The Dawn Of Islam

The Dawn Of Islam
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Prophethood.
Migration to Madina.
Conquest of Macca.
Death of the Prophet.

Prophethood
PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM
Prophethood is not unknown to heavenly revealed religions, such as Judaism and Christianity. In Islam, however, it has a special status and significance.

According to Islam, Allah created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life based on His teachings and guidance. How man would know his role and the purpose of his existence unless he received clear and practical instructions of what Allah wants him to do? Here comes the need for prophethood.

Thus Allah had chosen from every nation a prophet or more to convey His Message to people.

One might ask:
How were the prophets chosen and who were entitled to this great honor? Prophethood is Allah's blessing and favor that He may bestow on whom He wills.

However, from surveying the various messengers throughout history, three features of a prophet may be recognized:
1-He is the best in his community morally and intellectually. This is necessary because a prophet's life serves as a model for his followers. His personality should attract people to accept his message rather than drive them away by his imperfect character. After receiving the message he is infallible. That is, he would not commit any sin. He might make some minor mistakes, which are usually corrected by revelation.

2- He is supported by miracles to prove that he is not an impostor. Those miracles are granted by the power and permission of God and are usually in the field in which his people excell and are recognized as superiors. We might illustrate this by quoting the major miracles of the three prophets of the major world religions:

Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Moses' contemporaries were excellent in magic. So his major miracle was to defeat the best magicians of Egypt of his days. Jesus' contemporaries were recognized as skillful physicians. Therefore, his miracles were to raise the dead and cure the in curable diseases. The Arabs, rise contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad, were known for their eloquence and magnificent poetry.

So Prophet Muhammad's major miracle was the Quran, the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators could not produce despite the repeated challenge from the Quran itself. Again Muhammad's miracle has something special about it. All previous miracles were limited by time and place, i.e., they were shown to specific people at a specific time. Not so the miracle of Muhammad, the Quran. It is a universal and everlasting miracle. Previous generations witnessed it and future generations will witness its miraculous nature in term of its style, Content and spiritual uplifting. These still can be tested and will thereby prove the divine origin of the Quran.

3. Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not of his own but from God for the well-being of mankind. He also confirms what was revealed before him and what may be revealed after him.

A prophet does this to show that he is simply conveying the message which is entrusted to him by the One True God of all people in all ages. So the message is one in essence and for the same purpose. Therefore, it should not deviate from what was revealed before him or what might come after him.

Prophets are necessary for conveying God’s instructions and guidance to mankind we have no way of knowing why we were created? What will happen to us after death? Is there any life after death? Are we accountable for our actions? In other words, is there any reward or punishment for our deeds in this life? These and so many other questions about God, angels, paradise, hell etc can not he answered without direct revelation from the Creator and Knower of the unseen. Those answers must be authentic and must be brought by individuals whom we trust and respect. That is why, messengers are the select of their societies in terms of moral conduct and intellectual ability.

Hence, the slanderous Biblical stories about some of the great prophets are not accepted by Muslims. For example, Lot is reported to have committed fornication while drunk, with his daughters; or David sent one of his leaders to death to marry his wife. Prophets to Muslims are greater than what these stories indicate. These stories can not be true from the Islamic point of view.

The prophets are also miraculously supported by God and instructed by Him to affirm the continuity of the message.

The Content of the prophet’s message to mankind can be summarized as follows:
a) Clear concept about God: His attributes, His creation, what should and should not be ascribed to Him.
b) Clear idea about the unseen world, the angels, jinn (spirits), Paradise and Hell.
c) Why has God created us? What does He want from us and what is the reward or punishment for obeying or disobeying Him?
d) How to run our societies according to His will? That is, clear instructions and laws that, when applied correctly and honestly, will result in a happy and ideal society.

It is clear from the above discussion that there is no substitute for prophets. Even today with the advancement of science, the only authentic source of information about the supernatural world is revelation. Guidance can be obtained neither from science nor from mystic experience. The first is too materialistic and too limited; the second is too subjective and frequently too misleading.

Now one might ask:
How many prophets has God sent to humanity? We do not know for sure. Some Muslim scholars have suggested 240 thousand prophets. We are only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Quran, that is, God has sent a messenger (or more) to every nation. That is because it is one of God's principles that He will never call a people to account unless He has made clear to them what to do and what not to do. The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets and indicates that there have been others who were not mentioned to the Prophet Muhammad. These 25 include Noah, the man of the Ark, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. These five are the greatest among God's messengers.

* They are called the resolute' prophets.

An outstanding aspect of the Islamic belief in prophethood is that Muslims believe in and respect all the messengers of God with no exceptions. Since all the prophets came from the same One God, for the same purpose - to lead mankind to God - belief in them all is essential and logical; accepting some and rejecting others has to be based on misconceptions of the prophets' role or on racial bias. The Muslims are the only people in the world who consider the belief in all the prophets of God an article of faith. Thus the Jews reject Jesus Christ and Muhammad; the Christians reject Muhammad and in reality reject Moses because they do not abide by his laws. The Muslims accept them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind. However, the revelation which those prophets brought from God has been tampered with in one way or the other. The belief in all the messengers of God is enjoined on the Muslims by the Quran.

Say (O Muslims): we believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ismael, and Isaac and Jacob, and their children, and that which Moses and Jesus received and that the prophets received from their Lard. We make no distinction between any of them and unto Him we have surrendered. (2:136)

The Quran continues in the following verses to instruct the Muslims that this it the true and impartial belief, If other nations believe in the same, they are following the right track. If they do not, they must be following their own whims and biases and God will take care of them.

Thus we read:
And if they believe in what you believe, then they are rightly guided. But if they turn away, then they are in disunity, and Allah will suffice you against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower. This is God's religion and who is better than God in religion? (2:137-38)

There are, at least, two important points related to prophethood that need to be clarified.

These points concern the roles of Jesus and Muhammad as prophets who usually misunderstood.

The Quranic account of Jesus emphatically rejects the concept of his `Divinity' and `Divine sonship' and presents him as one of the great prophets of God, The Quran makes it clear that the birth of Jesus without a father does not make him son of God and mentions in this respect Adam who was created by God without a father and mother.'

Truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then' said He unto him, "Be", and he was. (3:59)

Like other prophets Jesus also performed miracles. For example, he raised the dead and cured the blind and lepers, but while showing these miracles he always made it clear that it was all from God. Actually the misconceptions about the personality.

And mission of Jesus found a way among his followers because the Divine message that he preached was not recorded during his presence in the world; rather it was recorded after a lapse of about hundred years. According to the Quran he was sent to the children of Israel; he confirmed the validity of the torah which was revealed to Moses and he also brought the glad tidings of a final messenger after him.

And when Jesus son of Mary said, `children of Israel. Iam indeed the Messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger  who shall come after me, whose name shall be the praised one (61:6)

(the underlined portion is the translation of Ahmad which is Prophet Muhammad's name).

However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry. They plotted against his life and in their opinion crucified him. But the Quran refutes this opinion and says that they neither killed him nor crucified him, rather he was raised up to God. There is a verse in the Quran, which implies that Jesus will come back and all the Christians and Jews will believe in him before he dies. This is also supported by authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The last prophet of God, Muhammad, was born in Arabia in the sixth century C.E. Up to the age of forty, people of makkah knew him only as a man of excellent character and cultured manners and called him AL-AMEEN (the trustworthy). He also did not know that he was soon to be made a prophet and receiver of revelation from God. He called the idolators of Makkah to worship the only one God and accept him as his prophet. The revelation that he received was preserved in his life- time in the memory of his companions and was also recorded on pieces of palm leaves, leather etc...

Thus the Quran that is found today is the same that was revealed to him, not a syllable of it has been altered as God Himself has guaranteed its preservation. This Quran claims to be the book of guidance for whole humanity for all times, and mentions Muhammad as the last Prophet of God.
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Migration to Madina
It was the 13th year of Muhammad's mission. One day he informed his companions that he had been divinely comanded to migrate to Yathrib ,and all his followers immediately sold or discarded whatever they possessed, house or property, wealth or business,or chards and camels.

For the next forty five days they left in parties of two or three for Yathrib.They loved their houses and their lands, as we all do,but this time they were soattuned to unquestioning obedience to the revealed word that no other consideration previled.

Mecca was now almost empty of Muslims. only the prophet himself, his friend Abu Bakr and his cousin Ali remaind. this mass migration brought neither solace nor relief to the enemies of Muhammad. On the other hand, they felt that even though the Muslims had voluntarily surrendered all they had possessed in Mecca, they had at the same time escaped beyond the pale of hardships and persecution which might have ultimately broken their risistance.Moreover, the friendship, and hospitality they were promised in Medina,would only help to confirm them in their intransigence and leave them free to subvert other tribes.

They decided then on a final and desperate remedy, namely, to murder Muhammad, an idea they had long toyed with, without success. Thus it was plnnned that on a night previously fixed, they should be surround the house where Muhammad slept, and the momente he awoke to fall on him together so that the guilt of his blood should be shared by such a large number of powerful clans that Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim,would not dare to face them all for revenge.

muhammad learned of the conspiracy shortly before the appinted night he handed over to Ali all the goods he held in trust for the people of Mecca. Strangely enough, for all their animosity against him,the Meccans still entrusted him with all their valuables. It never occurred to them that a man so scrupulously honest in his personl dealings would hardly mislead them so unscrupulously in matters of faith.

Muhammad made Ali lie on his bed, covered him with his sheet, and made for house of Abu Bakr "the order has come to leave," he said. Abu Bakr nearly wept with joy when he heard these words, and together they left for Yathrib.

As the first light of dawn crept over the house of Abu Talib, the pagan chiefs unsheahed their swords and went towards Muhammad's bed,only to find it occupied by Ali.

Discomfited and unhappy,they immediately despatched their best riders in pursuit of the fugitive..Up and down they searched and hunted over all the tracks,roads and passes leading out of Mecca,but there was no trace of Muhammad. he and Abu Bakr had taken shelter in the cave called Thaur some distance from Mecca. for three days they hid in the cave, the pursuers hovering around. One day a band came so near the mouth of the cave tht their voices could be distinctly heard inside. Abu Bakr, greatly troubled in heart, said to Muhammad," there are only two of us and they are many,  what if we are discovered?"

Muhammad replied
"Fear not there are not tw of us but three, and the third amongst us is God."

evey day towards sunset Abu Bakr's daughter Asma would send food and drink to the cave. a slave would brings goats to the mouth of the cave. milk them and leave the milk in the cave.he would also brings news regarding the movements of the enemy. after three days the slave brought tidings that coast was clear and they left for Medina, before Muhammad mounted Abu Bakr's she-camel for the journey, he settled on the price of the animal with his friends. Mecca chiefs had not given up hope of capturing their quarry or even though all their efforts had so far been unsuccessful.

They now proclaimed a prize of hundrde camels for the captur of Muhammad,aliver or dead. For an arab one hundred camels was more than a fortune. The fastest rider of them all, a man Suraqa by name heard of the prize and left in pursuit., he was hardly past the suburbs of Mecca when his horse floundered and fell. The men did not deter him he sped towards Medina, and at last sighted his prey.His exultation however was short-lived his speeding horse was suddenly sucked down into a patch of quicksand., he returned to Mecca on foot.

It was afternoon of Saturday, 8th of Rabi -el Awwal,according to the Arabic calendar, when Muhammad arrived at Qibaa, a place on the outskirts of Medina where he rested for a few days., where his cousin Ali joined him and where he built a mosque, a plase greatly revered by Muslims to this day.

The Muslim Calendar begins with this year because the new chapter that opend in the career of the Prophet, and the history of the Muslim on his arrival at Medina, was a chapter of unbroken succsses and uninterrupted progress.

the news of his arrival at Qibaa soon reached Medina and every morning people gathered on the outskirts of the city to give him welcome.They would stand and wait the whole morning until the sun was high and the heat unbearable, and then return to their homes, sad and disappionted. the path leading to qubaa remaind lonely and deserted. At last the great day arrived. News was brought to Yathrib that Muhammed was at last on his way. the Banu Najjar led the welcoming crowds in full armour, their weapons glistening in the sun. the whole of Yathrib lined the road in orderly rows. Young girls played on their tambourines and sang songs of welcome.

Muhammad entered with Abu Bakr shielding him against the sun with his cloak. the lead of every household in Medina went forward to meet him anxiously for the honour of offering him hospitality. Muhammad said " loosen your hold on the reins of my camel and whereever she stops, there will I stay. " the camel wandered into the quarters of the Banu Najjar and sat in an empty lot, opposite the gate where Muhannad's mosque,"Masjid -i- Nabwi",stands.  the land belonged to two orphan boys. Muhammad paid them the price of the land and built on it a mosque with two rooms for his own abode.While this was being built, he stayed with a pious Medinite, Abu Ayub Ansari. Before the Hijra (flight, or migration ) of Muhammad, Medina, "the city ", was called Yathrib as previously mentioned. It now came to be known as Medina- ul -Nabi,the city of the prophet, Medina for short.

When the mosque was being built Muhammad and his companion worked and slaved together like labourers, digging foundations, carting stones, mixing mortar. it was a simple strcture., at one end there was a canopy with a stone platform beneath, which served as shelter for those of Muhammad's followers who where homeless. These men called "Ehli- Suffa " "those of the stone-bench ". they were the wandering missionarise of the new faith.they would sit at the feet of their master, listen to his words and then carry them to sundry place in the peninsula. All of Muhammad's companion led simple and austere lives, but the Ahla- Suffa excelled them all in asceticism and austerity.

Muhammad's next task was to find shelter and livelihood for the men who had accompanied him from Mecca., in their own home-town many of them were prosperous and well-to-do,but now they were all equally destitut. as a preliminary step  Muhammad enjoined the Muslims of Medina, now known as Ansar (helpers) to adopt as brothers their co-religionists from Mecca,now known as Muhajirs (refugees), to share with them like their own kith and kin whatever they possessed, in prosperity and in want. These bonds endured and the refugees were soon absorbed into the community.

in Medina there was also a large Jewish population with whom Muhammad then negotiated an agreement in order to adjust their relation with his followers.

The salient features of this agreement were as follows:-
1- Every tribe and clan would manage its affairs and settle its own disputes according to its own law.
2- No party in Medina, either Muslim or Jewish would directly negotiate any treaty or agreement at any time with any outside party residing beyond the precincts of Medina.
3- In case of war outside Medina no Medinites would be compelled to join either of the warring parties.
4- In all disputes in Medina,Muhammad would be the final arbitrating authority.

After Muhamed and his companions left Mecca, their enemies were, for some time happy and content. this was not for long. Stories began to filter that the Medinites had accepted Muhammad as their undisputed ruler and pledged him undying support, that his faith was flourishing that the Muslims went about their pious ways without let or hindrance and feared the pagans no more., So the desire for vengeance flared up once agin in many Meccans' hearts.

They knew of a crafty and ambitious man in Medina., Abdullh the son of Ubayy and sought to make him their ally. They invited him in secret to mobilize like-minded Medinites and to join hands with the Quraysh in exterminating the Muslims.

Otherwise their ominous message ran "the Quraysh and their allies will lay your town low, kill all your men and make slaves of your women and children. ",Abdullh Ibn Ubayy, none too unwilling, called a council of his friends together with some Jewish leaders of the commuinty and told them of the communication he had received.

" let us rid ourselves of these intruders,"he urged, "to save our lives and our honour." The conspiracy was soon brought to the notice of Muhammad.

As was his want, he went straight to Abdullh Ibn Ubayy and reasoned with him. the man prostested innocence, denied all evil intentions and sowre loyalty to the Muslims' cause. but his heart was full of treachery.

About this time a chieftain of the Aus tribe from Medina went on a pilgrimage to Mecca.,Abu Jahl came upon him and chided him furiously." How dare you come to Mecca," He said " you, who are aiding and arming our bitterest enemy?" "Listen," said the Aus chief in reply, "we have so far given protection to your caravans passing through Medina.

We have never barred their path nor interfered with their trading, but if you insist on hostility, their safety is no longer assured."

While Muhammad was trying to foster friendship and amity among his people in Medina,to make them forget their ancient trible feuds and to unite them into a single fraternal community, the leaders of Mecca, more frustrated than ever began to plan actively for bloodshed and aggression. all these plans soon reached Medina and Muslims prepared themselves for self-defence under their illustrious leader.

the Meccan plan was two-fold. On the one hand they engaged in preparing a large army of invasion and on the other, in inciting all the other Arab tribes to take up arms. their caravans which went on trading mission to Syria and other lands propagated hatred and hostility against the Muslims wherever  halted on the way. Nearly the whole of their words and the very air began to smell of violence, directed against that small band entrenched in Medina.
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Conquest of Macca.
All these eight years Mecca had been the hotbed of intrigues and conspiracies against the Muslims. From whichever quarter in the Peninsula trouble or mischief came, it was aided, abetted, inspired or encouraged by the hard core of Muhammad's Meccan enemies. So the Muslims, their patience worn out at last, decided to pull out this thorn from their side. A large force was accordingly assembled and it marched towards Mecca.

In earlier years when odds against the Muslim community were too overwhelming, they would not willingly venture out from sanctuary without trepidation. It was different now. Their name and power were already great, so none interfered with them on their march nor tried to bar their way. When they approached the end of their journey and Mecca was a few miles away, they halted and encamped for the night. Muhammad commanded that each group should light a bright fire to give the Meccans an idea of their strength.

The Meccans, he hoped, would not give battle once they knew that resistance was hopeless. As always he was anxious to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, and so no blood was shed. The Quraysh gave in. Their redoubtable leader, Abu Sufyan, presented himself before Muhammad as their envoy, and accepted Islam.

When Abu Sufyan returned to Mecca, he made the following proclamation on behalf of the Prophet:
"Whoever takes refuge in the house of Abu Sufyan shall be forgiven."

"Whoever remains indoors and keeps his doors shut shall be forgiven."

"Whoever enters the Ka'ba shall be forgiven."

"Whoever goes about his business unarmed shall go in peace."

No one was forced to change his faith, or made to accept the faith of the conquerors as a precondition for personal security. Everyone was given quarter on one simple condition -peaceful submission.

Then in small groups and from various directions, the triumphant Muslims entered their native city after a punishment lasting for years. Many had lost their nearest and dearest at the hands of the people now completely at their mercy. All of them carried in their hearts bitter memories of cruelty, persecution and pain inflicted by their now humbled enemies. Yet none thought of vengeance or retribution, and none raised his arm against a defenceless foe.

Only in one quarter of Mecca the Quraysh resisted, and the party led by Khalid Ibn Walid was greeted with a shower of arrows. The resistance was soon overcome, and it is said that fifteen to eighteen men of the Quraysh fell in the encounter. When the news was brought to Muhammad, he was grieved. "I wish this had not happened," he said, "I had strictly forbidden all bloodshed."

Then he entered the Ka'ba at the head of his people, and with his own hands removed from the house of God, the idols and deities which had long polluted its sanctity. The custody of the keys of the Ka'ba was an office carrying high honor and many prominent Muslims secretly aspired to it. But Muhammad returned the keys to the same man who had them in custody and said, "These keys will stay with your household until the end of time." The same family has custody of these keys up to the present day.

Then Muhammad rose and spoke:
"There is only One God; He has no equal and no compeer. Today, He has fulfilled His promise. He aided His servants and made them triumph over all His enemies.

"It is not lawful for any man who believes in God and His Prophet to shed human blood wantonly.

"I have today abolished all customs and all rituals of the days of the 'jahiliya' except that arrangements for the distribution of water to the pilgrims from the well of Zamzam will continue as before.

"O' men of Quraysh, take heed! God has destroyed your factionalism of the days of 'jahiliya' and your pride on blood and lineage. All men are equal. All are descended from the same ancestor, Adam. And Adam was nothing but dust."

The holy city of Mecca was now Muhammad's undisputed domain, and the arrogant Quraysh were completely at his mercy. Among them were many who had thirsted after his blood; many who had persecuted him and his companions and subjected them to brutal torture and indignities. There were many men who had slandered and abused him in public; intriguers who had conspired against him, traitors who had repeatedly betrayed him by professing friendships, invetrate enemies who had incited tribes against him or sought to discredit him in the courts of kings, who had pursued him wherever he sought refuge and tried to destroy what ever sanctuary gave him shelter, including the city of Medina.

In Arabia of those days, the rules of warfare, when men or tribes went to war, knew neither mercy nor forgiveness. The combatants neither gave nor expected quarter. The price of defeat was slavery or death. The least that a humbled enemy could expect from his conqueror would be exile and imprisonment or public whipping, at least some ringleaders would be put to death to make an example. None of these things happened in Mecca. No heads rolled, no women were enslaved, no punishment meted out, not even a word of rebuke or recrimination was uttered. "We throw ourselves upon your mercy," the Prophet's enemies said, knowing this goodness, "you are a merciful man, the son of a merciful father." And Muhammad replied, "Go in peace; you are free, no one will demand retribution." He bound them to no pledges and presented no demands. Even the properties of Muslims usurped by their enemies after 'the flight' were left with the usurpers and the Muslims were persuaded to forgo their rights.
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Death of the Prophet
It was now the eleventh year of the Hijra.Muhammad's mission was already fulfilled, his faith complete and triumphant.

In the month of "Safar" he was seized with fever which steadily increased. The news of his illness encouraged some imposters to set up rival cults and create confusion,but these soon died their natural death.

On the 26th day of this month, the Prophet rallied and on hearing of some trouble on the borders of Syria and Palistaine,ordered an army to be assembled. He put Usama in command of his force,got up from his sick-bed, put the battle-standard into the hands of Usama and bid farewell to the army.

The Prophet's illness became worse.With the permission of his other wives he moved into Aisha's room.

One day when he felt a little better, he came out and addressed his followers:
"Fear Allah,I pray you, and may Allah keep you on the right path.

I entrust you to His care.I have warned you of the everlasting bunishment and given you tidings of everlasting bliss.

O'creatures of Allah,shun arrogance and pride. Paradise and the blessings of the hereafter are for the humble and the rightous. The resert af the proud is Hell"

On the 12th day of the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, he lifted up the curtain of his room which overlooked the compound of the mosque and saw the congregation engrossed in prayers. He smiled happily and lay back.

And then his beloved wife Aisha relates,"I suddenly felt a great heaviness in my lap.Ilooked at him His eyes were glossed over and I heard his last words, "I desire to be with my Allah".

And thus on the 12th day of the month Rabi - ul - Awwal, in the 11th year of the Hijra, when the sun was near its zenith, Muhammed, the Prophet of Islam, passed away.
May peace be upon him..