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| | PART TWO |  |
| | | كاتب الموضوع | رسالة |
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أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: PART TWO الأربعاء 06 يوليو 2022, 11:37 pm | |
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PART TWO
7- The Revolution of the Prophet
It is the will of God that His religion should reign supreme on earth. He wishes it to enjoy an intellectual dominance over other systems of thought. But for this to happen, certain conditions must prevail. The coming of the Prophet Muhammad was the culmination of a lengthy process, extending over thousands of years, during which time the ground was fully prepared for his work. Conditions were created which would facilitate the accomplishment of his mission. What the Prophet had to do was understand these conditions, and make wise use of them. This he did, giving Islam a position of intellectual ascendancy in the world.
Now, once again, a process has been continuing over the last one thousand years, in which God has created conditions conducive to Islamic revival. If they are exploited to the full, Islam can once again come to dominate world thought, just as it did in the past.
But if these opportunities are to yield the maximum benefit, it will require an intense struggle, which only those with profound knowledge of contemporary conditions will be able to undertake. It will be those who rise above reactionary to all intents and purposes, be called a bloodless revolution.
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Contemporary Muslim writers and speakers are wrongly eulogistic in their comparison of the Prophet’s revolution with modern non-Islamic revolutions. They point with pride to the fact that only a thousand people died in the Islamic
revolution, while in the Russian revolution of 1917 alone; 13 million people lost their lives. The democratic revolution in France also took a heavy toll, which ran into thousands.
The Muslims like this comparison, because it gratifies their pride. But there is another comparison to be made here, which they have never even considered. Perhaps their failure to give thought to this second comparison is simply a way of avoiding admonishment, for no one ever likes being admonished.
It would mean taking the number of dead in the initial Islamic missionary drive, and comparing it with the toll that modern-day Islamic movements have exacted; in other words seeing how many people died in the original Islamic revolution, and how many have died in Muslim revolutionary attempts of modern times. The 20th century has seen grand Islamic revolutionary movements, great “holy crusades”, in the Muslim world. Just as Muslims compare the Prophet’s Islamic revolution with modern, non-Islamic, secular revolutions, so also should they look at their own movements in the light of the revolution of the Prophet, and see how they stand up to the comparison.
Were the Muslims to take this comparison, they would be startled to find that their own movements are, in relation to that of the Prophet, no better than revolutionary movements in the non-Muslim world.
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Just as non-Muslim revolutions have been highly expensive in human terms, so the death toll in Muslims’ revolutionary struggles has been incredibly high: two and half million dead in the Algerian war of independence; 500,000 Muslim martyrs in the Indian freedom struggle; 10 million lives lost in the formation of the Muslim state of Pakistan. The number of people who have given their lives for Islam in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine and various other countries, runs into millions. And for all that, these sacrifices have amounted to nothing.
The effects of the Prophet’s revolution were felt the world over, yet it was accomplished at the cost of only 1000 lives. Islamic movements of modern times, on the other hand, have involved millions of human lives, yet, despite this, one cannot point to even a small area in which Islamic revolution has been truly successful and effective.
The matter does not end there. Far from being successful, our recent struggle has produced a totally adverse effect. These words of the Bible ring exactly true with regard to our efforts of modern times: Ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. They that hate you shall reign over you. And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.1
Such has been the story of modern Muslim history. With great gusto we conducted the Caliphate and pan-Islamic movements, and made untold sacrifices for these causes, only to see the Muslim world split up under numerous national governments.
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We struggled for our country’s independence, but, when it came, other parties took hold of the reins of government. We suffered great losses in forming the Islamic state of Pakistan, but, when it came into existence, secular leaders took control. We gave our utmost to establish Islamic rule in Egypt, but finally power fell into the hands—not of religious groups—but of military dictators. For nearly forty years we have been crusading for the end of the state of Israel, making enormous human and monetary sacrifices in the process, but all that has actually happened has been the expansion and consolidation of the Jewish state. And now, after the indescribable tribulations of the people of Iran, it will not be long before we hear that the Islamic republic was only a stepping-stone for rule by unIslamic forces.
These are the hard realities of our times. We can pull the wool over our eyes if we so please, but we cannot expect future historians to do likewise. True, they will be forced to say, the Russian revolution took a vast toll of human lives, but it also brought about great changes in world thought. It caused the collapse of Tsarist, or monarchical rule, and replaced it by a republican form of government; it established the ascendancy of the socialist economic system over capitalism. As for Islamic revolutionary efforts, they have been even more costly in human terms, but they have left no stamp on the pattern of world thought.
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The revolution of the Prophet’s time shows us that if just a thousand people are ready to give everything they have for the Islamic cause, then God does not let their sacrifices go unrewarded; He establishes the supremacy of Islam on earth. In modern times millions of Muslims have shown themselves willing to make sacrifices, but God has not taken up our cause. Despite all our sacrifices, our efforts have been frustrated. This shows that our efforts have been misdirected.
If we had been following the straight path that God laid down for us, He would surely have made us successful, as promised in this verse of the Quran: We have given you a glorious victory, so that God may forgive your past and future sins, and perfect His favour to you; that He may guide you to the right path and bestow on you His mighty help.2
A farmer who sows wheat will reap wheat. He is not telling the truth if he claims to have sown wheat, only for brambles to spring up in its place. It just does not happen that a wheat seed should yield a crop of brambles. Things do not work that way in this world of God. So it is with our efforts in modern times. If we had truly been following in the path of the Prophet and his companions—if we had made sacrifices in the same spirit as they—without doubt our mammoth efforts would have yielded positive results. It is no use deluding oneself into thinking that one is struggling in the path of Islam, when one’s efforts are not producing the results which true Islamic struggle ought to ensure. One may live in a fool’s paradise in this world; true paradise in the next world is for those who base their lives not on illusion and fantasy, but on reality.
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DIVINE SUCCOUR
Addressing the faithful, God says in the Quran, “Believers if you help God He will help you and make you strong.”3 Here the words “helping God” mean fitting in with His scheme.
God has set a certain pattern for making things happen in this world; He has created favourable circumstances, which, if properly exploited, will yield favourable results. We can fit in with His scheme by coordinating our own efforts with this pattern. God strengthens those who help Him in this way.
Here is an example of what happens when one fails to do so. There was a priest, who wanted to see a lush tree standing in front of his house. “If I plant a seed,” he thought, “it will take at least ten years to grow into a full tree.”
So what he did was to uproot a large tree and, hiring several labourers to transport it from where it had stood, he installed it in front of his house. “Good,” he thought, “I have achieved ten years work in the space of a single day.” How shocked he was, then, when next day he woke up to see the leaves of the tree withering away. By evening its branches were hanging limp, and within a few days the leaves had died and fallen to the ground; all that remained in front of his house was a stump of dry wood. A few days later the priest was visited by a friend, who found him walking restlessly in his garden. “What’s wrong?” he enquired. “Why are you so upset today?” “I am in a hurry, but God isn’t,” the priest answered, and went on to tell the whole story of the tree. In whatever happens in the world, there is a part played by God and a part played by man.
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It’s like a machine, which functions when two cog-wheels revolve in unison: one of the wheels is God’s and the other man’s. Man’s success can only come from his keeping to God’s pace. If he tries to proceed at his own, he will break, because God’s wheel is stronger than his.
Over the millennia God has made certain provision for the growth of trees and plants: He has laid a layer of fertile soil on the surface of the earth; He has given them the heat that they need from the sun; He has provided them with water, and assisted their growth with alternation of the seasons; then He has created billions of bacteria which provide the roots with nitrogen. These arrangements are; so to speak, God’s cog-wheel.
What we have to do is attach our own wheel to God’s, for only then will we be able to use these opportunities to form a tree.
Once our own wheel is attached to God’s, we have only to take a seed and plant it in the ground. Nature’s machine will then set to work, and production will ensue. If, on the other hand, we plant our tree on a rock, or sow a plastic imitation seed in the ground, or do as the priest did and transplant a full-grown tree, then we have not set our own wheel at work with God’s; we have not fitted in with God’s scheme. We cannot expect, then, to see a lush tree growing in our garden.
So it is with the Islamic revolution. It likewise comes from recognizing the opportunities that God has created, and using them well. True Islamic revolution does not emerge from haphazard action. The initial Islamic revolution was achieved by a few of God’s servants fitting their own wheel
in with God’s.
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Our sacrifices of modern times, on the other hand, have all gone amiss because we have not followed God’s scheme. We have trodden the path of our own desires, seeking to achieve by futile and irrelevant protests what can only come from wise use of the opportunities that God has afforded us.
The generations following Adam, the first man on earth, all worshipped one God. Mankind, as the Quran says, “were one community.”4 So the situation continued for a few centuries, but soon worship of worldly phenomena, or polytheism, became prevalent. People found it difficult to focus their attention on an invisible God, so they focused it elsewhere, on visible objects, and in so doing reduced belief in God to the lowly and unimportant status of an abstract creed. It was at this time that the sun, moon and stars became objects of worship, and the mountains and oceans came to be thought of as gods. Divinity was even ascribed to those mortals who stood out among their fellows. So it was that, after a period of about 1000 years on earth, people saw the end of the conceptual dominance of monotheism, and their intellect became clouded with polytheistic thought.5
It was after the decline of other initial, monotheistic religion that God started sending prophets to the world. These prophets, however, never achieved enough popularity to eradicate polytheism and reassert the dominance of monotheism. At that time prophets came to every part of the inhabited world— according to one hadith there were 124,000 of them—but each and every one of them was scorned and laughed at.
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When an individual rejects the truth, he or she does so for a reason; they do so because there is something, which occupies such an important place in their lives that they cannot forsake it, even for the truth. The Quran tells us the nature of the attachment that alienates individuals from the true message of the prophets: When their apostles brought them clear signs they exulted in such knowledge as they had; but (soon) the scourge at which they scoffed encompassed them.6
What is meant by knowledge here is the corrupted form of religion, which people have been adhering to for so long that they have come to think of it as sacred. Religion which has been passed on from one generation to the next in this manner becomes lodged in people’s minds. When they think of it, they think of the saints whose names are associated with it. It becomes a part of the establishment, the very foundation of a people’s national infrastructure. Enshrined in elaborate tradition, it assumes a position of dominance in society.
When prophets visit such people as adhere to established polytheistic religion, their teaching of monotheism is a lone voice in that environment. They assert the truth of their teachings, but their claim is one, which has yet to receive the ratification of history. They can only reason with their people, trying to persuade them to see the light. With the clamour of established religion on all sides, such quiet reasoning falls on deaf ears; the prophets appear insignificant compared to the grandeur surrounding the faith of their people’s forefathers.
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Take the case of Jesus Christ, homeless and sleeping under heaven, and warn them to steer clear of that which leads to hell. The Quran has put this in the following words: Thus We have made of you a people justly balanced, that you may be witnesses over the nations, and the Prophet a witness over yourselves.8
It was for this purpose that, when polytheism first displaced monotheism as the predominant religion of mankind, prophets came to the world. Bestowing on them knowledge of truth, God sent them to guide people along the right path, and warn them to steer clear of evil. All of the prophets fully discharged this responsibility. Their teaching of truth was both understandable and reasonable. They left no stone unturned in their communication of truth: those who believed in them became worthy of paradise, while those who rejected them made themselves fit only for hell.
Yet God wanted more than mere proclamation of truth on earth; He wanted it to be exalted once again. Proclamation of truth necessitates its complete exposition before us. It is to make truth absolutely clear to all listeners, to enlighten them, using the “wise and mild exhortation,” that the Quran prescribes for preachers of truth.9 When this is done, people are left with no excuse for not accepting the truth. They can no longer say that they were left in ignorance. The only defence that people who fail to follow the truth can offer is lack of awareness; where they have been shown every proof, there remains no pretext for denial.
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Exaltation of the word of God is something more than this. It means religious thought assuming ascendancy over all other systems of thought. The word of God does not become exalted on earth by any legislative or political programme; it can only come from a struggle on an intellectual level. It is when truth is engraved in people’s minds that the word of God becomes truly exalted, not when it is written in statute books. In this day and age modern knowledge has stolen the limelight from ancient forms of knowledge: empirical science has taken over from analogical philosophy as the dominant mode of thought; socialism is a more prominent intellectual force than capitalism; democracy is a more forceful political theory than monarchy. These are all examples of conceptual ascendancy, the dominance of one system of thought over another. It is this nature of conceptual ascendancy of truth over falsehood that must be achieved for the word of God to become exalted.
God is able to do all things. It would have been easy for Him to make truth lord over all else, just as He has made the sun supreme over all other forms of light. But, since we are being tested in this world, God causes things to happen within the bounds of cause and effect. If events were to occur miraculously, we would have no choice but to see the hand of God in them: there would be no test involved. It was within the bounds of cause and effect, then, that God set about establishing the dominance of His word on earth. He created all the necessary circumstances for the achievement of this end, and then sent a prophet charged with the special task of bringing it to fruition.
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The Prophet’s task, therefore, was not only to proclaim the truth, but also to make the truth a predominant force on earth, thus completing God’s favour to mankind and allowing us to avail of the divine succour of which their waywardness had deprived us: They seek to extinguish the light of God with their mouths; but God will perfect His light, much as the unbelievers may dislike it. It is He who has sent His apostle with guidance and the Faith of Truth, so that He may exalt it above all religions, much as the pagans may dislike it.10
A NEW NATION IS BORN
The Prophet Muhammad once said: “I am the prayer of Abraham.” The prayer he was referring to was that offered by Abraham when he was building the Holy Ka‘bah in Makkah: Lord, send forth to them an apostle of their own people (the Children of Ishmael) who shall declare to them your revelations and instruct them in the Book and in wisdom and purify them from sin. You are the Mighty, the Wise One.11
Yet, approximately two and a half thousand years elapsed between Abraham’s prayer and the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet Zakariyya (Zachariah) prayed for a prophet-son,12 and within a single year his wife bore him Yahya (John the Baptist). Why was it, then, that Abraham’s prayer, which was of a similar nature, took so long to be answered? The reason for this was that John the Baptist had an immediate mission to carry out.
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He was to expose the religious pretence of the Jews, by being martyred at their hands, so that they would no longer be fit to be bearers of the divine scriptures; another nation would have to come to replace them. The Prophet Muhammad, on the other hand, had to reestablish the dominance of monotheism over polytheism. This could not be effected without the necessary antecedents: conditions conducive to this had to be created in the world; a nation upright enough to aid the Prophet in its accomplishment of this task had to come into existence.
All this took two and a half thousand years to come about, in order that the event could take place within the bounds of cause and effect, as is the way of God.
In accordance with this scheme, Abraham was commanded to leave the civilized territory of Iraq for the dry, barren reaches of Arabia, where he was to settle along with his wife Hagar and son Ishmael.13 This was an uncultivable area, cut off from the rest of the world. Here, far from the trappings of civilization, in the lap of nature, a community could be raised up in which all the natural abilities were fully preserved. Abraham had prayed for the emergence of a people submissive to God, and this was a land ideally suited for the development of such a people: Lord, make us submissive to You; make of our descendants a nation that will submit to You.14
A nation of unprecedented dynamism would be required to establish the dominance of true religion on earth. Earlier generations, which had grown up in the artificial environment of human civilization, had lacked the dynamism and vitality needed to perform this task.
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This was the reason the previous prophets failed to elicit a positive response. A new nation would have to grow up, nurtured under conditions specially suited to the cultivation of these qualities. This would involve a long process of human reproduction, extending over several generations. This accounts for the 2500 year gap between Abraham’s prayer and its fulfillment: when the stage was fully set, the prophet that he had prayed for was born to Aminah, the daughter of Wahab ibn ‘Abd Manaf of the Banu Hashim in Makkah.
Nothing but dry land and inhospitable rubble awaited Abraham in Makkah when he arrived there with his wife and infant son. Soon the water in their flask finished and Ishmael started thrashing with his hands and feet because of his great thirst. It was then that the spring of Zamzam gushed forth, a sign that although God had indeed made them face a stiff test, He would not leave them to face it alone: they were engaged in God’s own work and He would always be there at crucial moments to grant them succour. When Ishmael grew into adolescence, Abraham dreamt that he was slaughtering his child. He interpreted it as God’s commandment, and readied himself to carry it out. Then, as he held the knife poised over Ishmael’s throat, a voice came from heaven telling him to stop, and sacrifice a lamb instead. This was sign from God that Abraham would have to prepare himself for enormous sacrifices: but he was not in reality required to make them; it was the will to sacrifice that was desired. Once he had shown that he could pass this test, he would be spared the actual deed.
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After all, God intended to use Abraham and his family in the enactment of a great scheme; far from letting them pointlessly lay down their lives, He would protect them.
Ishmael grew up and married a girl of the Jurham tribe, which had settled in Makkah after the water of Zamzam had sprung up. Abraham was in Syria at the time. One day he came on horseback when Ishmael was not at home; only his wife was there and she did not recognize her father-in-law.
“Where has Ishmael gone?” Abraham asked. “Hunting,” she replied. “How is life treating you?” Abraham went on, and Ishamel’s wife complained to him about the poverty and hardship they had to endure. Abraham, as he was leaving, told her to convey his greetings to Ishmael and tell him to “alter his threshold.” When Ishmael returned, she told him the whole story. Ishmael realized that the visitor had been his father, who had come to see how things were going. By “altering his threshold,” Ishmael knew what his father had meant: he was to marry a new wife, for this one was not suitable for the creation of the progeny that God had in mind. So he divorced that wife and married someone else.
After a period of time Abraham made another appearance on horseback. Again Ishmael was not at home. Abraham asked his new daughter-in-law the same questions as he had put to the previous one. This time, however, Ishmael’s wife was all praise for her husband and said that everything was fine with them; they had much to be thankful for. Abraham set off, and told her to convey his greetings to Ishmael, and to tell him to “keep his threshold.”
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This wife was ideally suited to the task in hand; Ishmael should keep her in wedlock.15 So it was that, in the solitude of the Arabian Desert, the seeds of the progeny that was to be known as the Children of Ishmael were sown. These were the initial states of preparation of a people who, 2500 years later, were to provide the Final Prophet with the support he needed in performing history’s most mammoth task.
The qualities of the nation that grew up in the barren expanses of the desert around Makkah can be summed up in one word—al-muru’ah (manliness). This was the word of highest esteem that Arabs used to describe essential human qualities in a person. As an ancient Arab poet has written: If a person fails to achieve manliness when young, then he will find it hard to do so when he grows old.
This is how the eminent Arab historian, Professor Philip K. Hitti, sums up the qualities of the people that developed over hundreds of years in the Arabian Desert: Courage, endurance in time of trouble (sabr), observance of the rights and obligations of neighbourliness (jiwar), manliness (muru’ah), generosity and hospitality, regard for women and fulfillment of solemn promises.16
THE BEST NATION
The nation that emerged from this 2500 year development process was the nation most richly endowed in human qualities that mankind had seen: You are the best nation that has ever been raised up for mankind.17
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Commenting on this verse, ‘Abdullah ibn al-’Abbas says that it refers to those who emigrated from Makkah to Madinah along with the Prophet. In fact that small group of Muhajirs was representative of all those Arabians who made up the group known as the Companions of the Prophet.
Prophets of every age have confronted one major obstacle: the adherence of their people to an ancestral religion, which enjoyed unrivalled material grandeur. They themselves, on the other hand, were standing on the abstract ground of truth and reason. This nation that had grown up in the Arabian Desert was endowed with the unique ability to recognize truth on an abstract level—before it had gained any external lustre. They had been reared under open skies, in the wilderness of the vast desert, and had developed an extraordinary capacity for recognizing plain, unvarnished truth. They were prepared to give up everything for the sake of truth when it was a solitary force, and one that appeared to have nothing to offer them in return. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud summed up these qualities of the Companions in the following words: They were the cream of the Muslim community the most warm-hearted, the most knowledgeable, and the least formal. They were the ones that God chose to accompany His prophet, and to establish his religion.
What polytheism had deprived man of more than anything was the ability to see truth on an abstract level. It had made him want to see a thing and feel it before he would believe it.
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The prophets who came to the world spoke of a truth, which It was at this time that Abraham was commanded to settle in Makkah, and to start a new line of descent. God’s purpose was to raise a people in a land, which had not been exposed to polytheistic influence, so that a nation with minds elevated enough to shun externals and think in terms of profound realities could develop. The Quran characterizes the final product of this human progeny in the following words: God had endeared the Faith to you, and beautified it in your hearts, making unbelief, wrongdoing and disobedience abhorrent to you. Such are the rightly guided.19
We can only understand this verse if we think of the situation that prevailed one and a half thousand years ago, when the Companions adopted the Faith. It was surrounded by a host of visible “gods” that they took an invisible God as their own; from out of a multitude of worldly greats, they recognized and believed in a prophet who commanded no worldly stature. Islam at that time was a religion strange to the world, but it was this outlandish religion that the Companions grew to love so much that they were willing to renounce everything for it. In short, they saw truth when it was still an abstract force, before it was backed up by the ratification of history, before it had become a symbol of national pride.
One had to be ready to give everything for it, and to expect nothing in return One outstanding example of the selflessness involved in the act of faith at that time was the event known as bay’at ‘aqbah thaniyah (The Second Oath of Allegiance), which was made before the Prophet emigrated to Madinah.
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Just when persecution of Muslims in Makkah had reached intolerable levels, some of them started spreading the message of Islam in Madinah, and soon it reached every home there. At that time some of the people of Madinah resolved to go to Makkah, swear allegiance to the Prophet, and invite him to emigrate to Madinah. Jabir al-Ansari later recalled how, when Islam had spread to every house of Madinah, they held consultations among themselves. “How long can we let the Prophet wander around the hills of Makkah, fearful and distressed?” They said to one another. To those who judged from appearances alone the very fact that the Prophet was alone, with few supporters, was proof of his not being in the right: how could he be God’s prophet, and be left in such an abject state? But the people of Madinah looked at the matter on a more profound level. They had realized the truth of his prophethood, and saw that by helping him they would earn God’s grace and good favour.
Seventy representatives of the people of Madinah took this oath of allegiance. We can tell under what precarious conditions they did so from the account of one of their number, Ka’b ibn Malik. He tells of how they surreptitiously joined a normal party of pilgrims belonging to their tribe, pretending that they too were going on a pilgrimage. Near Makkah, when the others put up camp, the Muslims also pretended to have fallen asleep. When a third of the night had elapsed, however, they rose quietly from their beds in order to keep their appointment with the Prophet, proceeding to the place of rendezvous “like birds, creeping silently in the undergrowth.“20
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What an extraordinary time it must have been when, with the Prophet rejected by the world, a few individuals arose, eager to follow him. At that time the Prophet had no place in his own hometown; he had been chased out of Ta’if with a volley of stone-throwing and abuse; no tribe was willing to grant him protection. Yet, under such adverse conditions, the people of Madinah recognized the truth of his prophethood, and responded to his call. When the Ansar21 went forward to swear allegiance, one of them rose and asked: “Do you know what your oath of allegiance will entail? It will entail the destruction of your properties and homes.” “We know,” they replied, “and it is an oath entailing the destruction of our properties and homes that we are entering into.” They then asked the Prophet: “What will be our reward if we are faithful till the end?” “Paradise,” the Prophet replied. “Give us your hand,” they said to the Prophet, “so that we can swear allegiance to you.”
The Ansar, en-masse, were giving their lives for a truth which was still disputed, for a reality which had found no place for itself in the world of humanity. It was an act, which no community, before them or after them, has ever emulated.
AVOIDING EXTRANEOUS ISSUES
It is generally the issues that are called nationalistic in modern terminology that capture the imagination of a people’s intelligentsia, and lead to the establishment of popular movements. Issues of this nature faced the Prophet Muhammad also, but he scrupulously avoided them.
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The success of his mission depended upon his conforming to the scheme of God, which had been evolving over the last two and a half thousand years. If he had become involved in irrelevant side issues, all the opportunities, which had been created, could have been ruined.
The Arab border territory of Yemen had come under Ethiopian rule in A.D. 525, and Abrahah was appointed governor. This audacious individual launched an attack on the Holy Ka ‘bah, aiming to demolish it and put an end to the central position it enjoyed by virtue of its being a place of pilgrimage. The year of his attack on the Ka’bah, with an army of elephants, was also the year of the Prophet’s birth (A.D. 571): it was also the year of the Sassanians’ attack on Yemen and its assimilation into the Persian Empire. Bazan became the new governor. When the Prophet Muhammad commenced his mission, the Persian emperor heard about him, and issued Bazan with instructions to order the new prophet to desist from his claims; “Otherwise,” the emperor said, “bring me his head.”22
This shows how great the problems posed by foreign domination on the bord ers of Arabia had become at the time the Prophet Muhammad commenced his mission. The Prophet could have incited his people to rise up against the foreign invaders, and drive them out of Arabian territory. But to have done so would have been contrary to God’s scheme.
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It was His will that the Prophet should not clash with others over peripheral issues, but should concentrate on the centraltheme of his mission, which was to spread the word of God. The consequence was, as history bears witness, that Bazan, as well as most of the Christians residing in Yemen, accepted Islam.
What a leader in his place taking up national issues would have attempted to solve unscrupulously through political activities, the Prophet successfully solved by communicating to others the ideas of Islam.
After the death of Abu Talib, Abu Lahab became leader of the Banu Hashim tribe. Since the new chieftain refused protection to the Prophet, the latter was forced to seek the patronage of some other tribe. For this purpose he visited many tribes, among them the frontier-based Banu Shayban ibn Tha’labah. The chief of this tribe, Musanna ibn Harithah, explained to the Prophet that his people lived close to the Persian border, a territory which the Sassanian Emperor had allowed them to occupy only on receiving assurance that they would not preach any new doctrine, or give refuge to anyone who did so. “Perhaps rulers would disapprove of your teachings,” the chieftain added.23
This shows how foreign rule on the borders of Arabia constituted more than a political and territorial encroachment on Arab sovereignty; it obstructed the Prophet’s missionary work as well. The Prophet could have used this as a pretext for starting active resistance to foreign powers, saying that no missionary work could be accomplished until all external obstructions had been eliminated. But to have done so in the initial stages of his mission would have constituted a deviation from God’s scheme, which was for the empires of Rome and Persia to become weak by fighting with each other for twenty years.
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When the time finally came for them to be conquered, it was they who had to shoulder the blame for the initiation of hostilities. It was, furthermore, relatively easy for the Muslims to subdue them, paving the way for the unprecedented conquests of the post-prophetic era. If the Muslims had confronted Rome and Persia prematurely, when these empires were strong, and they themselves weak, the outcome would have been the opposite.
FITTING IN WITH GOD’S SCHEME
If a farmer is to grow crops, he must fit his own cog¬wheel in with God’s. Providence has created unique opportunities for crop cultivation on earth, but in order to avail of them there are certain things that a farmer must do. On the surface of the earth, for instance, lies a layer of fertile soil, which is quite unique in the entire universe. But this soil, despite its innate fertility, will not yield a crop unless it is moist: the barrenness of the arid regions of the earth is due to a lack of such moisture. Now there is nothing in the universe, which will broadcast this fact to farmers; they must find it out for themselves by reading the silent signs of nature and then acting upon them. What a discerning farmer will do, then, is wait until the ground is moistened by rain before planting. If there is no rain, he will irrigate his land. So will the great disseminator of truth. He will wait for, or create, the right conditions to plant the seeds of truth in the hearts of mankind. This was the method followed by the Prophet Muhammad. The spiritual ground of the Arabia to which he came was moist and fertile, ready to produce great fruits.
Still, the Prophet had to employ the correct methods for his mission to advance; to achieve success, he had to fit in with God’s scheme. There was no other way for him to utilize the opportunities that had been provided.
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The basic principle of the Prophet’s teaching mission was that emphasis should be laid entirely on matters pertaining to eternity. Under no circumstances was his teaching to dwell on worldly issues. The true issue confronting man is that of his eternal fate. All other issues are transitory and superfluous.
Worldly success and failure have no meaning, for they are bound to end. It is on the next world, where success and failure will be abiding, that man should focus his attention.
Furthermore, it was the Prophet’s aim to build a society of upright individuals, and such a society can only be formed if each separate individual behave with moral rectitude. True and consistent morality can come only from a profound belief in the hereafter. Belief in the hereafter means that we are not free to act as we please but that we will expect to be taken to task for our actions by God. It rids one of wayward attitudes and makes one into a disciplined and responsible human being. If one reads the Quran and Traditions of the Prophet with an open mind, one will find that it is the life after death, which receives most attention. Other matters are mentioned, but only incidentally. The fundamental purpose of the Prophet’s mission was to concentrate people’s attention on the hereafter.
The Prophet’s second principle was to scrupulously avoid any material conflict coming between himself—the teacher—and those to whom he was addressing his teachings.
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No matter what price had to be paid, he would let now orldly rivalry come in between himself and his congregation.
One outstanding example of this policy was the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. By constantly waging war against the Muslims, the Quraysh had made Muslims and non-Muslims into two separate parties eternally at loggerheads with one another.
Both sides were spending all their time preparing for and engaging in warfare. In this treaty the Prophet accepted all the Quraysh’s demands in return for a ten-year truce. The terms of the treaty were so one-sided that many Muslims considered it a humiliation; but, in reality, it paved the way for what the Quran called a “clear victory.” 24 This treaty put an end to the atmosphere of confrontation, which had developed between Muslims and non-Muslims. Muslims could now freely communicate the teachings of their faith to non-Muslims, who in turn were free to accept them. No worldly rivalry or prejudice now stood in the way of dissemination of the faith.
After this treaty, and the conciliatory effect it had on non-Muslims, the message of Islam spread rapidly throughout Arabia. In just two years, the number of Muslims increased tenfold. There had seemed no way that Makkah could ever be conquered by force of arms, yet it succumbed two years later to the force of Islamic teachings.
One important aspect of the Prophet’s method was compassion towards his foes, even when they were wholly at his mercy. The reason for this was that he did not look upon anyone as an enemy; he saw all men and women as potential recipients of Islamic teachings, and was keen to give them every possible chance to accept the faith.
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One Human beings are not like pieces of stone, which show no reaction when another stone is broken. To suppress one individual is to invite rebellion from those associated with him, which means that the time, which could be profitably spent on building up society, is frittered away in containing discontent. By forgiving all his past enemies after the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet ensured that at no future date would insurrection rear its head. In fact, most of those he forgave accepted Islam and became a source of strength to it, one instance being that of ‘Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl, formerly an implacable adversary of the Prophet and his followers.
Once the Prophet’s authority had been established, there were certain social reforms, which had to be undertaken. The Prophet was careful to proceed gradually in introducing such reform; he never hastened to impose measures when people were not ready to accept them.
The people of Makkah were heirs to the religion of Abraham, but they had distorted the true religion of Abraham and taken up various kinds of innovatory practices. For instance, in the time of Abraham, Hajj (pilgrimage) used to be performed in the lunar month of Dhu’l-Hijjah.
Since a year, according to the lunar calendar, is eleven days shorter than a solar year, its months do not revolve with the seasons. Hajj, then, sometimes fell in one season and sometimes in another. This went against the Quraysh’s commercial interests. They wanted Hajj to fall in the summer each year, and for this purpose they adopted a method known as nasi’.
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This consisted of adding eleven days on to the lunar calendar every year. After this intercalation they maintained the names of the lunar months, but in effect their calendar was a solar one. This meant that for thirty-three years all dates were removed from their real place in the lunar calendar; every thirty-three years, when their annual addition of eleven days to the calendar had run the course of a complete year, Hajj would be performed on its proper date according to the lunar calendar. One of the tasks entrusted to the Prophet was to put an end to all the Quraysh’s innovations and have Hajj performed according to Abraham’s original system. The conquest of Makkah occurred in the month of Ramadan, A.H. 8. The Prophet was now ruler of the whole of Arabia. He could have put an immediate end to all the Quraysh’s innovations. But instead he bided his time. There were just two years remaining until the completion of the full thirty-three year course of nasi. The Prophet waited for these two years and although he was the conqueror of Makkah, he did not perform Hajj during that time. Only in the third year after the conquest of Makkah (A.H. 10), did he participate in the pilgrimage. That was the year when Hajj was performed on the correct date of Dhu’I-Hijjah, in accordance with the system established by Abraham. This was the Prophet’s farewell pilgrimage, and during it he announced that, in future, Hajj would be conducted in the same way as in that year. Thus he put an end to the manipulation of the lunar calendar for all time.
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“Time has run its full course,” he announced. “It is now in the same position as it was when God created the heavens and the earth. And there are twelve months to a year in the sight of God.”26
There was a profound reason for the Prophet’s delay in introducing this reform. When people have adhered to a certain religious practice for a number of years, they come to think of it as sacred and find extreme difficulty in changing their thinking. In two years time, Hajj would fall on the day desired by the Prophet, so he avoided taking any premature initiatives, which would have made an issue of the matter.
When the time came for Hajj to fall naturally on its proper day, then he announced that this was the right day of the year for Hajj to be performed, and it would in future continue to be performed on the same day.
From these examples, we can see how the Prophet’s entire policy was moulded by the wisdom with which he had been endowed by God. One can say that he fitted his own cog-wheel in with God’s; his every move was designed to be in accordance with the pattern set by God. It was for this reason that all his efforts produced highly fruitful results.
NOTES
1. Bible, Leviticus, Chapter 26.
2. Quran, 48:1-3.
3. Quran, 47:7.
4. Quran, 2:213.
5. Quran, 36:30.
6. Quran, 40:83.
7. Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem.
8. Quran, 2:143.
9. Quran, 16:25.
10. Quran, 61:8-9.
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11. Quran, 2: 129.
12. Quran, 3: 30.
13. Quran, 14:37.
14. Quran, 2: I28.
15. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir.
16. Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, p. 253.
17. Quran, 3: 110.
18. Quran, 14:35-37.
19. Quran, 49: 7.
20. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, vol. 2, p. 49.
21. The people of Madinah who helped the Prophet.
22. Ibn Hisham, Sirah.
23. Ibn Kathir, Sirah.
24. Quran, 48: 1.
25. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, vol.2, p. 352.
26. Hadith, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Marduiyah.
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| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الأربعاء 06 يوليو 2022, 11:41 pm | |
| 8- Rising above Events
The Arabian Peninsula, in the period immediately preceding the coming of the Prophet Muhammad, was confronted with immense political problems. The two super powers of the day—the empires of Rome and Persia—lay to the west and east of the Arabian Peninsula, and both had turned the land of the Arabs into their political playground.
The most fertile regions of the peninsula were under the direct control of one or the other of these two powers. Iraq had been annexed by the Persians, while Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon had become part of the Byzantine Empire.
Despite the natural protective boundaries of the Red Sea to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east, the lands, which bordered these seas, were not immune from intrusions by their powerful neighbours. Persian warships had no difficulty in crossing the Gulf of Oman and entering Arab territory.
The Red Sea also posed no barrier to interference in Arab affairs from Egypt and Ethiopia, both under the control of the Byzantine Empire.
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Tribal chieftains had set up states in the inner regions of the Arabian Peninsula, but they too enjoyed no real independence. The overall dominance of Rome and Persia meant that the only way these chieftains could preserve some measure of autonomy was by ruling as vassals for these imperial powers. On the borders of Syria lay the state of Ghasasina Arabiya subject to the Roman Empire was ruled by Harith ibn Abi Shimr Ghassani at the time of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission. Then there was Busra which, besides being under the political control of the Romans, had also been subjected to Roman cultural influence, with many of its inhabitants accepting Christianity.
On the Iraq border lay the state of Hirah ‘Arabiyah which was subject to Iran. There were also several states bordering the Persian Gulf, in which the influence of their Persian neighbour was strongly felt. Foremost among them was Bahrayn, ruled by Mundhir ibn Sawa, where many of the inhabitants had accepted the Zoroastrian religion. Two other states to have come under Persian influence in this way were ‘Amman, ruled by the two sons of Jalandi—Jaifar and ‘Abd—and Yamamah, ruled by Hauzah ibn ‘Ali al-Hanafi. Rivalry between the Persian and Roman empires was intense, and their respective vassals in Arabia would participate in the wars fought between them. Ghasasina, for instance, would side with the Romans and Hirah with the Persians. So it was that Arab blood would flow in pursuit of the super powers’ aims.
In those times Yemen was far larger than it is today. It contained several small tribal governments, the largest of which had its capital at San’a’.
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It was there that Najran was situated. Foreign rule in Yemen had commenced around A.D. 343, when the Romans sent Christian missionaries to the region. These missionaries met with great success in Najran, and most of the country’s inhabitants converted to Christianity. Though this was a religious event, the Romans’ rivals in Persia perceived it as a political threat. It seemed to them as if the Roman Empire was seeking to establish a foothold in the southern region of Arabia. The Persians allied with the Jewish tribes who had settled in Yemen after being expelled from Syria by the Romans in A.D. 70. Yusuf Dhu Nuwas was an Arab by birth, but had accepted Judaism. With Persian help he set up a semi-autonomous government in San’a’, under the sponsorship of the Sasanians. He then set about exterminating the Christians of Najran, many of whom were burnt alive in A.D. 534.
The Romans now took steps to preserve their hold on the region. Ostensibly seeking to protect the Yemenese Christians, they chose the Ethiopian king Najashi, a Christian, and loyal to the Romans, for fulfillment of their ends, and incited him to rise up against Yusuf Dhu Nuwas. Najashi then sent an army to the Yemen under the Ethiopian chieftain Aryat. A short battle ensued, which ended with San’a’ being captured by the Ethiopian force and Dhu Nuwas drowning himself in the sea. Before long, however, Abrahah—a soldier in Aryat’s army—killed his commander and, having gained Najashi’s consent, set up his own government in San’a’. It was he who, in A.D. 571, set out to attack the Holy Ka’bah in Makkah.
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He was succeeded by his sons, first Yaksum and then Masruq. A member of the former royal family of the Yemen, named Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan, was then filled with an urge to expel foreigners from his country and re-establish his ancestors’ dynasty. He started a freedom movement, but when local support proved insufficient for the achievement of his aims, he went to the Iranian king Nawshyrwan in search of military support. Nawshyrwan was quick to seize this golden opportunity: while an Iranian army under Dahraz was being prepared to advance on the Yemen, Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan died, but his son Ma’di Karb completed the arrangement for bringing the Iranian force to his country.
Crossing the Gulf of Oman, they landed at Hadhramawt, and from there proceeded to San’a’. The alliance between Ma’di Karb and Dahraz was successful in expelling the Ethiopians from the Yemen. Ma’di Karb became king of San’a’, but an Iranian military presence was retained, in effect turning the Yemen into a trans-oceanic Iranian province. There was an Iranian governor there at the time of the advent of Islam. His name was Bazan and, after initial opposition, he later accepted Islam.
All this goes to show how far Arabian territory had become a prey to the expansionist designs of Rome and Persia at the time of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission. In such a situation two paths were open to a reformer such as the Prophet. He could have allowed himself to be carried by the tide of current events, and initiated political agitation against the colonial powers that were threatening his land.
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Or he could have concentrated on building up his people’s internal strength to such a degree that, with a slight effort on their part, the imperial edifice would crumble to the ground. The Prophet chose the second rather than the first course. Abraha’s attack on the Holy Ka’bah is mentioned in the two chapters (105 and 106) of the Quran entitled al-Fil and Quraysh. The Quran explicitly states that such threats should be countered by “worship.” This is the Islamic way.
When a political threat is perceived, a solution should be sought—not on a political level—but on a spiritual level, on a level of worship.
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river Danube, and France where many church steeples contain stones with Arabic engravings—remnant of the 8th century A.H., when southern France was a European province of the Caliph in Damascus. Two hundred years before, the people of Arabia had been driving camels; now they were leading the world. Baghdad had become the centre of the civilized world, taking over from Seleucia, Persepolis, Babylon and Rome as the major international seat of learning.
These outstanding triumphs were the result of an extraordinarily simple programme, which the Quran explains in these words: You who are wrapped up in your vestment, arise and give warning. Magnify your Lord, cleanse your garments, and keep away from all pollution. Bestow no favours expecting gain. Be patient for your Lord’s sake.1 When summarized, this programme can be divided into three stages:
I. Personal reform, so that one worships God alone, corrects one’s moral standards and avoids all forms of sin and wrongdoing.
2. Impressing on others the reality of their existence and final destiny—that they are God’s servants and will return to Him after death.
3. Remaining steadfast in the face of difficulties, which afflict one in one’s attempt to reform both oneself and society.
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| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الأربعاء 06 يوليو 2022, 11:45 pm | |
| INWARD STRENGTH
The Islamic struggle is essentially a personal one, motivated by an overpowering urge for salvation in the next world, a longing that God should forgive us when we come before Him. When Islam penetrates into the depths of our consciousness, we become concerned with one thing alone: how to earn God’s favour and forgiveness. We immediately seek to mould our faith, ideas, character, actions and all we do in life in accordance with our over-riding concern to avoid displeasing God. It is on the hereafter that we focus all our attention. We call others to Islam, making sure that we are first good Muslims ourselves: Say: “I was commanded to be the first to submit to Him.”2
As far as its motivation is concerned, becoming the “first to submit to God” is an entirely individual affair. But in its consequences this act has far-reaching implications for the whole of society. A volcanic eruption starts within a mountain, invisible from the eyes of humankind. But when the eruption takes place, it illuminates the whole surrounding area with its glow. So it is with those who first submit to God. The transformation that occurs within them has repercussions on their entire environment. The same sequence can be found in the revelation of the Quran. The first verse to be revealed were those dealing with personal reform. Later came the chapters dealing with improvement of society at large.
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Comparing this sequence with the method adopted by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, in the introduction to his translation of the Quran, writes: The inspiration of the Prophet progressed from inward things to outward things.3
Generally people consider assaults on the outside world to be the most worthwhile task in life. But the lesson of the Prophet’s life is that one should work to strengthen oneself inwardly. Individuals who have consolidated themselves from within become an irresistable force when they break out into the open. How is it that a person becomes strengthened inwardly? The Quran does not give us any magical prescription for achievement of this purpose. It can only be attained by faith, righteous actions and steadfast perseverance. Firstly, divine truths should be embedded in the depths of our hearts and minds. We should make every effort to fix our thoughts on the next world, the world of eternal realities. The attitude that we should cultivate is that we have no rights in life, only responsibilities. Difficulties are bound to arise as we pursue the divine path. Rather than seek to lay the blame for them on others, we should bear them in a spirit of quiet and humble acceptance. These are the qualities that consolidate inward strength. The Prophet Muhammad provided us with a perfect example of how to cultivate these qualities. He developed them to such a degree that no one was able to withstand the force of his character. When the Prophet exploded on the outside world, almost all of the known world capitulated before him. People succumbed before his inspired character, for the strength of his personality came from within.
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In his article entitled “Bravery,” the renowned Hindi writer, Sardar Pooran Singh (1882-1932), called the Prophet Muhammad the bravest man in history. He had to be to bring about such a great revolution in the Arabian Peninsula. His greatness can be judged from the fact that anyone who came in contact with him accepted him as his master. What kind of bravery is this which makes one so powerful? In the words of Pooran Singh: To strive every moment, every hour, towards making oneself greater and greater is bravery. It is the cowards who say, “Go ahead.” While the brave say, “Step back” (move backwards). Cowards say, “raise the sword,” while the brave say “bring your head forward! The policy of the brave is to gather and increase strength from all quarters. The brave build up their inner reserves, marching ahead within themselves. As they can move the entire world by moving the hearts of the people. Bravery does not consist of becoming emotionally overwrought and then cooling off like a piece of tin which heats up and cools off in no time. The fire may keep burning for centuries yet will not heat up the brave while centuries of snow may not be enough to dampen chill even the tip of the brave. People say, “Act, act, work, work” but all such talks seem futile. First create and gather the strength for work. It is futile to shout, Act, act, act!, without first creating and gathering the strength for work. One must grow and root oneself deep like a tree within oneself. The world does not stand on a heap of garbage where any cock can win fame and acclaim by mere crowing. The world, is rather borne aloft by the eternal principles of religious and spiritual truths.
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Whosoever fully associates with these truths emerges victorious.4
The secret of this bravery does not lie in magical prescriptions or spiritual exercises undertaken in seclusion.
Exercises in the occult can delude in the world of matter, but they are of no use to people grappling with the day-to¬-day problems, which confront them. Real strength is that which leads us to overcome the problems of life.
People really develop inner strength when they become free of all selfish ties; when they attain a level of thinking in which all superficial considerations are cast aside and, as the Prophet put it, “they see things as they are.” Their thoughts and actions are not then guided by prejudice, anger, greed, hate, the lust for power, vanity, self-interest or any such base urge. This is what makes for strength of character. It is an irresistable force in life, one which enables a person to face every test. The initiatives of those endowed with inward strength are inevitably seen through to their conclusion. They make allowances for all eventualities, both probable and possible, in their decision-making. The more people oppose them, the more they adhere to their position of truth and righteousness.
An example of the manner in which the Prophet Muhammad’s inner strength provided solutions to all the problems that faced him can be found in the situation that developed after the conquest of Makkah. His strength of spirit manifested itself in different ways as the need arose.
Sometimes it took the form of forgiveness, sometimes supreme courage, sometimes trust in God. Sometimes his success was due to farsightedness.
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Sometimes he showed how one who disavows self-interest becomes an invincible force, who gains all by forsaking everything. After the Prophet Muhammad had captured Makkah in A.H. 8, some of the Quraysh fled to the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif, and incited them to start a new war against the Muslims. The tribes responded by mobilizing all their manpower, and amassed a force of 20,000 men. They met the Muslims on the field of Hunayn. The archers of Hawazin had concealed themselves in a ravine and, when they rained their arrows down on the Muslims, about 11,000 of the 12,000 strong army turned and fled. Yet, despite this initial setback, the Muslims finally won an extraordinary victory. The reason for their recovery was the inner strength of their leader, the Prophet Muhammad who, at this critical juncture, showed no signs of panic, but was the epitome of “tranquility”5 and remained full of trust in God. Once his inner strength came out into the open, he immediately altered the course of battle.
Standing up in the very midst of the enemy, he called out to his panicking followers: I am the Prophet, and I do not lie: I am the grandson of ‘Abdul Muttalib.
“To me, servants of God!” the Prophet called. His cousin Ibn ‘Abbas, had a loud voice. The Prophet asked him to issue this appeal to the fleeing soldiers: “You who swore allegiance to the Prophet in the shadow of the Ridwan tree: you swore that you would give your lives for the Faith! Where are you now?” When the Muslims saw that their leader was standing firm in face of the enemy, they realized that God’s help was with him.
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Their flagging spirits were rekindled, and they returned with new determination to the field of battle. So unbounded was their new-found enthusiasm that they would not even wait for their floundering camels to turn around: they jumped off the backs of their mounts and ran back to the field of battle on foot. Suddenly the course of battle changed.
Now it was the enemy’s turn to take flight. The Muslims won the day, along with booty amounting to 24,000 camels, 40,000 goats and 40,000 ounces of silver. They also took some 6,000 prisoners. Despite this victory, the situation continued to deteriorate.
The Thaqif were the second most prominent tribe in the whole of Arabia. They also owned the only fortified town in the peninsula. They were now besieged in Ta’if, but during the three weeks siege they inflicted more losses on the Muslims than they themselves had received at Hunayn. Their opposition to Islam was so deep-rooted that when one of their number, ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud Thaqafi—who was reputed to be “dearer to his people than sweet maidens”—came to the Prophet and accepted Islam, they forgot their previous affection for him, and cruelly riddled him with arrows.
Once again the Prophet’s inner strength came to his rescue. As the siege was tightened, ‘Umar asked the Prophet to pray for the destruction of the people of Ta’if; but instead the Prophet prayed for their guidance. He was entirely free of anger and prejudice in this treatment of them. After besieging the town for three weeks, he ordered his army to retreat. On his return from Ta’if, the Prophet reached Ji’ranah, where the spoils of the Battle of Hunayn had been stored.
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Here the Prophet had an opportunity to take reprisals against the Thaqifs ally, Hawazin. But he did quite the opposite, accepting an appeal from a delegation of that tribe for the release of all their six thousand prisoners. His magnanimous treatment of them—he not only set them free, but also gave them clothes and provisions for their journey—was bound to make an impression on them. And it did: the whole of the Hawazin tribe, won over by the Prophet’s unbounded generosity, accepted Islam.
The effects of this event were also felt in Ta’if. The Hawazin and the Thaqif were two branches of one large tribe. The Thaqif felt much more threatened by the Hawazin’s conversion to Islam than they had been by the siege of their city. The severance of the Hawazin from their alliance was a mortal wound, which they knew would render them incapable of doing battle with the Muslims: The Thaqif consulted among themselves. They saw that they would not now be able to fight against all the Arabs around them who had sworn allegiance to the Prophet, and accepted his Faith.6
In the year A.H. 9 (A.D. 630) a delegation from Ta’if arrived in Madinah. They expressed their willingness to accept Islam, but only under certain quite unusual conditions. They denied right of passage to the Muslims’ army through their territory; they refused to pay land tax; they declined to participate in jihad; they also said that they would not pray, or recognize any ruler who was not from their tribe. The Prophet accepted all their conditions, but made it clear that there was no good and was showering his own people with riches just to please them.
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There is no doubt that the Prophet was above such base motivations, but the resentment that the Ansar felt at being left out was real enough, and posed serious problems for Muslim unity. The Prophet’s sincerity of purpose, however, showed in the emphatic manner in which he removed their doubts.
The Prophet called all the Ansar together in a courtyard, and addressed them in the following manner: “What is this that I am hearing about you? Is it not a fact you were lost, and God guided you, through me, to the right path. Whatever you were in need of He granted you in abundance--again through me. You were at war with one another and God brought you together as one people around me?” Everyone shouted out their agreement. Then the Prophet continued: You have every right to say that we Muhajirs came to you as refugees, expelled from our own land, and that you gave us shelter; we were in need and you looked after us; we were terrorized and you made us secure, friendless and you gave us company. Tell me, helpers, are you resentful just because I have given some new converts a trivial gift in order to raise their spirits, and make them secure in the Faith, while entrusting you with the great gift that God has bestowed upon you—that is Islam? Company of Helpers, are you not happy to see people take camels and goats home with them, while you return home with the Messenger of God?8 On hearing this speech, everyone broke down and wept.
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“We are happy with the Messenger of God!” they cried in unison. It was in this way that the Prophet’s inner strength broke down every barrier, opened every door and surmounted every obstacle. It was his key to success in every situation in life. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الأربعاء 06 يوليو 2022, 11:53 pm | |
| THE EXTERNAL TARGET: MISSIONARY ACTIVITY
When the Prophet Muhammad started his active struggle, he was not motivated by any urge to revenge himself on an outside world that had mistreated him. Usually popular movements are sparked off by some sort of instinct for revenge, but the Prophet’s struggle was based on positive concepts of its own; it was not a negative reaction to an event, or to the way he had been treated by others. Certainly, all the circumstances, which usually cause political, social and economic reactions, leading to the establishment of popular movements, were present in full force when the Prophet was sent to the world. But it was not these points that the Prophet dwelt on in his communication of the Faith. He pursued his aims unremittingly, according to the programme mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, but he did so without clashing with anyone on political, social or economic issues.
When the Prophet commenced his mission, the land of the Arabs had become a prime target for attacks by the imperial powers of the day, who had been especially swift in annexing the comparatively fertile and prosperous parts of the country. The whole of Syria, in the north of the peninsula, was under Roman rule, governed by Arab chieftains who owed allegiance to Caesar. In the southern territory of the Yemen, the Persians held sway, being ruled in the time of the Prophet by a governor named Bazan.
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The only regions to have retained their independence were Hijaz, Tahamah and Najd. Besides these, there were only rocky deserts, with the occasional oasis standing out in the wilderness. The Caesars and the Khusraus considered Arabia their property: that was why, when the Prophet wrote to the Emperor of Persia inviting him to accept Islam, that proud monarch tore up his letter and said indignantly: He writes to me—and he is my slave! Abrahah’s attack on the Ka’bah in the year of the Prophet’s birth (A.D. 570) was part of this encroachment of foreign powers on Arab territory. Before the advent of Islam, the Ka’bah had been a centre of idol-worship for the whole of Arabia: every tribe had erected its own idol there, and considered its precincts sacred. All through the year people would flock to Makkah from far and wide to pay their respects to the HolyKa ‘bah and make offerings to the idols that were lodged there. The economy of Makkah benefited greatly from this constant influx of pilgrims, and Abrahah desired to divert this great source of wealth towards his own land—the Yemen, which lay south east of Makkah. He had shown his willingness to resort to any means for the achievement of his ends by killing the previous Yemenese governor, taking over the country, and forcing the king of Abyssinia to recognize his authority in the province. A Christian by faith, Abrahah had built a huge church in the town of San’a’, after which he launched an intensive propaganda campaign to induce people to go on pilgrimages to it.
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In this way he hoped to divert the lucrative pilgrim trade from Makkah to San’a’. It is recorded in Arab history that when all his efforts failed, he set out to destroy the Ka’bah, so that people would have nowhere left to make their pilgrimage to, save the church that he had built in San’a’. For this purpose he took an army of elephants, which gained him the name of “Lord of the Elephants.” Even the names of some of the people who built his church are known.
The Arabs called the road that he passed along, ‘The Road of the Elephants.” The spring from which they drank, the gate through which they entered Makkah and the year of their attack were also similarly named.
What most leaders would have done under such adverse conditions was raise a popular movement against the political threat posed by foreign, imperial powers. They would have sought to rid their land of the yoke of foreign domination and revived the nationalistic instincts of their people. But the Prophet of Islam refrained completely from instigating any nationalistic freedom struggle of this nature. There were also critical economic problems facing Arabia when the Prophet came to the world. Arabia was an almost entirely arid land: in an agrarian age it had no agricultural foundation on which to base its economy. This was a problem that affected every individual in the land, and could easily have provided the incentive for a popular revolutionary movement. But the Prophet did not capitalize on the economic problems’ of his people in any way. On one occasion the Makkan gentry gathered in front of the Ka’bah after sunset and summoned the Prophet.
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When helaid the basic teachings of Islam before them this is how they reacted to his message: Muhammad, you know well that there is no country poorer or drier than ours. You know how hard it is for us to make a living. So pray to your Lord on our behalf that He should remove these dry mountains that have made life so difficult for us; that He should make our land fertile and make rivers, like those of Syria and Iraq, flow in its valleys.9
In order to understand what made the leaders of the Quraysh speak to the Prophet in this manner, one has to understand the geographical situation of Arabia. A chain of mountains that stretched along the coastline of Hijaz as far as Najd prevented sea winds from penetrating inland, with the result that rainfall in the Arabian Peninsula, in contrast to that of Iraq and Syria, was minimal. This geographical situation was at the root of Arabia’s economic problems. Any budding leader could instantly have attracted people’s attention by exploiting these problems. The Prophet, however, did not choose this path. In fact, he did not pay any direct attention to problems of this nature and devoted his efforts entirely towards preaching the oneness of God. History shows that the Prophet’s struggle in the field of missionary activity had far-reaching effects, opening up new opportunities for the Arabs in political and economic fields also. But it is important to realize that these advantages were an indirect result of the Prophet’s struggle: it was not towards political and economic gain that he himself directed his efforts.
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The Prophet’s whole life shows that the matter to which he attached basic importance was preaching of the faith. As soon as he started his active mission he laid all other matter aside and concentrated solely on propagating the message of Islam. First of all he was determined to inform his kinsfolk that he had been chosen to communicate the word of God to humanity. For this purpose he called all his relatives—about forty were invited of whom at least thirty attended—to a dinner. After dinner, he addressed his guests, but he met with little success. “Banu Muttalib,” he said, “I have been sent to you in particular, then to mankind as a whole. Who then will fulfill on my behalf my debts and my promises? Who will look after my family while I am away? Whoever does so will be my companion in paradise.” The Prophet repeated his words, but only ‘All, who was a young boy at the time, responded positively. “I will, Prophet of God,” he said. “You, ‘All, you, ‘All!” came the Prophet’s reply.10
One day Abu Jahal threw a stone at the Prophet, drawing blood from his face. The Prophet’s uncle, ‘Abbas, heard about this. Though at that time ‘Abbas had not accepted Islam, family pride moved him to go and smite Abu Jahl in return. Then he came back to the Prophet, “Nephew,” he said triumphantly, “I have taken your revenge.” “It would make me happier if you were to accept Islam,” The Prophet replied.
Once the leaders of the Quraysh came to Abu Talib, another of the Prophet’s uncles. “Abu Talib,” they said, “your nephew enters into our arenas and our gatherings, and says things which upset us. Please, if you can manage it, stop him from doing so.”
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Abu Talib sent his own son, Aqil, to fetch the Prophet. When he had told his nephew what the Quraysh had said, the Prophet raised his eyes up to heaven. “By God,” he said, “is anyone among you able to light a fire from a flame of the sun? Well, I am no more capable of forsaking the message that God Himself has entrusted to me.” Having said this, the Prophet broke down weeping.
The Banu Hashim, to which tribe the Prophet belonged, were the cream of Arab society. Since his tribe was already in a dominant position in Arabia, some people thought that perhaps the Prophet wanted to consolidate his own authority and be crowned king. But the Prophet’s actions showed that he was interested in only one thing, and that was to convey to people the importance of preparing themselves for the next world. So persistently would he emphasise this matter that sometimes the leaders of the Quraysh would plead with him in almost desperate terms to leave them alone. “Muhammad,” Abu Jahl once said to him, “will you stop insulting our gods? If you just want us to bear witness that you have communicated your message, then all right: we bear witness, you certainly have communicated it.”
The Prophet, however, was undeterred and went on delivering his message. This infuriated the Quraysh still further, and, they decided to ostracize the whole of the Banu Hashim family. An interdict stopped inter-marriage and commercial relations. On learning of this the Banu Hashim moved to the place known as Shi’b Abi Talib. While this interdict was in force, preaching was confined to those affected by it, and the Prophet took full advantage of this.
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These restrictions, however, came to an end temporarily in the sacred months. The Prophet’s family used to benefit from this period of respite in that they could conduct transactions.
Then, gathering together the meat of sacrifice, they would dry it for use during the rest of the year. But the Prophet would use this time in a different manner: he would go to tents where various tribes were staying, and communicate to them the message of Islam.
Imagine how precarious the Prophet’s situation must have been when he was emigrating from Makkah to Madinah. Yet even during this journey he did not miss a single opportunity to preach Islam to those he came into contact with. When he reached Ghamim, for instance, he communicated the message of Islam to Baridah ibn Hasib, who then—along with eighty members of his family—accepted Islam. On reaching the mountain pass of Rakubah he met two men whom he told about Islam, and who accepted the Faith. When the Prophet asked them their names, they said that they belonged to the tribe of Aslam, and were bandits. For this reason, they explained, they were called “Muhanan,” or “The Two Despicable Ones.” “No,” the Prophet told them, “you are two honourable ones.”11
The Prophet Muhammad inculcated in his companions the same attitude. It was not to be their aim to conquer territory or accumulate spoils of war. Rather they were to become a source of wealth—the wealth of true faith—for others. When the Prophet entrusted ‘Ali with the Muslim standard in the field of Khaybar, he told his cousin to proceed softly: “And adopted Islam as a cause can have.
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When Islam has become a vital part of our life, it imbues us with an undying spirit which enables us “never to lose heart on account of what befalls (us) in the path of God”—never to weaken or cringe abjectly.12 To believe in God is to trust in Him absolutely, and one who trusts in God is the possessor of great strength: there is nothing that can weaken his or her resolve.
Without patience, preachers of God’s word cannot continue their work for long. When they embark on their mission, they find that they are alone in a company of strangers. They are restricted by God’s commandments, while others feel themselves free to do as they like. Everything that they do is geared towards success and salvation in the next world, while all the avenues towards worldly success are open before their adversaries. All their efforts are concentrated on spiritual ends, while the political and economic expertise of others makes them strong in the eyes of men. They maintain strict ethical standards, while others’ actions are free of all restrictions. The preachers of God’s word can easily be affected by such matters. They may even be tempted to follow the madding crowd, and give up their task. It may occur to them that if what they are doing is so ineffectual, they may as well spare themselves the trouble. This is where sabr comes to their rescue, preventing them from giving up just because their words seem to be having no effect on others: Therefore, have patience. God’s promise is true. Let not those who have no certainty make you impatient.13
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Sometimes, sabr takes on another form, and that is stead fastness and forbearance in the face of persecution from others. This was the method adopted by all the prophets of God: They used to say to their adversaries: ... We will endure your persecution patiently. In God let all the faithful put their trust.14
The afflictions, which beset preachers of God’s word, are in fact an integral part of their mission. Those they address are bound to show some reaction to their words, and sometimes it is going to be violent and uncompromising. If they start bemoaning their treatment by others, the very seriousness of their efforts to bring them over to the true faith is cast into doubt. Those who are really working for God’s sake will not be affected by the reactions of others to what they are doing. The difficulties we encounter in pursuit of God’s good pleasure, then, are really a test of our sincerity. Unless we have proved our sincerity, we cannot expect our words to have an effect on others.
When faced with enemy onslaughts people usually take retaliatory measures of their own: People are generally used to retaliating when they face any unpleasant treatment by others.
Sabr, on the other hand, means to bear patiently whatever is meted out by the enemy. For instance, if Muslims in a certain country find themselves up against the economic bias of their non-Muslim compatriots, the way of sabr is not to start demanding equal treatment, but is rather to make extra efforts oneself to excel over others. Prejudice can only have an adverse effect when people of equal ability are competing for one job.
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If one of the contestants clearly excels the others in ability, then not even prejudice can deny him his rightful place.
When the Muslims were economically isolated in Makkah in the time of the Prophet, some of them emigrated to Abyssinia, thus consolidating their own position. The people of Makkah had made it impossible for the Prophet’s followers to carry on with their trading. What the Muslims did was to move to a neighbouring country and pursue their livelihood there. So hard¬working and honest were they in their dealings that Najashi, the king of Abyssinia, proclaimed that anyone who wronged a Muslim would have to pay the wronged party 8 dirhams compensation. This was just one of the ways in which God helped the Muslims re-establish themselves, considering their patience in the face of persecution by others. Patience may appear to be a negative virtue, but, as far as its results are concerned, it is a highly positive one. Once we have realized the value of sabr, we do not take immediate retaliatory measures against our oppressors; rather we look further into the future and set in motion a series of events, which lead to final success. Feelings run high when we have just been wronged. If we take immediate action, we may not be able to consider rationally what we should do: rather, we may act on the basis of our emotions at the time. Patience, on the other hand, leads us coolly and objectively to consider all the possibilities open to us, and the real nature of the situation we have to deal with. We are then in a position to pursue a sound and solid policy. Impatience precipitates immediate action, to contain the other party, while patience inclines us to wait for the eternal laws of nature devised by God to start working against our adversaries.
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When we combat our enemy with impatience, we are spurred on by superficial motives and base emotions. We are bound to make mistakes and errors of judgement, which only serve to weaken our case. When one is patient, on the other hand, a divine strength—intelligence—is born within us. Our intellect is a most extraordinary source of strength.
It is able to look ahead, beyond temporary obstacles and barriers, and plan for the future. Intelligence frees one from negative impulses and enables one to think on a profound level, penetrating to the very depths of a situation. There we discover secrets, which enable us to gain control of our rival from all angles. He becomes like the quarry caught in the huntsman’s net: movement only enmeshes him further and serves to tighten the huntsman’s hold on him.
The emigration from Makkah to Madinah was an example of the Prophet’s patience. When the Quraysh had decided to kill the Prophet, the latter had two options before him: either he could take up his sword in self-defense, or he could leave Makkah for some safer abode. The Prophet adopted the second course of action. He coolly thought the situation over and decided on emigration to Madinah, where he would be able to continue the same work, only in a different place. According to ‘A’ishah, the Prophet used to come to their house every day in the period prior to the emigration. There he would hold consultations with her father, Abu Bakr.
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Preparations were made, in the utmost secrecy, over a period of six months. Everything went according to plan, and finally the Prophet set out for Madinah, taking a dependable guide with him. From the point of view of a zealous Muslim political leader of the modern age, the emigration would appear as a flight, for what he would advocate in a similar situation would be a fight to the death; he would be looking no further ahead than making a martyr of himself. But if one looks at the results of the emigration of the Prophet, one can see that it was clearly the greatest watershed in Islamic history.
Patience also enables us to refrain from taking action, and permits things to take their natural course. Human nature is an unchangeable reality that always exerts a strong influence on the course of human life. Deep down, people always have a soft spot for one who bears abuse quietly, for one who refuses to be provoked even in face of the utmost provocation. The human conscience naturally tends to favour the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Great opportunities open out in the world of nature for those who are denied them in the world of men: then, when they stand firm in face of persecution, they prove themselves to be in the right. The boycott that was imposed on the Prophet and his family in the seventh year of the prophetic mission was just such an example. As a result of this boycott the whole of the Banu Hashim clan, with the exception of Abu Lahab, were besieged in a mountain ravine, called Shi’b Abi Talib. The manner in which these people quietly endured all this cruel oppression was bound to have an effect on the conscience of others. And it did.
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Within three years, people like Abu’l-Bakhtari, Hisham ibn ‘Amr, Zubayr ibn Umayyah, Zam’ah ibn al-Aswad and Mut’am ibn ‘Adi broke away from the ranks of the enemy, openly challenging the propriety of the pact by which this boycott had been imposed on the Banu Hashim. The pact collapsed, and the Banu Hashim were rescued from their terrible plight.
The most important thing about patience is, that it qualifies one for divine succour. Patient perseverance in pursuit of a worthy cause means putting one’s own affairs in the hands of the Lord of the Universe. It is inconceivable that those who trust in Almighty God, for the sake of a just cause, should find themselves forsaken.
There are various ways in which this divine succour manifests itself. The human mind can neither understand nor fathom them. Some of the forms which divine succour takes, however, have been mentioned in the Quran. When Muslims confront non-Muslims in the field of battle, for instance, divine succour compensates for their inferior resources: calmness and confidence enter the hearts of the believers, while fear weakens their opponents: Believers, remember God’s goodness to you when there came against you hosts. We unleashed against them a wind and soldiers you could not see. God saw all that you were doing.15
This verse deals with the Battle of the Trench (A.D. 627) when God sent two things—wind and an army of angels in support of the ‘believers. There is nothing, extraordinary about wind. There is nowhere that it does not blow. But at a special time, and in a special place, it was made to blow faster, thus assisting the believers.
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This shows that when God decides to help anyone, he makes normal physical happenings assume a certain intensity, which ensures success.
As for the army of angels, they did not come and wield their swords alongside the Muslims. They provided psychological rather than military support. What they did, as on several other occasions, was “give courage to the believers, and cast terror into the hearts of the infidels.”16 They made the enemy appear as a “smaIl band,” while the Muslims were made to appear as a “great army” in the eyes of their enemies.17
During the reign of the second Caliph, ‘Umar (A.D. 634-644), the Muslim army landed at Qadsiyyah, on the threshold of Iran under the leadership of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas. They had to stay there longer than expected, and it was not long before their provisions ran out. Sa’d then sent a few men to look for some cattle, which they could eat. They met an Iranian, whom they asked whether there were any goats or cows around.
Although—the Iranian was a shepherd himself, he denied all knowledge of there being any animals in the vicinity. He had hidden his own flock in a dense jungle nearby on hearing of the presence of the Muslim army. But then an ox called out: “The shepherd is lying. We are here, in this under-growth.”
On hearing the cry the Muslims entered the wood, seized of a few of the beasts, and took them before Sa’d. When the rest of the army heard the story they were very happy and interpreted it as a sign that God’s succour was with them.
But, as the historian Ibn’ al-Taqtaqi has written, one should not be under the impression that the ox actually called out, “We are here,” in Arabic. It lowed as oxen usually do, and from its sound the Muslims realized that cattle were hidden in the undergrowth.
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| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الأربعاء 06 يوليو 2022, 11:56 pm | |
| TRUSTING IN GOD The Quran sums up the Islamic method in the following words: And if they incline to peace, incline you also to it, and put your trust in God. Surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing. Should they seek to deceive you, God is All-sufficient for you.18 This shows that the true Islamic method is to pursue our aims peacefully. Even when there is a fear that our opponents may deceive us, Muslims should still put their trust in God, and be ready to make peace. What this means is that we should concentrate our efforts in that field of action where—without any confrontation with others—there are opportunities for us to advance. As for other fields, those in which no opportunities present themselves—one should let the forces of nature go to work. If we reserve our efforts for those areas in which we are able to operate effectively, God will help us in others where we can do nothing. If we leave the arena of action that has been allotted to us, and seek to operate in some other where we have been afforded no opportunities, it is as if we have tried to function not from our own arena, but from God’s. To try to usurp God in His work can only lead to His displeasure; it cannot earn us His succour. 159 NOTES 1. Quran, 74:1-7. 2. Quran, 6:15. 3. Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, The Glorious Quran, London, 1938. 4. Sardar Pooran Singh, Article “Bravery.” 5. Quran, 9:26. 6. Ibn Hisham, Tahzib Sirah, vol.2, p. 107. 7. Hadith of Abu Dawud. 8. Hadith of Ahmad, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq. 9. Tahzib Sirat Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 67. 10. Hadith related by AI-Bazar. 11. Hadith of Ahmad, on the authority of Ibn Sa’d. 12. Quran, 3:146. 13. Quran, 30:60. 14. Quran, I4:12. 15. Quran, 33:19. 16. Quran, 8:12. 17. Quran, 8:44. 18. Quran, 8:61-62. 161 seeking the grace of God and His good will. Their marks are on their faces, the traces of their prostrations. Thus they are described in the Torah and in the Gospel: (they are) like the seed which puts forth its shoot and strengthens it, so that it rises stout and firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers. Through them God seeks to enrage the unbelievers. God has promised those of them who will believe and do good work forgiveness and a rich reward.1 The reference to the Torah in this verse is made with regard to the individual qualities of the companions of the Prophet. The reference to the Bible shows their qualities when they came together as a group. Their individual qualities developed in Makkah, whereas their qualities as a community emerged in Madinah. Biographies of the Prophet usually treat their subject as if he were a person endowed with great magical powers, one who by mysterious means brought the whole of Arabia under his wing. These books read like fairy stories; even events, which have no miraculous content, have been given a fanciful miraculous interpretation. Take the case of Suhayb ibn Sanan’s migration from Makkah to Madinah. When some Quraysh youths blocked his path, Suhayb pleaded with them: “If I let you have all my property, will you let me go?” They said that they would. Suhayb had a few ounces of silver with him. He gave it all to them and carried on to Madinah. According to a tradition in Bayhaqi, Suhayb said that when the Prophet saw him in Madinah he told Suhayb that his trading, that is, his handing over of his property to the Quraysh, had been very profitable. 162 Suhayb, according to the tradition, was astounded, for no one had arrived in Madinah before him who could have brought the news. “It must have been Gabriel who told you,” he said to the Prophet. But the same event has been related by Ibn Marduyah and Ibn Sa’d. According to them, Suhayb told his own story in these words: I carried on until I reached Madinah. When the Prophet heard about my handing over my property to the Quraysh he said: “Suhayb has profited! Suhayb has profited!”2 The fact that the Prophet led such a simple life means that it is simple for others to follow his example. He was a human being like any other, but his life was a perfect pattern for others. According to al-Bukhari, he used to stumble on the road like anyone else. Indeed, the reason his congregation refused to believe that he was the receiver of divine revelation was the very fact that, to all appearances, the Prophet appeared just like any normal human being: You make transactions in the town. You seek a livelihood just as we do.3 The truth is that the greatness of the Prophet’s life lies in its being a human event rather than a far-fetched tale of inimitable miraculous actions. The Prophet was God’s humble and very human servant, and, having been chosen by God to spread His message, he was helped by Him at every critical hour. In this sense his success was miraculous, but the Prophet himself was in no way endowed with miraculous powers. It is rather the human aspect of his life, which emerges from a study of the Quran. 163 |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 12:00 am | |
| THE BEGINNING OF THE PROPHET’S PUBLIC MISSION
When, at the age of forty, the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation, he reacted as any normal human being would in such a situation. He was meditating in the Cave of Hira’ at the time. Petrified, he returned home, where his wife Khadijah was waiting for him. Being an impartial judge, she was in a position to view the situation objectively.
She was able to see that the Prophet’s experience, far from being a bad dream, must have been a sign that he had been chosen by God. “It cannot be,” she said, “God will surely never humiliate you. You are kind to your relatives; you always give the weak a helping hand; you help those who are out of work to stand on their own feet again; you honour guests. When people are in trouble you give them assistance.”4
The Prophet went about his task in a manner befitting one who was to preach a new message in a society attached to traditional beliefs and customs. He proceeded cautiously, following an entirely natural sequence. At first he had to work in secret. This is how the historian Ibn Kathir describes an incident that occurred at the beginning of the Prophet’s mission: ‘Ali, son of Abu Talib and cousin of the Prophet, came into the Prophet’s house while he and Khadijah were praying. He asked his cousin what they were about. The Prophet told him that this was God’s religion, the path that God had chosen Himself. It was to call people to this path that He had sent His prophets to the world.
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“Believe in One God,” the Prophet said. “He has no partner. Worship Him alone. Forsake the idols Lat and ‘Uzza.’ “I have heard nothing of this nature before today,” ‘Ali replied. “I cannot make a decision until I have talked the matter over with my father, Abu Talib.”
But the Prophet did not want anyone to know about his secret until the time had come for it to be made public. “‘Ali,” he said. “If you are not ready to become a Muslim, keep the matter to yourself“ ‘Ali waited for one night, then God made his heart incline towards Islam. He went back to the Prophet early in the morning.
“What was it that you were telling me yesterday?” He asked. Bear witness that there is none worthy of being served save God. He is One. He has no partner. Forsake Lat and ‘Uzza, and disown all those who are set up as equals with God.” ‘Ali did this and became a Muslim.
Then, in fear of Abu Talib, he used to come and see the Prophet secretly. ‘Ali kept his Islam a secret; he did not tell anyone about it.”5
Even later, when the first Muslims among the tribes of Aws and Khazraj returned to Madinah, they followed the same policy. According to the historian Tabarani, “They returned to their people and invited them, secretly, to embrace Islam.”
Throughout his entire public mission, the Prophet was very careful not to take any initiative until he was quite sure that he possessed the necessary resources. ‘A’ishah, wife of the Prophet and daughter of Abu Bakr, tells how, when the Prophet had gathered 38 followers around him, Abu Bakr urged him to publicize his mission.
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Abu Bakr was of the opinion that the prophet and his companions should go out into the open, and publicly preach Islam. But the Prophet said to him: “No, Abu Bakr, we are too few.” The same thing happened in the sixth year of the Prophet’s mission, when ‘Umar accepted Islam. He protested to the Prophet: “Why should we keep our Islam a secret, when we are right. And why should others be allowed to publicize their faith, when they are in the wrong?”
The Prophet gave ‘Umar the same reply that he had given Abu Bakr several years earlier: “We are too few, ‘Umar.” As long as the Prophet remained in Makkah, he continued this cautious posture. Until after the emigration, with the consolidation of Muslim ranks, when the armed Quraysh advanced on Madinah to extirpate the Islam and Muslims then permission was given to Muslims to counter the Quraysh. The first battle fought between the Muslims and their antagonists was the Battle of Badr. “Whoever is successful on this day,” the Prophet said as the battle began, “will be successful in times to come.” The meaning of the Prophet’s remark was that the time for Muslims to take positive initiatives was only when they were in a position to fashion a new future for Islam. If their actions were not likely to produce such results, it was better for them to be patient. One thing is quite clear from biographies of the Prophet.
When the task of public preaching devolved upon him, he became very conscious of the greatness of this task, realizing that it would require his complete and single-minded attention. He hoped that his family would look after him financially so that, freed from having to look for a livelihood; he would be able to concentrate on his preaching work.
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He called ‘Abd al-Muttalib’s family together in his own house. There were about thirty family members at that time. The Prophet told them what his true mission in life now was. He asked for their support, so that he would be free to discharge his prophetic duties. This is how Imam Ahmad describes the incident, on the authority of ‘A’ishah: “Banu Muttalib,” the Prophet said, “I have been sent to you in particular, and to the whole of mankind in general. Who will swear allegiance to me and become my brother and companion? Who will fulfill my debts and my promises on my behalf? Who will look after my family affairs for me? He will be with me in heaven.” Someone spoke up: “Muhammad, you are an ocean. Who can come forward and accept such responsibility?”6
The Prophet’s own family were not ready to accept responsibility for him. ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle, was financially in a position to look after his nephew. Yet even he remained silent, for fear that this responsibility would devour his wealth. God, however, helped His Prophet, first through the Prophet’s wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and later on through Abu Bakr, whose wealth saw the Prophet through the years in Madinah.
The Prophet displayed boyish enthusiasm in his efforts to communicate the faith to others. The historian Ibn Jarir tells, on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn al-’Abbas, how the nobles of the Quraysh had gathered around the Ka’bah one day, and called for the Prophet. He came quickly, thinking that they might be feeling some leanings towards Islam.
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He was always eager that his people should accept the guidance of Islam. The thought of their being doomed was a great distress to him. It transpired, however, that they had just wanted to pick a quarrel. Acceptance of Islam was the last thing on their minds. The Prophet talked to them at length, then went away in distress. Ibn Hisham takes up the story: The Prophet returned to his home sad and disillusioned, for the hopes that he had for his people when they called him had been dashed. He had seen how far people were from accepting his message.7
When the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, lay dying, people came to him and asked him to settle matters between his nephew and themselves before he died. “Take an undertaking from him on our behalf, and one from us on his behalf, so that he should have nothing to do with us, nor us with him,” they said. Abu Talib called his nephew, and asked him what he wanted of the people. The Prophet replied that he just wanted them to testify that there was none worthy of being served save God, and forsake all other objects of worship. His people, however, were unwilling to accept this. When everyone went away, Abu Talib said to his nephew: “You know, I don’t think it was anything very difficult that you asked of them.” On hearing his uncle’s words, the Prophet’s hopes soared, for now perhaps he would accept Islam. “Uncle,” he said, “then why don’t you testify to the oneness of God, so that I may be able to intercede for you on the Day of Judgement?”8 The Prophet was sorely disappointed that his uncle never accepted Islam.
The dedication with which the Prophet applied himself to his task was total, all his mental and physical energy being channelled into it.
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Not only his time, but also his property went into the furtherance of the Islamic cause. Before the start of his mission, the Prophet had become quite rich by virtue of his marriage to the wealthy Khadijah. At the beginning of the Makkan period, the Quraysh sent ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’ah to talk to the Prophet. As Ibn Kathir explains, he soon found himself being won over; (an event which was unfortunately misinterpreted by his kinsmen as being due to the love of the Prophet’s wealth): Afterwards ‘Utbah stayed at home and did not go out to see anybody. “Fellow Quraysh,” Abu Jahl said, “It seems to me that ‘Utbah has become attracted towards Muhammad. He must have been taken by the food that Muhammad offered him. This can only be due to some need of his. Let’s go and see him.” So off they went. “Utbah,” Abu Jahl said, “we have come to see you because we are sure that you have taken a liking to Muhammad and his religion. Look, if you want we can accumulate enough money to ensure that you will not have to go to him to be fed.” ‘Utbah became angry, and swore that he would never speak to Muhammad again!9
Similarly, Walid ibn Mughirah once came to see the Prophet. When the latter recited some verses of the Quran to him, Walid was very impressed by the style of the Book of God. When Abu Jahl heard about this, he went to see Walid, and told him that people would make a collection for him, because he was obviously in need of some money, and had gone to Muhammad for this purpose.
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The Prophet, then, was financially very well placed when he commenced anything, he wants them to find right guidance. This means that he makes allowances for the needs of every individual that he is addressing, and casts his words in a mould that will be understandable to them.
No one followed this pattern more completely than the Prophet of Islam. Night and day, he was busy preaching the word of God. But his preaching was far from a bland repetition of certain set speeches. He used to take in consideration the nature of his congregation in formulating his message.
On one occasion, in the early days in Makkah, the Prophet preached Islam to Abu Sufyan and his wife Hind. This is how he framed his address: Abu Sufyan ibn Barb, Hind bint ‘Utbah. You are going to die, then you will be raised up. The good will then be admitted into heaven, and the wicked will enter hell. I am telling you the truth.10
The historian Ibn Khuzaymah has recorded the following conversation between a member of the Makkan nobility Hasin, and the Prophet Muhammad “Tell me, Hasin,” the Prophet said, “how many gods do you worship?” “Seven on earth and one in heaven,” Hasin replied. “Whom do you call on when you are in trouble?” the Prophet asked. The one in heaven,” Hasin answered. “And whom do you call on when you have suffered loss wealth?” the Prophet asked again. “The one in heaven came the same reply. “He alone answers your prayers,” the Prophet said, “Then why do you set up others as His equals?”11
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Imam Ahmad has reported, on the authority of Abu Umamah, that a man from a certain tribe came to the Prophet, and asked him what teachings he had brought from God.
“That relationships should be strengthened and wrongful killing avoided. Roads should be left open. Idols should be broken. Only one God should be served; no others should be set up with Him as His equals,” was the Prophet’s reply.
After he had reached Madinah, however, when he sent a formal invitation to the people of Najran, he presented his message in a different manner: I call you to serve God rather than men, and to acknowledge the sovereign power of God rather than that of men.12
The Quran itself provided a constant and important basis of the Prophet’s preaching work. Whenever the Prophet met anybody, he would recite a passage of the Quran to him.
Often phrases like, “He made mention Islam, and read some of the Quran to them,” or “He presented the message of Islam before them, and recited to them a passage of the Quran,” recurred in traditions concerning the Prophet’s preaching mission. The Quran possessed extraordinary magnetism for the Arabs. Even some of the direst enemies of Islam used to steal up to the Prophet’s house at night, put their ears to the wall, and listen to him reciting the Quran. The sublime style of the Quran used to have the most profound impact on the Prophet’s people. Take the case of Walid ibn Mughirah who once came to the Prophet on behalf of the Quraysh.
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When the Prophet read him a passage of the Quran, Walid was so impressed that he went back to the Quraysh and told them that the Quran was a literary work of such unsurpassable excellence that it overshadowed everything else. Recitation of the Quran was, in those days, a common method of preaching Islam. When Mus’ab ibn Zubayr was sent to Madinah as a preacher, he used to “talk to people, and recite a passage of the Quran to them.” That was why people came to know him as “al-Muqri”, the reciter of the Quran.
During his time in Makkah the Prophet’s preaching was always conducted on a refined intellectual level. It was dominated by the lofty literary standard set by the Quran.
The Prophet’s opponents, on the other hand, could offer only abuse and opprobrium in reply. Sensible people in Makkah could not help but come to the conclusion that Muhammad’s opponents had nothing concrete to offer in support of their case. According to Ibn Jarir, some of the nobles of the Quraysh planned to call a meeting and talk to the Prophet. Their intention was “to place themselves above reproach as far as he was concerned” that is, to assure him that they had nothing to do with the base tactics being followed by the Prophet’s direst enemies. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 12:04 am | |
| THE APTITUDE OF THE ARABS
Now we come to the factors that produce the reaction that Islamic preaching evokes. However untiring the efforts of the preacher, and no matter how accurately he presents the true message of Islam, it is more the disposition of his audience that determines whether his call is accepted or not.
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The character of the Arabs was a valuable factor, which contributed towards their acceptance of Islam. They were simple human beings, brought up in simple, natural surroundings. Despite their superficial ignorance and stubbornness, they retained the qualities of their environment. Thirty million square kilometres of desert, the hot, bare, hard country in which they lived, was an ideal breeding ground for the most lofty human values. An average Arab had just one source of income—his camel. But if he had guests he would sacrifice this invaluable beast in order to provide them with food. If a victim of oppression took refuge with an Arab in his tent, he knew he had a friend who would give his own life in defence of the wronged. Even plunderers did their looting in a chivalrous manner. If they wanted to snatch clothes and jewellery off a tribe’s womenfolk, they would not allow themselves to snatch them off the womens’ bodies with their own hands: instead, they would tell the women to hand over their valuables, and they themselves would look in the opposite direction, so that they did not catch sight of them while they were taking off their clothes.
It would be misleading to think of the desert Arabs as pure simpletons who knew nothing. They were a highly intelligent, alert people, quick to penetrate to the depths of a matter.
Seven Muslim converts came to the Prophet from a certain tribe. They told him that they had learnt five things during the time of ignorance that preceded Islam. They would adhere to these principles, they said, unless the Prophet gave them other instructions.
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The Prophet then asked them what these characteristics that they had inherited from the time of ignorance were. “Thankfulness in times of affluence,” they answered, “and patience in times of difficulty. Steadfastness on the field of battle and resignation to fate. We learnt not to rejoice over another’s setbacks, even if it was one’s own enemy that was afflicted.” “These people are intellectuals, men of letters,” the Prophet said when he heard this. “They are cast in the mould of prophets. How wonderful their words.”13
Damad, a practising exorcist belonging to the tribe of Banu Azdashanuah once came to Makkah. People there told him about the Prophet. “He is possessed by an evil spirit,” they said. Damad went to see the Prophet, thinking that he might be able to cure him. But when he heard the Prophet’s words, his attitude changed. “I have heard soothsayers and conjurors,” he said. “I have seen the works of poets. But I have never come across anything of this nature. Give me your hand,” he said to the Prophet. “Let me swear allegiance to you.” As was his custom, the Prophet did not give a long talk on this occasion. Actually this was all he said: Praise be to God. We praise Him and seek help from Him. One whom God guides, no one can send astray, and one whom God sends astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is none worthy of being served save God. He has no equal.14
In these few words Damad found a wealth of meaning. “Say that again,” he requested the Prophet. “Your words are as deep as the ocean.”15
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For an Arab there was no question of any discrepancy between words and deeds. He himself was true to his word, and expected others to be the same. As soon as he comprehended the truth of a matter, he accepted it. According to the Prophet’s biographer, Ibn Ishaq, the Banu Sa’d tribe sent Damam ibn Tha’labah to the Prophet on their behalf He arrived in Madinah, sat his camel down near the gate of the mosque and tied it up. Then he went inside. The Prophet was sitting there with his companions. Damam was a brave and intelligent man. He stood in front of the gathering and asked: “Who among you is the son of ‘Abdul Muttalib?” “I am,” the Prophet replied. “Muhammad,” Damam said, “I am going to ask you a few questions, and am going to be quite severe in my questioning. I hope you won’t mind.” “Not at all,” the Prophet replied. “You can ask what you like.” “Will you swear to me by the name of your God and the God of those before you, and the God of those who will come after you, that God has sent you as His Prophet?” “By God, yes,” the Prophet replied.
“Will you swear to me,” Damam continued, “by the name of your God, and the God of those before you, and the God of those who will come after you, that God has told you to exhort us to worship Him alone and ascribe no partners to Him; that He has commanded you to tell us to forsake idol worship, and all the things that our forefathers used to worship?” “By God, yes,” the Prophet replied. “I ask you to swear to me,” Damam said once again, “by the name of your God and the God of those before you, and the God of those who will come after you that has God commanded that we should pray five times a day.”
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Damam then asked about zakat (alms), fasting, Hajj (pilgrimage) and all the other injunctions of Islam, framing each question in the same manner. When he had finished his questioning, and the Prophet had given him the same simple answer to every question, Damam spoke these words: I bear witness that there is none worthy of being served save God, and Muhammad is the Prophet of God. I shall discharge these obligations, and I shall avoid the things you have prohibited. I shall do no more and no less.16
He then mounted his camel and rode away. When he reached his people, he told them what had happened. Before the day was out, all the men and women who had been awaiting his home-coming had accepted Islam. There was not a trace of hypocrisy in these people. They knew only acceptance or denial—nothing in between. When they made a promise, they fulfilled it, come what may. No threat of loss of life or property could prevent them from converting their words into actions. Such was the nature of the Arab temperament. Historians have described the speeches of both the Aws and the Khazraj¬—the two tribes of Madinah—on the occasion of the Second Oath of Allegiance. They have all the lustre, which distinguished their race.
‘Abbas ibn ‘Ubaydah had this to say: “People of Khazraj, do you know what you are committing yourselves to, swearing allegiance to this man? You are committing yourselves to war with men of all races. Think about this. If, when you incur loss of life and property, you are going to send him back to his people, then, it is better that you do so now.
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If you do so later on, it will mean humiliation for you in both this world and the next. But if you think you will be able to keep your promises, however much loss you incur, and however many of your leaders are killed, then take him with you to Madinah. This will be better for you in both this world and the next.”
Everyone said in unison that they would take the Prophet with them, no matter what loss of life and property they incurred. “What will we have in return if we keep our word?”
They asked the Prophet. “Paradise,” he replied. “Hold out your hand to us,” they cried out. He extended his hand and accepted their allegiance. 17
These were not mere words on the part of the Ansar; they were words borne out by actions. Even when the Muslims became dominant, they did not demand any political compensation for the sacrifices they had made. They were quite willing to let the Caliphate remain in the hands of the Makkans. They did not seek reward in this world, but were content to leave this world to others and, to look forward to their reward in the next world from God. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 12:07 am | |
| THE ALL–PERVASIVENESS OF THE PROPHET’S MESSAGE
The Prophet’s biographer, Ibn Ishaq, tells how the Quraysh nobility once gathered at the house of Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle. Among those present were ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi’ah, Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, Umayyah ibn Khalf and Abu Sufyan ibn Barb, all outstanding leaders of the Quraysh. Through Abu Talib, they asked the Prophet what it was he wanted to them.
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‘Just one thing,” who had accumulated 40,000 dirhams from his trading, put all his capital into the service of Islam. When he and the Prophet emigrated from Makkah to Madinah, he took 6000 dirhams with him—enough to finance the entire expenses of the journey. ‘Uthman donated 10,000 dinars towards the expedition to Tabuk in A.H. 9. On one occasion alone, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf gave 500 horses, to be used in the service of the Islamic cause. So it was with others who accepted Islam. Just as they themselves entered the Islamic fold, so their properties became part of the Islamic treasury.
Belief in one God is the only creed, which does not allow for any social distinction or racial prejudice. For this reason the masses flock to join any movement which rises on the basis of this creed. They realize that under the banner of monotheism all people become equal in the real sense. As humble servants of one great God, they all become true human beings with a right to human dignity. By finding their true place in the world, they achieve the greatest position that man can aspire to. When Mughirah ibn Shu’bah entered the court of the Iranian warrior, Rustam, he made a speech to the courtiers gathered there. As Ibn Jarir explains, his words had a devastating effect on all who heard them: The lower classes said: “By God, this Arabian has spoken the truth.” As for the upper classes: they said, “By God, he has attacked us with words which our slaves will find irresistible. God damn our predecessors. How stupid they were to think lightly of this community.20
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When, in the thirteenth year of the Prophet’s mission, he and Abu Bakr arrived in Madinah, about 500 people came to meet him. They greeted the newcomers with these words: Welcome! You are both safe with us. We accept you as our leaders.21
It was the Prophet’s preaching alone which had made him leader of the people of Madinah. The first inhabitant of Madinah to whom the Prophet had preached Islam was probably Suwayd ibn Samit al-Khazraji. When the Prophet had given him an outline of the teachings of Islam, Suwayd said: “It seems that your message is the same as mine.”
“What’s your message?”, the Prophet asked. “The wisdom of Luqman,” Suwayd replied. When the Prophet asked him to explain the wisdom of Luqman, Suwayd recited a few poems.
“I have the Quran,” the Prophet said, “which is far superior to this.” He then recited a few verses of the Quran, and Suwayd immediately accepted Islam. He went back to Madinah and preached the message of Islam to his own tribe, but they killed him.22
After this, a chieftain of Madinah, Abu’l Haysar Anas ibn Rafi’, came to Makkah. With him was a group of youths of the Banu ‘Abd al-Ashhal tribe. They had come to Makkah to make an alliance with the Quraysh on behalf of the Khazraj, one of the main tribes of Madinah who were embroiled in a conflict with the other main tribe, the Aws. The Prophet heard that they were in Makkah. He went to see them and said: “Shall I tell you about something even better than what you have come for?”
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He then went on to explain to them the meaning of belief in One God. There was a youth among them called Ayas ibn Mu’adh, who told his people that what the Prophet had told them was much better than what they had come for. The delegation, however, did not agree. “Leave us alone,” they said, “We are here on other business.” They returned to Madinah. Soon afterwards there was waged the vicious and devastating battle between the Aws and Khazraj known as Bu’ath.
According to Khubayb ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, two people from Madinah, Sa’d ibn Zararah and Zakwan ibn Qays, came to Makkah and stayed with ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’ah. When they heard about the Prophet, they went to see him. The Prophet called on them both to accept Islam and recited to them a passage of the Quran. They accepted the Prophet’s invitation, and became Muslim. Rather than return to the house of their host, ‘Utbah, they went straight back to Madinah after seeing the Prophet. They were the first to communicate the message of Islam to the people of Madinah. This was in the tenth year of the Prophet’s mission, three years before the emigration to Madinah.
In the following year, six people from the Khazraj tribe came to Makkah for Hajj. They became Muslim, swore allegiance to the Prophet, and then returned to Madinah to propagate Islam there. Then, in the twelfth year of the Prophet’s mission, twelve people came to swear allegiance to the Prophet. The oath that they took, at ‘Aqabah near Makkah, is famous in Islamic history as the First Oath of ‘Aqabah. There followed another pact, in the same place, the next year, in which 75 people participated.
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Contrary to what happened in Makkah, the outstanding personalities of the city of Madinah accepted Islam at the very outset. According to tribal custom, people in those days used to follow the religion of their leaders. Islam, then, spread quickly in Madinah. Soon there was not a single home into which Islam had not entered. It was only natural that, as the Muslims achieved a majority in Madinah, they should become the dominant force in the city’s affairs. And so it was that, as Tabarini has reported, “the Muslims were the most influential people in the city.” |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 12:11 am | |
| FACTORS WORKING IN FAVOUR OF PREACHING WORK
There are always some who resist the corruption of the world they live in, and remain attached to their own true, primordial, natures. This is true of every day and age, but it was especially true of the Arabs when the Prophet commenced his mission. Besides the simple way of life to which they were accustomed, there was the legacy of the religion of Abraham, which made many inclined to seek out the truth, and turn away from idol-worship. Such people were commonly known as hanif, or upright. Quss ibn Sa’idah and Waraqah ibn Nawfal were among these hunafa’. So was Jandub ibn ‘Amr al-Dawsi.
During the period of ignorance that preceded Islam, he was known to have said: I know that there must be a Creator of all this creation, but I do not know who He is.23
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When he heard about the Prophet, he came with 75 of his fellow tribesmen and accepted Islam. Abu Dharr al Ghifari was another such person. As soon as he heard about he prophet, he sent his brother to Makkah to find out more about him. One sentence of the account that Abu Dharr’s brother later gave him ran as follows: I saw a man whom people call irreligious. I have never seen anyone who more resembles you.24 People such as these had no trouble in understanding the truth of the Prophet’s message.
The preacher of God’s word is like a planter who goes out to sow seeds. If sometimes his seeds fall on barren round, there are other times when they fall in places, which produce a good yield, without the planter even knowing it. Certain people took a considerable time to accept Islam.
This does not mean that the truth of Islam finally dawned on them all of a sudden. The Prophet lived a life of the highest moral calibre. Moreover, he spent his whole time preaching the word of God. Even the opposition to the Prophet proved to be a factor in his favour: it meant that his personality and his message were topics of conversation. All these things had contributed to planting the seed of Islam in the minds of many Arabs. Adherence to tribal tradition, and ancestor worship were still extant, and this sometimes made it appear that there was stiff opposition to Islam, but all the while, in people’s hearts the seed of Islam was silently growing.
It is generally thought that ‘Umar’s acceptance of Islam, for instance, came all of a sudden, under the influence of a certain event.
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It would be more accurate, however, to say that it was this event which put the final seal on his faith, which had been developing for some time within his soul.
Well before ‘Umar had accepted Islam, when he appeared to be in the forefront of the opposition to the Prophet’s mission, some Muslims emigrated to Abyssinia. Umm ‘Abdullah bint Abi Hathmah was one of them. She tells her own story in these words: We were setting off for Abyssinia. My husband, ‘Amir, had gone to collect some of his belongings. All of a sudden, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, a man who had subjected us to untold suffering and torment, came and stood next to me. He had not up to that point accepted Islam.”
‘Umm ‘Abdullah,” he said to me, “are you going away somewhere?” “We are,” I replied, “for you people inflict such suffering upon us, and torment us so, that we must go and seek a place for ourselves in God’s land. We will keep going until God releases us from our affliction.”
“May God go with you,” ‘Umar said, and tears were running down his face as he was talking. I had never seen him act like this before. Then he went on his way, and he was certainly very sad to see us leave Makkah.25
In every day and age some ideas take root in the popular psyche. Before these ideas are banished, no new message, however rational it may be, can become acceptable. The opposition, which the Arabs first presented to the message of Islam, was not just the result of stubbornness or expediency on their part. Rather, it was genuinely difficult for them to understand how any religion which differed from that of the patrons of the Holy Ka’bah could be the true religion.
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Arab tribes living in the vicinity of Jewish areas were generally free of such restrictive creeds. They had often heard from the Jews that it was written in their scriptures that a Prophet would come among the Arabs. As the historian Tabarani explains, that was why it was easier for the people of Madinah to see the truth of Islam: When the Ansar heard the teachings of the Prophet, they remained silent. Their hearts were satisfied that what he preached was true. They had heard from the People of the Book what the Final Prophet would be like. They recognized the truth of his message. They confirmed his teachings, and believed in him.26
When the Prophet went to the fair of ‘Ukaz and, entering the tent of the Banu Kandah, explained his teachings, this is what one youth had to say in reply: My people, let us hurry and be the first to follow this man, for by God, the People of the Book used to tell us that a Prophet would arise from the Sacred Territory, and that his time has drawn nigh.27
The Aws and Khazraj had become intellectually prepared, then, for the coming of an Arab Prophet. When he came, it was comparatively easy for them to accept him. As far as the people of Makkah were concerned, however, and most of their compatriots along with them, truth could only be seen in terms of who controlled the Ka’bah. In ancient Arab tradition, the Ka’bah was thought of as a king’s crown. In fact, its symbolism was of a higher order even than that of a crown, for the latter brings with it only political power, whereas one who held sway over the Ka’bah was heir to a wealth of spiritual tradition as well.
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As the following conversation between Dhu’l Jawshan al-Dubba’i and the Prophet shows, Arabs, in their simplicity, could think of truth only in terms of who was in control of the House of God, the Ka’bah in Makkah: “Why don’t you accept Islam,” the Prophet said to Dhu’l Jawshan, “so that you may be counted among the first to have done so?” Dhu’I Jawshan said that he would not. The Prophet asked why. “I have heard that your people are after your blood,” Dhu’l Jawshan said. “Have you not heard about their defeat at Badr?” the Prophet asked. Dhu’I Jawshan said that he had. “We are only showing you the path of guidance,” the Prophet said.
Dhu’I Jawshan said that he would not accept Islam, until he (the Prophet) had conquered Makkah, and won control of the Ka ‘bah. “If you live, you will see this happen,” the Prophet said. Dhu’l Jawshan says that later he was with his family in Ghawr when a rider came up.
Dhu’l Jawshan asked him what was afoot. “Muhammad has conquered Makkah and taken control of the Sacred Territory,” he said. “Woe betide me,” Dhu’l Jawshan said. “If only I had accepted Islam on that day: if I had asked Muhammad for an emerald he would have given it to me.28
NOTES
1. Quran, 48:29.
2. Hadith related by lbn Marduyah and Ibn Sa’d.
3. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah.
4. Hadith of aI-Bukhari and Muslim.
5. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3, p. 24.
6. Hadith, Imam Ahmad on the authority of ’ A’ishah.
7. Tahzib Sirat Ibn Hisham, p. 68.
8. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah.
9. Ibid.
10. Hadith of Ibn ‘Asakir.
11. Al-Asabah, vol. 1.
12. Hadith of Imam Ahmad on the authority of Abu Umamah.
13. Hadith, Kanz al- ‘Ummal, vol. 1, p. 69.
14. Hadith of Muslim.
15. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3, p 36.
16. Ibid., vol. 5.
17. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 162.
18. Ibid., vol. II p. 123.
19. Ibid., vol. 4.
20. Tarikh al-Tabari, vol. 3, p. 36.
21. AI-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3.
22. Tarikh al-Tabari, p.234.
23. Ibn ‘Abdal-Barfi, AI-Isti’ab, vol. 2.
24. Hadith of Muslim, on the authority of ‘ Abdullah ibn al-Samit.
25. AI-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3, p. 79.
26. Related by al-Tabarani.
27. Abu Na’im, al-Dala’il.
28. Hadith of Tabarani. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 12:14 am | |
| REACTION TO THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM
When the Prophet of Islam commenced his preaching mission, he met with exactly the reaction one would expect from a society hearing a new message. People were at a loss “He thinks we are all fools, and considers our ancestors woefully astray. He insults our idols.” “He is insane, without doubt,” Umayyah added.30
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When ‘Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani preached Islam among his own tribe, the Juhaynah, one of them spoke up: “May God make you taste the bitterness of life, ‘Amr. Do you want us to forsake our idols, disunite our people, and contradict the religion of our righteous ancestors? The religion that this Quraysh from Tahamah preaches has no affection, no graciousness to it.”
He then went on to recite three verses, the last of which went like this: He seeks to prove that our forefathers were fools. One who acts thus can never prosper.3I
Some people were prevented by jealousy from accepting the message of Islam. The Prophet made no secret of the fact that he was sent by God; he proclaimed the fact to all and sundry. But people always find it very difficult to accept the fact that someone else has been given a knowledge of reality that they themselves have been denied. Bayhaqi has related, on the authority of Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, how Abu Jahl once took the Prophet aside and said to him, “By God, I know full well that what you say is true, but one thing stops me from believing. The Banu Qusayy say that they are the gate keepers of the Ka’bah, and I agree with them. They say that it is their job to bear water for pilgrims, and again I agree. They claim a place in the Dar al-Nadwah, and I agree that they have every right to it.
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They say that it is their responsibility to carry the standard in battle, and again I agree. Now they say that there is a Prophet among them. This I cannot accept.”32
For some people it was the threat of financial loss, which prevented them from accepting the message of Islam. The House of God at Makkah had been turned into a house of idol worship before the coming of the Prophet. People of every religion had placed their idols there. There were even statues of Jesus and Mary within the walls of the Ka’bah, which had thus become a place of pilgrimage for people of all denominations. This was why four months had been made sacred—so that people would be free to visit the Ka’bah during that time, without fear of being harmed or attacked on the way. During the four months that people used to flock to Makkah, Makkan traders did exceptionally good business.
Were the idols to be removed from the Ka’bah, people would stop visiting the city, and its inhabitants would suffer immense losses. So there were many people with a vested interest in the continuance of polytheistic practices. They feared that if monotheism were to spread in the land, Makkah would suffer drastically; the area would be reduced to the uncultivable valley that it basically was.
Added to this, the Quraysh, due to their position as patrons of the Ka’bah, had come to lord over tribes far and wide. Their caravans used to travel east and west, far beyond the boundaries of the peninsula. In accordance with long-standing pacts, they used to do business with tribes as far afield as Persia, Abyssinia and the Byzantine Empire.
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The Quraysh thought that their accepting Muhammad as a prophet could only result in neighbouring tribes—in fact all the polytheists of Arabia—breaking off the commercial agreements they had made with the Quraysh. That would also be the end of their hegemony over the Arabs. This is the meaning of the verse in the surah of the Quran entitled, al-Waqi’ah (The Event): “And have you made denial your means of livelihood.”33 The allusion is to the Quraysh’s notion that, by denying the Prophet Muhammad, and the monotheistic religion he taught, they were saving themselves from financial ruin.
Once the Prophet started to preach his message, his person became the subject of general curiosity. According to the historian Abu Ya’la, people who saw him used to ask one another: “Is this him?” He might be travelling amidst a host in a caravan, but people would single him out for mention. Anyone who came to Makkah would, among other things, take back news of the Prophet. “Muhammad, the son of, Abdullah, has laid claim to prophethood and the son of Abu Qahafah has followed him,” they would say. The Quraysh used to call the Prophet “muzammam,” meaning blameworthy, instead of Muhammad, meaning praiseworthy. They used to accuse him of insulting their ancestors. Once, as the Prophet’s biographer Ibn Hisham has related, when the Prophet noticed the litter which his fellow Quraysh had put in the street on which he was passing, he said in dismay: “What bad neighbours the Banu ‘Abd al-Manaf are.”34
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While the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, was alive, his enemies were unable to take any action against him for, according to tribal custom, aggression against the Prophet would have amounted to aggression against his whole tribe—the Banu Hashim. Before he accepted Islam, ‘Umar ibn Khattab once set off with the intention of killing Muhammad. It was only sufficient for someone to say to him, “How are you going to live with the Banu Hashim if you kill Muhammad?” for ‘Umar to change his mind. The same question faced anyone who sought to harm the Prophet.
Persecution in Makkah was mostly directed against slaves who had become Muslim—people who had no tribe to protect them. According to the Prophet’s close companion, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, in the early days in Makkah only seven men actually came out into the open about being Muslim: the Prophet himself, Abu Bakr, ‘Ammar, Sa’id, Suhayb, Bilal and Miqdad. “As for the Prophet, God protected him through his uncle. As for Abu Bakr, his tribe looked after him. The rest would be seized by the idolators who would put coats of armour on them, and lay them out in the boiling sun.”35
When the chief of the Banu Hashim, the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, died, an uncouth member of the Quraysh threw dirt at the Prophet and it stuck to him. When the latter reached home, one of his daughters, Fatimah, brushed the dirt off him. “The Quraysh did nothing nasty to me like this before,” the Prophet commented. It was only after the death of Abu Talib that they committed mean acts of aggression of this nature. As the Prophet’s companion, Abu Hurayrah, has pointed out, “the Quraysh used to treat the Prophet very harshly after the death of his uncle.”
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“Uncle, how quickly I have felt your loss,” the Prophet once lamented.36 The Quraysh even started planning to do away with the Prophet. It was during this period that Abu Jahl threw the intestines of an animal on to the Prophet’s head, and ‘Uqbah ibn Mu’it tied a sheet around his neck and pulled it tight in an attempt to strangulate him. Fortunately, it was unsuccessful. Now that Abu Talib was dead, it seemed as if there was nothing to stop vicious attacks on the Prophet’s person. The only thing that held people back was that nothing of this nature had happened before in Arabia; for a member of the Banu Hashim to be attacked and killed by his own fellow Quraysh would have been an action without precedent. Added to this, there were still people among the idolators whose consciences pricked them, who in their heart of hearts supported the Prophet. The first time that Abu Jahl made a murderous attack upon the Prophet, Abu’l Bakhtarl heard about it. He took a whip and went to the Ka’bah, where Abu Jahl was sitting triumphantly with his associates. Abu’l Bakhtari first made sure that Abu Jahl had really attacked the Prophet in this way, and, when it turned out that he had, he took his whip and struck Abu Jahl so hard on the head that the latter roared with pain.
One can see from the history of various religions how, even as a creed, polytheism has always been super-sensitive to criticism. But in ancient times polytheism was more than just a creed; it provided the very foundation of the structure of social orders. There were political reasons too, then, for the people’s fanatical attachment to polytheism. This was the situation in Makkah, and it was for this reason that the Prophet’s time there was such a supreme test of patience.
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Only a handful of people believed in him during the first three years of his mission. The town of Makkah was as devoid of supporters who would help the Prophet as it was of shade-giving trees. Only four people managed to remain close to him—’Ali, Zayd, Abu Bakr and Khadijah—five if one includes the first person who was born a Muslim, ‘A’ishah the daughter of Abu Bakr.
So the situation remained for three full years. When the Prophet left his house, he was greeted with derisive jeers in the street, as if he were a madman. One day—on the instigation of Abu Jahl—a group of people were abusing the Prophet. A passer-by was unable to put up with the sight of a person from a noble Quraysh family being treated in this manner. He went straight to the Prophet’s uncle, Hamzah.
“Have you lost all sense of honour?” he said. “You are sitting back while people are disgracing your nephew.” This was enough to ignite Hamzah’s sense of Arab pride. He had an iron bow, which he took with him and went to see Abu Jahl.
Striking the Prophet’s oppressor, he said: “I have adopted Muhammad’s religion as my own. If you have it in you, do something about it.”37
Hamzah was famed as a fighter all over Arabia. After he took this action, people gained new courage and the number of Muslims went up to thirty. At this time there were two highly influential people in Makkah—’Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. The Prophet offered a prayer to God: “Lord, strengthen Islam by means of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or Abu Jahl ibn Hisham.”
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This prayer was accepted in the former’s case. In the sixth year of the Prophet’s mission, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab accepted Islam. Along with him, several other people converted, and the number of Muslims increased to forty. During this period the Muslims had a hideout in Dar al-Arqam. According to the historian, Ibn Kathir, thirty-nine people used to gather there.
But such a small number could not combat the might of the conventional system, which in numbers and resources was far stronger. It was not long before oppression of the Muslims started again. The Prophet was subjected to every form of persecution, but all attempts to kill him failed. The tribal system was still protective to the Prophet. No one could dare to take his life, for to do so would have been to declare war on the whole of the Prophet’s tribe. He was not the only prophet to be defended in this way. The Prophet Shu’ayb’s people also refrained from killing him for the same reason, despite their desire to do so: They said: “O Shu’ayb, we do not understand much of what you say to us. And we see you weak among us. But for your tribe, we would have stoned you. You are not dear to us.”38
The Quraysh once presented a demand to the chief of the Banu Hashim, the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, that he should expel his nephew from the tribe. Only then would they be able to slay the Prophet. Abu Talib’s honour prevented him from taking this step. When Abu Talib, at the Quraysh’s behest, asked his nephew to stop criticizing their gods, the Prophet became concerned that his uncle was going to hand him over to the Quraysh. But Abu Talib immediately put his nephew’s mind at rest. “By God, I will never hand you over to anyone,” he told him.39
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When all else failed, the Quraysh decided, in the seventh year of the Prophet’s mission, to ostracize the Banu Hashim. Abu Talib took his nephew, and the whole of his family, out of Makkah, and they took up their abode in ravine known after Abu Talib. Except for a few wild trees, there was nothing in this mountain pass. For three years Abu Talib’s family lived on the leaves and roots of these trees. Their only respite was during the four sacred months, when the Banu Hashim used to come to Makkah. They would take back animals of sacrifice and live for a few months on the dried meat that they prepared.
After three years, in the tenth year of the Prophet’s mission, the pact to ostracize him that the Quraysh had made among themselves came to an end. The Banu Hashim were now able to return to Makkah. But the strain of the time in exile had been too much for Abu Talib, and he died in the same year (A.D. 620). ‘Abd al-’Uzza, known as Abu Lahab, became chief of the Banu Hashim. He was an implacable opponent of the Prophet, and took the decision that Abu Talib had held back from: he expelled the Prophet from his tribe.
NOTE:
29. Hadith of Bayhaqi.
30. Al-Asabah, vol. 2, p. 210.
31. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol.2.
32. Ibid., vol. 3.
33. Quran, 56: 82.
34. Tahzib Sirat Ibn Hisham, p. 86.
35. Hadith of Imam Ahmad, on the authority of Ibn Mas’ud.
36. Abu Na’im, al-Hilyah.
37. Hadith of Tabarani.
38. Quran 11: 91.
39. Tahzib Sirat Ibn Hisham, p.60. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 3:54 am | |
| EXPULSION
To expel an Arab from his tribe in those days was like putting him out among a pack of wolves. There was no government in those days, responsible for the safety of its citizens. There was only the tribal system, and one could only live under the protection of a tribe.
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In the pilgrims’ and sent messages to various people, asking them to take him under their personal protection so that he could return to the city. Eventually Mut’im ibn ‘Adi agreed to extend protection to the Prophet, who, shielded by the swords of Mut’im’s sons, once again entered the city walls.
Fairs, attended by tribes from all over Arabia, used to be held in various places in those days. The Prophet would go along and speak to different tribes, in the hope that one of them would agree to extend him protection. He explained his plight to his uncle ‘Abbas. “I am not safe here with you and your relatives. Will you take me to the fair tomorrow, so that we can visit people in their tents and talk to them?” he said to him.44
The Prophet would then go into people’s tents and, presenting himself before them, would enquire what protection they could afford him. He would tell them that his people had rejected him and expelled him from their midst.
“Protect me and grant me refuge so that I can continue to preach the faith that God has revealed to me.” Historians have mentioned the names of fifteen tribes that the Prophet approached individually, only to meet with one refusal after another. Although it was considered a shameful matter for someone to seek refuge of a tribe, and his request not be granted—in fact, this was the first notable example in Arab history of a person spending several years looking for a tribe to take him in—no one was prepared to shoulder this responsibility in the case of the Prophet. When a group from one tribe felt inclined to take pity upon the Prophet, one of their elders rebuked them: “His own tribe has expelled him and you intend to grant him protection.
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What do you want to do? Wage war upon the whole of the Arab nation?”45 He knew that to offer refuge to a person who had been disowned by his own tribe was to declare war against that tribe.
It was the Quraysh that had expelled him, and the Quraysh were masters of the entire Arab peninsula. To grant asylum to one expelled by them was to declare war on every Arab tribe—on everyone who looked up to the Quraysh as their leaders and guardians of the Holy Ka’bah. That was why, when the Ansar were swearing allegiance to the Prophet, Abu’l Haytham ibn al-Tayyihan warned them: “If you take him with you the whole Arab nation will descend upon you with one accord.”46
Added to this there was the fact that Arab border tribes had made pacts with neighbouring foreign powers. These tribes were afraid of repercussions if they took a controversial personality like the Prophet with them. As Ibn Kathir has explained in AI-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, the Prophet once went into the tent of the Banu Shayban ibn Tha’labah in Makkah, and talked with their elders. They were impressed by the Prophet’s words but finally decided that their position, on the border of Persia, was too precarious for them to take responsibility for the Prophet. As their spokesman, Hani ibn Qubaisah, put it, they had made pacts with the Persian emperor, and “it might be that kings will not take kindly to the message that you preach.”47
The Prophet was desperate to find a tribe that would afford him protection, for there was no other way that he could continue his mission.
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Once he went to see a tribe which went by the name of Banu ‘Abdullah. After the Prophet had, as usual, called them to Islam and presented himself to them, in the hope that they would grant him asylum, he said: “Banu ‘Abdullah, what a beautiful name your forefather had.” But they were untouched by his evident good will and rejected his proposals.48
The last three years of the Prophet’s time in Makkah were spent among various tribes, looking for one, which would grant him asylum. Yet despite his untiring efforts, not a single tribe was ready to take him in. Some of the people he approached used to taunt him, saying, “Isn’t it high time that you despaired of us?” Eventually God gave the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, which hailed from Madinah, the courage to extend the Prophet their support.
There was one special, psychological reason for their decision. In their vicinity dwelt Jewish tribes, notably the Jews of Khaybar, who had possession of the most fertile lands in the area as well as control of the region’s commerce. Many of the Aws and Khazraj were given employment by them, but the work was so hard and the recompense so inadequate that it was more like slavery for them. (Mention is made of this by the Prophet when, after the emigration to Madinah, he had his companions build the Prophet’s mosque with their own hands. According to Ibn Kathir, the Prophet commented that “this is not the labour of Khaybar; this is much more worthwhile and honest work.”) In a situation of economic domination by the Jews and their exploitation of the Madinan tribes, fighting often broke out between the Jews on the one side, and the Aws and Khazraj on the other.
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The Jews used to deride these tribes, telling them that a Prophet would soon come among the Arabs, and that when he did, they would join forces with him and totally eliminate the Aws and Khazraj.
When the Aws and Khazraj heard the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, they recognized him as the prophet the Jews had taunted them with, and they made haste to accept him before the Jews could do so. There were, of course, other historical reasons for it being comparatively easier for the Aws and Khazraj to understand the message brought by the Prophet, and to believe in him personally then it was for the other tribes. They did not deliberate long, therefore, before swearing allegiance to him.
So the time, which the Prophet had been awaiting for years, finally came. He had found a place in which, under tribal protection, he would be able to continue his struggle effectively. The Muslims of Makkah and the surrounding territories would be gathered together with one centre. The fact that the majority of the people of Madinah accepted Islam made it easier for the Muslims’ scattered resources to be brought together in one place, and used more effectively for the furtherance of the Islamic cause. When the Aws and the Khazraj swore allegiance, the Prophet quickly returned to his companions. “Praise God” he told them, “for today Rabi’ah’s offspring have as good as overcome the Persians.”49
The Prophet saw how Islam had been strengthened by the Ansar taking the Muslims in. He realized that it would now only be a matter of time before the Muslims conquered mighty Persia.
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The Prophet began to make preparations for emigration to Madinah. He was to take six months after the conversion of the Aws and Khazraj to do this. All this while he attempted to maintain the utmost secrecy, but still the idolators, the Quraysh, learnt of his plans to leave. They heard about the refuge that he had been granted in Madinah, and the protection that the Ansar had extended to him. The fact that the Ansar had accepted Islam also came to their notice, and they learned too that the Muslims were gathering in Madinah.
Plotting against the Prophet, they decided to take him captive at the moment of his departure and then either kill him or keep him prisoner.50 But their plans came to nothing. When all his arrangements were complete, he succeeded in slipping away quietly to his new abode.
NOTE:
44. AI-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3.
45. Abu Na’im, Dala’il al-Nubuwah.
46. Hadith of al-Tabarani.
47. AI-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3.
48. Ibid.
49. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 145.
50. Hadith of al-Tabarani on the authority of ‘Urwah. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 3:56 am | |
| 11- Islam comes to Madinah
Before the coming of Islam, the city of Madinah was known as Yathrib. Besides the two main tribes of the Aws and Khazraj, some Jewish tribes lived in the area, who had established their dominance by pursuing a policy of divide and rule. Their prime concern had always been to keep their Arab neighbours weak and disunited. Just five years before the Prophet emigrated to Madinah, the Khazraj, at the instigation of the Jews, rose up against the Aws. An Aws chieftain by the name of Abu’l Baysar Anas ibn Rafi’ went to Makkah along with a few of his fellows, in order to seek the help of the Quraysh. The Prophet, hearing about their arrival, went to see them, and invited them to accept Islam.
One of their company, a youth by the name of Ayas ibn Mu’adh, was impressed by the Prophet’s words. He told his companions that this was much better than what they had come for, but they did not agree. Abu’l Baysar threw some earth in Ayas’ face in disgust and told him to forget about what Muhammad had said, for they had other, more pressing business of their own. The Aws delegation returned without accepting Islam.
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Soon afterwards the Aws and Khazraj fought a war known as Bu’ath. The enmity between the two tribes had become so strong that each wished to obliterate the other. In this war the Khazraj first had the ascendancy. Then the Aws, under Abu Usayd, defeated the Khazraj. They inflicted heavy losses on one another, even burning houses and orchards. In this way the Arabs weakened themselves by their own internal warfare.
It was the Jews who benefited from this war, and their ascendancy in Madinah was further consolidated. When feelings cooled, responsible people of both the Aws and the Khazraj realized that they had made a grave mistake. They had played into the hands of their enemies. They had weakened themselves and strengthened the Jews. Many people in both tribes realized the need to rectify this situation. But this could be done only by both tribes agreeing to forgive and forget. The best way to achieve reconciliation would be by appointing a king to coordinate the peace¬making process. ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy of the Khazraj tribe, a man of personality and gifted with qualities of leadership, was chosen for this task. At this very juncture some Khazrajis travelled to Makkah on a pilgrimage. There they met the Prophet Muhammad. He told them that God had sent him with the true religion, and he called on them to believe in him. The Prophet’s words rang a bell in their minds. They remembered that the Jews used to tell them that a Prophet who would reign supreme would soon be coming.
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The Jews used to rejoice in the promise of his coming, for they envisaged joining forces with him to one another until they were annihilated. These thoughts ushered in a change of attitude. They began to think in terms of peace instead of war, of unity instead of civil conflict.
They started setting their relations with their neighbours in a wider context than that of the battlefield. They saw that the problem lay more between the Arab tribes of the Aws and Khazraj on one side, and the Jews on the other, than between the two Arab tribes themselves. If the Aws and Khazraj could unite on a single platform, they would be able to present a united front to the Jews. A unifying faith was just what they needed to heal the wounds of tribal conflict, and patch up the differences between the two tribes. And if they could find a leader acceptable to both sides, he would be able to see the process of reconciliation through to its completion. In the person of the Prophet Muhammad, they found the leader and the faith they needed. They rushed to accept his religion.
It was Islam, then, that benefited indirectly from the war of Bu’ath, for it made the Aws and Khazraj realize the futility of war and seek peace among themselves. This peace they found in Islam, and they united with one another as helpers of the Prophet. “The war of Bu’ath,” ‘A’ishah once said, “was a war that God brought about to create support for his Prophet.”
NOTES
1. Tahzib Sirat lbn Hisham, vol.2, p. 38. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 3:58 am | |
| 12- Emigration—From Makkah to Madinah
The Prophet’s emigration from Makkah to Madinah was the most important event of Islamic history. That is why the companions marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar with this event. But in order to understand the real significance of the emigration, it is necessary to remove the dust of legends and fairy tales that have, over the years, accumulated over the glass case of history.
One of these myths has grown up over the Prophet’s stay in the Cave of Thawr, on his way from Makkah to Madinah. The Quraysh were hot on his heels, and to hide from them, he took refuge in the cave. The story goes that, after the Prophet entered, God commanded a spider to weave a web at the door of the cave. Then He commanded a dove to come and lay an egg on top of the web, thus— providentially—giving the impression that the cave was uninhabited. But as is usual with such events, the facts of the Prophet’s emigration to Madinah have been exaggerated and distorted beyond recognition.
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This is clear from a perusal of the actual historical version of what happened. As the historian Ibn Kathir has pointed out, the most reliable account of events is that given by Imam Ahmad on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas. This is how the account goes: They (the Quraysh) followed close on the heels of the Prophet, but when they reached the mountain, they lost trace of him. They then climbed the mountain, and passed by a cave. Noting a spider’s web on the mouth of the cave, they said to one another, “If he had entered this cave, the spider’s web would not have remained intact.”1
It is not explicitly stated that the cave they saw was the cave of Thawr. Even if we accept that it was, then all that is clear from this account is that they saw a spider’s web in the mouth of a cave. There is no mention of God commanding a spider to weave a web after the entry of the Prophet, or of His making a dove lay its egg on top of the web. Such additions are fanciful, and are the result of wishful thinking.
The greatest damage caused by such interpolations is that they divert one’s attention to fantastic, far-fetched tales, and cause one to miss the real lesson, which is to be derived from purely factual accounts. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 4:02 am | |
| THE EMIGRANTS ARE MADE AT HOME
The manner in which the tribes of Madinah aided the Prophet is one of the most extraordinary events of history. Because of their assistance, they came to be known as the Ansar—the Helpers. Usually when people give something, it is in return for some favour, or it is in order to ingratiate themselves with someone.
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There are also those who give offerings to “holy men,” because they think that to do so will cause blessings to descend on their families and properties. But the emigration of the Prophet is perhaps the sole example in the annals of history of people opening their doors to destitute and forlorn refugees when they themselves had nothing to gain, and probably a great deal to lose by doing so. The action of the Ansar was based entirely on their dedicated commitment to the cause of Islam. Not only did they accommodate the emigrants in their homes; they treated them as brothers and sisters, and shared their possessions with them. And they did all this, fully conscious of the fact that their action involved much more than economic sacrifice. They knew full well that what they were doing would arouse the hostility of the most powerful factions in both Arabia and Persia. There are no words more fitting than those of ‘Ali to describe them: “They were true to their word, steadfast in adversity.”2
When the Muhajirun forsook their own country for Madinah, every one of the Ansar was eager to extend hospitality to them. They even drew lots among themselves for the privilege of being able to entertain such noble guests.
They handed over the better part of their properties to the Muhajirun. And all this despite the fact that, in the oath of allegiance they took, it was specifically laid down that others would be given priority over them. Though they had made the most extreme sacrifices for the sake of Islam, they did not show the slightest disapproval of this clause.3
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Despite all the assistance that was afforded him, the Prophet did not have an easy life in Madinah. Apprehensions that the whole of Arabia would unite against the Muslims proved only too true. This is how Ubayy ibn Ka’b, a companion of the Prophet, describes the situation: When the Prophet and his companions arrived in Madinah and the Ansar gave them asylum, the Arabs united against them The Muslims used to remain in their armour, night and day.4
The Quraysh declared economic sanctions against the people of Madinah. All Arab tribes, following the Quraysh’s lead, severed links with the city. Internal resources ran far short of providing for the considerably increased population of Madinah, and the expense of defending the city pushed the economy to its very limit. ‘Umar says that the Prophet was restless with hunger all day in Madinah. There were not even enough rejected dates for him to eat his fill. In later years someone asked ‘A’ishah if they had a lantern. “If we had had oil to burn a lantern,” she said, “we would have drunk it.” The Muslims used to go out on expeditions with hardly any provisions. Abu Musa tells of one expedition he made with the Prophet. “There was only one camel between six of us. We used to take turns to ride on it. The skin began peeling off our feet from incessant walking, and we used to bind them with rags. That was why the expedition came to be known as Dhat al-Riqa, (riqa meaning rags or patches).”
Food rations used to run so low that people used to suck dates rather than eat them. Acacia leaves and locusts would make up the rest of their diet. Added to this the Muhajirun had to contend with a drastic change of diet.
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In Makkah they had been used to a diet of meat and milk in Madinah dates constituted the major portion of their diet. Tabarani has related an incident, which occurred one day when the Prophet came to take the Friday congregational prayer. A Makkan Muslim called out to him: “Prophet of God, these dates have burnt our intestines.”5
The emigration to Madinah was a watershed in Islamic history. From a practical point of view, Islam emerged from a purely missionary episode and entered a period of active confrontation. During the period when he was solely concerned with preaching, the Prophet used to work according to one hard-and-fast principle. He used to steer clear of all controversial issues and concentrate entirely on giving good news of the joys of paradise, and warnings of the punishment of hell. He would avoid any discussion of political, economic and tribal affairs. When he preached the message of Islam to the Banu ‘Amir ibn Sa’sa’ah tribe in the fair of ‘Ukaz, he assured them at the same time that all he would do was pursue his preaching work in a peaceful manner; he would not raise any extraneous issue.
“I am God’s Prophet,” he said. “If I come amongst you, will you protect me so that I can continue to communicate my message? I will not force you on any matter.”6
In Madinah preaching work still remained the basic purpose of the Prophet’s mission. But the spectrum had broadened, and now Islam had to take account of social issues as well. The policy adopted by the Prophet at this juncture was aimed at softening people’s hearts towards Islam, so that the purpose of his mission could be achieved without conflict.“I
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have been assisted by the feelings of awe which I inspire—this has been the equivalent of one month’s journey,” he once said. Usually his missions were carried through to success by sheer force of personality.
There were two complementary aspects to this method: one was based on overawing the opponents of Islam, while the other was aimed at planting in them the seed of love.
The first meant accumulating strength awesome enough to convince the opponents of Islam that they could not beat it and that being so, they had best come to its fold.7 The second way was to offer gifts to the opponents of Islam for softening their heart towards Islam and Muslims.8
The generosity that the Prophet showed to win people over to his cause was without peer. No one before or after him can lay claim to such boundless munificence. Safwan ibn Umayyah, a noble of Makkah, went and hid in a mountain ravine. After the Muslim conquest of Makkah the Prophet extended an amnesty to him, and asked to see him. After Hawazin had been subdued, the Prophet was overseeing the distribution of spoils at Ji’ranah. Safwan ibn Umayyah was with him. As yet he had not accepted Islam. Standing on the side of a gully, he gazed in wonderment at the goats and camels swarming beneath him. “Abu Wahab,” the Prophet enquired on seeing him, “would you like all these cattle?” Safwan said that he would. “It’s all yours,” the Prophet told him. “No one but a Prophet could be so generous,” Safwan replied. He immediately accepted Islam, and testified that there was no one worthy of being served save God, and that Muhammad was His servant and Prophet.9
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The Prophet’s numerous marriages were also part of this policy. Prime importance was attached in the tribal system to relationships through marriage. This gives us an insight into the marriages entered into by the Prophet after his emigration to Madinah. Through them relationships were established with countless people, whose hearts then mellowed towards his mission. The Prophet’s first marriage was with Khadijah, a widow almost twice his age. Except for that one marriage, his other marriages were entered into for the political and missionary advantages that accrued to Islam from them.
The year after the Peace of Hudaybiyyah (A.D. 628), the Prophet—along with 2000 Muslims—went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Ka ‘bah. During his three-day stay in Makkah, he married a widow by the name of Maymunah bint al Harith. She had eight sisters, all of whom were married into distinguished Makkan families. By marrying her, the Prophet became related to all these eight families. Khalid ibn al-Walid was Maymunah’s nephew, and she had brought him up as a son. So Khalid, the Quraysh’s greatest warrior, became the Prophet’s step-son. After this Khalid did not join in any hostilities against the Muslims, and before long he himself entered the fold of Islam. After his marriage to Maymunah the Prophet had arranged a wedding reception for the people of Makkah, but the Quraysh reminded him that—according to the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah—he was only instead of turning back to Makkah.
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Indeed, when he reached Ruha, he realized his mistake, and made to turn once again on the Muslims’ stronghold. But even at this time of utter disarray, the Prophet’s information system was still working effectively. He heard about Abu Sufyan’s intention, and decided to go out to meet him. Immediately he reassembled his shaken army and set off towards Makkah. Contrary to his moral practice, which was to maintain a veil of the utmost secrecy over military manoevres, this expedition was given a fanfare of publicity. When the Muslims reached Hamra al-Asad, eight miles from Madinah, Abu Sufyan heard of the pursuit. Thinking that fresh reinforcements must have arrived, he gave up his idea of attacking Madinah and returned to Makkah. The Prophet turned back to Madinah when he became sure of the withdrawal of Abu Sufyan’s army.
One year after the Battle of Mu’tah, which occurred in the month of Jumada al-Awwal, A.H. 8, the Byzantine emperor started gathering his forces on the Syrian border.
The Ghassanids, along with other Roman allies among Arab tribes in the region, followed the emperor’s lead. In response, the Prophet advanced to Tabuk with an army of 30,000.
The expedition to Tabuk was really a military manoevre, a pre-emptive strike. The aim was to strike fear into the enemy, so that they would lose heart and abandon their hostile intentions. When the Prophet reached Tabuk, he heard that Caesar was not advancing to meet the Muslims but, instead, was beginning to withdraw his forces from the frontier. There was now no question of a battle, and Caesar’s very withdrawal had assured the Prophet of a moral victory, which he decided to turn to his own political advantage.
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During his 20-day stay in Tabuk, he established contact with the neighbouring Arab tribes, who were at that time under Roman influence. The Christian chieftain of Daumat al Jandal, Ukaydir ibn ‘Abd al-Malik al-Kindi, Yuhannah ibn Ruyah from Aylah, along with Christians of Maqna, Jarba and Azruh, agreed to pay jizyah, a tax levied on non-Muslims living under the protection of a Muslim government, which guarantees the safety of their lives and property, and free exercise of their religion.
The same reason lay behind the expedition under Usamah, undertaken soon after the death of the Prophet. Except for the tribes of Madinah the whole of Arabia had risen in revolt when the Prophet died. Suddenly the Muslims found themselves at odds with all their Arab countrymen. It appeared expedient at the time to preserve all strength in Madinah, in order to counter the enemy within. But rather than do this, Abu Bakr acted on a decision taken by the Prophet. A force of 700 men was sent to the Roman front under Usamah. Abu Hurayrah explains the impact that this expedition had on the rebellious Arab tribes: “When Usamah’s force passed those tribes by that were on the verge of apostasy, they would exclaim: “If the Muslims did not have great reserves of strength, they would never have despatched a force like this.
Let us leave them to fight against the Romans.’ The Muslims fought against the Romans and defeated them, returning safely after doing battle with them.
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Seeing this, those who had been thinking of apostasy became firm in Islam.”10
When the Prophet reached Madinah, there were, besides a small minority of idolators, two main communities living there—the Jews and the Muslims. These two communities were split up into several small groups. Neither was able to present a united front. People were just waiting for someone who would organize and unite them. When the Prophet realized that this was what people wanted, he issued a decree in which Jews and Muslims were recognized as communities in their own right. “The Jews are a community along with the Muslims.... They shall have their religion and the Muslims theirs.” No encroachment was made on the customary rights and responsibilities of either Jews or Muslims, and acceptable concessions were made to the sentiments of both communities. A clause was added, however, which read as follows: Whenever there is a disagreement about something, the matter should be referred to God Almighty and to Muhammad.11
This decree amounted to a political initiative which, in the most tactful and ingenious manner, introduced Islamic constitutional government to the city of Madinah. The Prophet’s departure to Madinah, instead of appeasing the Quraysh, aroused their anger to new levels of intensity.
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They saw that the Muslims were all gathering in one place, and becoming stronger in the process. Only two years elapsed before the Prophet had to decide whether to meet the Quraysh army outside the city, or allow them to enter Madinah and cast the newly built nest of Islam into disarray.
The Quraysh had 950 men in their army, while the Muslims numbered only 313. But the Prophet’s insight told him that the Quraysh were moved by solely negative impulses.
Hatred of the Muslims, and jealousy of the Prophet, lay behind their aggression. The Muslims, on the other hand, were moved by the most positive and noble instincts. They had faith in God to spur them on, as well as the certainty that they were fighting for a true cause. The Muslims, then, were immeasurably more strongly motivated than their foes.
Besides this, Arab warfare was an individual affair. Every warrior sought to make a name for himself by exhibiting his own bravery. Faith in God had removed this weakness from the Muslims. The Prophet was the first person in Arab history to command his forces to pursue a united course of action, and fight in ranks. He stressed the importance of fighting, not as individuals, but as a unit. The believers were urged to destroy the Quraysh’s individual strength with the strength of solidarity: God loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as if they were a solid cemented edifice.12
It was faith and the Muslims’ ability to fight as one unit that brought about the first victory of Islamic history—the Battle of Badr. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 4:08 am | |
| VICTORY OF ISLAM Defeat at Badr had the effect of further provoking the Quraysh, and several battles, notably those of Uhud (A.H. 3) and the Trench (A.H. 5), ensued within the space of a few years. The Muslims ran into severe difficulties during these campaigns. 219 The 800 who participated in the Battle of the Trench had to suffer extreme cold, hunger and exhaustion. So much so that when the Prophet asked for someone to volunteer for a spying foray into the enemy camp, no one stood up. Eventually the Prophet personally delegated this task to Huzayfah. There were also recurrent problems with the Jews of Madinah who, in alliance with the Quraysh, were always conspiring against the Muslims. Madinah was besieged for twenty days during the Battle of the Trench. Finally the Quraysh were forced by a violent sandstorm to make their way back to Makkah. Now that collaboration with the Quraysh had been exposed, the Prophet chose this time to solve this problem. There were three Jewish tribes in and around Madinah—the Banu Nadir, Banu Qaynuqah and Banu Qurayzah. Immediately after the Battle of the Trench, they were besieged and exiled applying on them their own Judaic law. The threat that they had posed to the Muslims in Madinah was thus permanently eliminated. Then there was the problem of Khaybar. Six years after the Prophet’s emigration, Madinah was an island of Islam between the Quraysh in Makkah, 400 kilometres to the south, and the Jews in Khaybar, 200 kilometres to the north. The Quraysh and the Jews were united in their enmity towards Islam but neither being strong enough to take the Muslims on alone, they had entered into negotiations aimed at setting out a plan of joint action against the Muslims. The latter, for their part, were not in a position either to take on both enemies at the same time. 220 It was against this background that the Prophet, acting under divine inspiration, set out for Makkah in the year A.H. 6 along with 1400 companions. He made it absolutely clear that the Muslims had no intention of fighting anybody, and were just going for Umrah. The sacrificial camels, which the Muslims took along with them, provided further proof of their peaceful intentions. The camels were even given the sacrificial emblem, known as qaladah, so that the people of Makkah could be quite sure that they were meant for sacrifice. This journey was also aimed at allaying the fears of the Quraysh that the Muslims intended to destroy the Ka’bah’s religious and commercial status. As expected, the Quraysh advanced to prevent the Muslims from entering Makkah. The two parties met at Hudaybiyyah, some eleven kilometres from Makkah. Anxious to avoid hostilities, the Prophet set up camp then and there. He then sent a message to the Quraysh, suggesting a peace treaty between the two sides. He impressed it upon his envoys that they had not come to fight anybody. “We have come as pilgrims. War has weakened and caused the Quraysh to suffer great losses. If they wish, I am willing to make a truce with them: they shall not come in between myself and the people during that time. If I emerge supreme, and they so wish, they can accept the religion, which others have accepted. If I do not emerge supreme, they will have the right to do as they please. If the Quraysh refuse this offer, I will fight with them in support of my cause, even at the risk of losing my life. And what God wishes will come to pass.”I3 221 The theme of this message shows that the Prophet was appealing to a soft spot in the Quraysh’s own psyche. When the Prophet first commenced his public mission in Makkah, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’ah came to him on behalf of the Quraysh. When he returned to his people, this is what he had to say to them: Leave this fellow to carry on with his work for, God knows, he is never going to give it up. Do not prevent him from preaching to the Arabs. If he wins them over, then his honour will be your own. If they prevail over him, then, thanks to others, you will be free of him.14 The Prophet thus appealed to the Quraysh in the very terms of which they themselves had been thinking; consequently, he was able to find supporters of his peace initiative within the enemy camp itself. The Prophet sent the Quraysh this message, and at the same time initiated various procedures aimed at influencing them. One of the Banu Kinanah came from Makkah to Hudaybiyyah to ascertain the Muslims’ intentions. When the Prophet heard about his impending arrival, he told his followers of the Banu Kinanah’s reverence for sacrificial camels, and directed them to take the camels with them when they went out to meet him. They did so, chanting the prayer of pilgrimage—“We are here at your service, Lord...”—at the same time. The Quraysh’s envoy was extremely impressed. On his return to Makkah he told the Quraysh that he was quite sure that the Muslims had come on a pilgrimage and for no other reason, and should be allowed to carry on. The very spectacle of 1400 Muslims displaying their faith in God also made a deep impact on the Quraysh. 222 When one of their envoys came into the Muslim camp, the Muslims were all praying in ranks, lined up behind the Prophet. He was highly impressed by the organization and discipline of the worshippers. When he returned to the Quraysh, he told them that the Muslims worked as a unit: when Muhammad made a move, all his followers did likewise. Another envoy saw that when the Prophet performed his ablutions, the Muslims rushed to catch the water he had used in their hands before it could touch the ground. He noticed the hush, which descended upon them when the Prophet was speaking, the reverence which prevented them from looking him straight in the eye. When this envoy reported back to the Quraysh, they were deeply impressed by his description of the Muslims’ loyalty and affection for their leader. ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud asked them: “Are you not as my fathers and sons?” The people told him that they were indeed. “Are you suspicious of me in any way?” he asked them. They said not. “Well,” ‘Urwah continued, “this man (Muhammad) has made a fine proposal to you. Agree to it, and let me go to confer with him.”15 The Prophet made clear his intention to accept any demand the Quraysh made, as long as it did not contradict the law of God. The Quraysh displayed all manner of bigotry while the treaty was being compiled. They removed the words, “Muhammad, Messenger of God” from the draft and inserted “Muhammad, son of ‘Abdullah” instead. Taking offence at the words “In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” they insisted on “In Your Name, Oh God,” being written. They added a clause saying that any Quraysh who simultaneously. 224 To attack one would have been to provide the other with a golden opportunity to attack Madinah from the rear, thus demolishing the Muslims’ stronghold. Now the Prophet, by accepting all the Quraysh’s demands, had consolidated a ten-year truce with one of the two. No longer could they conduct forays against the Muslims. With the Quraysh out of his way, the Prophet was now able to turn his attention to the Jews of Khaybar. The attack on Khaybar (Muharram A.H. 7) followed in quick succession after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (Dhu’l-Qa’dah, A.H. 6), which finally solved the Jewish problem. Twenty thousand armed men were holding out in the eight mighty fortresses of Khaybar. The fortresses were also equipped with highly sophisticated defences. The story of the sacking of this fortified city is a long one, in which methods of extraordinary military ingenuity were used. The gate of the city was broken with a massive tree trunk, wielded by about fifty men. A few strong blows were enough to break the gate, allowing the Muslims to enter amidst a hail of arrows and stones. Four fortresses were captured in this manner. The rest took fright, opened their gates, and put themselves at the mercy of the Muslim army. There remained the Quraysh to be subdued. The Prophet’s intuition told him to wait until they broke the treaty before entering into the field of battle with them. The Prophet knew the negative sentiments that spurred the Quraysh on in their fight against the Muslims. Since the former were motivated by feelings of jealousy, hate, greed and arrogance, the Prophet realized that they would stop short of no immoral and unreasonable action in pursuit of their aims. His estimate proved correct. 225 In Sha’ban A.H. 8, fighting erupted between the tribes of Khuza’ah and Banu Bakr. The Banu Bakr were allied to the Quraysh and the Khuza’ah to the Muslims. In blatant contradiction of the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Quraysh provided their allies with clandestine support, enabling them to attack the Khuza’ah. This incident occurred just two years after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. During this time the number of people with the Prophet had risen from 1,500 to 10,000. Along with them, the Prophet secretly set out for Makkah. So wise and diplomatic was his strategy that Makkah was conquered with next to no bloodshed: God has promised you many gains, which you will acquire, and thus He has given you this beforehand, and He has restrained the hands of men from you.16 When the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was signed, the Prophet had been preaching for twenty years. The message of Islam had spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula. There were people in every tribe in whose hearts the Prophet’s religion had found a place. But they still looked up to the Quraysh as their leaders. Many who realized the truth of Islam were unable to proclaim their faith out of fear of the Quraysh. They knew that declaration of Islam amounted to a declaration of war against the mightiest tribe in Arabia. Now they heard that the Muslims and the Quraysh had agreed to curtail hostilities for ten years. The Quraysh would no longer be able to take reprisals against people becoming Muslims. 226 There was now nothing to stop people from accepting Islam. It was as if a large crowd had gathered at the gate of Islam. The gate was thrown open with the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the crowds flocked in. As Ibn Shahab al-Zahri and others have pointed out, the Muslims gained more from the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah than from any of their campaigns. The Prophet returned to Makkah two years later with 10,000 men, whereas previously the Muslims had numbered no more than 3,000. This was a direct result of the removal of the greatest obstacle to acceptance of Islam—the anger and irritation of the Quraysh which would result from such a move. Bara’ was one of the Muslims present at Hudaybiyyah. Bukhari has related how he used to say to later-day people, those who considered the Conquest of Makkah to be the great victory of Islam that the Companions of the Prophet used to consider the Peace Treaty of Hudaybiyyah as the outstanding victory. The economic blockade of Madinah was now lifted. Caravans from that city were now permitted to pass freely through Makkah. But Abu Jandal, Abu Basir, and others who had accepted Islam, had to be returned to the Quraysh under the terms of the treaty. Before long, however, they escaped and took refuge in Dhu’l-Marwah. So many Muslim converts assembled in that place that it became a new, flourishing centre of Islam. From there they used to play havoc with the Quraysh’s trading caravans. Finally the Quraysh were forced to abandon their insistence that anyone deserting the Quraysh for the Muslim camp would have to be returned to the Quraysh. 227 The great lesson of Hudaybiyyah is that one should avoid impatience and should not judge matters by appearances alone. The outwardly unfavourable Treaty of Hudaybiyyah held great opportunities for the Muslims, which only people of insight could perceive. Ibn ‘Asakir has recorded some comments of Abu Bakr on the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. “It was the greatest Islamic victory,” he said, “though on that day people were too shortsighted to realize the secrets between Muhammad and his Lord. People are impatient but God is not. He lets matters take their course, until they reach the stage that he intends.” It is realism, which brings success in this world; but people want instant success, and are unwilling to go through the lengthy stages it takes to achieve it. After finishing with Khaybar, the Prophet began to make preparations for another campaign. The target he kept secret, not even telling Abu Bakr where they would be advancing. Only in Ramadan A.H. 8, when the Muslim army was actually directed to set out towards Makkah, did people realize where they were heading. So stealthy and discreet was their advance that they reached Marr’uz¬-Zahran without the Quraysh knowing that the Muslims were upon them. The Prophet had prayed before he set out that “the spies and informers of the Quraysh” should be restrained until the Muslims entered the city of Makkah. The Prophet went to amazing lengths to keep preparations for the advance on Makkah secret. 228 He gave orders that Madinah should be cut off from the rest of Arabia: no one was to be allowed to enter or leave the city. A party under ‘Ali was sent to guard the roads leading to Madinah. It was they who arrested Hatib ibn Abi Balta’ah’ s messenger, who was taking a letter to the people of Makkah warning them of the danger to their city. As Tabarani reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, “every tribe provided manpower and weaponry in full measure.” No one was left behind. The army of 10,000 was divided into groups of several hundred men. Each division marched in ranks, led by a commander bearing a standard. The Prophet asked his uncle (Abbas to let Abu Sufyan, an old opponent of the Prophet, witness the Muslims’ march. Abu Sufyan watched from beside a narrow mountain pass as, row upon row, the Muslim army filed past. He could hardly believe his eyes. “Who has the power to confront this army?” he exclaimed. “I have never seen anything like it.” The Prophet thus went to great lengths to impress Abu Sufyan. At the same time he announced that anyone entering Abu Sufyan’s house would be safe. The result was that Abu Sufyan himself appealed to the people of Makkah to capitulate before Muhammad, for no one was strong enough to fight him. Events, which followed the conquest of the city, prove conclusively that the extensive preparations were not aimed at causing bloodshed: they were aimed at frightening the Makkans into submission, so that the city could be captured for Islam without any need for fighting. As the Muslim army neared Makkah, one of its leaders, Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah, called out: “Today is the day of battle!” The Prophet told him that it was not; it was the day of mercy. Sa’d was then told to step down and the standard was handed over to his son instead. 229 There were some engagements after the Conquest of Makkah, bringing the total number of military expeditions that the Prophet conducted up to eighty. But now that the Muslims had gained control of the capital of Arabia, it entailed only minor skirmishes before all Arabia capitulated, and accepted the Prophet as their leader.
NOTES
1. Hadith of Imam Ahmad on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas 2. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 3. 3. Ibn Hisham, Tahzib Sirah, vol. I, p. 111. 4. Kanzal-’Ummal, vol.1, p. 259. 5. Al-Tabarani. 6. Abu Na’im, Dala’il al-Nubuwwah, p.100. 7. Quran, 8:60. 8. Quran, 9:60. 9. Kanz al-‘Ummal, vol. 5, p. 294. 10. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 6, p. 305. 11. Tahzib Sirat Ibn Hisham, p. 129. 12. Quran, 61:5. 13. Hadith, Sahih, al-Bukhari. 14. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah. 15. Ibid. 16. Quran, 48:20.
Victors usually tend to be susceptible to two kinds of feelings—pride and vengeance. The Prophet of Islam, however, after his conquest of Makkah in A.H. 8, displayed neither of these traits. His victory was that of a Prophet of God. According to Ibn Ishaq, when the Prophet entered Makkah, his head was bowed so low that people saw that his beard was touching the camel’s saddle. Such was the humility of the Prophet, even in his hour of triumph. Standing at the door of the Ka’bah, the Prophet delivered an address, in the course of which he said, There is none worthy of being served save the One God. He has fulfilled His promise and offered succour to His slave. He alone has brought the hosts of enemies low.1
He did not, in other words, claim any credit for the victory: he attributed it entirely to God. Later on in the same speech, he had this to say to the Quraysh: “What do you think I am going to do with you now?” “We think you will treat us well.” they replied, “for you are our noble brother, and the son of our noble brother.” Then the Prophet said: “I say to you as Joseph said to his brothers: Let no reproach be upon you this day. Go, you are free.”2 231 At the very outset, then, the Prophet put vengeance aside, thus eliminating all possibility of adverse reaction on the part of his new subjects. A nation defeated on the field of battle usually resorts to clandestine resistance. By granting a general amnesty the Prophet nipped resistance in the bud. Forces, which might have sought to destroy the fortress of Islam, were thus engaged in the building of it. When the Prophet entered Makkah after the conquest of the city, he gave his commanders orders not to do battle with anyone unless they themselves were attacked. He forgave all those who had committed outrages against him. Only a few, who were to be killed “even if they took refuge beneath the curtain of the Ka’bah,” were sentenced to death. Ibn Hisham, and other biographers of the Prophet, have mentioned them individually. Here are their names, and the nature of their cases: 1. ‘Abdullah ibn Sa’d, who had become Muslim and been appointed as a scribe of revelation by the Prophet. He later reneged and joined the infidels. After the Conquest of Makkah, when he heard that the Prophet had ordered his execution, he took refuge with his milk-brother ‘Uthman. The latter gave him shelter, then took him to the Prophet with a request once again to accept his conversion to Islam. The Prophet remained silent. Then ‘Uthman asked a second time, whereupon the Prophet accepted ‘Abdullah ibn Sa’d’s oath of allegiance. The latter subsequently became governor of Egypt during the caliphate of ‘Umar’. |
| | | | أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
| | موضوع: رد: PART TWO الخميس 07 يوليو 2022, 4:12 am | |
| Victory and After
from heaping opprobrium upon the Prophet. While ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib and the Prophet’s daughters Fatimah and Umm Kulthum were on their way from Makkah to Madinah, Huwayrith ibn Nandh followed them and stabbed their camel with a spear. The camel reared up and the Prophet’s daughters fell to the ground. Orders were given for his execution, which was carried out by ‘All.
6. Miqyas ibn Subabah, Hisham ibn Subabah’s brother. In the Dhu Qarad campaign, an Ansari had killed Hisham by mistake. After this Miqyas came to Madinah and accepted Islam. He asked the Prophet for compensation for his brother’s death, and his request was granted. He stayed in Madinah for a few days, then killed the person responsible for his brother’s death, escaped to Makkah and reneged. The Prophet ordered that he be put to death, and Numaylah ibn ‘Abdullah Laythi slew him.
7. Sarah, a slave-girl of ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, who revelled in pouring scorn upon the Prophet. Permission was given for her to be put to death, but she came to the Prophet and sought asylum, which was granted her, and she accepted Islam. She remained alive until the caliphate of ‘Umar.
8-9. Harith ibn Hisham and Zubayr ibn Abi Umayyah were also to be killed, but they took refuge in the house of their relative, Umm Ham bint Abi Jahl. ‘Ali followed them and swore that he would not let them live. Umm Ham blocked ‘Ali’s path and, locking the two fugitives in her house, went to see the Prophet. She told him that ‘Ali sought to kill two people to whom she had given refuge.
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“Whomsoever you have granted refuge, we have also granted refuge, and whomsoever you have taken into your asylum, we have also given asylum,” the Prophet told her. ‘Ali was ordered to let them go, and he did so.
10. ‘Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl who, following in his father’s footsteps, was an uncompromising opponent of Islam.
Seeing that he was sure to meet his end in Makkah, he fled to the Yemen. His wife, Umm Bakim bint Barith, who had accepted Islam, appealed to the Prophet for asylum on behalf of her husband. Her request was granted, and she went to the Yemen to collect ‘Ikrimah. He returned with her and became Muslim at the hand of the Prophet. After his conversion, he made great personal and financial sacrifices for Islam, finally meeting his death at Ajnadin while fighting against apostates during the caliphate of Abu Bakr.
11. Habbar ibn al-Aswad, who had been responsible for great persecution of the Muslims. When the Prophet’s daughter Zaynab, wife of Abu’l ‘As, was on her way from Makkah to Madinah, he stabbed her camel’s side with a spear.
The camel went into a frenzy and Zaynab fell down. She was with child at the time. Not only did she suffer a miscarriage, but the effects of the mishap remained with her for the rest of her life. Orders were given for him to be killed, but he came to the Prophet and pleaded for mercy. “Prophet of God,” he said, “forgive my ignorance. Let me become a Muslim.” The Prophet forgave him.
12. Wahshi ibn Harb, who had been responsible for the death of the Prophet’s uncle Hamzah.
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Realizing that the Muslims would kill him if they laid their hands on him, he fled from Makkah to Ta’if. Later on he came before the Prophet in Madinah, sought forgiveness for his crime and offered to accept Islam. The Prophet admitted him into the fold of Islam and forgave him. He joined in the fight against the false prophet Musaylimah during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. It was he who finally slew Musaylimah, with the very same weapon that had made a martyr of Hamzah.
13. Ka’b ibn Zuhayr, a famous poet, who used to write poems abusing the Prophet. He fled from Makkah when the city was conquered and his execution was ordered, but he then came to Madinah, asked forgiveness, and beseeched the Prophet to accept his allegiance. The Prophet did so, presenting Ka’b with his own sheet at the same time.
14. Harith ibn Talatil, a poet who used to pour scorn on the Prophet through the medium of his poetry. The Muslims were permitted to slay him, and ‘Ali did so.
15. ‘Abdullah ibn Zib’ari, yet another poet, who used to express his contempt for the Prophet in verse. When, the Prophet ordered him to be killed, he fled to Najran. Later on he came to the Prophet repented, and accepted Islam. The Prophet forgave him.
16. Hubayrah ibn Abi Wahab Makhzumi, also a poet, who used to deride the Prophet’s mission. He was also on the list of those to be killed. He fled to Najran where he died an infidel.
17. Hind bint ‘Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan. Her hatred of Islam was so great that, in the battle of Uhud, she extracted Hamzah’s heart and masticated it. She was to be killed, but she came before the Prophet, sought forgiveness and accepted Islam. After the Prophet had forgiven her and admitted her into the fold of Islam she went home and broke all the idols in her house, saying: “Truly, you have misled us.”
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It is clear, then, that all the seventeen men and women who were sentenced to death after the conquest of Makkah were guilty of specific crimes. Yet whichever of them sought forgiveness, or had someone pleaded on his or her behalf, was forgiven. None of those who appealed for clemency was killed. Of the seventeen who were sentenced to death, eleven were forgiven, either directly or through some mediator. Five people who made no plea for clemency were put to death. One fled from Makkah, and died a natural death in a faraway land.
In the wake of the Conquest of Makkah, how was it that the Prophet forgave people who were guilty in the sight of God? When a woman named Fatimah belonging to the Banu Makhzum tribe, had committed a theft, her kith and kin feared that her hand would be amputated. They approached Usamah ibn Zayd who, they thought, being a close associate of the Prophet, would be in a position to ensure that their relative escaped punishment. Usamah came to the Prophet and pleaded for clemency on behalf of Fatimah Makhzumi. The Prophet was visibly upset when he heard Usamah’s words.
“Are you trying to persuade me with regard to limits that God has set down?” he asked. The Prophet then called people together and, delivered an address. “By the power who has control over my soul,” he said, “if my daughter Fatimah were to steal, then I would certainly amputate her hand.”
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Fatimah Makhzumi received her due punishment, after which she repented and became a righteous, upright person.3
This shows that no one is able to forgive a wrongdoer when punishment has been prescribed by God. How was it, then, that the Prophet forgave people with such magnanimity after the Conquest of Makkah? The reason was that there is a difference between war crimes and crimes committed under normal conditions. People cannot be accorded remission of punishment for the latter form of crime. Crimes committed during wartime, on the other hand, can be forgiven when the perpetrators renounce their antagonism and seek clemency.
Crimes committed under normal conditions are nullified when the punishment God has laid down is meted out, while war crimes are neutralized through surrender and an appeal for mercy. The enemies of Islam in Arabia had committed the most heinous crimes against the Muslims. Even so, the Quran announced that if they repented, what had gone before would be forgiven.4 Furthermore, if the enemy sues for peace, peace should be made, even if there is a danger of the peace terms being broken.
If they incline to peace, make peace with them, and put your trust in God. Surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing. Should they seek to deceive you, God is all-sufficient for you. He has made you strong with His help and rallied the faithfuls around you.5
One of those sentenced to death and then subsequently forgiven was ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl. Along with his father, he had been an active opponent of Islam, and had subjected the Prophet and his companions to all forms of persecution.
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Yet, when news came that ‘Ikrimah was coming to accept Islam, the Prophet told his companions not to insult ‘Ikrimah’s father, “for abuse of the dead hurts the living.” It was magnanimity such as this, after the conquest of Makkah, that turned Islam’s most implacable foes into staunch custodians of faith.
NOTES
1. Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihay’ah.
2. HadIth, Zad al Ma ‘ad, lbn Qayyim.
3. Hadith by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
4. Quran 8:38.
5. Quran 8:61-62. |
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