Prophet Muhammad---the Last Messenger !

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


Stories of the prophets

On his way back to Makkah, the Prophet (peace be upon Him) camped in the Valley of Nakhla, where he stayed for a few days.And as was his habit, he woke up to pray night prayer ( tahajjud ,which is prayed in the last 3rd part of the night). Allâh sent him a company of jinns who listened to him reciting the Noble Qur’ân.

Qur’an Narrates:

"And (remember) when WE sent towards you (Muhammad) a group of the jinns, listening quietly to the Qur’ân, when they stood in the presence thereof, they said: ‘Listen in silence!’ And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners. They said: ‘O our people! Verily! We have heard a revelation sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it, it guides to the Truth and to a Straight Path. O our people! Respond with obedience to Allah’s caller and believe in him”.

From the context of these verses and their relevant interpretation, we establish that the Prophet (peace be upon Him) was not aware of the presence of that group of jinns. It was only when Allâh revealed those verses that he came to know of it. The verses also confirm that it was the first time they came. But they kept on coming to visit Prophet according to various other narrations.

Ibn Mas'ud, who was asked by his student Alqama ibn Qays, "Was anyone there when the Prophet witnessed the Night of the Jinn?" He said, "No, nobody was there. But one night we were with the Prophet (peace be upon Him) and then he disappeared. And we looked for him everywhere. And we could not find him. We thought he had been kidnapped or assassinated. And we spent the worst night of our lives until the morning broke and we saw him coming from the direction of cave Hira. So we said, 'O Prophet, where were you?' The Prophet said, 'One of the callers of the jinn came to me that there is a congregation waiting for me. So I went out to meet them and recited the Quran.'


Prophet’s Marriage to Sawdah Bint Zama’a:

Prophet(peace be upon Him) married sayyida Khadija when he was around 25 years of age .It was Prophet Muhammad’s first marriage while as Sayyida Khadija was a widow.

They spent 25 years of companionship and were blessed with four daughters.

Sayyida Khadija passed away after 25 years of marriage and prophet at that time was 50 years of age.

He spent all of his youth with her (one wife), whereas polygamy was very common among Arabs. In fact, having only one wife was something rare and looked down upon.

It is reported that one day an elderly neighbor lady whose name was Khawla Bint Hakeem met Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon Him). She told Prophet, “Since Khadija passed away; I have observed that you look crestfallen. Since you have affairs to manage; why don’t you remarry and if you allow me I can propose someone on your behalf”.

[After the death Khadija taking care of children, managing home, business, being a Prophet with mission, and other day to day chores of life, all had become his responsibility.]

The Prophet replied to Khawla,’is there a prospective proposal in your mind’? She said, “I have two proposals in mind; Sawdah Bint Zama’a who is a widow (she also had 5 children from previous marriage)and another I have in mind is Aaisha Bint Abu-Bakr who is not married yet’’.

Prophet told her to go with proposal to Sawdah and see if she would accept.

Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her) is said to be a little older (some narration says 5 yrs) than Prophet (peace be upon Him).

Sawdah accepted the Proposal and asked Khawla to take consent of her father Zama’a.

Khawla went to her father and proposed on behalf of Prophet and he said if my daughter approves of this marriage; I have no objection.

So the wedding took place and Sawdah (peace be upon Her) came into Prophet's household.



In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


Islam being introduced to Arabian Tribes and Individuals:

The tenth year of Prophet hood, i.e. July 619; the time for pilgrimage to Makkah was approaching so he(peace be upon Him) hastened to introduce people both tribes and individuals to Islam and call upon them to embrace it, just as it was his practice since the fourth year of his Prophet hood.

On the authority of Az-Zuhri, of the tribes that Islam was introduced to, we could speak of Banu ‘Amir bin Sa‘sa‘ah, Muharib bin Khasfa, Fazarah, Ghassan, Murrah, Haneefah, Saleem, ‘Abs, Banu Nasr, Banu Al-Buka’, Kindah, Kalb, Al-Harith bin Ka‘b, Udhrah and people of Hadrmout. Islam was not introduced to them in one single year but rather repeatedly from the fourth year till the last pre-migration season of pilgrimage. They however, remained obdurate and none of them responded positively

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) was not dismayed at all. He persisted in his mission for the fulfillment of which he had been commissioned to strive despite all odds.

Moreover, later in the same season, some of them did believe in his Prophet hood and entered the fold of Islam.

some of those who responded were: Swaid bin Samit,Eyas bin Mu‘adh,Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari (madinah)

And Tufail bin ‘Amr Ad-Dausi,Dhumad Al-Azdi (yemen)

The city of Yathrib (madinah) was composed of two main groups of people.

The Arab tribes: Aws and Khazraj

The Jewish tribes: Banu Nadir, Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Qurayza

The Khazraj and Aws were the only Arab group in the region that had knowledge of monotheistic religion as they interacted with the Jews. So they understand the concept of prophets and revelations from God, etc. These are alien concepts for most of the Arabs. The Madinese always heard the Jews say that a Prophet was about to rise, for the time for a new dispensation had arrived. They exchanged among themselves that "Know surely, this is the Prophet with whom the Jews are ever threatening us".

The handful of Madinese converts remained steady to the cause and they preached the Islam with full zeal and devotion with the result that they succeeded in winning adherents for Islam from amongst their fellow citizens and hardly was there a house in Madinah not talking curiously and enthusiastically about the Messenger of Allâh (peace be upon Him).


In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


Night Journey & Ascension to Heavens

Isra & Me'raj:

After the Year of Sorrow and the trial of Ta'if, Allah blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon Him) with one of the greatest miracles, or in fact some scholars say this is the greatest miracle that the Prophet (peace be upon Him) has been given personally.

Isra linguistically means "to travel in the night”. And for Muslims Isra refers to "the Night Journey that the Prophet(peace be upon Him) undertook from Makkah to Jerusalem."

Me'raj means "mechanism of rising up high." And refers to the ascension of the Prophet (peace be upon Him) to the heavens."

Isra is the Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, and Me'raj from Jerusalem to the heavens.

As for its exact date, no common consent has been reached. However, the majority of jurists is in favour of a date between 12-16 months prior to the migration to Madinah.

Prophet (peace be upon Him) is reported to have said, "While I was sleeping in the Hateem, Angel Jibreel (peace be upon Him) came to me." This is the most authentic version (Hateem = semicircular region outside the Ka'bah).

Opening up of the Chest: Prophet has narrated that in Hateem,Jibreel (peace be upon Him)opened his chest and took out the heart and washed it with zamzam and filled it with a light (noor).

{there is also an opinion that this was the only time when Jibraeel (peace be upon Him) opened the chest of Prophet (peace be upon Him) and his heart was taken out and then fixed back.}

Here the purpose of washing the heart is to strengthen the heart of Prophet (peace be upon Him) for what he was about to see. And that is, as Ibn Hazm says, if another man were to have seen even a fraction of what the Prophet (peace be upon Him) experienced and saw that night, he would have gone mad. Indeed the Prophet (peace be upon Him) entered a different world, a different dimension.

The heart we have is not meant to take a journey of that sort where you are riding an animal which is flying at the speed of light or may be even more across land and water and beyond worlds and space and time itself.

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) says, "Then Jibreel ( peace be upon him) brought me an animal. It was a horse like animal, smaller than a mule and larger than a donkey; pure white and it was called Buraaq (comes from the root of lightning),may be because of its speed.

Jibreel (peace be upon Him) was holding on to the harness of Buraaq and the Prophet (peace be upon Him) mounted Buraaq. Then it's narrated that Buraaq jumped up, but Jibreel (peace be upon him) yanked the harness and said, ”Behave! By Allah, no one has ridden you that is more blessed in the eyes of Allah than your current rider." This shows that Buraaq has been ridden by other riders/creations before. This again shows that the Buraaq is a physical creature because it reacted like a normal animal. It also shows us that certainly Allah has created things beyond our knowledge.


There are two main beliefs about “Isra and Meraj” among the Muslims.

First Belief: It was a physical journey (which is the most dominant belief).

Second Belief: It was a spiritual Journey.

These are the two beliefs but whichever the factual one is; the fact remains that the experience itself was real; whether it was physical or spiritual doesn’t invalidate the incident itself. Here one main point to consider is that Muslims in general without any exception believe that a Prophet’s dreams are as real as anything real can be.

The fact of the matter is throughout medieval and pre-modern Islam, the Muslims have unanimously agreed that the Isra and Me'raj was in body and soul. Had the Prophet (peace be upon Him)experienced it in a dream, what then is miraculous about him journeying to Jerusalem and back in one night? Indeed one can dream about going to the moon and back - and there's nothing amazing about it. So if it's a dream, why was he (peace be upon Him) so anxious about telling it to the Quraysh the next day? Furthermore, why there was a physical beast Buraaq needed to take him to Jerusalem!

[[For me, if it was just a dream then there was no point for the people in refuting it. Even you and I can see a dream that we are flying like birds or visiting core of the Earth; or we are in a different time zone with dinosaurs, or that we saw our self in heaven or anything of that sort and I don’t think anyone of us would ever go and make a scene out of it or contest it that how is that possible etc. I remember once my daughter told me she saw that she had a flying horse and she went to see polar bears. And I had no reason to say that you are making it up.

Isra and Meraj was a miracle just like fire didn’t burnt Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon Him)

Whale kept Prophet Yunus (peace be upon Him) alive in belly for days and nights.

Wind was made a vehicle and it used to take Prophet Suleiman (peace be upon Him) wherever he intended to go.

Just like Red Sea was parted to make way for Prophet Moses(peace be upon Him) and his people.

Like Prophet Jesus (peace be upon Him)would make the shape of a bird out of clay and then breathe life into it. He used to heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead to life by Allah's permission.

All this is against the function and law and logic but The Creator needs nothing. Whenever HE wills anything to happen; ’HIS “will” is enough for it to happen.]]



In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


Night Journey & Ascension to Heavens

Isra & Me'raj (part 2)



The Prophet (peace be upon Him) was then taken to Bayt al-Maqdis(Jerusalem).

There he alighted, tethered the horse to a ring in the gate of the Mosque and led the Prophets in prayer. After that Jibraeel took him to the heavens on the same horse Buraaq.

"Jibraeel (peace be upon Him) asked permission for the door of the first heaven to be opened." The gatekeeper asked, "Who is it?" "It is Jibraeel." "Do you have anyone with you?" "Yes, I have with me Muhammad (peace be upon Him)." "Has he been sent for (if he has permission to pass)?" "Yes." And then the door opened up. And for every single one of the seven heavens this exact same conversation happened with each of the gatekeepers.

What happened at each level of the heavens as the Prophet (peace be upon Him) ascends:

1. The 1st heaven — There was a man standing. The Prophet described him as being tall and huge. Jibraeel (peace be upon Him) said, "This is your father, Aadam.;say salam to him." the Prophet did so and Prophet Aadam (peace be upon Him) responded, "Welcome, O noble son, and O noble prophet”.

2. The 2nd heaven — There was Prophet Yahya (peace be upon Him) and Prophet Isa (peace be upon Him). And the Prophet was told, "This is Yahya and Isa, say salam to them." The Prophet did so and they responded, "Welcome, O noble brother, and O noble prophet."

3. The 3rd heaven — There was Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon Him), and it was the same dialogue. And here is where the Prophet said the famous statement, "I saw Yusuf and it was as if he alone had been given half of all the beauty that ever exists."

4. The 4th heaven — There was Prophet Idris (peace be upon Him) who also responded with, "Welcome, O noble brother, and O noble prophet."

5. The 5th heaven — There was Prophet Harun (peace be upon Him), and the same things are said.

6. The 6th heaven — There was Prophet Musa (peace be upon Him), and the same things are said.

7. The 7th heaven — He (peace be upon Him) met Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon Him)." Jibraeel (peace be upon Him) said to me, "This is your father, Ibraheem , say salam to him." the Prophet (peace be upon Him) did so and Prophet Ibraheem responded, "Welcome, O noble son, and O noble prophet."

Only Prophet Aadam and Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon them) addressed him as ‘Son’; the rest as "Brother."{Because Prophet Aadam is the father of all Human Beings anyway and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) is from the lineage of Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon Him).

They were brought to these heavens to be among the welcoming parties for the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) in their soul form. Otherwise the bodies are still in their graves. The only exception is Prophet Isa (peace be upon Him).

Prophet (peace be upon Him) also met Maalik, the guardian Angel of Hell. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) further narrates that Maalik seemed very sad and never smiled and so the Prophet asked Jibraeel (peace be upon Him). (This gives the notion that the other angels clearly had a very positive/joyful/happy vibe coming from them. Angel Jibraeel responded, "He has never smiled or laughed since he has been created (due to his association with hellfire and being its guardian)

Then he (peace be upon Him) was carried to Sidrat-al-Muntaha (the remotest lote tree)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) is reported to have said about the Lote Tree that “it was enveloped with colors I don't know."

In one version in al-Tabari, the Prophet (peace be upon Him)said, "When it was enveloped by what it was enveloped by, it kept on changing until nobody could have described it"—so the Tree is not a static tree. It's a dynamic, majestic tree that's out of this world, with constantly changing colors, etc., described as, "Ayat al-Kubra (Greatest Signs)," [53:18] in the Qur'an.

Prophet (peace be upon Him)is further reported to have said, "At the base of the Sidrat al-Muntaha, there were four rivers coming down. Two of these were hidden, and two were open. So I asked Jibraeel what are these rivers? He responded, 'As for the hidden ones, they are the ones in Jannah (i.e. you are not going to see them in the dunya). As for the ones everybody can see, they are the Nile and the Euphrates.

As for the two rivers of Jannah, they are Kawthar [quran:108:1] and Salsabil [Quran:76:18].

Then Prophet (peace be upon Him)was shown Bayt-al-Maamur. "The Bayt al-Ma'mur is the House similar to that of Ka'bah in Makkah [on earth].It is situated directly above the Ka'bah.

It is reported that everyday 70,000 angels enter it to circumambulate and never to return [the angels who once circumambulate it would not have their turn again till the day of Resurrection]and this has been happening since Allah created it until Allah knows when — and it is mind boggling to think how many angels are there!


In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


Night Journey & Ascension to Heavens

Isra & Me'raj (part 3)


Prophet (peace be upon Him) also saw Angel Jibraeel (peace be upon Him) in his original form. And beloved Prophet described him in Sahih Bukhari (collection of authentic sayings of Prophet) as having 600 wings and he blocked the entire horizon.

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, "Then I was caused to ascend forth"— 'I' is used in the singular, no mention of Angel Jibraeel here, whereas before this it was always Jibraeel with him." Allah knows best but generally it is assumed that the Prophet (peace be upon Him) rose beyond the Sidrat al-Muntaha alone.

It was then that the Prophet (peace be upon Him) went to the gist of Isra and Me'raj, and that is the Divine Appointment with Allah---the Glorified.

Prophet (peace be upon Him) experienced the thrill of witnessing the Divine Glory and Manifestation at the closest possible propinquity. There the Lord revealed unto HIS servant that which HE revealed and ordained fifty daily prayers for him and his ummah (followers).

The last two aayaat (verses) of Surah al-Baqarah which occupy a special status in the Quran were also revealed to the Prophet. As for the rest of the Quran, Angel Jibraeel came down with it and recited it to the Prophet, but there is only one passage which Allah—the Glorified directly recited to the Prophet (peace be upon Him) in HIS divine presence, and these are the last two verses of the Chapter Al-Baqarah. The Messenger was brought up to receive the revelation rather than the revelation being sent down.

On his return, he (peace be upon Him) again met Prophet Musa and he asked, "What did your Lord command you for your ummah?" He replied to Prophet Musa that his followers had been enjoined to pray 50 times a day.

Prophet Moses (peace be upon Him) said: "Go back to your Lord and ask for a remission in number because I have experience with the Banu Israeel and your ummah will not be able to do this." The Prophet (peace be upon Him) turned to Angel Jibraeel as if asking to get his opinion and he nodded in affirmation.

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) went back to the Divine Presence and reductions of 5 prayers were made and He (peace be upon Him) then descended and reported that to Prophet Musa, who again urged him to go back and request for a further reduction. Prophet once again begged his Lord to reduce the number of prayers still further. He went again and again in the Presence of Allah at the suggestion of Prophet Musa for reduction in the number of prayers till the prayers were reduced to five only. (A Muslim must pray (minimum) 5 times obligatory in each day.) Prophet Musa (peace be upon Him) again asked him to implore for more reduction, but Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) this time said: "I feel ashamed now of repeatedly asking my Lord for reduction. I accept and resign to the Divine Will." At this time; a Call was heard: "I have imposed MY Ordinance and alleviated the burden of MY servants. It is five, but shall be rewarded with fifty”.

After the meeting with Allah---the Glorified; Prophet (peace be upon Him) was shown Paradise and Hellfire. There are many narrations where Prophet described about Paradise and Hellfire.

Return To Makkah:

Prophet (peace be upon Him) was returned back to Makkah.

In one narration, Prophet was sitting in Hateem thinking about “how am I going to tell the people of what happened and as I was sitting there Abu Jahal passed by and saw me in that state."

Abu Jahal asked the Prophet (peace be upon Him) in a sarcastic manner, "What is the matter with you? Has anything happened?" The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, "Yes, something happened. Last night, I was taken from here to Jerusalem." Abu Jahal was shocked, "And you are here amongst us now?!" Abu Jahal said, "If I call people, will you tell them exactly what you have just told me?" The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, "Yes, I will."

Abu Jahal started screaming out to the people, "Come forth, we have an announcement to make!" Makkah is a small city and Abu Jahal is a leading figure, so all the people gathered with curiosity. Abu Jahal said, "Tell them what you promised you would tell them." So the Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, "Last night, I was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis and I prayed in Masjid al-Aqsa." (He didn’t mention Me'raj yet to them) The people began reacting in different ways. Some began clapping, others put their hands on their heads, and others began snickering and laughing. They didn't know what to do! He's never known to have lied before, so some people are in shock, until among them who had been to Jerusalem before quizzed, "Can you describe it (Bayt al-Maqdis) for us?" (Because everyone knew that the Prophet (peace be upon Him) had never been to Bayt al-Maqdis.) And so the Prophet (peace be upon Him) began describing it until they began to ask him about minute details that he wasn't able to recall. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, ”I was still thinking that I saw in the distance Bayt al-Maqdis rising up in front of me until it extended above the house of Aqil ibn Abi Talib (house he grew up in i.e. the house that used to belong to Abu Talib)." Glorified be Allah---no question they asked me except that I saw the Bayt al-Maqdis being shown to me from whichever angle I needed to see it, and I answered their questions fully in detail." Until finally one of them said, "As for the description of Bayt al-Maqdis, he is accurate."

Ibn Hisham narrates: the Prophet (peace be upon Him) also told them that , "I will give you some signs as well," and he mentioned the three caravans, "(1) One is the caravan of so and so, and they will be returning soon, (2) one is the caravan of so and so, and they lost a camel, (3) one is the caravan of so and so”. Abu Jahal said, "If you saw one of them in such and such a place, that caravan should be arriving in Makkah right now."

However, all this increased in them nothing but flight from the Truth, and they accepted nothing but disbelief.

And as they were discussing, the news arrives that the exact caravan is entering Makkah. Abu Jahal went to check - and it was exactly as the same caravan the Prophet (peace be upon Him) described. He came back and said, "This is clear sorcery/sihr."

It is narrated that news reached Abu Bakr (which was before the Prophet(peace be upon Him) could tell Abu Bakr himself) one of the Quraysh came running to him and said, "Do you know what your companion has just claimed? He is claiming to have gone all the way to Jerusalem and back. Two months journey, in one night!" Abu Bakr replied, "If he said so, then it must be true.”The man said, "Do you believe him in such a claim?!" Abu Bakr said, "I believe him in something even more amazing than this: he (peace be upon Him) claims that the revelation from above the seven heavens comes to him instantaneously and I believe." Because of this Abu Bakr got the title of "Siddiq” (the verifier of the truth).

[Source: Arqadhi blogspot and The Sealed Nectar]

In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


We had discussed the death of Abu Talib after which the protection the Prophet (peace be upon Him) enjoyed ceased to exist. Initially Abu Lahab felt obligated to give him the same protection but within a week or two he cancelled it. After this Mut'im ibn Adi offered protection to the Prophet (peace be upon Him).

However this was a very precarious and awkward situation. Because the Prophet's own tribe had abandoned him. And the Quraysh were not happy with the situation.

The city of Yathrib was composed of three main groups of people. Two of whom were Arab, and one large group of Jews.

The Arab tribes: Aws and Khazraj

The Jewish tribes: Banu Nadir, Banu Qaynuqa and Banu Qurayza

There are references to Islam having reached Yathrib before any treaty etc. But the main conversion takes place in the 10th year of the Call, the same year Abu Talib died. Abu Talib died around Ramadan or Shawwal (lunar months), therefore the next month, say Dhu al-Qa'dah or Dhu al-Hijjah, the Prophet (peace be upon Him) is making his rounds in Mina looking for help and protection. He saw a small tribe at Aqaba (place where the stones are thrown during the Hajj, close to what is now Masjid al-Khayf), he asked, "Who are you?" They said, "We are from the Khazraj." So the Prophet (peace be upon Him) asked "Which Khazraj? "Are you the neighbors of the Jews from Yathrib?" They said, "Yes." And then the Prophet (peace be upon Him)said, "May I speak with you?" They said, "Yes." So the Prophet (peace be upon Him)explained to them the teachings of Islam, recited the Quran, explained tawhid (Monotheism), warned against shirk (polytheism), etc.

The Khazraj and Aws were the only Arab group in the region that had concept of a monotheistic religion (Prophets, Scripture, Laws) as they interacted with the Jews. These were alien concepts for the Arabs. They have never seen a prophet, let alone a revelation. They had always felt inferior to the Jews, because the Jews had a higher civilization.The Jews could read and write, had schools, places of worship, etc. And Jews always flouted this, "We are better than you. We have a book. We have prophets." etc.

That is why the Khazraj could relate to the concept when Prophet (peace be upon Him) explained to them. So when the opportunity presented itself, to have the same civilization, law, ethics, morality etc., they embraced it.

Additionally, the Jews were boasting against the Arabs in a way that Jews would say to the Aws and Khazraj whenever the civil wars took place, "It's only a matter of time because we are waiting for a Prophet who is about to come, and as soon as he comes, it'll all be over with you." They would say they will win over the Arabs when this prophet comes. But Allah says in Qur’an, “when the Prophet (peace be upon Him) came from amongst the Arabs, "They disbelieved." [2:89]


In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


But if the jews of Madinah were waiting for the last Prophet and knew that it was about time. Why they refused to accept Prophet Muhammad as Prophet?

{Following is taken from the below mentioned book}

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings

[[The tribes of Aws and Khazraj had alliances with some of the Jewish tribes who lived beside them in Yathrib. But relations between them were often strained and fraught with ill feeling, not least because the monotheistic Jews, conscious of being God's chosen people, despised the polytheistic Arabs, while having to pay them a certain respect because of their greater strength. In moments of acrimony and frustration, the Jews had been known to say: "The time of a Prophet who is to be sent is now at hand, with him we shall slay you, even as 'Ad and 'Iram' were slain." And their rabbis and soothsayers, when asked whence the Prophet would come, had always pointed in the direction of the Yemen which was also, for them, the direction of Mecca. So when the Yathrib Arabs heard that a man in Mecca had now in fact declared himself to be a Prophet, they opened their ears; and they were still more interested when they were told something about his message, for they were already familiar with many of the principles of orthodox religion. In more friendly moments, the Jews often spoke to them of the Oneness of God, and of man's final ends, and they would discuss these questions together. The idea that they would rise from the dead was especially difficult for the polytheists to accept; and noticing this, one of the rabbis pointed to the south and said that thence a Prophet was about to come who would affirm the truth of the Resurrection. But their deepest preparation for the news from Mecca had come, indirectly, from a Jew named Ibn al-Hayyaban who had migrated from Syria, and who on more than one occasion had saved the oasis from drought through his prayers for rain. This saintly man had died about the time that the Prophet had received his first Revelation; and when he had felt himself at the point of death - as Aws and Khazraj were subsequently told - he had said to those about him: "O Jews, what was it, think ye, that made me leave a land of bread and wine for a land of hardship and hunger?" "Thou best knowest," they said. "I came to this country," he answered, "in expectation of the coming forth of a Prophet whose time is near. To this country he will migrate. I had hopes that he would be sent in time for me to follow him. His hour is close upon you."!
But generally speaking, whereas the Arabs were in favour of the man but against the message, the Jews were in favour of the message but against the man. For how could God send a Prophet who was not one of the chosen people? None the less, when the pilgrims brought news of the Prophet to Yathrib, the Jews were interested despite themselves and eagerly questioned them for more details; and when the Arabs of the oasis sensed this eagerness, and when they saw how the monotheistic nature of the message increased the interest of the rabbis tenfold, they could not fail to be impressed, as were the bearers of the tidings themselves.]]….Martin Lings


{Jews expected the last prophet to be among them that is among the Banu-Isra’eel (descendents of Prophet Jacob who is also knows as Isra’eel.}
____________ ______________

The six persons from Ansar: Uqba ibn Amir al-Juhani , Jabir ibn Abdullah, and As'ad ibn Zurarah accepted Islam and went back and spread the message until in the next few months everybody in the city of Yathrib had heard of the new message.

The First Aqabah Pledge:

The next year, they sent a message to the Prophet (peace be upon Him), "We are coming for Hajj with 12 people all of who have accepted the call." Therefore in the 11th year of the call, 2 years before the migration, 10 people from the Khazraj and 2 from the Aws came and met with the Prophet (peace be upon Him) in the Plains of Aqaba.

When these 12 converted to Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon Him)chose a Qureshi by the name of Mus'ab ibn Umayr to go back with them to teach them the Qur'an and salah (namaz). It's narrated within a few weeks of Mus'ab reaching Yathrib, 40 people accepted Islam. And therefore the Prophet (peace be upon Him) told them they may establish Friday Prayer. And the very first Friday sermon in the history of Islam was delivered by Mus'ab, NOT the Prophet ; as the people in Makkah couldn't pray in public. It was delivered in the house of As'ad ibn Zurarah who was hosting Mus'ab.

Eventually every single sub tribe of the Aws and Khazraj had at least a household of Muslims. There was not a single locality of Yathrib except that there was one or more households that embraced Islam.

The Second Aqaba Pledge:

In the 12th year of the Call, one year before the Migration (Hijrah), or to be more precise just a few months before the migration (because the Hijrah takes place in the beginning of the 13th year), ~75 Muslims come to give their pledge to the Prophet (peace be upon Him) in Makkah. This covenant is called the Second pledge of Aqaba.

Now they want Prophet to migrate to Yathrib (Madinah). They said to one another, 'for how long will we allow the Prophet (peace be upon Him) to be repelled from one valley to another outside of Makkah and live in fear?'

Prophet (peace be upon Him) went along with his uncle Abbas. Abbas is accompanying because he feels a sense of loyalty out of tribalism and out of his love for his nephew. Though he himself at that point had not accepted Islam yet. He thinks he needs to negotiate the Prophet's release to the people of Yathrib as the senior most member of the Quraysh who still acknowledges him. Abbas told those people, “He has decided to leave us to go over to you. So if you are sure that you can live up to your conditions with him, and protect him from those who disagree, then you shall bear this responsibility. Otherwise, let him be". Abbas was not trusting Khazraj, he was hesitant at what was happening, and also embarrassed at the fact that his own nephew has to leave the Banu Hashim because they couldn't protect him.

The people replied, "O Abbas, you have spoken, now let the Prophet (peace be upon Him) speak and put his conditions. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) stood up and recited some of the Quran, and then said, "I only want that you shall protect me like one of your own. “One of them whose name was Al-Bara bin Ma'rur caught Prophet by hand, and said: “yes, we swear by Allah”.

One of them Abul Haytham said: If Allâh grants you power and victory, should we expect that you would not leave us, and join the ranks of your people (meaning Quraysh)?" The Prophet (peace be upon Him) smiled and replied: "No, it would never be; your blood will be my blood. In life and death I will be with you and you with me. I will fight whom you fight and I will make peace with those with whom you make peace."[Ibn Hisham 1/442]

[And once the Prophet (peace be upon Him) gave his word, he lived up to it. When in later time, he conquered Makkah and he is with his entire tribe; all of whom have accepted Islam; and there was the house of Sayida Khadija where he lived for 20 years, and the house of Abu Talib where he grew up and lived for 40 years; he could have easily moved back and lived in his home among his people if he wanted to; But even then he (peace be upon Him) turned his back to Makkah and walked back to Madinah, and he lived in Madinah, and died in Madinah, and is buried in Madinah (May peace and blessings be upon Him)]

They asked the Messenger of Allâh about the principles over which they would take a pledge

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, "You must give the pledge that you hear and you obey in times of difficulty and ease, and that you spend of your money (charity) in plenty as well as in scarcity, and that you command the good and forbid the evil, and that you speak the truth no matter what the consequences, and that you help me once I come to Yathrib just like you help your own family." These are the political conditions along with Islamic conditions. Once he said this, a voice cried out from amongst them, "And what shall we get in return?" And the Prophet (peace be upon Him) said the one word they wanted to hear. He said, "Paradise". No money, fame, or fortune. Paradise will be yours. And that's all they wanted to hear. And they all stood up to give their pledge.


In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !



In Ibn Hisham it's narrated that while the pledge was taking place, they heard a loud voice in the valley of Mina. The voice cried out, "O people sleeping in the tents (pilgrims)! Do you not know that a group of rebels/blameworthy people have gathered together with the Sabi to wage war against you?!" (a "Saabi'" for the orthodox Arabs meant someone who has left the religion of their forefathers and became a monotheist.)

He screamed out to the human world, "They are waging war against you under the Saabi' (he was referring to the Prophet)." And the Prophet (peace be upon Him) said, "This is Azab ibn Uzayb, the leader of the shayatin (devils) of Aqaba. I swear by Allah, O enemy of Allah, I will deal with you."

On hearing this, Abbas bin Nadlah said "By Allâh, Who has sent you in Truth, we are powerful enough to put the people of Mina (the Quraishites) to our swords tomorrow, if you desire." The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said "We have not been commanded to follow that course. Now go back to your camps."

The rumors may have spread or in some pretext, the Quraysh next morning sent a delegation to each camp and they enquired, "Do you know of any meeting that took place with this man, Muhammad? Did anybody from your tribe meet him?" When they went to the tent of the Khazraj, the pagans of them swore by Allah that they haven't met the Prophet (peace be upon Him) and the Muslims of the Khazraj remained silent neither negating nor confirming, and basically they went in behind the oath of the pagans and the matter was resolved.


The Vanguard of Migration To Madinah

Soon after the treaty of the Second ‘Aqabah Pledge; Prophet (peace be upon Him) gave Muslims of the Makkah permission to emigrate to Yathrib which will later be called the Madinatu Rasul. (City of the Messenger)

Migration to Madinah, in terms of personal interests, was no more than material waste and sacrifice of wealth, all in return for personal safety only. Even here, the migrant could not expect full security; he was liable to be robbed or even get killed either at the beginning or end of his departure. The future was foggy, pregnant with various unpredictable sorts of sorrows and crises.

It's said that the first person to emigrate was Abu Salamah. He was a free nobleman, but was not a Qureshi, and had moved to Makkah to live with his wife, Umm Salama, who was a Qureshi.

Abu Salamah gathered his necessary belongings, put his wife and his son on camel, and made his way out. He was the first one to migrate and had no idea how the Quraysh would react, so he didn't do it secretly. (It is said that the following incident that took place is the reason why people started migrating secretly.)

Everybody in Makkah knew he was about to leave.so when he was about to leave, the Quraysh came and confront him with their weapons. And they said, "O Abu Salamah, where do you think you are going?" He said, "I am a free man (not slave)’ I can go wherever I want; I am leaving for Yathrib." They said, "As for you, yes, we have no right over you. But as for your wife, she is one among us. And we won't let you take her or her son." - not that they had any interest in Umm Salama or her son; it was just out of hatred and enmity . So they forced him to leave his wife and child and expelled him.

When Abu Salamah's tribe found out how he had been treated, their pride got the better of them, and they marched to the Quraysh and said, "As for the lady, she is yours; but this boy is ours!" They took the boy, but the Quraysh held on, and it became a tug of war with a two year old; until his hand was dislocated!

Abu Salama's tribe took the baby, Umm Salama is left with the Quraysh, and Abu Salama goes to Madinah alone. And Umm Salama narrates this story herself, "For more than 16 months I would go to al-Bat'ha (the farthest place outside of Makkah that is still within view of the city), crying every day, not able to do anything." - Because that's where her child and her husband have gone. And she continues, "Until finally, some of my cousins had sympathy on me, and they begged the elders to let me go."

So she went to the tribe of her husband, and by this time the tempers had calmed down and they allowed her to take the boy. She took her son and set out on a journey of 500 kilometers with no help whatsoever. And she says by the time she got to ‘Taneem’ which is not very far from Makkah(where Masjid Ayesha is located in our times), she met Usmaan ibn Talha (not a Muslim at that time), and he saw her, a women with a small child all alone in a desert, so he asked her, "What are you doing here?" She said, "I am going to my husband, Abu Salamah, who is in Yathrib." He asked, "You’re all alone?" She says, "I have no one”. Usmaan said, "Wallahi (By Allah), this will not be. I will take you to your husband in Yathrib."

Umm Salamah narrated this story to the companions (later on at some point); she said, "I don't think there is any one more noble amongst all of the Arabs than Usmaan ibn Talha. He walked on foot and let us ride his camel the entire way, from Makkah to Madinah. And he didn't said a word to me. And when it was time to stop, he would tell the camel to come down, and he would go forward and turn his back on me out of modesty. When I would get down, he would put me under the tree to let me sleep, and he would sleep by the camel. And then in the morning, I would get back on the camel. And we proceeded this way, until finally I could see the houses of Yathrib, and he said, 'Your husband is over there,' and he let me go on the camel."

This was Usmaan ibn Talha…a nobel person!



In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !


It is said that after the incident of Abu Salamah people started migrating secretly.

It is noteworthy that most of the Muslims who had migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia),came back to Madinah to join the rest of the Muslims there.

The situation was critical in Makkah.
Abu Bakr was, however, urging the Prophet to depart from that town. He was also eagerly waiting for an opportunity to accompany Prophet (peace be upon Him) on this eventful journey. But the Prophet told him that the time had not yet come; the Lord had not given him the command to migrate. In anticipation of the Command of Allâh, Abu Bakr had made preparations for the journey. He had purchased two swift camels and had fed them properly for four months so that they could successively stand the ordeals of the long desert journey.

The Quraysh were paralyzed by the carefully planned and speedy movement of Prophet Muhammad’s followers towards their new abode in Madinah. They were caught in unprecedented anxiety and worry.They already experienced Muhammad (peace be upon Him) as an influential leader; and his followers as determined, decent and always ready to sacrifice all they had for the sake of the Messenger of Allâh (peace be upon Him). Aws and Khazraj tribes, the would-be-hosts of the Makkan Muslims, were also known in Arabia for their might and power in war, and judicious and sensible approach in peace. They were also averse to rancor and prejudice for they themselves had had bitter days of inter- tribal warfare.

Madinah , itself, the prospective headquarters of the ever-growing Islamic Call,enjoyed the most serious strategic position. It commanded the commercial routes leading to Makkah whose people used to deal in about a quarter of a million gold dinar-worth commodities every year. Security of the caravan routes was crucial for the perpetuity of prosperous economic life. All those factors borne in mind, the Quraysh felt they were in the grip of a serious threat. They, therefore, began to seek the most effective method that could avert this imminent danger. They convened a meeting on Thursday, 26th Safar, the year fourteen of Prophet-hood /
12th September 622 A.D; i.e. two and a half months after the Great ‘Aqabah Pledge. On that day, "the Parliament of Makkah" held the most serious meeting ever, with the agenda: How to take effective measures with a view to stopping that tidal wave. Delegates representing all the Quraishite tribes attended the meeting.

It's also said that an old man (it is said that it was Iblis in the guise of an old man) came knocking on the door in their secret meeting. He said, "I am a leader from Najd. It has reached me that you are having a meeting. Allow me to join, perhaps I can benefit you with my wisdom about what you are planning to do." When they came together, they said, "The Muslims have now migrated. And we are scared if we allow this man (the Prophet) to leave, they will become a political threat to Makkah." This meeting is held on the night before the Migration.

There was a lengthy debate and several proposals were put forward. Expulsion from Makkah was proposed and debated in turn but finally turned down on grounds that
his sweet and heart-touching words could entice the other Arabs to attack them in their own city. Imprisonment for life was also debated but also refused for fear that his followers might increase in number, overpower them and release him by force. At this point, the arch-criminal of Makkah,Abu Jahal said, "You still haven't said the main point which everyone is thinking but no one has the guts to say: Let us just kill him." But realize it's a matter of law and honor for the jahili Arabs that you don't kill one of your own. This is something that's never been done before. For them it's a mark of humiliation. Their enemies would criticize them forever if they did this. So Abu Jahal said, "We'll do it in a way that nobody can get angry at any one tribe." This was the dastardly plot: He said, "Let every single tribe send one representative such that his (the Prophet’s) blood is on everyone's swords, and no one knows who killed him. If we do this, no tribe can be made fun of, and the Banu Hashim cannot wage war against all of us - they will have to accept the blood money." See, the Banu Hashim would have to wage war because it's about tribalism and gang mentality. It's about tribal honor. But this way, they can't fight all of the Quraysh, and this was Abu Jahal's plot. After Abu Jahal said this, Iblis stood up and said, "This is the right decision!"The sinful proposal was unanimously accepted, and the representatives broke up the meeting and went back home with full determination for its immediate implementation.

[Source: The Sealed Nectar and arqadhi blogspot]




In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!

 

In the Name of God,the Most Beneficent,the Ever Merciful !



Migration of the Prophet (peace be upon Him)



When the iniquitous decision had been made, Angel Jibraeel was sent down to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) to reveal to him Quraysh’s plot and give him his Lord’s Permission to leave Makkah. He fixed to him the time of migration and asked him not to sleep that night in his usual bed.

Glorious Qur’an says: "And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners." [8:30]

At noon, the Prophet (peace be upon Him) went to see his Companion Abu Bakr and arranged with him everything for the intended migration. Abu Bakr was surprised to see the Prophet (peace be upon Him) masked coming to visit him at that unusual time, but he soon learned that Allâh’s Command had arrived, and he proposed that they should migrate together that night.

The Quraysh made necessary preparations for the implementation of their devilish plan and had chosen eleven men to kill Muhammad (peace be upon Him).

As they surrounded the Prophet's house, the Prophet and his cousin brother ‘Ali (son of AbuTalib) were inside the house. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) told ‘Ali to sleep in his bed that night and cover himself with his green mantle and assured him security under Allâh’s protection and told him that no harm would come to him. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) came out of the house casting a handful of dust at the assassins reciting an aayah (verse) of Surah Yaaseen and they all were completely blinded to his presence and could not see him leave.

It's reported by Tirmidhi in his book that when the Prophet (peace be upon Him) left Makkah and passed the final shops (souq) of Makkah in the middle of the night, he turned around to take one final look at Makkah, and said, "You (Makkah) are the most blessed land on earth and the most beloved to me. And were it not for the fact that my people have expelled me, I would not have left you."

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with Him) had already prepared the two camels, and in the middle of the night, they both clambered up the lofty peak of the Mountain Thawr.

In the dark part of the night, when the assassins stormed into the Prophet’s house with the aim of killing him, they were shocked to see Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) sleeping in the bed instead of Prophet.

This created a stir in the whole town.

{The migration took place in Saffar (September 622 CE) in the 13th year of the Prophet’s Call. Which was later taken as the first year of the Hijri Calendar which is based on lunar calculations]

In-Sha-Allah,To Be Continued...!