at any moment. But the Prophet let him go without inflicting any punishment on him.6
Those who put absolute trust in God do not fear anything or anyone. The faith that God, a Live and All- Powerful Being, is always there to help you, makes you bold in the face of every other power. A person’s greatest strength, when faced with an enemy, is fearlessness. Have no fear of any foe, and the foe will start fearing you.
REACHING A CONSENSUS
Shortly before the Battle of Badr (A.H. 2), the Quraysh had sent a huge caravan of merchandise, along with sixty men, to Syria. Although the Quraysh were subsequently defeated by the Muslims at Badr, their commander, Abu Sufyan, successfully managed to steer this caravan, in which the people of Makkah had placed all their capital, home to Makkah by a coastal route. Defeat at Badr had left the Quraysh thirsty for revenge on Muhammad and his followers. Their leaders, therefore, met in Dar al-Nadwah (The Hall of Convention), where it was unanimously decided that the partners in the caravan should take their capital only, leaving the profits to be devoted to preparations for war. The profits amounted to 50,000 dinars, a huge sum in those days.
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The Quraysh made elaborate preparations, and in A.H. 3, advanced on Madinah. It was then that the Battle of Uhud took place, just three years after the Prophet’s migration to Madinah. When news of the Quraysh’s advance reached the Prophet, he called his companions together. Most of them were inclined to meet the attack from within the city. The youthful element among them, however, were strongly opposed to this. If we remain in the city, they contended, then the enemy will interpret it as a sign of cowardice and weakness: the fight should be taken to them, outside the city. ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, however, concurred, with the opinion of the leading companions.7
There were good grounds for the view that the attack should be met from within the city. The geography of Madinah had all the makings of a natural defence system. To the south were orchards of date-palms, so thickly clustered as to make an attack impossible from that side. To the east and west high mountains provided a natural barrier to any invader. There was only one front, then, from which Madinah could be attacked. The city itself was a natural fortress. To leave it amounted to exposing oneself to enemy attack on all four sides, whereas from within the city there was only one front that would have to be defended. And indeed Madinah’s favourable location was subsequently taken advantage of in the battle which later came to be known as the Battle of the Trench, in which the entire city was protected by the simple expedient of digging a trench on the open front to the north-west of the town.
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Although most of the leading companions, as well as ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, were in favour of meeting the attack from within the city, the Prophet decided to accede to the wishes of the younger Muslims: along with an army of one thousand, he left the city and set off for Uhud. ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy was deeply offended to find that his obviously wise and proper advice, had been over-ruled. With a heavy heart, he went along with the army, but before the Muslims reached Uhud, he, along with 300 followers, turned back. “He agreed with them and not with me.” ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy lamented, “so I fail to see why we should destroy ourselves on this field of battle.”8
The Muslims’ defeat at Uhud vindicated the opinion of those who had been in favour of meeting the attack from within the city. Accordingly, this strategy was duly adopted at the Battle of the Trench (A.H. 5). All the leading companions of the Prophet, however, forgot their disagreement and remained in the Muslim army. Despite incurring heavy losses from having to bear the brunt of the battle, they fought valiantly alongside the Prophet. Only ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy separated himself from the Muslim force, and for this reason he became known as the “Leader of the Hypocrites.” In principle, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s opinion had been correct; it was also borne out by experience on the field of battle; but, although he was in the right, his disobedience incurred God’s displeasure, and was considered a form of transgression.
Islam attaches great importance to consultation. Everyone has a right to put forward his or her point of view.
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But no policy can be effectively pursued if everyone expects their own view to prevail, no matter what the circumstances. Only one course has to be followed, so when there is disagreement over what that course should be, not everybody’s view can be accommodated. True Muslims, then, should, after offering their opinion, forget about what they think, and follow the directives of decision-makers as if their decisions were their own.
There is no greater sacrifice than that of one’s own opinion. Like a building, which can only be constructed if a considerable number of bricks are buried in the ground, so a strong society can only come into being if individuals are ready to bury their own personal opinions—to act in unity with others despite their disagreements. This is the only foundation on which a community of individuals can be formed; it is as necessary to the foundation of human society as bricks are to the foundation of a building. During the year A.H. 8, an expedition was made to Muta.
Part of Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari’s description of the expedition runs like this: Abu Qatadah tells us that the Prophet sent an army to Muta. He appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as commander; if he was martyred then Ja’far ibn Abu Talib was to take over; and if he in turn was killed in action the choice should fall on ‘Abdullah ibn Rawahah. Ja’far jumped up when he heard the Prophet’s decision, and said that he would not serve under Zayd. The Prophet told him to go along, “for you do not know what is best for you.” Then the army set off.9
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A believer is no angel; he is a mortal human being like any other. Still, there is an enormous difference between a believer and any other human being. Non-believers do not know how to go back on mistaken and perverse notions once they have them fixed in their minds. Right or wrong, they stick to their opinions. They follow their own desires rather than sound reason.
A believer’s attitude, on the other hand, should be quite different. True believers are those who set themselves straight when they are shown to be on a wrong course, who correct themselves when their mistakes are pointed out. Rather than being set in their opinions, they should always be open to criticism, always ready to rectify themselves, even when this means doing something that they do not want to do.
A believer, then, is one who submits to truth, while disbelievers submit to nothing but their own selves.
AVOIDING CONFRONTATION
The year after the Battle of the Trench, in A.H. 6, the Prophet Muhammad had a dream in Madinah. In it he saw himself and his companions visiting the House of God in Makkah. His companions were very pleased to hear this, for it meant that, after a lapse of six years, they would soon be going to Makkah and visiting the Holy Ka’bah.
In accordance with this dream, the Prophet set out for the holy city with 1400 of his companions. When they reached Ghadir Ashtat, they heard that the news of their journey had reached the Quraysh.
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Indignant at the idea of the Muslims visiting the House of God, they had amassed an army, and vowed to prevent Muhammad and his companions from entering Makkah, although it was absolutely contrary to Arab tradition to prevent anyone from visiting the Ka’bah.
The Prophet was acting under divine inspiration: perhaps that is why he remained calm when he heard of the Quraysh’s reaction. He was informed by his spies that Khalid ibn al-Walid, intent on blocking the Muslims’ path, had advanced with two hundred cavalrymen to Ghamim. On hearing this, the Prophet changed route, deviating from a well-frequented path to a little-known and arduous route, which led him to Hudaybiyyah. In this way he avoided clashing with Khalid’s army. This is how the historian Ibn Hisham describes the events: “Who can show us a path not occupied by the Quraysh?” the Prophet asked. Someone volunteered to do so.
He then proceeded to guide the Muslims by a route, which led through arduous, rocky and mountainous passes. The Muslims had great difficulty in crossing these passes, but when they had done so, and emerged upon an open plain, the Prophet called on them to seek forgiveness of God, and turn to Him. This they did, and the Prophet said that this was the word of forgiveness, which the Israelites had been called upon to utter, but they had failed to do so.10
This was indeed a trying time for the Muslims, but they had to face their trial with patience and forebearance. This was the path laid down for them by God. Even the slightest hesitation to follow that path was to be considered a transgression, for which forgiveness had to be sought.
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That is why the Prophet urged his followers to repent and seek forgiveness for any weakness or irritability they may have shown at that taxing time. Difficulties were to be faced with fortitude. No impulse was to cause one to deviate from the path of God.
In order to survey the situation the Prophet made a halt at Hudaybiyyah, which is, situated nine miles from Makkah. From Hudaybiyyah he sent one Kharash ibn Umayyah on camelback to inform the Makkans that the Muslims had come to visit the House of God, not to do battle. On reaching Makkah, Kharash’s camel was slaughtered, and attempts were made to murder him as well, but somehow he managed to escape and return to Hudaybiyyah. The Prophet then sent ‘Uthman to appeal to the Makkans to refrain from hostilities, and tell them that the Muslims would return quietly to Madinah after performing the rites of ‘Umrah.11 The Makkans paid no heed, and took him prisoner. Later Mikraz ibn Hafs along with fifty men attacked the Muslims camp at night, raining stones and arrows down on the pilgrims. Mikraz was captured, but no action was taken against him: he was released unconditionally. Then, as the Muslims were praying in the early morning, eighty men attacked them from Tan’im.
They were also taken captive and then allowed to go free unconditionally. Lengthy negotiations with the Quraysh ensued. Finally, a truce was made between the two sides. At first sight this truce amounted to an outright victory for the Quraysh and defeat for the Muslims. The Prophet’s followers could not understand how, when God had given them tidings of a visit to the House of God, the Prophet could have agreed to return which referred to the agreement as an “obvious victory.”
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“What kind of victory is this?” one of them protested. “We have been prevented from visiting the House of God. Our camels for sacrifice have not been allowed to proceed. God’s Prophet has been forced to turn back from Hudaybiyyah. Two of our persecuted brethren, Abu Jandal and Abu Basir, have been handed over to their persecutors...“ Yet it was this humiliating treaty that paved the way for a great Muslim victory.
The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah appeared to be a capitulation before the enemy; but in fact it gave the Muslims an opportunity to strengthen themselves, and consolidate their position. The Prophet accepted all the Quraysh’s demands, in return for a single assurance from them, namely, that they would cease all hostilities against the Muslims for ten years. Continual raids and threats of warfare had prevented the Muslims from pursuing constructive missionary work. As soon as the Prophet returned from Hudaybiyyah, he intensified missionary work in and around Arabia, the groundwork having been done beforehand. Now that peace prevailed, the message of Islam started spreading like wildfire.
People in their thousands, tribe after tribe, thronged to join the fold of Islam. Islam began spreading beyond the borders of Arabia too. Safe from the idolators of Makkah, the Prophet was able to take action against, and drive out, the Jews of Khaybar, who had missed no opportunity of helping the enemies of Islam. He also turned his attention to building up the strength of Islam in Madinah.
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The culmination came within only two years of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah: the Quraysh surrendered without even putting up a fight. There was no further barrier now to the Prophet’s triumphant entry into Makkah. It was the deliberate imposition of a humiliating retreat from Makkah, which had paved the way for a great victory.
People nowadays tend to resort to arms on the slightest provocation from their enemies. When the losses of meaningless war are pointed out to them, they justify themselves by saying that they were not the aggressors; the enemy had wickedly involved them in warfare. What they do not realize is that non-violence—does not mean remaining peaceful so long as no one is acting violently towards you; it is to refrain from violence even in face of violence—to refuse to be provoked even in face of provocation. Insidious plots should be met and defeated by quiet deliberations. Deeply-rooted though the antagonism of one’s foes may be, one should not let their antagonism become either a stimulus or a vindication of one’s actions.
To fight one’s enemies is no way to succeed in life. Only by avoiding conflict can one consolidate one’s strength. Then by awe alone will one be able to overpower one’s foes.
To fight at the slightest provocation, and ignore the need to quietly build up one’s own strength, is to condemn oneself to destruction. Such conduct can never lead to success in this world of God. The Prophet achieved success by pursuing a policy of non-confrontation; how, then, can his followers succeed by pursuing a policy of confrontation? How can they be called his followers when they are blind to his example?
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How can they expect him to intercede for them on the Day of Judgement?
NOTES
1. Quran, 33:21.
2. Hadith of Tirmidhi, Nasal, Abu Dawud.
3. Hadith of Ibn Hisham.
4. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, vol. 2, p. 29.
5. Quran, 9: 19 - 20.
6. Ibn Hisham, Sirah vol. 3 and Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, vol. 1.
7. Ibn Hisham, Sirah vol. 3, p. 7.
8. Ibn Hisham, Sirah vol. 2, p. 29.
9. Hadith reported by Abu Qatadah.
10. Ibn Hisham, Sirah vol. 3, p. 357.
11. A minor pilgrimage which, unlike Hajj proper, need not be performed at a particular time of the year, and which entails fewer ceremonies. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 49335
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART ONE الأربعاء 6 يوليو - 23:23 | |
| 6- The Path of the Prophet
EVOLUTION NOT REVOLUTION
The word “sunnah” in Arabic means a path. In the religious context it has come to refer to the manner of life pleasing to God, which has been revealed to man through His Prophets.
The word is used in the Quran for all the forms which divine law has taken throughout the ages.
When God created the world, He also ordained a path that it should follow. He enforced this divine course so strictly on the world of nature that there cannot be the slightest deviation from it. But God did not impose His will on humanity. He gave us freedom of thought and action: those who followed His path of their own free will were to be rewarded with paradise, while those who deviated from it would be punished in hell-fire.
God wishes to make this known to you and to guide you along the path of those who have gone before you, and to turn to you in mercy. He is Wise, Knowing.1
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God’s prophets came to the world to make this chosen path plain to us. In their words and deeds, they showed us how to live in accordance with the will of God. It is this way of life, which is known in Islam as the sunnah, or path, of the prophets. It covers every aspect of life, from personal matters to social reform and nation-building. Those who earnestly seek to be included amongst God’s chosen servants must follow the path of the Prophet in all respects. In no walk of life should they consider themselves free to tread another course.
The most important practice of the Prophet’s personal life was preaching the word of God. A study of his life shows that his greatest concern was to bring people to the path of the Lord. That his concern had turned to anguish is clear from this verse of the Quran: You will perhaps fret yourself to death on account of their unbelief.2
The Prophet said that one who disregarded his sunnah was not one of his community. Just as this remark applies to the marriage contract and other such social obligations, so does it equally apply to the duty of calling people to the path of God. Only those have the right to be called true followers of the Prophet, who, along with other obligations enjoined by him, adopt this all-important practice of the Prophet as well.
One aspect of the Prophet’s public mission was a realistic, step-by-step approach to everything he did. In the application of theoretical standards, he always made allowances for practical realities. He was always careful to introduce social reforms gradually.
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In modern jargon, his approach can be called evolutionary rather than revolutionary. ‘A’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, has explained this principle very clearly: The first chapters of the Quran to be revealed were short ones making mention of heaven and hell. Then, when people became conditioned to accept Islamic teachings, verses dealing with what is lawful and unlawful were revealed. And if injunctions like: “Do not drink wine,” and “Do not commit adultery,” had been revealed first of all, people would have refused to abandon these practices.3
With the conquest of Makkah in the year A.H. 8, the Prophet assumed full control over the Arabian capital. Yet he did not seek immediate implementation of Islamic laws in the House of God in Makkah; whatever was to be done, he did gradually. Islamic rule had been established in the holy city when the pilgrimage of A.H. 8 took place, but it was performed according to ancient, pre-Islamic custom. Next year, the second pilgrimage of the Islamic era was performed with the idolaters following their own customs, and the Muslims theirs. It was only in the third year that the Prophet announced that the pilgrimage would be performed entirely according to Islamic tenets. This pilgrimage is known as Hajjat al-Wida’ in Islamic history—the farewell pilgrimage of the Prophet.
It was instinctively abhorrent to the Prophet that the idolaters should come to the Sacred Mosque and perform the rites of pilgrimage according to their idolatrous customs.
Yet, despite the power that he wielded, he did not hurry to implement the Islamic system. Rather, he himself refrained from going to Makkah on a pilgrimage for two years after the conquest.
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“I would not like to go on a pilgrimage while the idolaters are coming there and performing the rites of pilgrimage naked,” he would say when the Hajj season arrived. Some Muslims went on Hajj in the year after the conquest of Makkah (A.H. 8), but the Prophet was not among them.
The next year in A.H. 9, the Muslim party of pilgrims was led by Abu Bakr. It was after this that the idolaters were banned from making the pilgrimage. The prohibition came in this verse of the Quran: Believers, know that the idolaters are unclean. Let them not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year is ended.4
The Prophet then sent his cousin ‘Ali to Makkah, with orders that he should mingle amongst the gathering of pilgrims, and proclaim that after this year no idolator would be allowed to come on Hajj, and tawaf (circumambulation of the House of God) in a naked state would not be permitted.
Then, in the third year, following the gradual elimination of polytheism, the Prophet undertook what was to be his final pilgrimage to the Sacred Mosque.
This shows how the Prophet was careful to introduce reforms gradually. Even when he wielded power, he did not attempt to hurry Islamic legislation; he allowed matters to take their natural course, proceeding stage by stage until the desired conclusion was reached; he would hold himself back from introducing the desired measures, but he would not seek to hold the polytheists back from their activities until the time came when they themselves were ready to refrain from them.
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There are many sides of the Prophet which have not generally been acknowledged as being important: for one thing, his realistic and gradual approach to everything he did has never been hailed as being of special significance. For instance, the Prophet lived in Makkah for thirteen years after the commencement of his prophetic mission, but not once during this time did he remonstrate against the continual desecration of the Kab’ah. Even after conquering the city, he was in no hurry to abolish vain and frivolous customs. He waited for two years, despite the fact that he had the power to take immediate action. Only in the third year did he introduce the reforms that he had in mind.
A gradual approach reaps several advantages, which cannot be accrued from any other method. It guarantees success in attaining one’s objectives. One who adopts this approach does not advance further until he is quite sure that he has consolidated his previous position. He does not let himself be carried away by his own zeal, rather, taking external factors into account, he proceeds in step with the times. There can be no doubt that one, who is so cautious in his progress, will ultimately reach his goal.
Moreover, there is less risk of incurring unnecessary losses or liabilities. Those who seek to achieve too much too soon, find, inevitably, that they have to surmount enormous obstacles before they are really in a position to do so. Such attempts can result in incalculable loss of life and widespread damage to property. Making amends for such imprudence could take centuries.
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UNSWERVING OBEDIENCE
Towards the end of the Prophet’s life the fertile regions bordering pre-Islamic Arabia were controlled by the two great imperial powers of the day—the Sassanians and the Byzantines. To the north lay the emirates of Basra and Ghasasina, and the Roman province of Petraea, ruled through Arab chieftains. Roman influence there had led most of the inhabitants to embrace Christianity. To the south and north-east were the emirates of Bahrayn, Yamamah, Yemen and Oman, the last being known as the Mazun province.
These states were under the Persian (Sassanian) Empire, and the religion of their Persian masters—Zoroastrianism—had spread among their peoples.
In the year A.H. 6 (A.D. 628), the Prophet had made a ten-year truce with the Quraysh at Hudaybiyyah. With peace on the home front, he sent letters to the rulers of territories surrounding Arabia, inviting them to accept Islam. One such letter was taken by the Prophet’s envoy, Shuja’ ibn Wahb al-Asadi, to al-Harith ibn Abu Shimr of Ghasasina. The words in the letter, “have faith in God, you will retain your sovereignty”
incensed the Arab chieftain. He threw the letter aside, saying: “Who can take away my kingdom?” The ruler of Basra, Shurab-bil ibn ‘Amr Ghassani, proved even more contemptuous. The Prophet sent Harith ibn ‘Umayr with a letter to this Roman governor. He entered the town of Mu’tah, on the Syrian border, and was killed there by an Arab, acting at the behest of the governor. This act amounted to aggression by one state on another, according to international conventions.
There were also signs that the Roman army based in Syria was planning to advance on Madinah: Byzantium could not tolerate the emergence and development of an independent power on Arab soil.
When news of Harith ibn ‘Umayr’s murder reached Madinah, the Prophet decided that military action would have to be taken against the perpetrators of such cold-blooded aggression. He gave orders that the Muslims should gather—with their weapons—at a place called Harq. A force of three thousand, under the leadership of Zayd ibn Harithah, was assembled. After delivering some parting advice, the Prophet sent them on their way to Syria.
When the Muslim army arrived at Ma’an, in Syria, they pitched camp. The governor of Basra had already prepared for battle, and he was further encouraged by the news that the Roman emperor, Heraclius, had arrived in nearby Ma’ab with a force of 1,00,000. The local Christian tribes, Lakhm, Juzam, Qayn, Bahra and Balli also rose in support of their Byzantine co-religionists, and agreed to fight under the leadership of the Banu Balli chieftain, Malik ibn Zafilah. This Roman force of over 100,000, then, was amassed on the Syrian front, to meet a Muslim army of only 3,000 men.
Zayd ibn Harithah was slain in battle, and two subsequent leaders—Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and ‘Abdullah ibn Rawahah, were also martyred after him. The collapse of the standard led to disarray in the Muslims ranks. Then a soldier by the name of Thabit ibn Aqram came forward, lifted up the standard, and cried out to his fellow Muslims: “Agree on, one leader!” “We have agreed on you,” they shouted back.
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Thabit, however, declined to accept the command, and, asked for it to be conferred instead on Khalid ibn al-Walid. The Muslims shouted their agreement. Hearing this, Khalid ibn al-Walid came forward, held aloft the standard, and advanced on the Roman lines. The Byzantine forces were then forced to retreat.
The outcome of this battle was indecisive, however, and there always remained the possibility that the Arabs of Petraea, with Roman help, would advance on Madinah and seek to stamp out the nascent power of Islam. That threat had been felt as early as A.H. 5, when ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, on being asked by another companion if he had heard any news, replied: “What? Have the Ghasasina arrived?”
The Prophet was fully aware of this threat, and he made sure in his last days that full preparation had been made for a force to combat the Petraean wing of the Roman army. The force which was recruited included leading companions such as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, but the Prophet did not put them in command. Instead he wisely appointed Usamah ibn Zayd, who, besides being a courageous young warrior, was also spurred on by the fact that his father, Zayd ibn Harithah, had been killed by the Romans in the Battle of Muta. This army, however, was unable to advance during the lifetime of the Prophet. With his death in A.H. 10, Abu Bakr was appointed as the first Caliph, and it was he who finally gave the order to march on Syria. After the death of the Prophet, news had started pouring into Madinah of mass apostasy among Arab tribes.
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Most of the Arab tribes that embraced Islam after the conquest of Makkah in A.H. 8, had converted, impressed by the political dominance of Islam, rather than from having undergone any profound intellectual transformation or from having attained any such conviction as had the earlier followers of the Prophet. They had been accustomed to a free and easy life, and some of the Islamic injunctions—especially zakat5 were more than they could tolerate. Some months before the death of the Prophet, demagogues had arisen in Yemen and Najd who exploited this situation putting forward a new brand of Islam, according to which there was no need to pay zakat.
To give their words more weight, these demagogues—notably Aswad and Musaylamah—laid claim to prophethood, for only then could they throw down a challenge to the zakat system.
Zakat was part of the religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad; they themselves would have to pretend to prophethood in order to speak with the same authority. Their “prophethood” became very popular among the tribes who looked upon zakat as a burden, and they flocked to these false prophets’ support. Their morale received a boost with the death of the Prophet in A.H. 10, and apostasy started spreading like wildfire, the only places remaining immune being Makkah, Madinah and Ta’if. There were reports, too, that these rebels were preparing to attack Madinah.
Much as the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, wanted the army to advance, most of the companions were against this. “These Arab tribes are in the throes of revolt,” they said.
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“Madinah is liable to be attacked at any time. The army should stay to defend Madinah, rather than be sent to a distant land.” The other reservation they had were about Usamah’s leadership, for he was only seventeen years of age and, worse, was the son of a slave. How, they thought, could great companions of the Prophet serve under him, a mere stripling? An older and more experienced general in war than Usamah be appointed to lead that army.
‘Umar, who had been with Usamah’s army, returned to Madinah to convey their message to Abu Bakr. The Caliph listened to what he had to say about the first matter, and replied: “Even if I am the only one remaining in Madinah after the departure of the army, and I am left to be devoured by wild beasts, still I cannot recall an army that the Prophet himself has despatched.” He dismissed the matter of Usamah’s youth and rank with these words: “What, are the Muslims still proud and arrogant, as in the time of ignorance?” Saying this, he himself went on foot to send the army on its way under Usamah’s command. With Usamah aloft on his mount, the Caliph of the Muslims walked alongside, speaking with him on matters concerning the military campaign. He wanted to put an end to the Muslims’ misgivings about Usamah’s leadership, and this was the most practical and effective way of doing it. Their reservations vanished on seeing the Caliph walking alongside Usamah’s mount.
As news of the advance of Usamah’s army spread around Arabia, opponents saw in it a sign of the Muslims’ confidence.
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They presumed that the Prophet’s followers must have considerable reserves of strength to be able to send an army so far from Madinah at such a critical time. They decided to await the outcome of the Syrian campaign before attacking the city: if the Muslims met defeat, then they would be sufficiently weakened for an offensive against their capital to be feasible.
Usamah ibn Zayd’s army was eminently successful against the Romans. The campaign, which lasted forty days, also proved that Usamah was the most suitable person for this expedition for, his father having been martyred fighting the Roman army at Muta, he was keen for revenge. A large number of captives and great quantities of booty went back with the Muslims to Madinah. The rebels lost heart on seeing this, and their revolt was quelled with comparative ease. So it was that the Muslims achieved success on both fronts, simply by having done as the Prophet said.
They thus provided a great lesson for subsequent generations of Muslims: that the place for Muslims to test their strength was the outside world, not among themselves.
But successive generations of Muslims have failed to learn this lesson, and in the present age the situation has deteriorated to the point where the Muslim world is locked in battle with itself on every front.
No one is ready to face any challenge outside the Muslim world, but all are willing to fight against their own Muslim brethren. Undoubtedly the greatest challenge facing the Muslims today is the dissemination of Islam in the outside world; but since they are so busy fighting among themselves, it is not surprising that they have no time or energy for this all-important task.
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There was another important reason for the Prophet’s insistence on the despatch of the army. The Arab tribes had been fighting among themselves from time immemorial, and would start fighting again if not confronted with some external foe on whom to test their strength. Towards the end of his life, the Prophet averted this danger by pitting them against the might of the Roman army. The Arabs now had an eminently suitable arena in which to display their valour.
They no longer had time for the fratricide and plundering which had hitherto been their way; instead, they turned their attention to distant horizons, blazing their way—within just one-hundred years—to conquests that spanned three continents.
NOTES
1. Quran, 4:26.
2. Quran, 26:3.
3. Hadith, Sahih, Al-Bukhari.
4. Quran, 9:28.
5 A portion of property, bestowed in alms. |
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