The Messenger of Allah, Muhammed
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
“We have only sent you (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå
æÓáã) as
a mercy to the worlds.”
(Al-Anbiyâ’, 21: 107)
Ayah quoted by trans.
Chapter Four
The Messenger Of Allah Invites His Tribe
“And warn your tribe (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) of near kindred,
and be kind and humble to the believers who follow you, then if they disobey
you, say: ‘I am innocent of what you do.’” (Ash-Shu‘arâ’, 26: 214-216)
The
Message was send down upon Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),
and he had to face one of the most corrupt societies on earth. A society rife
with despotism and disbelief that tainted even the sanctity of the Sacred
House, where it set up idols in the House that Allah has chosen on the earth,
and aimed at the degeneracy of the purest spot on this universe.
The
new Message had to withstand all this, and to purify the Sacred House of the
idols, declare equality among people, whether poor or rich, white or black.
The
first revealed Ayah showed the means of education to man: the Pen, and the
means of knowledge: reading. What the pen does not record is eventually lost
and end, and he who does not read, will not learn.
Allah,
Blessed and Exalted be He, created man, and created in him the ability to
inherit civilizations. For the human mind is distinguished among earthly
creatures by its capacity to inherit civilizations, and promote them. Thus,
each human generation starts from where the preceding one has stopped and adds
to it. Consequently, human civilization progresses till it reaches what Allah
has decreed for it.
Man
possesses the means of knowledge that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, has
created for him, in order to discover the universe. The Truth, all praise and
glory be to Him, says (what means):
“And Allah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while
you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might
give thanks (to Allah).” (An-Nahl, 16: 78)
Why
has Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, gave precedence to hearing over sight?
Because hearing is the primary tool of learning in man, as you can only see for
yourself, but you can hear from many others. The blind man can learn, and
attain the highest degrees of knowledge through making others read for him, but
it is hard for the deaf to be a scientist.
Allah,
Blessed and Exalted be He, has indicated in the aforesaid glorious Ayah the
means of knowledge that He has furnished man with. For man hears and sees, then
knowledge settles in the heart. He acquires facts and behaves accordingly.
These are the means of attaining human knowledge, and are still his means to
the present day. Although man possesses other senses like touch, taste, and
others, they do not grant him human civilization, but rather information about
things around him, but they do not convey civilization to man.
To
know for sure that sight can never stand alone as means of learning, suppose
that you are watching a film, then you turn off the sound, and watch the film
mutely with your eyes, you will not be able to understand anything. Try then to
use senses other than that of hearing, and you will still be unable to
understand.
Thus,
ears are the primary means of learning, and they start their function
immediately after birth. While the eyes take days till they start performing
their function. Therefore, the Noble Qur’an came as words read, and not
something seen. Because The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, wanted to employ
the true means of receiving knowledge within man, namely the ears, so that
Qur’anic knowledge reaches everyone.
When
the Divine Revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace), he spent days uncertain about what he had seen and
heard. Lady Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) wanted to end such state
of uncertainty, so when Jibril (Gabriel, peace be upon him) descended upon him
while he was at her home, she asked: “Do you now
see the angel?” He answered: “Yes,”
upon which she unveiled her face and asked him: “Do
you now see him?” He answered: “No,”
so Khadijah said: “It is an angel and not a
devil.” For she knew with her insight that the devil is shameless,
and will not disappear if a woman removes her veil away from her face or head.
Moreover, the angel listens to and obeys the Command of Allah. Consequently,
the heart of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
was reassured. It is noteworthy, that Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her)
was the first to believe in Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace). She was the first to believe in the prophecy of Muhammad (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace), and was even given the glad tiding of a house
of pearls in Paradise.
The Pause Of The
Divine Revelation For A While
The
Divine Revelation was paused for a while, thus the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) went to the cave perhaps the Divine
Revelation would come, but Jibril did not come; he went to Khadijah’s house
perhaps the Divine Revelation would come, but Jibril did not come. Thus,
uncertainty began in the noble soul of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace), what happened? Is he truly the Messenger of Allah or
not?
While
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was walking in
one of the passages of Mecca, he heard a voice telling him: “O Muhammad! You are truly the Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) looked in front of him, but saw no one, and then he looked
behind him and on his left and right but still saw none.
From
where then did this sound come? Forthwith, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) gazed towards the sky and there he saw Jibril
(peace be upon him) telling him: “O Muhammad! You
are truly the Messenger of Allah.” Such contact that took place
between the Angel and the human Messenger caused his noble body to shiver
severely, and to drip with sweat, so he hastened to the house of Khadijah.
Upon
entering the house, Lady Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) kindly asked
him: “What is the matter with you?” But
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not answer
her, but only said while shivering severely: “Wrap
me! Wrap me,” Thereupon, she covered him with mantles. Amid such a
scene Jibril (peace be upon him) descended upon him with the first Surah after
Al-‘Alaq, where he revealed to him the Words of the Truth, all praise and glory
be to Him, (which means):
“O you (Muhammad, Õáì Çááå
Úáíå æÓáã) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and
warn! And your Lord (Allah) magnify! And your garments purify! And keep away
from Ar-Rujz (the idols)! And give not a thing in order to have more (or
consider not your deeds of Allah’s obedience as a favour to Allah). And for
your Lord’s (Cause), be patient and constant!” (Al-Muddaththir, 74: 1-7)
Jibril
(peace be upon him) departed, while sweat still pouring over the noble body of
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). When he
gained his composure he wanted to go out, which made Lady Khadijah worried
about his going out while in such a state, so she said to him: “Rest, O Muhammad for a while,” and he answered:
“There is no longer a time for rest, O Khadijah.”
Afterwards,
the revelation of Ayat succeeded, where Allah, all praise and glory be to him,
ordered His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to begin
conveying the Message by warning those close to him, saying what means:
“And warn your tribe (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) of near kindred,
and be kind and humble to the believers who follow you, then if they disobey
you, say: ‘I am innocent of what you do.’” (Ash-Shu‘arâ’, 214: 216)
The
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) invited his tribe
to his house to have food with him, and there he said to them: “I do not know of any person from among the Arabs who has
ever brought to his people better than what I bring to you. I bring to you the
goodness of this World and of the Hereafter, and Allah has commanded me to
invite you to it. Who among you shall support me in this matter.”
All the
attendants turned down the call of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace), except ‘Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah honor his face), who
despite his tender age, and not reaching puberty yet, said: “O Messenger of
Allah! I am your aid, I am a war against whoever fight you.” As for
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (surnamed the Trustful, may
Allah be pleased with him), he believed in the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) once he informed him without asking for a
proof or a sign, but he just said: “I believe
you.”
Despite
the denial and hostility with which the tribe of the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) received his Call, it started to spread,
and people started to enter Islam. The first to enter Islam after Abu Bakr (may
Allah be pleased with him) were Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam, ‘Abdur-Rahman bin
‘Auf, Sa‘d bin Abi Waqas, Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullah, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarah,
Al-‘Arqam bin Abi Al-‘Arqam, ‘Uthman bin Madh’un, Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Sa‘id
bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with them all).
Thus,
the word of belief proceeded onward, spreading the Islamic Call. At first
people believed in secrecy, for fear of the oppression of the tyrants of the
Quraish. They used to convene secretly with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) at the house of Al-‘Arqam bin Abi Al-’Arqam to
study Qu’ran, and perform Prayers the way the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, peace
be upon him) used to perform it, offering two rak‘ahs [Rak‘ah
represents a unit of Salah, i.e., offering Prayers] and prostrating
themselves to Allah, gloried ever be His Majesty and Might.
Some
people might ask: how did Muslims prostrate, though the prescribed obligatory
prayers were not enjoined yet?
The
answer to this question is that prostration is an act of worship enjoined since
Adam (peace be upon him). Moreover, before the creation of Adam (peace be upon
him) the act of prostration was one of the signs of worshipping Allah, all
praise and glory be to Him. The Noble Qur’an says (what means):
“And unto Allah (Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the
heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the
mornings and in the afternoons.” (Ar-Ra‘d, 13: 15)
All
the creatures of Allah prostrate themselves before Him and glorify Him in this
world and the world to come, save man and jinns, who are granted free choice in
worldly life. Thus, their prostration in worldly life is voluntary. We will
also realize that prostration was known and enjoined in all Messages and upon
all prophets calling to the True Religion (monotheism), if we read the glorious
Ayah saying (what means):
“Remember) when Yusuf (Joseph) said to his father: ‘O my father!
Verily, I saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them
prostrating themselves to me.” (Yusuf, 12: 4)
And
the glorious Ayah saying (what means):
“O Mary! Worship your Lord devoutly: prostrate yourself, and bow
down (in prayer) with those who bow down.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 43)
The Call
to Allah marched on, and Allah ordered His Messenger (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) to proclaim openly the Message. Thus, the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ascended As-Safa Mount near the
Sanctified Ka’bah and started calling out: “O clan
of the Quraish! O clan of the Quraish!” And the people of Quraish
gathered, whereupon he told them: “Suppose I told
you that there are horses at the foot of this mountain planning to raid you,
will you believe me?” They said: “Yes,
we regard you as trustful, and we have never heard you telling a lie.”
The Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “I am a warner to you in face of a severe torment. O Banu
Abdu-Manaf, O Banu Zuhrah, O Banu Tamim, O Banu Makhzoum, O Banu Asad, Allah
orders me to warn my closest kindred, and verily I possess no power of benefit to you in worldly life, nor any share in the Hereafter,
unless you say: There is no god but Allah.”
Whereupon,
Abu Lahab stood and cried: “Is it for this purpose you have gathered us? May
you perish!”
Thus
Allah revealed: “Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab (an
uncle of the Prophet), and perish he! His wealth and his children (etc.) will
not benefit him!” (Al-Masad, 111: 1-5)
Stages Of Struggle
Between Truth And Falsehood
The
battle between truth and falsehood began, and the Quraish felt the danger. For
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, chose His Sanctified House in Mecca to
be the birthplace of the Cry of Truth; a cry to be first heard by the chiefs of
the Arabs, the Quraish. The Quraish enjoyed mastery over the Arabian
Peninsula…. over Mecca, where stands the Sacred House of Allah to which all
people go on pilgrimage. For that reason all the tribes used to avoid opposing
the Quraish, because they knew that at the time of pilgrimage they would fall
under the mercy of the Quraish, and that made them pay due regard to it.
The
cry of Islam first reached the ears of the masters of Arabs to admonish them,
and to make them learn well that when The Truth, all praise and glory be to
Him, wants to send down His Religion to earth He sounds the first Cry of Faith
in the ears of the chiefs of the Quraish among them, so that it would not be
said, “They are but weak people who gathered around the Messenger.”
The
first cry was in the ears of the most powerful people, mightily shaking them.
Nevertheless, Islam did not achieve its victory in Mecca, but in Al-Madinah
Al-Munawarah [Medina, The Luminous City].
And that for a purpose, so that it would not be said that the Quraish – the
master over the Arabs – helped one of its sons, but all must bear in mind that
Allah Alone granted victory to His Religion, and that Muhammad, the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), obtained power and honor
through the Religion of Allah, and not through human means.
The
struggle between truth and falsehood passed by several stages; the first stage
was that of temptation, when the people of the Quraish thought that the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) could be tempted
by worldly splendor.
The
second stage was that of persecution; where they began to grievously harm the
Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Muslims.
The
third stage was that of boycott, where the Quraish decided to boycott Banu
Hashim, to force them to hand over the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) to be killed.
As for
the fourth stage it was the attempt to kill the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace).
The
disbelievers attempted, before the first stage, to arouse doubt in the heart of
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about his
prophethood; that he was not commissioned with the Message. Thus, they claimed
that he was neither a Prophet nor a Messenger. But Allah, all praise and glory
be to Him, kept him firm on faith. Allah, eternally glorified is His Majesty
and Might, says (what means):
“And those who disbelieve, say: ‘You (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã)
are not a Messenger.’ Say: ‘Sufficient for a witness between me and you is
Allah and those too who have knowledge of the Scripture (such as ‘Abdullah bin
Salam and other Jews and Christians who embraced Islam).’” (Ar-Ra‘d, 13: 43)
But
such doubts were sheer nothing, for Islam kept on prevailing, and the number of
believers witnessed continuous growth. Thereupon, the disbelievers thought of
laying before him worldly life, hoping that this might persuade him into
renouncing the Call. They said: “If you came with such talk seeking wealth
by it, we would collect to you from our wealth till you become the richest
among us. And if you were seeking high standing among us, we would make you our
master, and if you were seeking dominion, we would make you a king over us, and
if that which descends on you with what it brings is a genie that overpowered
you, we would spend freely in pursuit of treatment till we cure you of it.”
Nevertheless,
all such offers and worldly temptations did not stir in the soul of the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) even a speck of
attraction. For he has come to call people to striving for the sake of the
Hereafter, untempted by worldly wealth and fame. The afterlife is the one
eternal, and delights in it are by the Power of Allah. But worldly life to
Allah and His Messenger is not worth the wing of a mosquito.
When
his uncle Abu Talib wanted to convince him to accept the worldly offer of the
disbelievers of the Quraish, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) said: “O uncle! By Allah, were
they to put the sun in my right hand, and the moon in my left hand on condition
that I abandon this mission, I will never abandon it, until Allah makes it
prevail or I perish therein.”
Thus, the noble Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has placed this worldly life, over which people fight one
another, in its true seat. For worldly life is not the life that a believer
desires, but he only regards it as the means to attain the Good Pleasure of
Allah in the Hereafter. Hence temptation, which marked the first stage, failed
and the disbelievers became convinced that they would not be able to dissuade
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) from his
mission through allurements by all worldly riches.
Thereupon, the second stage began, and they evilly thought: “If
we cannot overcome Muhammad, we can his followers. We will torture every one
who believes in the Message of Muhammad. We will torture them unto death, and
only then people will turn away from him, and he will find none to believe in
his Message.” Hence, the torture stage began, and it was Al-Yasser (family
of Yasser) who presented the first martyrs in Islam. They came from Yemen and
reverted to Islam in Mecca; the family members were Yasser, his wife Sumayah
and ‘Amar bin Yasser (may Allah be pleased with them). Abu Jahl and the
disbelievers strived hard to put them to trial because of their religion but
they failed, they thus took them to the desert, and started torturing them.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
passed and saw them being tortured, thus he said: “Be patient, O
Al-Yasser, for your tryst is Paradise.” Abu Jahl savagely stabbed Sumayah (may Allah
be pleased with her) with his spear in her private parts, until he killed her
and then her husband. Then followed the incidents of torment and persecution
against the Muslims, who were a subjugated minority. But such torment did not
drive anyone of them into recanting his religion, as the light of faith had
known its way to their hearts, and they adhered fast to the True Religion.
The one of them used to be placed naked over a torrid rock, and
then another heavy rock would be placed over his chest, while being savagely
whipped. But still he would say: “He is Allah, (the) One, He is Allah, (the)
One.” Heaven was
witnessing what was going on, and The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him,
revealed the glorious Ayat that would keep firm the Muslims and give them the glad
tidings of victory, hence the following glorious Ayah was revealed (saying what
means):
“Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their
backs.” (Al-Qamar, 54: 45)
Upon
the revelation of this glorious Ayah ‘Umar bin Al-Khatab (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: “What multitude and we are an
oppressed minority?” But after the battle of Badr and after the
defeat of the disbelievers and their flight, he said: “You uttered the truth, O my Lord: ‘Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show
their backs.’” (Al-Qamar, The Moon, 54: 45)
Persecution Of The
Messenger Of Allah
The
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was not safe from
harm either. Umm Jamil – the wife of Abu Lahab – used to throw in his way filth
and thorns, while he was heading to the Ka‘bah to offer Prayers.
After
the revelation of the following noble Surah (saying what means):
“Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab (an uncle of the Prophet), and
perish he! His wealth and his children (etc.) will not benefit him! He will be
burnt in a Fire of blazing flames! And his wife too, who carries wood (thorns
of Sadan which she used to put on the way of the Prophet (Peace be upon him),
or use to slander him). In her neck is a twisted rope of Masad (palm fibre).”
(Al-Masad, 111: 1-5)
Umm
Jamil hastened to the Ka‘bah, carrying a huge rock, with the evil purpose of
throwing it over the head of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace), who was sitting beside Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with
him), but when she looked around she could not see him, thus she asked Abu
Bakr: “Where is your companion?” But Abu Bakr kept silent and she left.
Abu
Bakr then wonderingly said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace), “She did not see you!”
And the noble Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied: “Allah has taken her sight away from me.” For
she only saw Abu Bakr.
As for
Abu Jahl, he went to kill the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) with a huge rock. He thus waited at the Ka‘bah till the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came and prostrated himself.
Thereupon, he hastened to execute what he plotted.
But
before Abu Jahl reached near the place of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace), the rock fell from his hands, and he fled
filled with horror. When Abu Jahl was asked about what had happened, he said: “I
saw a strange monster, which was about to kill me.” And when the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was asked about this
incident, he said: “That was Jibril (Gabriel), and
if Abu Jahl had advanced but one step, he would have perished.”
Persecution
continued, but the Light of Allah is mightily stronger than human ways and
plans, and each day the number of those believing in the Religion of Allah
increased. Such Religion was of such a strength as to separate between the
husband and his wife, the father and his son, for the believing hearts know
nothing other than the power of faith, and adhere neither to kin nor to spouse.
Hence,
human plots failed to prevent the Light of Allah from penetrating the hearts.
“Nay, they say: “These (revelations of the Qur'an which are
inspired to Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå
æÓáã) are mixed up false dreams! Nay, he has
invented it! Nay, he is a poet! Let him then bring us an Ayâh (sign as a proof)
like the ones (Prophets) that were sent before (with signs)! Not one of the
towns (populations), of those which We destroyed, believed before them (though
We sent them signs), will they then believe?” (Al-Anbiyâ’, 21: 5-6)
The
disbelievers of Quraish were filled with perplexity at this new religion, what
kind of power is that, which possesses the hearts, and masters the souls, till
they see nothing but Allah, and aspire for nothing save the Religion of Allah.
Such power is certainly beyond human power, and they stood unable to explain
it. They said: “A sorcerer, who bewitched people’s eyes and hearts,”
forgetting that the bewitched loses his will before the magician, so why did
not they also fall under his spell! And they said: “A madman.” But
Allah, all glory be to Him, answered back such accusation by the glorious Ayah
saying (what means):
“[These letters (Nun, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Qur’an,
and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. By the pen and what the
(angels) write (in the Records of men). You (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã)
are not, by the Grace of your Lord, a madman. And verily, for you (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã)
will be an endless reward. And verily, you (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã)
are on an exalted standard of character.” (Al-Qalam: 68: 1-4)
Such
retort was by all means the most eloquent, as the madman can never be of an
exalted standard of character, for he is unaware of his conduct, and if he sat
among people, he may without reason insult them or revile them, thus all his
mad actions are void of any noble nature, as he is unconscious of what he is
doing.
They
also said: “A poet,” forgetting that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) lived among them for forty years before the
mission without uttering one single line of poetry, and was not renowned by
poetic eloquence. The Noble Quran says what means:
“That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger [i.e. Jibril
(Gabriel) or Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which he has
brought from Allah]. It is not the word of a poet, little is that you believe!
Nor is it the word of a soothsayer (or a foreteller), little is that you
remember! This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the ‘Alamin
(mankind, jinns and all that exists). And if the messenger (Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã)
were to invent any sayings in Our name, We surely should have seized him by his
right hand (or with power and might), And then certainly should have cut off
his life artery (Aorta), And none of you could withhold Us from (punishing)
him. And verily, this Qur’an is a Reminder for the God-fearing. And verily, We
know that there are some among you that belie (this Qur’an). And indeed it
(this Qur’an) will be an anguish for the disbelievers (on the Day of
Resurrection). And Verily, it (this Qur’an) is an absolute truth with
certainty. So glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most Great.” (Al-Haqqah, 69:
43-52)
But
such is the deviant nature of disbelievers; their blindness makes them fail to
discern that their false allegations present the trustful proof on the veracity
of the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Moreover,
when the Divine Revelation was paused for a while, they said that the Lord of
Muhammad had deserted him, not realizing that by such saying they had exposed
themselves, for they used to claim that what was inspired to Muhammad (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) was not sent from a Noble Lord, but he was
rather deluding them. Thus, when the Revelation was paused for a while, they
admitted that Muhammad (may Allah please him and grant him peace) had a Lord,
Who inspired him. They passed around: “The Lord of Muhammad has deserted
him,” without paying heed that they were thus proving his Message, and
proving that there was truly a Revelation sent down from Allah upon His
Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). On account of this
incident the following glorious Ayah was revealed, saying (what means):
“By the forenoon (after sun-rise); and by the night when it is
still (or darkens); Your Lord (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) has neither
forsaken you nor hated you. And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the
present (life of this world). And verily, your Lord will give you (all i.e.
good) so that you shall be well-pleased.” (Ad-Duha, 93: 1-5)
The Islam Of The
First Muslims
Such
incidents drive us to ask ourselves: why did Allah leave the first Muslims face
such torture? Was not Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, capable of
granting victory to His Religion from the first day, and to suppress the
persecution of the disbelievers against the followers of the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace)? Why did Allah, all praise and glory
be to Him, choose that orphan, illiterate Messenger to shoulder the last
religion addressed to the whole universe?
Was
not Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, capable of sending down His Message
to one of the chiefs among the tribes of Mecca, who possessed both power and
wealth? Was not that possible? In such case the number of believers would have
been great, the Call would have been easier to prevail, and resistance to the
Call would have been less. Indeed, this was what the disbelievers desired.
Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, transmits to us that picture saying (what
means):
“And they say: ‘Why is not this Qur’an sent down to some great man
of the two towns (Mecca and Tâ’if)?’” (Az-Zukhruf, 43: 31)
Our
answer to these questions is that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wanted
for His religion to have the powerful start of true faith. He wanted believers
in this religion, who would crave for nothing and ask for nothing except
Paradise, and their entering into Islam is pure from any desire of worldly
gains. Those prime Muslims are the ones that Allah, praise and glory be to Him,
has chosen to shoulder the deliverance of the Message to the entire world.
Therefore, if their entry into religion was not born out of genuine faith, they
would have swerved from Islam and its teachings for the sake of worldly life.
But their Lord wanted that the faith filling their hearts, the whole world
would not shake.
Had
this religion descended upon one of the chiefs of Mecca, people would have
embraced it out of hypocrisy and dissemblance, in quest of worldly benefit; exactly
as hypocrites gather around the ruler, who possesses power and authority, to
achieve personal interest. But should his power end, they would disperse away
from him.
If
Islam had started by attracting hypocrites and seekers of worldly life, it would
have ended, once the caller to this religion passed away or lost worldly power.
But Islam had to arise from hearts filled with the Light of Allah. The one of
them used to be severely tortured, nevertheless he never abandoned his
religion, even killed while still repeating the words, “There is not god but Allah, and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.”
They had their wealth and possessions usurped, suffered painful torture, and
experienced horrors but never did their faith waver. Thus, the first believers only
wished for Paradise, growing invincible in the face of torment, uninfluenced by
worldly ways, for their faith was stronger than the entire world.
About
the trial of faith, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):
“Did you think that you would enter Paradise without Allah testing
those of you who fought hard (in His Cause) and those who remained steadfast??”
(Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 142)
For
this reason we find that when Suhaib, the Roman, (may Allah be pleased with
him) wanted to emigrate to Medina, the disbelievers made his setting off
conditional on his leaving behind all his wealth in Mecca, but he did not
hesitate to do so. When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) learned about his sacrifice, he said: “The
winning deal, the winning deal.”
Islam
came to build man firmly from inside, but why? Because man is the master of this universe, if he is well
built, he will master the world. But if he is wrongly built, he will establish
no civilization: a law living to the present day, and will continue till the
Day of Judgment. If we take Japan as an example from our contemporary era, we
find that it is one of the richest countries of the world, and the most
developed in industry, though it possesses no raw materials on which any
industry can be established.
On the
other hand, there are other countries that possess all the fundamentals
necessary for the establishment of industries, from raw materials and natural
resources, yet not a single industry is established. There are also countries
that possess agricultural lands enough to feed the whole world, despite that it
suffers from famine and drought, and export food from foreign countries.
Thus,
the influential factor in building human civilization is man, if he was rightly
guided everything would follow a straight course, but if he was corrupt,
everything will slope downward. For that reason, Islam greatly cared to build
the Muslim having a strong faith, in order to be the master on the earth. That
is why as long as Muslims firmly adhere to their religion, they grow ever more
superior, advanced, and civilized. But when they drift away from their
religion, they will only become retarded and weak.
All
this illustrates the importance of strong construction of Muslims in the first
days of the Call. To give an ideal model of the person who conquers worldly
life, and the whole world can never shake him, because he desires nothing of
it. That is why when Khalid bin Al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) marched
to fight the Persians he said: “I have come to you
with men, who loves death, just as you love life.”
That
is how the first Muslims were like, their eyes fixedly focused on the
Hereafter. They shouldered the Call and delivered it to the entire world. Thus,
they presented the good example and the ideal model that encouraged people to
enter into Islam. The callers to a religion must themselves be role
models, or else none
will listen to them. This applies on religion alone, and does not necessarily
apply to other branches of knowledge in life. As people can acquire knowledge
from a corrupt chemist, or can go to a physician, who does not abide by ethics,
or any professor of worldly knowledge who disregards moral values. But they can
never acquire their religion except from someone who adheres fast to the rules
and ethics of religion and high noble behavior, and they shun him if there is
something notorious about his conduct.
The
period of persecution lasted for years, during which the disbelievers attempted
to convince Banu ‘Abdul-Mutalib to hand over to them the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but Banu ‘Abdul-Mutalib rejected
such demand, especially Abu Talib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace), who refused to desert his nephew and hand
him to the disbelievers.
Henceforth,
the disbelievers started to devise other means, which was to boycott Banu
Abdul-Mutalib, till they hand over to them the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) and completely desert him. Thus, Muslims
migrated to Abyssinia, and its King, An-Najashy (Negus: King of Abyssinia),
refused to hand over the Muslims to the disbelievers of the Quraish.
The
prevalence of Islam among tribes envenomed the disbelieving hearts of the
Quraish with more spite and malice. Thus, they gathered at the Ka‘bah, and
vowed to boycott Banu Abdul-Mutalib, and wrote down a proclamation, where they
pledged not to have any business dealings with them nor any sort of inter-marriage.
They then hung the unjust parchment inside the Ka’bah. But when the Quraish
signed such pact, Banu Hashim, and Banu Abdul-Mutalib sided with Abu Talib and
joined him in his confinement within the narrow pass (Shi‘b of Abu Talib),
except for Abu Lahab, who was from Banu Hashim.
Thus,
the Quraish besieged Banu Hashim, barring food from them. They tightened the
grip of the siege over them, so hard that their children used to eat the leaves
of the trees. Under such horrible siege the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) was inspired that Allah made the termites eat the
parchment of aggression and injustice which the Quraish wrote, leaving only the
words “In the Name of Allah.” Thereupon, Abu Talib asked the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): “Who informed you with this?” And the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied: “It is a Revelation from Heaven.”
د‘Abdul-Mutalib
went to the disbelievers of the Quraish and told them what the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had informed him, and their
answer was: “If it is true, we would end the siege.” Thus, they went,
opened the door of the Ka’bah and entered to see the parchment, but they found
it completely eaten by the termites except the words “In the Name of Allah” [those parts that
bore the Name of Almighty Allah].
Hence,
the third phase failed, which was the war of starvation waged by the
disbelievers against the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) and Muslims, just as the strategy of allurement by money and worldly
supremacy before it failed. And so did the strategy of torturing. The
disbelievers were left no other choice but to conspire to kill the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Putting a scheme to accomplish
that end without subjecting themselves to the reprisal of Banu Hashim. Such
conspiracy took place on the eve of the Hijrah [Emigration from Mecca to
Medina].
Destiny
had it that Khadijah and Abu Talib should both die in the same year, which was
called “The Year of Sorrow.” By their death, the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) lost the protection given to
him by his uncle Abu Talib, who refused to desert him for he was his nephew,
whom his brother died leaving him an orphan, and he considered him as a son,
and Khadijah, the tender wife who used to soothe the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace). With their deaths, he lost the inner
protection provided by his wife Khadijah, and the outer protection provided by
his uncle. Nevertheless, he never lost the Protection of The One who has
neither forsaken him nor hated him. The One who made his Hereafter better to
him than the present life
of this world.
Whenever
the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned home
loaded with distress and grief for the hurt and persecution he suffered at the
hands of the disbelievers of the Quraish, and their torturing of the Muslims,
Khadijah used to console him, soothe him, dispel his grief, and keep talking to
him till his soul regained tranquility and peace, and he became ready for a new
day of calling and striving. By the death of Khadijah and Abu Talib the
persecution of the disbelievers against the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) and the believers aggravated.
The
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was no more able to
bear the harm done to him in Mecca. Therefore, he decided to walk with his Call
out of Mecca perhaps he might find support. Thus, he went to At-Ta’if [A region
of Saudi Arabia near Mecca and Medina] calling its people to Islam, thinking
that they would respond favorably to him. But instead of responding to him the
people of At-Ta’if set their sons and brutes against him, hurting him, hurling
stones at him till his noble feet bled. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) took shelter in a garden, where he sat to rest after
he had made the most of earthly causes, and after he exerted his utmost effort
to spread the Religion of Allah, and convey His Message. He sat there after all
earthly means had forsaken him, and turned to Allah, The Bestower, The Causer,
lifting his noble hands towards Heaven, and praying:
“O Allah! To You do I complain of my weakness, and of my
helplessness, and of people’s disregard for me. O Most Merciful of the
merciful! You are The Lord of the oppressed, and You are my Lord. To whom do
You abandon me? Is it to a stranger, who would frown on me? Or is it to an
enemy, to whom You have given
mastery over me? If You are not angry with me, then I do not care. But Your Protection
is the more all-embracing to me. I seek refuge in the Light of Your
Countenance, whereby all darkness has shone, and by which the affairs of
worldly life and the Hereafter have been set right, lest You send upon me Your Anger, or Your Wrath descends upon
me. Yours Alone is the right to blame till You are Content, and there is
neither power nor might except through You.”
Heaven Never To
Abandon The Prophet
A
superb supplication that perfectly embodies all the constituents of faith and certainty,
for Allah would never let down His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace). When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
exhausted all earthly ways and means, he turned to Heaven. And at once, the
Gates of Heaven shook to the voice of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace), and The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, wanted to
teach His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that if the
people of the earth thus treated him, this does not mean that Heaven had
forsaken him.
And if
Allah, Whose Majesty reigns supreme, had first left the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) to the earthly causes in order to strive
with them, it was for the purpose that he should serve as a superior example to
his nation in making the most of worldly causes together with heavenly support.
Allah wanted to honor him, and show him from the secrets of the world what no
human has ever seen before. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) had never for one day lacked the Support of Allah to him. But
Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, wanted to raise from the nation of Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) those who would convey His Message to
the whole world, and the preparation had to be proportionate to the greatness
of the mission. So that when the earth unfolds its treasures, adornments, and
palaces before them, it shall never sway them away from the Law of Allah. And
the love of worldly life would never step inside their hearts. For the love of
Allah and that of worldly life can never live together in one heart.
That was the phase of
spiritual preparation, and by the Messenger’s lifting both hands towards Heaven
and praying came the miracle of Al-Isra (the Night Journey) [The
miraculous night journey during which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, was taken from Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Mecca) to the Al-Aqsa
Masjid (in Jerusalem)] and Al-Mi‘raj (the Ascension to Heaven) [The
miraculous ascension of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
from Jerusalem to the Heavens to meet his Lord].