إجازة الشيخ أحمد بن محمد بن أحمد لبن بقراءة الإمام عاصم

موضوع: The Orphan الإثنين 12 فبراير 2018, 8:05 am

The Orphan
Book 6
“Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter (and care)? And He found you wandering, and He gave you guidance. And He found you in need, and made you independent. Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness, nor repulse the petitioner; but the bounty of your Lord, rehearse and proclaim.” (TMQ, 93:6-11)

(Scene 1)
Amena decided to travel to Yathrib so that Muhammad could visit his uncles of Bani An-Najjar. She started preparing for the long journey she would be taking in the vast desert. She ordered Um-Ayman8, a slave-girl that Muhammad had inherited from his father, to prepare a camel and to put over it a Howdaj (shade) to protect them from the desert's hot sun.

Amena waited until she found a caravan going to Al-Madinah. She took Muhammad and Barakah and joined the caravan. The caravan went on its journey until it reached Al-Madinah. Amena and her son went to Bani An-Najjar where Muhammad met his uncles.

He stayed with them for a month enjoying the nice weather of Al-Madinah and its fields with the water streams and the gardens full of flowers, for he had been brought up in Makkah in the hot weather and the vast areas of sand. He also learned to swim and played with his cousins. When the visit was over and the caravan left Yathrib, a strong storm blew hard on their way and Amena was not strong enough to bear it, so she became ill. On one of the nights Amena died and Muhammad cried so hard for losing her. Barakah took Amena to a nearby village called “Al-Abwaa” and buried her there. Then she continued her journey with the orphaned boy who arrived at Makkah with a broken heart.

(Scene 2)
Muhammad was brought up by his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib. Abdul-Muttalib loved him and treated him very kindly. He made sure not to eat except when Muhammad ate, and used to take him wherever he went. A mattress used to be prepared for Abdul-Muttalib in the shadow of the Ka’ba. His sons used to sit around that mattress waiting until their father came out and sat with them. Abdul- Muttalib was such an honorable man that none of his sons dared to sit on his mattress. Once when he was a boy, Muhammad sat on the mattress; his uncles tried hard to stop him but when Abdul-Muttalib saw them, he said, “Leave my grandson. For, I swear by Allah, he will be of a remarkable position one day”. Then Abdul-Muttalib left Muhammad sitting on the mattress and stroked his back gently.

(Scene 3)
Abdul-Muttalib fell ill and stayed in bed and his sons used to come and visit him. Muhammad used to stand beside his grandfather's bed looking sadly at his pale face thinking, “My mother died and left me and my grandfather took me. But now my grandfather is dying. Who will take care of me after his death?”

Muhammad knew the pain of being an orphan, and sadness filled his heart. He kept on looking at his sick grandfather in deep sadness. His grandfather noticed his sad face wet with tears and felt sorry for him.

He made a gesture for him to come close and he stroked his back in tenderness. Then he asked his son Abu-Taleb to raise Muhammad after his death.

Abdul-Muttalib died and Muhammad stood shedding lots of tears beside his bed. The whole city of Makkah felt sadder about Abdul-Muttalib’s death than it ever felt about anyone before and they closed all the markets and shops, mourning for his death.

Abu-Taleb raised Muhammad, the orphan, with his children, and he loved him more than he loved his own children. He did not eat except with him and slept beside no one but him.

(Scene 4)
The tribe of Quraysh was preparing for the coming trip to Syria. Camels in the markets were loaded with goods, and donkeys and mules went here and there. Abu-Taleb was the head of the caravan. When he got on his camel and everyone was ready to leave, Muhammad held the camel's reins and said to his uncle, “Who are you leaving me with? I have no father or mother here!”

Abu-Taleb felt sorry for him and said, “I swear by God that I will take him with me and never leave him behind, ever again.”

Muhammad rode behind Abu-Taleb. He was very happy because he was going outside Makkah for the first time in his life to visit a new world he had never seen before. The caravan moved through the desert for many days and nights until it reached Busra market. Busra is a place located in the eastern part of Jordan where Roman merchants used to trade their goods with the Arabs.

Somewhere close to that market was a cave where a monk called Bahira lived. Arab caravans used to pass by that cave day and night and never before attracted Bahira's attention, all except for Muhammad's caravan. It caught his attention. Much so, that he sent Abu-Taleb the following message, “Dear people of Quraysh, I have prepared a banquet for you and would love that all of the caravan, young and old, attend it.”

Everyone was surprised by his offer and one of them said, “Bahira! We used to pass by you many times before and you never invited us, what happened now?” Bahira replied, “True. But now you are my guests. I want to invite you all for a banquet.” They all attended the banquet except Muhammad. He sat alone under a tree. Bahira said, “I told you people of Quraysh not to leave anyone behind”. They said, “We are all here except for a little boy who is the youngest of us”. Bahira said, “Let the boy come. Shame on you to attend and leave one of you behind.”

A man said, “I swear by Al-Laat and Al-‘Ozza (two idols they used to worship) that it is very mean to accept an invitation without Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Muttalib”.

Thus the man went and brought Muhammad to sit with them. Muhammad sat by Bahira’s side and Bahira began talking to him and said, “I ask you by Al-Laat and Al-‘Ozza to answer my questions.” Muhammad disliked idols and never believed in Al-Laat or Al-‘Ozza or Hubal or any of the other idols his people worshipped, thus he replied, “Do not ask me by Al-Laat or Al-Ozza for I swear by Allah.”

Bahira stared at him for some time then said, “Then I ask you by Allah to tell me what I want.” Muhammad replied, “Then ask me what you want.” Bahira asked him about his circumstances and what he dreamed while sleeping. When he was done, he went to Abu-Taleb and asked, “Is this boy a relative of yours?” Abu-Taleb replied, “He is my son!” Bahira replied in confidence out of his knowledge that the awaited Prophet would be an orphan: “He is not your son, this boy's father is not supposed to be alive.” Abu-Taleb said, “He is my nephew.” “And where is his father?” Abu-Taleb said, “He died while the boy's mother was carrying him.” “True, and his mother?” “She died recently.” he replied.
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9 Hizbul-Fudul.

“True! Take your nephew back home and beware of the Jews, for I swear by Allah, if they see him and recognize him like I did, they might kill him.”

(Scene 5)
Muhammad was sent back home from Syria. He worked as a shepherd spending the day in the open air contemplating nature, looking at the sky wondering about the universe, and treating the sheep with mercy allowing pity to fill his heart. His work as a shepherd was a preparation for him to be a shepherd to humanity!

One night Muhammad wanted to enjoy the pleasures of Makkah as the other boys did. The wealthy people of Makkah used to give big idolatrous parties at their houses, where singers sang and dancers danced. Young boys used to go to these parties to watch the dancing and listen to music. Muhammad looked at his fellow shepherd and said, “Look after my sheep while I spend the night in Makkah and have fun like the other boys.”

The boy stayed with Muhammad's sheep while Muhammad went to Makkah. When he reached the houses of Makkah he heard the sound of drums and pipes and people singing so he asked, “What is this?” Muhammad sat to listen but soon fell into a deep sleep and so he heard and saw nothing. Next day, the heat of the sun awakened him so he got up and returned to his sheep. Allah who had detached him from worshipping idols is He who prevented him from wasting his time like the boys of Quraysh because the Almighty was preparing him for a greater cause.

(Scene 6)
A merchant came to Makkah to sell his goods and a nobleman of Makkah bought them from him. But the nobleman refused to pay for the goods and so the stranger asked the other noblemen of Makkah to help him restore his money, but they rejected him. So the stranger went to the top of a mountain called Abu-Kobais in Makkah and began crying out for help.

Muhammad's uncle Az-Zubair Ibn Abdul- Muttalib along with some noblemen of Quraysh decided to help the man. They gathered in the house of Ibn Jid'an, a house where celebrations and meetings used to be held in Makkah. They decided to form a union that would stand by the oppressed against his enemy until they restore his rights. The union was called the Confederation of Al-Fudul9. They all went to the nobleman who refused to pay, took from him the goods and gave them back to the merchant. Muhammad joined that union because he hated oppression and he was full of noble feelings that made him stand by the side of the oppressed.