(Original Source: http://www.sunnipath.com/library/Books/B0033P0000.aspx)
by Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
Location and Nature of Arab Tribes
Beyond a shadow of doubt, the biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) manifestedly
represents an exhaustive embodiment of the sublime Divine Message that he communicated in order
to deliver the human race from the swamp of darkness and polytheism to the paradise of light and
monotheism. An image, authentic as well as comprehensive, of this Message is therefore only
attainable through careful study and profound analysis of both backgrounds and issues of such a
biography. In view of this, a whole chapter is here introduced about the nature and development of
Arab tribes prior to Islam as well as the circumstantial environment that enwrapped the Prophet’s
mission.

LOCATION OF THE ARABS:

Linguistically, the word “Arab” means deserts and waste barren land well-nigh waterless and
treeless. Ever since the dawn of history, the Arabian Peninsula and its people have been called as
such.

The Arabian Peninsula is enclosed in the west by the Red Sea and Sinai, in the east by the Arabian
Gulf, in the south by the Arabian Sea, which is an extension of the Indian Ocean, and in the north
by old Syria and part of Iraq. The area is estimated between a million and a million and a quarter
square miles.

Thanks to its geographical position, the peninsula has always maintained great importance..

Considering its internal setting, it is mostly deserts and sandy places, which has rendered it
inaccessible to foreigners and invaders, and allowed its people complete liberty and independence
through the ages, despite the presence of two neighbouring great empires.

Its external setting, on the other hand, caused it to be the centre of the old world and provided it
with sea and land links with most nations at the time. Thanks to this strategic position the Arabian
Peninsula had become the centre for trade, culture, religion and art.

ARAB TRIBES:

Arab kinfolks have been divided according to lineage into three groups:

Perishing Arabs: The ancient Arabs, of whose history little is known, and of whom were ‘Ad,
Thamûd, Tasam, Jadis, Emlaq, and others.

Pure Arabs: Who originated from the progeny of Ya‘rub bin Yashjub bin Qahtan. They were also
called Qahtanian Arabs.

Arabized Arabs: Who originated from the progeny of Ishmael. They were also called ‘Adnanian
Arabs.

The pure Arabs – the people of Qahtan – originally lived in Yemen and comprised many tribes, two
of which were very famous:

1. Himyar: The most famous of whose septs were Zaid Al-Jamhur, Quda‘a and Sakasic.

2. Kahlan: The most famous of whose septs were Hamdan, Anmar, Tai’, Mudhhij, Kinda,
Lakhm, Judham, Azd, Aws, Khazraj and the descendants of Jafna — the kings of old Syria.

Kahlan septs emigrated from Yemen to dwell in the different parts of the Arabian Peninsula prior to
the Great Flood (Sail Al-‘Arim of Ma’rib Dam), due to the failure of trade under the Roman pressure
and domain on both sea and land trade routes following Roman occupation of Egypt and Syria.

Naturally enough, the competition between Kahlan and Himyar led to the evacuation of the first and
the settlement of the second in Yemen.

THE EMIGRATING SEPTS OF KAHLAN CAN BE INTO FOUR GROUPS:

1. Azd: Who, under the leadership of ‘Imran bin ‘Amr Muzaiqbâ’, wandered in Yemen, sent
pioneers and finally headed northwards. Details of their emigration can be summed up as
follows:

2. Tha‘labah bin ‘Amr left his tribe Al-Azd for Hijaz and dwelt between Tha‘labiyah and Dhi Qar.

When he gained strength, he headed for Madinah where he stayed. Of his seed are Aws and
Khazraj, sons of Haritha bin Tha‘labah.

Haritha bin ‘Amr, known as Khuza‘a, wandered with his folks in Hijaz until they came to Mar
Az-Zahran. Later, they conquered the Haram, and settled in Makkah after having driven
away its people, the tribe of Jurhum.

‘Imran bin ‘Amr and his folks went to ‘Oman where they established the tribe of Azd whose
children inhabited Tihama and were known as Azd-of-Shanu’a.

Jafna bin ‘Amr and his family, headed for Syria where he settled and initiated the kingdom
of Ghassan who was so named after a spring of water, in Hijaz, where they s topped on their
way to Syria.

2. Lakhm and Judham: Of whom was Nasr bin Rabi‘a, father of Manadhira, Kings of Heerah.

3. Banu Tai’: Who also emigrated northwards to settle by the so- called Aja and Salma
Mountains which were consequently named as Tai’ Mountains.

4. Kinda: Who dwelt in Bahrain but were expelled to Hadramout and Najd where they instituted
a powerful government but not for long , for the whole tribe soon faded away.

•  Another tribe of Himyar, known as Quda‘a, also left Yemen and dwelt in Samawa semidesert
on the borders of Iraq.

The Arabized Arabs go back in ancestry to their great grandfather Abraham (Peace be upon him)
from a town called “Ar” near Kufa on the west bank of the Euphrates in Iraq. Excavations brought to
light great details of the town, Abraham’s family, and the prevalent religions and social
circumstances.

It is known that Abrahaml (Peace be upon him) eft Ar for Harran and then for Palestine, which he
made headquarters for his Message. He wandered all over the area. When he went to E gypt, the
Pharaoh tried to do evil to his wife Sarah, but Allâh saved her and the Pharaoh’s wicked scheme
recoiled on him. He thus came to realize her strong attachment to Allâh, and, in acknowledgment of
her grace, the Pharaoh rendered his daughter Hagar at Sarah’s service, but Sarah gave Hagar to
Abraham as a wife.

Abraham returned to Palestine where Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Sarah became so jealous of
Hagar that she forced Abraham to send Hagar and her baby away to a plantless valley on a small
hill in Hijaz, by the Sacred House, exposed to the wearing of floods coming right and left. He chose
for them a place under a lofty tree above Zamzam near the upper side of the Mosque in Makkah
where neither people nor water was available, and went back to Palestine leaving with his wife and
baby a leather case with some dates and a pot of water. Not before long, they ran out of both food
and water, but thanks to Allâh’s favour water gushed forth to sustain them for sometime. The whole
story of Zamzam spring is already known to everybody.

Another Yemeni tribe – Jurhum the Second – came and lived in Makkah upon Hagar’s permission,
after being said to have lived in the valleys around Makkah. It is mentioned in the Sahih Al-Bukhari
that this tribe came to Makkah before Ishmael was a young man while they had passed through that
valley long before this event.

Abraham used to go to Makkah every now and then to see his wife and son. The number of these
journeys is still unknown, but authentic historical resources spoke of four ones.

Allâh, the Sublime, stated in the Noble Qur’ân that He had Abraham see, in his dream, that he
slaughtered his son Ishmael, and therefore Abraham stood up to fulfill His Order:

•  “Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allâh), and he had laid him
prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering); and We called out
to him: “O Abraham! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!” Verily! Thus do we reward the
Muhsinûn (good-doers, who perform good deeds totally for Allâh’s sake only, without any
show off or to gain praise or fame, etc. and do them in accordance to Allâh’s Orders). Verily,
that indeed was a manifest trial — and We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram)”
[37:103-107]

It is mentioned in the Genesis that Ishmael was thirteen years older than his brother Ishaq. The
sequence of the story of the sacrifice of Ishmael shows that it really happened before Ishaq’s birth,
and that Allâh’s Promise to give Abraham another son, Ishaq, came after narration of the whole
story.

This story spoke of one journey – at least – before Ishmael became a young man. Al-Bukhari, on
the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, reported the other three journeys; a summary of which goes as follows:

When Ishmael became a young man, he learned Arabic at the hand of the tribe of Jurhum, who
loved him with great admiration and gave him one of their women as a wife, soon after his mother
died. Having wanted to see his wife and son again, Abraham came to Makkah, Ishmael’s marriage,
but he didn’t find him at home. He asked Ishmael’s wife about her husband and how they were
doing. She complained of poverty, so he asked her to tell Ishmael to change his doorstep. Ishmael
understood the message, divorced his wife and got married to the daughter of Mudad bin ‘Amr, chief
of the tribe of Jurhum.

Once more, Abraham came to see his son, but again didn’t find him at home. He asked his new wife
the same previous question, to which she thanked Allâh. Abraham asked her to tell Ishmael to keep
his doorstep (i.e. to keep her as wife) and went back to Palestine.

A third time, Abraham came to Makkah to find Ishmael sharpening an arrow under a lofty tree near
Zamzam. The meeting, after a very long journey of separation, was very touching for a father so
affectionate and a so dutiful and righteous son. This time, father and son built Al-Ka‘bah and raised
its pillars, and Abraham, in compliance with Allâh’s Commandment, called unto people to make
pilgrimage to it.

By the grace of Allâh, Ishmael had twelve sons from the daughter of Mudad, whose names were
Nabet, Qidar, Edbael, Mebsham, Mishma’, Duma, Micha, Hudud, Yetma, Yetour, Nafis and Qidman,
and who ultimately formed twelve tribes inhabiting Makkah and trading between Yemen,
geographical Syria and Egypt. Later on, these tribes spread all over, and even outside, the
peninsula. All their tidings went into oblivion except for the descendants of Nabet and Qidar.

The Nabeteans – sons of Nabet – established a flourishing civilization in the north of Hijaz, they
instituted a powerful government which spread out its domain over all neighbouring tribes, and
made Petra their capital. Nobody dared challenge their authority until the Romans came and
managed to eliminate their kingdom. After extensive research and painstaking investigation, Mr.

Sulaiman An-Nadwi came to the conclusion that the Ghassanide kings, along with the Aws and
Khazraj were not likely to be Qahtanians but rather Nabeteans.

Descendants of Qidar, the son of Ishmael, lived long in Makkah increasing in number, of them
issued ‘Adnan and son Ma‘ad, to whom ‘Adnanian Arabs traced back their ancestry. ‘Adnan is the
twenty-first grandfather in the series of the Prophetic ancestry. It was said that whenever Prophet
Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã spoke of his ancestry he would stop at ‘Adnan and say:

“Genealogists tell lies” and did not go farther than him. A group of scholars, however, favoured the
probability of going beyond ‘Adnan attaching no significance to the aforementioned Prophetic Hadith.

They went on to say that there were exactly forty fathers between ‘Adnan and Abraham (Peace be
upon them).

Nizar, Ma‘ad’s only son , had four sons who branched out into four great tribes; Eyad, Anmar, Rabi‘a
and Mudar. These last two sub-branched into several septs. Rabi‘a fathered Asad, ‘Anazah, ‘Abdul
Qais, and Wa’il’s two sons (Bakr and Taghlib), Hanifa and many others.

Mudar tribes branched out into two great divisions: Qais ‘Ailan bin Mudar and septs of Elias bin
Mudar. Of Qais ‘Ailan were the Banu Saleem, Banu Hawazin, and Banu Ghatafan of whom descended
‘Abs, Zubyan, Ashja‘ and Ghani bin A‘sur. Of Elias bin Mudar were Tamim bin Murra, Hudhail bin
Mudrika, Banu Asad bin Khuzaimah and septs of Kinana bin Khuzaimah, of whom came Quraish, the
descendants of Fahr bin Malik bin An-Nadr bin Kinana.

Quraish branched out into various tribes, the most famous of whom were Jumah, Sahm, ‘Adi,
Makhzum, Tayim, Zahra and the three septs of Qusai bin Kilab: ‘Abdud-Dar bin Qusai, Asad bin
‘Abdul ‘Uzza bin Qusai and ‘Abd Manaf bin Qusai.

‘Abd Manaf branched out into four tribes: ‘Abd Shams, Nawfal, Muttalib and Hashim. It is, however,
from the family of Hashim that Allâh selected Prophet Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib
bin Hashim (Peace be upon him).

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

•  “Allâh selected Ishmael from the sons of Abraham, Kinana from the sons of Ishmael,
Quraish from the sons of Kinana, Hashim from the sons of Quraish and He selected me from
the sons of Hashim.”
Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib quoted the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) as saying:

 “Allâh created mankind and chose me from the best whereof, He chose the tribes and
selected me from the best whereof; and He chose families and selected me from the best
whereof. I am the very best in person and family.”
Having increased in number, children of ‘Adnan, in pursuit of pastures and water, spread out over
various parts of Arabia.

The tribe of ‘Abdul Qais, together with some septs of Bakr bin Wa’il and Tamim, emigrated to
Bahrain where they dwelt.

Banu Hanifa bin Sa‘b bin Ali bin Bakr went to settle in Hijr, the capital of Yamama. All the tribes of
Bakr bin Wa’il lived in an area of land which included Yamama, Bahrain, Saif Kazima, the sea shore,
the outer borders of Iraq, Ablah and Hait.

Most of the tribe of Taghlib lived in the Euphrates area while some of them lived with Bakr.

Banu Tamim lived in Basra semi-desert.

Banu Saleem lived in the vicinity of Madinah on the land stretching from Wadi Al-Qura to Khaibar
onwards to the eastern mountains to Harrah.

Thaqif dwelt in Ta’if and Hawazin east of Makkah near Autas on the road from Makkah to Basra.

Banu Asad lived on the land east of Taimâ’ and west of Kufa, while family of Tai’ lived between Banu
Asad and Taimâ’. They were five-day-walk far from Kufa.

Zubyan inhabited the plot of and between Taimâ’ and Hawran.

Some septs of Kinana lived in Tihama, while septs of Quraish dwelt in Makkah and its suburbs.

Quraish remained completely disunited until Qusai bin Kilab managed to rally their ranks on
honourable terms attaching major prominence to their status and importance.

RULERSHIP AND PRINCESHIPAMONG THE ARABS
When talking about the Arabs before Islam,we deem it necessary to draw a mini-picture of the
history of rulership, princeship, sectarianism and the religious dominations of the Arabs, so as to
facilitate the understanding of emergent circumstances when Islam appeared.

When the sun of Islam rose, rulers of Arabia were of two kinds: crowned kings, who were in fact not
independent; and heads of tribes and clans, who enjoyed the same authorities and privileges
possessed by crowned kings and were mostly independent, though some of whom could have shown
some kind of submission to a crowned king. The crowned kings were only those of Yemen, Heerah
and Ghassan. All other rulers of Arabia were non-crowned.

RULERSHIP IN YEMEN:

The folks of Sheba were one of the oldest nations of the pure Arabs, who lived in Yemen.

Excavations at “Or” brought to light their existence twenty five centuries B.C. Their civilization
flourished, and their domain spread eleven centuries B.C.

It is possible to divide their ages according to the following estimation:

1. The centuries before 650 B.C., during which their kings were called “Makrib Sheba”. Their
capital was “Sarwah”, also known as “Khriba”, whose ruins lie in a spot, a day’s walk from
the western side of “Ma’rib”. During this period, they started building the “Dam of Ma’rib”
which had great importance in the history of Yemen. Sheba was also said to have had so
great a domain that they had colonies inside and outside Arabia.

2. From 650 B.C. until 115 B.C. During this era, they gave up the name “Makrib” and assumed
the designation of “Kings of Sheba”. They also made Ma’rib their capital instead of Sarwah.

The ruins of Ma’rib lie at a distance of sixty miles east of San‘a.

3. From 115 B.C. until 300 A.D. During this period, the tribe of Himyar conquered the kingdom
of Sheba and took Redan for capital instead of Ma’rib. Later on, Redan was called “Zifar”. Its
ruins still lie on Mudawwar Mountain near the town of “Yarim”. During this period, they
began to decline and fall. Their trade failed to a very great extent, firstly, because of the
Nabetean domain over the north of Hijaz; secondly, because of the Roman superiority over
the naval trade routes after the Roman conquest of Egypt, Syria and the north of Hijaz; and
thirdly, because of the inter-tribal warfare. Thanks to the three above-mentioned factors,
families of Qahtan were disunited and scatteredout.

4. From 300 A.D. until Islam dawned on Yemen. This period witnessed a lot of disorder and
turmoil. The great many and civil wars rendered the people of Yemen liable to foreign
subjection and hence loss of independence. During this era, the Romans conquered ‘Adn and
even helped the Abyssinians (Ethiopians) to occupy Yemen for the first time in 340 A.D.,
making use of the constant intra-tribal conflict of Hamdan and Himyar. The Abyssinian
(Ethiopian) occupation of Yemen lasted until 378 A.D., whereafter Yemen regained its
independence. Later on, cracks began to show in Ma’rib Dam which led to the Great Flood
(450 or 451 A.D.) mentioned in the Noble Qur’ân. This was a great event which caused the
fall of the entire Yemeni civilization and the dispersal of the nations living therein.

In 523, Dhu Nawas, a Jew, despatched a great campaign against the Christians of Najran in order to
force them to convert into Judaism. Having refused to do so, they were thrown alive into a big ditch
where a great fire had been set. The Qur’ân referred to this event:

•  “Cursed were the people of the ditch.” [85:4]

This aroused great wrath among the Christians, and especially the Roman emperors, who not only
instigated the Abyssinians (Ethiopians) against Arabs but also assembled a large fleet which helped
the Abyssinian (Ethiopian) army, of seventy thousand warriors, to effect a second conquest of
Yemen in 525 A.D., under the leadership of Eriat, who was granted rulership over Yemen, a position
he held until he was assassinated by one of his army leaders, Abraha, who, after reconciliation with
the king of Abyssinia, took rulership over Yemen and, later on, deployed his soldiers to demolish Al-
Ka‘bah, and , hence, he and his soldiers came to be known as the “Men of the Elephant”.

After the “Elephant” incident, the people of Yemen, under the leadership of Ma‘dikarib bin Saif Dhu
Yazin Al-Himyari, and through Persian assistance, revolted against the Abyssinian (Ethiopian)
invaders, restored independence and appointed Ma‘dikarib as their king. However, Ma‘dikarib was
assassinated by an Abyssinian (Ethiopian) he used to have him around for service and protection.

The family of Dhu Yazin was thus deprived of royalty forever. Kisra, the Persian king, appointed a
Persian ruler over San‘a and thus made Yeme n a Persian colony. Persian rulers maintained rulership
of Yemen until Badhan, the last of them, embraced Islam in 638 A.D., thus terminating the Persian
domain over Yemen.

RULERSHIP IN HEERAH:

Ever since Korosh the Great (557-529 B.C.) united the Persians, they ruled Iraq and its
neighbourhood. Nobody could shake off their authority until Alexander the Great vanquished their
king Dara I and thus subdued the Persians in 326 B.C. Persian lands were thenceforth divided and
ruled by kings known as “the Kings of Sects”, an era which lasted until 230 A.D. Meanwhile, the
Qahtanians occupied some Iraqi territories, and were later followed by some ‘Adnanians who
managed to share some parts of Mesopotamia with them.

The Persians, under the leadership of Ardashir, who had established the Sasanian state in 226 A.D,
regained enough unity and power to subdue the Arabs living in the vicinity of their kingdom, and
force Quda‘a to leave for Syria , leaving the people of Heerah and Anbar under the Persian domain.

During the time of Ardashir, Juzaima Alwaddah exercised rulership over Heerah, Rabi‘a and Mudar,
and Mesopotamia. Ardashir had reckoned that it was impossible for him to rule the Arabs directly
and prevent them from attacking his borders unless he appointed as king one of them who enjoyed
support and power of his tribe. He had also seen that he could make use of them against the
Byzantine kings who always used to harass him. At the same time, the Arabs of Iraq could face the
Arabs of Syria who were in the hold of Byzantine kings. However, he deemed it fit to keep a Persian
battalion under command of the king of Heerah to be used against those Arabs who might rebel
against him.

After the death of Juzaima around 268 A.D., ‘Amr bin ‘Adi bin Nasr Al-Lakhmi was appointed as king
by the Persian King Sabour bin Ardashir. ‘Amr was the first of the Lakhmi kings who ruled Heerah
until the Persians appointed Qabaz bin Fairuz in whose reign appeared someone called Mazdak, who
called for dissoluteness in social life. Qabaz, and many of his subjects, embraced Mazdak’s religion
and even called upon the king of Heerah, Al-Munzir bin Ma’ As-Sama’, to follow after. When the
latter, because of his pride and self-respect, rejected their orders, Qabaz discharged him and
nominated Harith bin ‘Amr bin Hajar Al-Kindi, who had accepted the Mazdaki doctrine.

No sooner did Kisra Anu Shairwan succeed Qabaz than he, due to hatred of Mazdak’s philosophy,
killed Mazdak and many of his followers, restored Munzir to the throne of Heerah and gave orders to
summon under arrest Harith who sought refuge with Al-Kalb tribe where he spent the rest of his life.

Sons of Al-Munzir bin Ma’ As-Sama’ maintained kingship a long time until An-Nu‘man bin Al-Munzir
took over. Because of a calumny borne by Zaid bin ‘Adi Al-‘Abbadi, the Persian king got angry with
An-Nu‘man and summoned him to his palace. An-Nu‘man went secretly to Hani bin Mas‘ud, chief of
Shaiban tribe, and left his wealth and family under the latter’s protection, and then presented
himself before the Persian king, who immediately threw him into prison where he perished. Kisra,
then, appointed Eyas bin Qubaisa At-Ta’i as king of Heerah. Eyas was ordered to tell Hani bin Mas‘ud
to deliver An-Nu‘man’s charge up to Kisra. No sooner than had the Persian king received the
fanatically motivated rejection on the part of the Arab chief, he declared war against the tribe of
Shaiban and mobilized his troops and warriors under the leadership of King Eyas to a place called
Dhee Qar which witnessed a most furious battle wherein the Persians were severely routed by the
Arabs for the first time in history. That was very soon after the birth of Prophet Muhammad Õáì
Çááå Úáíå æÓáã eight months after Eyas bin Qubaisah’s rise to power over Heerah.

After Eyas, a Persian ruler was appointed over Heerah, but in 632 A.D. the authority there returned
to the family of Lukhm when Al-Munzir Al-Ma‘rur took over. Hardly had the latter’s reign lasted for
eight months when Khalid bin Al-Waleed fell upon him with Muslim soldiers.

RULERSHIP IN GEOGRAPHICAL SYRIA:

In the process of the tribal emigrations, some septs of Quda‘a reached the borders of Syria where
they settled down. They belonged to the family of Sulaih bin Halwan, of whose offspring were the
sons of Duj‘am bin Sulaih known as Ad-Duja‘ima. Such septs of Quda‘a were used by the Byzantines
in the defence of the Byzantine borders against both Arab Bedouin raiders and the Persians, and
enjoyed autonomy for a considerable phase of time which is said to have lasted for the whole
second century A.D. One of their most famous kings was Zyiad bin Al-Habula. Their authority
however came to an end upon defeat by the Ghassanides who were consequently granted the proxy
rulership over the Arabs of Syria and had Dumat Al-Jandal as their headquarters, which lasted until
the battle of Yarmuk in the year 13 A.H. Their last king Jabala bin Al-Aihum embraced Islam during
the reign of the Chief of Believers, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him).

RULERSHIP IN HIJAZ:

Ishmael (Peace be upon him) administered authority over Makkah as well as custodianship of the
Holy Sanctuary throughout his lifetime. Upon his death, at the age of 137, two of his sons, Nabet
and Qidar, succeeded him. Later on, their maternal grandfather, Mudad bin ‘Amr Al-Jurhumi took
over, thus transferring rulership over Makkah to the tribe of Jurhum, preserving a venerable
position, though very little authority for Ishmael’s sons due to their father’s exploits in building the
Holy Sanctuary, a position they held until the decline of the tribe of Jurhum shortly before the rise of
Bukhtanassar.

The political role of the ‘Adnanides had begun to gain firmer grounds in Makkah, which could be
clearly attested by the fact that upon Bukhtanassar’s first invasion of the Arabs in ‘Dhati ‘Irq’, the
leader of the Arabs was not from Jurhum.

Upon Bukhtanassar’s second invasion in 587 B.C., however, the ‘Adnanides were frightened out to
Yemen, while Burmia An-Nabi fled to Syria with Ma‘ad, but when Bukhtanassar’s pressure lessened,
Ma‘ad returned to Makkah to find none of the tribe of Jurhum except Jursham bin Jalhamah, whose
daughter, Mu‘ana, was given to Ma‘ad as wife who, later, had a son by him named Nizar.

On account of difficult living conditions and destitution prevalent in Makkah, the tribe of Jurhum
began to ill-treat visitors of the Holy Sanctuary and extort its funds, which aroused resentment and
hatred of the ‘Adnanides (sons of Bakr bin ‘Abd Munaf bin Kinana) who, with the help of the tribe of
Khuza‘a that had come to settle in a neighbouring area called Marr Az-Zahran, invaded Jurhum and
frightened them out of Makkah leaving rulership to Quda‘a in the middle of the second century A.D.

Upon leaving Makkah, Jurhum filled up the well of Zamzam, levelled its place and buried a great
many things in it. ‘Amr bin Al-Harith bin Mudad Al-Jurhumi was reported by Ibn Ishaq, the wellknown
historian, to have buried the two gold deer together with the Black Stone as well as a lot of
jewelry and swords in Zamzam, prior to their sorrowful escape to Yemen.

Ishmael’s epoch is estimated to have lasted for twenty centuries B.C., which means that Jurhum
stayed in Makkah for twenty-one centuries and held rulership there for about twenty centuries.

Upon defeat of Jurhum, the tribe of Khuza‘a monopolized rulership over Makkah. Mudar tribes,
however, enjoyed three privileges:

• The First: Leading pilgrims from ‘Arafat to Muzdalifah and then from Mina to the ‘Aqabah
Stoning Pillar. This was the authority of the family of Al-Ghawth bin Murra, one of the septs
of Elias bin Mudar, who were called ‘Sofa’. This privilege meant that the pilgrims were not
allowed to throw stones at Al-‘Aqabah until one of the ‘Sofa’ men did that. When they had
finished stoning and wanted to leave the valley of Mina, ‘Sofa’ men stood on the two sides of
Al-‘Aqabah and nobody would pass that position until the men of ‘Sofa’ passed and cleared
the way for the pilgrims. When Sofa perished, the family of Sa‘d bin Zaid Manat from Tamim
tribe took over.

The Second: Al-Ifadah (leaving for Mina after Muzdalifah) on sacrifice morning, and this was
the responsibility of the family of Adwan.

The Third: Deferment of the sacred months, and this was the responsibility of the family of
Tamim bin ‘Adi from Bani Kinana.

Khuza‘a’s reign in Makkah lasted for three hundred years, during which, the ‘Adnanides spread all
over Najd and the sides of Bahrain and Iraq, while small septs of Quraish remained on the sides of
Makkah; they were Haloul, Harum and some families of Kinana. They enjoyed no privileges in
Makkah or in the Sacred House until the appearance of Qusai bin Kilab, whose father is said to have
died when he was still a baby, and whose mother was subsequently married to Rabi‘a bin Haram,
from the tribe of Bani ‘Udhra. Rabi‘a took his wife and her baby to his homeland on the borders of
Syria. When Qusai became a young man, he returned to Makkah, which was ruled by Halil bin
Habsha from Khuza‘a, who gave Qusai his daughter, Hobba, as wife. After Halil’s death, a war
between Khuza‘a and Quraish broke out and resulted in Qusai’s taking hold of Makkah and the
Sacred House.

THE REASONS OF THIS WAR HAVE BEEN ILLUSTRATED IN THREE VERSIONS:

• The First: Having noticed the spread of his offspring, increase of his property and exalt of
his honour after Halil’s death, Qusai found himself more entitled to shoulder responsibility of
rulership over Makkah and custodianship of the Sacred House than the tribes of Khuza‘a and
Bani Bakr. He also advocated that Quraish were the chiefs of Ishmael’s descendants.

Therefore he consulted some men from Quraish and Kinana concerning his desire to
evacuate Khuza‘a and Bani Bakr from Makkah. They took a liking to his opinion and
supported him.

The Second: Khuza‘a claimed that Halil requested Qusai to hold custodianship of Al-Ka‘bah
and rulership over Makkah after his death.

The Third: Halil g ave the right of Al-Ka‘bah service to his daughter Hobba and appointed Abu
Ghabshan Al-Khuza‘i to function as her agent whereof. Upon Halil’s death, Qusai bought this
right for a leather bag of wine, which aroused dissatisfaction among the men of Khuza‘a a nd
they tried to keep the custodianship of the Sacred House away from Qusai. The latter,
however, with the help of Quraish and Kinana, managed to take over and even to expel
Khuza‘a completely from Makkah.

Whatever the truth might have been, the whole affair resulted in the deprivation of Sofa of
their privileges, previously mentioned, evacuation of Khuza‘a and Bakr from Makkah and
transfer of rulership over Makkah and custodianship of the Holy Sanctuary to Qusai, after
fierce wars between Qusai and Khuza‘a inflicting heavy casualties on both sides,
reconciliation and then arbitration of Ya‘mur bin ‘Awf, from the tribe of Bakr, whose
judgement entailed eligibility of Qusai’s rulership over Makkah and custodianship of the
Sacred House, Qusai’s irresponsibility for Khuza‘a’s blood shed, and imposition of blood
money on Khuza‘a. Qusai’s reign over Makkah and the Sacred House began in 440 A.D. and
allowed him, and Quraish afterwards, absolute rulership over Makkah and undisputed
custodianship of the Sacred House to which Arabs from all over Arabia came to pay homage.

Qusai brought his kinspeople to Makkah and allocated it to them, allowing Quraish some dwellings
there. An-Nus’a, the families of Safwan, Adwan, Murra bin ‘Awf preserved the same rights they used
to enjoy before his arrival.

A significant achievement credited to Qusai was the establishment of An-Nadwa House (an assembly
house) on the northern side of Al-Ka‘bah Mosque, to serve as a meeting place for Quraish. This very
house had benefited Quraish a lot because it secured unity of opinions amongst them and cordial
solution to their problem.

QUSAI HOWEVER ENJOYED THE FOLLONG PRIVILEGED OF LEADERSHIP AND HONOUR:

1. Presiding over An-Nadwa House meetings where consultations relating to serious issues
were conducted, and marriage contracts were announced.

2. The Standard: He monopolized in his hand issues relevant to war launching.

3. Doorkeeping of Al-Ka‘bah: He was the only one eligible to open its gate, and was
responsible for its service and protection.

4. Providing water for the Pilgrims: This means that he used to fill basins sweetened by dates
and raisins for the pilgrims to drink.

5. Feeding Pilgrims: This means making food for pilgrims who could not afford it. Qusai even
imposed on Quraish annual land tax, paid at the season of pilgrimage, for food.

It is noteworthy however that Qusai singled out ‘Abd Manaf, a son of his, for honour and prestige
though he was not his elder son (‘Abd Ad-Dar was), and entrusted him with such responsibilities as
chairing of An-Nadwa House, the standard, the doorkeeping of Al-Ka‘bah, providing water and food
for pilgrims. Due to the fact that Qusai’s deeds were regarded as unquestionable and his orders
inviolable, his death gave no rise to conflicts among his sons, but it later did among his grand
children, for no sooner than ‘Abd Munaf had died, his sons began to have rows with their cousins —
sons of ‘Abd Ad-Dar, which would have given rise to dissension and fighting among the whole tribe
of Quraish, had it not been for a peace treaty whereby posts were reallocated so as to preserve
feeding and providing water for pilgrims for the sons of ‘Abd Munaf; while An-Nadwa House, the flag
and the doorkeeping of Al-Ka‘bah were maintained for the sons of ‘Abd Ad-Dar. The sons of ‘Abd
Munaf, however, cast the lot for their charge, and consequently left the charge of food and water
giving to Hashim bin ‘Abd Munaf, upon whose death, the charge was taken over by a brother of his
called Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Manaf and afterwards by ‘Abd Al-Muttalib bin Hashim, the Prophet’s
grandfather, whose sons assumed this position until the rise of Islam, during which ‘Abbas bin
‘Abdul-Muttalib was in charge.

Many other posts were distriamong people of Quraish for establishing the pillars of a new democratic
petite state with government offices and councils similar to those of today. Enlisted as follows are
some of these posts.

1. Casting the lots for the idols was allocated to Bani Jumah.

2. Noting of offers and sacrifices, settlement of disputes and relevant issues were to lie in the
hands of Bani Sahm.

3. Consultation was to go to Bani Asad.

4. Organization of blood-money and fines was with Bani Tayim.

5. Bearing the national banner was with Bani Omaiyah.

6. The military institute, footmen and cavalry would be Bani Makhzum’s responsibility.

7. Bani ‘Adi would function as foreign mediators.

RULERSHIP IN PAN-ARABIA:

We have previously mentioned the Qahtanide and ‘Adnanide emigrations, and division of Arabia
between these two tribes. Those tribes dwelling near Heerah were subordinate to the Arabian king
of Heerah, while those dwelling in the Syrian semi-desert were under domain of the Arabian
Ghassanide king, a sort of dependency that was in reality formal rather than actual. However, those
living in the hinder deserts enjoyed full autonomy.

These tribes in fact had heads chosen by the whole tribe which was a demi-government based on
tribal solidarity and collective interests in defence of land and property.

Heads of tribes enjoyed dictatorial privileges similar to those of kings, and were rendered full
obedience and subordination in both war and peace. Rivalry among cousins for rulership, however,
often drove them to outdo one another in entertaining guests, affecting generosity, wisdom and
chivalry for the sole purpose of outranking their rivals, and gaining fame among people especially
poets who were the official spokesmen at the time.

Heads of tribes and masters had special claims to spoils of war such as the quarter of the spoils,
whatever he chose for himself, or found on his way back or even the remaining indivisible spoils.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION:

The three Arab regions adjacent to foreigners suffered great weakness and inferiority. The people
there were either masters or slaves, rulers or subordinates. Masters, especially the foreigners, had
claim to every advantage; slaves had nothing but responsibilities to shoulder. In other words,
arbitrary autocratic rulership brought about encroachment on the rights of subordinates, ignorance,
oppression, iniquity, injustice and hardship, and turning them into people groping in darkness and
ignorance, viz., fertile land which rendered its fruits to the rulers and men of power to extravagantly
dissipate on their pleasures and enjoyments, whims and desires, tyranny and aggression. The tribes
living near these regions were fluctuating between Syria and Iraq, whereas those living inside Arabia
were disunited and governed by tribal conflicts and racial and religious disputes.

They had neither a king to sustain their independence nor a supporter to seek advice from, or
depend upon, in hardships.

The rulers of Hijaz, however, were greatly esteemed and respected by the Arabs, and were
considered as rulers and servants of the religious centre. Rulership of Hijaz was, in fact, a mixture of
secular and official precedence as well as religious leadership. They ruled among the Arabs in the
name of religious leadership and always monopolized the custodianship of the Holy Sanctuary and
its neighbourhood. They looked after the interests of Al-Ka‘bah visitors and were in charge of putting
Abraham’s code into effect. They even had such offices and departments like those of the
parliaments of today. However, they were too weak to carry the heavy burden, as this evidently
came to light during the Abyssinian (Ethiopian) invasion.

RELIGIONS OF THE ARABS
Most of the Arabs had complied with the call of Ishmael (Peace be upon him) , and professed the
religion of his father Abraham (Peace be upon him) They had worshipped Allâh, professed His
Oneness a nd followed His religion a long time until they forgot part of what they had been reminded
of. However, they still maintained such fundamental beliefs such as monotheism as well as various
other aspects of Abraham’s religion, until the time when a chief of Khuza‘a, namely ‘Amr bin Luhai,
who was renowned for righteousness, charity, reverence and care for religion, and was granted
unreserved love and obedience by his tribesmen, came back from a trip to Syria where he saw
people worship idols, a phenomenon he approved of and believed it to be righteous since Syria was
the locus of Messengers and Scriptures, he brought with him an idol (Hubal) which he placed in the
middle of Al-Ka‘bah and summoned people to worship it. Readily enough, paganism spread all over
Makkah and, thence, to Hijaz, people of Makkah being custodians of not only the Sacred House but
the whole Haram as well. A great many idols, bearing different names, were introduced into the
area.

An idol called ‘Manat’, for instance, was worshipped in a place known as Al-Mushallal near Qadid on
the Red Sea. Another, ‘Al-Lat’ in Ta’if, a third, ‘Al-‘Uzza’ in the valley of Nakhlah, and so on and so
forth. Polytheism prevailed and the number of idols increased everywhere in Hijaz. It was even
mentioned that ‘Amr bin Luhai, with the help of a jinn companion who told him that the idols of
Noah’s folk – Wadd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uk and Nasr – were buried in Jeddah, dug them out and took
them to Tihama. Upon pilgrimage time, the idols were distributed among the tribes to take back
home. Every tribe, and house, had their own idols, and the Sacred House was also overcrowded with
them. On the Prophet’s conquest of Makkah, 360 idols were found around Al-Ka‘bah. He broke them
down and had them removed and burned up.

Polytheism and worship of idols became the most prominent feature of the religion of pre-Islam
Arabs despite alleged profession of Abraham’s religion.

Traditions and ceremonies of the worship of their idols had been mostly created by ‘Amr bin Luhai,
and were deemed as good innovations rather than deviations from Abraham’s religion. Some
features of their worship of idols were:

•  Self-devotion to the idols, seeking refuge with them, acclamation of their names, calling for
their help in hardship, and supplication to them for fulfillment of wishes, hopefully that the
idols (i.e., heathen gods) would mediate with Allâh for the fulfillment of people’s wishes.

•  Performing pilgrimage to the idols, circumrotation round them, self-abasement and even
prostrating themselves before them.

•  Seeking favour of idols through various kinds of sacrifices and immolations, which is
mentioned in the Qur’ânic verses:

•  “And that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub (stone-altars)” [5:3]

Allâh also says:

• “Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allâh’s Name has not been pronounced (at
the time of the slaughtering of the animal).” [6:121]

•  Consecration of certain portions of food, drink, cattle, and crops to idols. Surprisingly
enough, portions were also consecrated to Allâh Himself, but people often found reasons to
transfer parts of Allâh’s portion to idols, but never did the opposite. To this effect, the
Qur’ânic verses go:

• “And they assign to Allâh a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created, and they
say: ‘This is for Allâh according to their pretending, and this is for our (Allâh’s so-called)
partners.’ But the share of their (Allâh’s so-called) ‘partners’, reaches not Allâh, while the
share of Allâh reaches their (Allâh’s so-called) ‘partners’. Evil is the way they judge.”
[6:136]

•  Currying favours with these idols through votive offerings of crops and cattle, to which
effect, the Qur’ân goes:

• “And according to their pretending, they say that such and such cattle and crops are
forbidden, and none should eat of them except those whom we allow. And (they say) there
are cattle forbidden to be used for burden or any other work, and cattle on which (at
slaughtering) the Name of Allâh is not pronounced; lying against Him (Allâh).” [6:138]

•  Dedication of certain animals (such as Bahira, Sa’iba, Wasila and Hami) to idols, which
meant sparing such animals from useful work for the sake of these heathen gods. Bahira, as
reported by the well-known historian, Ibn Ish, was daughter of Sa’iba which was a female
camel that gave birth to ten successive female animals, but no male ones, was set free and
forbidden to yoke, burden or being sheared off its wool, or milked (but for guests to drink
from); and so was done to all her female offspring which were given the name ‘Bahira’, after
having their ears slit. The Wasila was a female sheep which had ten successive female
daughters in five pregnancies. Any new births from this Wasila were assigned only for male
people. The Hami was a male camel which produced ten progressive females, and was thus
similarly forbidden. In mention of this, the Qur’ânic verses go:

• “Allâh has not instituted things like Bahira ( a she-camel whose milk was spared for the
idols and nobody was allowed to milk it) or a Sa’iba (a she camel let loose for free pasture
for their false gods, e.g. idols, etc., and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or a Wasila
(a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery
and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery) or a Hâm (a stallion-camel
freed from work for their idols, after it had finished a number of copulations assigned for it,
all these animals were liberated in honour of idols as practised by pagan Arabs in the pre-
Islamic period). But those who disbelieve, invent lies against Allâh, and most of them have
no understanding.” [5:103]

Allâh also says:

• “And they say: What is in the bellies of such and such cattle (milk or foetus) is for our
males alone, and forbidden to our females (girls and women), but if it is born dead, then all
have shares therein.” [6:139]

It has been authentically reported that such superstitions were first invented by ‘Amr bin Luhai.

The Arabs believed that such idols, or heathen gods, would bring them nearer to Allâh, lead them to
Him, and mediate with Him for their sake, to which effect, the Qur’ân goes:

• “We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allâh.” [39:3], and
“And they worship besides Allâh things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say:

These are our intercessors with Allâh.” [10:18]

Another divinatory tradition among the Arabs was casting of Azlam (i.e. featherless arrows which
were of three kinds: one showing ‘yes’, another ‘no’ and a third was blank) which they used to do in
case of serious matters like travel, marriage and the like. If the lot showed ‘yes’, they would do, if
‘no’, they would delay for the next year. Other kinds of Azlam were cast for water, blood-money or
showed ‘from you’, ‘not from you’, or ‘Mulsaq’ (consociated). In cases of doubt in filiation they would
resort to the idol of Hubal, with a hundred-camel gift, for the arrow caster. Only the arrows would
then decide the sort of relationship.If the arrow showed (from you), then it was decided that the
child belonged to the tribe; if it showed (from others), he would then be regarded as an ally, but if
(consociated) appeared, the person would retain his position but with no lineage or alliance contract.

This was very much like gambling and arrow-shafting whereby they used to divide the meat of the
camels they slaughtered according to this tradition.

Moreover, they used to have a deep conviction in the tidings of soothsayers, diviners and
astrologers. A soothsayer used to traffic in the business of foretelling future events and claim
knowledge of private secrets and having jinn subordinates who would communicate the news to
him. Some soothsayers claimed that they could uncover the unknown by means of a granted power,
while other diviners boasted they could divulge the secrets through a cause-and-effect-inductive
process that would lead to detecting a stolen commodity, location of a theft, a stray animal, and the
like. The astrologer belonged to a third category who used to observe the stars and calculate their
movements and orbits whereby he would foretell the future. Lending credence to this news
constituted a clue to their conviction that attached special significance to the movements of
particular stars with regard to rainfall.

The belief in signs as betokening future events, was, of course common among the Arabians. Some
days and months and particular animals were regarded as ominous. They also believed that the soul
of a murdered person would fly in the wilderness and would never rest at rest until revenge was
taken. Superstition was rampant. Should a deer or bird, when released, turn right then what they
embarked on would be regarded auspicious, otherwise they would get pessimistic and withhold from
pursuing it.

People of pre-Islamic period, whilst believing in superstition, they still retained some of the
Abrahamic traditions such as devotion to the Holy Sanctuary, circumambulation, observance of
pilgrimage, the vigil on ‘Arafah and offering sacrifices, all of these were observed fully despite some
innovations that adulterated these holy rituals. Quraish, for example, out of arrogance, feeling of
superiority to other tribes and pride in their custodianship of the Sacred House, would refrain from
going to ‘Arafah with the crowd, instead they would stop short at Muzdalifah. The Noble Qur’ân
rebuked and told them:

• “Then depart from the place whence all the people depart.” [2:199]

Another heresy, deeply established in their social tradition, dictated that they would not eat dried
yoghurt or cooked fat, nor would they enter a tent made of camel hair or seek shade unless in a
house of adobe bricks, so long as they were committed to the intention of pilgrimage. They also, out
of a deeply-rooted misconception, denied pilgrims, other than Makkans, access to the food they had
brought when they wanted to make pilgrimage or lesser pilgrimage.

They ordered pilgrims coming from outside Makkah to circumambulate Al-Ka‘bah in Quraish uniform
clothes, but if they could not afford them, men were to do so in a state of nudity, and women with
only some piece of cloth to hide their groins. Allâh says in this concern:

• “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying
[and going round (the Tawaf of) the Ka‘bah". [7:31]

If men or women were generous enough to go round Al-Ka‘bah in their clothes, they had to discard
them after circumambulation for good.

When the Makkans were in a pilgrimage consecration state, they would not enter their houses
through the doors but through holes they used to dig in the back walls. They used to regard such
behaviour as deeds of piety and god-fearing. This practice was prohibited by the Qur’ân:

• “It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, etc.) that you enter the houses from the back but
Al-Birr (is the quality of the one) who fears Allâh. So enter houses through their proper
doors, and fear Allâh that you may be successful.” [2:189]

Such was the religious life in Arabia, polytheism, idolatry, and superstition.

Judaism, Christianity, Magianism and Sabianism, however, could find their ways easily into Arabia.

The migration of the Jews from Palestine to Arabia passed through two phases: first, as a result of
the pressure to which they were exposed, the destruction of the their temple, and taking most of
them as captives to Babylon, at the hand of the King Bukhtanassar. In the year B.C. 587 some Jews
left Palestine for Hijaz and settled in the northern areas whereof. The second phase started with the
Roman occupation of Palestine under the leadership of Roman Buts in 70 A.D. This resulted in a tidal
wave of Jewish migration into Hijaz, and Yathrib, Khaibar and Taima’, in particular. Here, they made
proselytes of several tribes, built forts and castles, and lived in villages. Judaism managed to play
an important role in the pre-Islam political life. When Islam dawned on that land, there had already
been several famous Jewish tribes — Khabeer, Al-Mustaliq, An-Nadeer, Quraizah and Qainuqa‘. In
some versions, the Jewish tribes counted as many as twenty.

Judaism was introduced into Yemen by someone called As‘ad Abi Karb. He had gone to fight in
Yathrib and there he embraced Judaism and then went back taking with him two rabbis from Bani
Quraizah to instruct thpeople of Yemen in this new religion. Judaism found a fertile soil there to
propagate and gain adherents. After his death, his son Yusuf Dhu Nawas rose to power, attacked
the Christian community in Najran and ordered them to embrace Judaism. When they refused, he
ordered that a pit of fire be dug and all the Christians indiscriminately be dropped to burn therein.

Estimates say that between 20-40 thousand Christians were killed in that human massacre. The
Qur’ân related part of that story in Al-Buruj (zodiacal signs) Chapter.

Christianity had first made its appearance in Arabia following the entry of the Abyssinian (Ethiopian)
and Roman colonists into that country. The Abyssinian (Ethiopian) colonization forces in league with
Christian missions entered Yemen as a retaliatory reaction for the iniquities of Dhu Nawas, and
started vehemently to propagate their faith ardently. They even built a church and called it Yemeni
Al-Ka‘bah with the aim of directing the Arab pilgrimage caravans towards Yemen, and then made an
attempt to demolish the Sacred House in Makkah. Allâh, the Almighty, however did punish them and
made an example of them – here and hereafter.

A Christian missionary called Fimion, and known for his ascetic behaviour and working miracles, had
likewise infiltrated into Najran. There he called people to Christianity, and by virtue of his honesty
and truthful devotion, he managed to persuade them to respond positively to his invitation and
embrace Christianity.

The principal tribes that embraced Christianity were Ghassan, Taghlib, Tai’ and some Himyarite
kings as well as other tribes living on the borders of the Roman Empire.

Magianism was also popular among the Arabs living in the neighbourhood of Persia, Iraq, Bahrain,
Al-Ahsâ’ and some areas on the Arabian Gulf coast. Some Yemenis are also reported to have
professed Magianism during the Persian occupation.

As for Sabianism, excavations in Iraq revealed that it had been popular amongst Kaldanian folks,
the Syrians and Yemenis. With the advent of Judaism and Christianity, however, Sabianism began to
give way to the new religions, although it retained some followers mixed or adjacent to the Magians
in Iraq and the Arabian Gulf.

THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION:

Such was the religious life of the Arabians before the advent of Islam. The role that the religions
prevalent played was so marginal, in fact it was next to nothing. The polytheists, who faked
Abrahamism, were so far detached from its precepts, and totally oblivious of its immanent good
manners. They plunged into disobedience and ungodliness, and developed certain peculiar religious
superstitions that managed to leave a serious impact on the religious and socio-political life in the
whole of Arabia.

Judaism turned into abominable hypocrisy in league with hegemony. Rabbis turned into lords to the
exclusion of the Lord. They got involved in the practice of dictatorial subjection of people and calling
their subordinates to account for the least word or idea. Their sole target turned into acquisition of
wealth and power even if it were at the risk of losing their religion, or the emergence of atheism and
disbelief.

Christianity likewise opened its doors wide to polytheism, and got too difficult to comprehend as a
heavenly religion. As a religious practice, it developed a sort of peculiar medley of man and God. It
exercised no bearing whatsoever on the souls of the Arabs who professed it simply because it was
alien to their style of life and did not have the least relationship with their practical life.

People of other religions were similar to the polytheists with respect to their inclinations, dogmas,
customs and traditions
ASPECT OF PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIAN SOCIETY
After the research we have made into the religious and political life of Arabia, it is appropriate to
speak briefly about the social, economic and ethical conditions prevalent therein.

SOCIAL LIFE OF THE ARABS:

The Arabian Society presented a social medley, with different and heterogeneous social strata. The
status of the woman among the nobility recorded an advanced degree of esteem. The woman
enjoyed a considerable portion of free will, and her decision would most often be enforced. She was
so highly cherished that blood would be easily shed in defence of her honour. In fact, she was the
most decisive key to bloody fight or friendly peace. These privileges notwithstanding, the family
system in Arabia was wholly patriarchal. The marriage contract rested completely in the hands of
the woman’s legal guardian whose words with regard to her marital status could never be
questioned.

On the other hand, there were other social strata where prostitution and indecency were rampant
and in full operation. Abu Da’ûd, on the authority of ‘Aishah(May Allah be pleased with her)
reported four kinds of marriage in pre-Islamic Arabia: The first was similar to present-day marriage
procedures, in which case a man gives his daughter in marriage to another man after a dowry has
been agreed on. In the second, the husband would send his wife – after the menstruation period –
to cohabit with another man in order to conceive. After conception her husband would, if he desired,
have a sexual intercourse with her. A third kind was that a group of less than ten men would have
sexual intercourse with a woman. If she conceived and gave birth to a child, she would send for
these men, and nobody could abstain. They would come together to her house. She would say: ‘You
know what you have done. I have given birth to a child and it is your child’ (pointing to one of
them). The man meant would have to accept. The fourth kind was that a lot of men would have
sexual intercourse with a certain woman (a whore). She would not prevent anybody. Such women
used to put a certain flag at their gates to invite in anyone who liked. If this whore got pregnant and
gave birth to a child, she would collect those men, and a seeress would tell whose child it was. The
appointed father would take the child and declare him/her his own. When Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) declared Islam in Arabia, he cancelled all these forms of sexual contacts except
that of present Islamic marriage
Women always accompanied men in their wars. The winners would freely have sexual intercourse
with such women, but disgrace would follow the children conceived in this way all their lives.

Pre-Islam Arabs had no limited number of wives. They could marry two sisters at the same time, or
even the wives of their fathers if divorced or widowed. Divorce was to a very great extent in the
power of the husband.

The obscenity of adultery prevailed almost among all social classes except few men and women
whose self-dignity prevented them from committing such an act. Free women were in much better
conditions than the female slaves who constituted the greatest calamity. It seemed that the greatest
majority of pre-Islam Arabs did not feel ashamed of committing this obscenity. Abu Da’ûd reported:

A man stood up in front of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and said: “O Prophet of Allâh!
that boy is my son. I had sexual intercourse with his mother in the pre-Islamic period.” The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) said:

• “No claim in Islam for pre-Islamic affairs. The child is to be attributed to the one on whose
bed it was born, and stoning is the lot of a fornicator.”
With respect to the pre-Islam Arab’s relation with his offspring, we see that life in Arabia was
paradoxical and presented a gloomy picture of contrasts. Whilst some Arabs held children dear to
their hearts and cherished them greatly, others buried their female children alive because an illusory
fear of poverty and shame weighed heavily on them. The practice of infanticide cannot, however, be
seen as irrevocably rampant because of their dire need for male children to guard themselves
against their enemies.

Another aspect of the Arabs’ life which deserves mention is the bedouin’s deep-seated emotional
attachment to his clan. Family, or perhaps tribal-pride, was one of the strongest passions with him.

The doctrine of unity of blood as the principle that bound the Arabs into a social unity was formed
andsupported by tribal-pride. Their undisputed motto was: “ÇäÕÑ ÃÎÇß ÙÇáãÇ Ãæ ãÙáæãÇ —
Support your brother whether he is an oppressor or oppressed” in its literal meaning; they
disregarded the Islamic amendment which states that supporting an oppressor brother implies
deterring him from transgression.

Avarice for leadership, and keen sense of emulation often resulted in bitter tribal warfare despite
descendency from one common ancestor. In this regard, the continued bloody conflicts of Aws and
Khazraj, ‘Abs and Dhubyan, Bakr and Taghlib, etc. are striking examples.

Inter-tribal relationships were fragile and weak due to continual inter-tribal wars of attrition. Deep
devotion to religious superstitions and some customs held in veneration, however, used to curb their
impetuous tendency to quench their thirst for b lood. In other cases, there were the motives of, and
respect for, alliance, loyalty and dependency which could successfully bring about a spirit of rapport,
and abort groundless bases of dispute. A time -honoured custom of suspending hostilities during the
prohibited months (Muharram, Rajab, Dhul-Qa‘dah, and Dhul-Hijjah) functioned favourably and
provided an opportunity for them to earn their living and coexist in peace.

We may sum up the social situation in Arabia by saying that the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period
were groping about in the dark and ignorance, entangled in a mesh of superstitions paralyzing their
mind and driving them to lead an animal-like life. The woman was a marketable commodity and
regarded as a piece of inanimate property. Inter-tribal relationships were fragile. Avarice for wealth
and involvement in futile wars were the main objectives that governed their chiefs’ self-centred
policies.

THE ECONOMIC SITUATION:

The economic situation ran in line with the social atmosphere. The Arabian ways of living would
illustrate this phenomenon quite clearly. Trade was the most common means of providing their
needs of life. The trade journeys could not be fulfilled unless security of caravan routes and intertribal
peaceful co-existence were provided – two imperative exigencies unfortunately lacking in
Arabia except during the prohibited months within which the Arabs held their assemblies of ‘Ukaz,
Dhil-Majaz, Mijannah and others.

Industry was alien to the Arabian psychology. Most of available industries of knitting and tannage in
Arabia were done by people coming from Yemen, Heerah and the borders of Syria. Inside Arabia
there was some sort of farming and stock-breeding. Almost all the Arabian women worked in yarn
spinning but even this practice was continually threatened by wars. On the whole, poverty, hunger
and insufficient clothing were the prevailing features in Arabia, economically.

ETHICS:

We cannot deny that the pre-Islam Arabs had such a large bulk of evils. Admittedly, vices and evils,
utterly rejected by reason, were rampant amongst the pre-Islam Arabs, but this could never screen
off the surprise-provoking existence of highly praiseworthy virtues, of which we could adduce the
following:

1. Hospitality: They used to emulate one another at hospitality and take utmost pride in it.

Almost half of their poetry heritage was dedicated to the merits and nobility attached to
entertaining one’s guest. They were generous and hospitable on the point of fault. They
would sacrifice their private sustenance to a cold or hungry guest. They would not hesitate
to incur heavy blood-money and relevant burdens just to stop blood-shed, and consequently
merit praise and eulogy.

2. In the context of hospitality, there springs up their common habits of drinking wine which
was regarded as a channel branching out of generosity and showing hospitality. Wine
drinking was a genuine source of pride for the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period. The great
poets of that era never forgot to include their suspending odes the most ornate lines
pregnant with boasting and praise of drinking orgies. Even the word ‘grapes’ in Arabic is
identical to generosity in both pronunciation and spelling. Gambling was also another
practice of theirs closely associated with generosity since the proceeds would always go to
charity. Even the Noble Qur’ân does not play down the benefits that derive from wine
drinking and gambling, but also says,
“And the sin of them is greater than their benefit.” [2:219]

3. Keeping a covenant: For the Arab, to make a promise was to run into debt. He would never
grudge the death of his children or destruction of his household just to uphold the deeprooted
tradition of covenant-keeping. The literature of that period is rich in stories
highlighting this merit.

4. Sense of honour and repudiation of injustice: This attribute stemmed mainly from excess
courage, keen sense of self-esteem and impetuosity. The Arab was always in revolt against
the least allusion to humiliation or slackness. He would never hesitate to sacrifice himself to
maintain his ever alert sense of self-respect.

5. Firm will and determination: An Arab would never desist an avenue conducive to an object
of pride or a standing of honour, even if it were at the expense of his life.

6. Forbearance, perseverance and mildness: The Arab regarded these traits with great
admiration, no wonder, his impetuosity and courage-based life was sadly wanting in them.

7. Pure and simple bedouin life, still untarnished with accessories of deceptive urban
appearances, was a driving reason to his nature of truthfulness and honesty, and
detachment from intrigue and treachery.

Such priceless ethics coupled with a favourable geographical position of Arabia were in fact the
factors that lay behind selecting the Arabs to undertake the burden of communicating the Message
(of Islam) and leading mankind down a new course of life.

In this regard, these ethics per se, though detrimental in some areas, and in need of rectification in
certain aspects, were greatly invaluable to the ultimate welfare of the human community and Islam
has did it completely.

The most priceless ethics, next to covenant-keeping, were no doubt their sense of self-esteem and
strong determination, two human traits indispensable in combatting evil and eliminating moral
corruption on the one hand, and establishing a good and justice-orientated society, on the other.

Actually, the life of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic period was rich in other countless virtues we do not
need to enumerate for the time being.

THE LINEAGE AND THE FAMILY OF MUHAMMAD (Peace be upon him)
With respect to the lineage of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), there are three versions:

The first was authenticated by biographers and genealogists and states that Muhammad’s genealogy
has been traced to ‘Adnan. The second is subject to controversies and doubt, and traces his lineage
beyond ‘Adnan back to Abraham. The third version, with some parts definitely incorrect, traces his
lineage beyond Abraham back to Adam (Peace be upon him)
After this rapid review, now ample details are believed to be necessary.

The first part: Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib (who was called Shaiba) bin Hashim,
(named ‘Amr) bin ‘Abd Munaf (called Al-Mugheera) bin Qusai (also called Zaid) bin Kilab bin Murra
bin Ka‘b bin Lo’i bin Ghalib bin Fahr (who was called Quraish and whose tribe was called after him)
bin Malik bin An-Nadr (so called Qais) bin Kinana bin Khuzaiman bin Mudrikah (who was called
‘Amir) bin Elias bin Mudar bin Nizar bin Ma‘ad bin ‘Adnan.

The second part: ‘Adnan bin Add bin Humaisi‘ bin Salaman bin Aws bin Buz bin Qamwal bin Obai bin
‘Awwam bin Nashid bin Haza bin Bildas bin Yadlaf bin Tabikh bin Jahim bin Nahish bin Makhi bin Aid
bin ‘Abqar bin ‘Ubaid bin Ad-Da‘a bin Hamdan bin Sanbir bin Yathrabi bin Yahzin bin Yalhan bin
Ar‘awi bin Aid bin Deshan bin Aisar bin Afnad bin Aiham bin Muksar bin Nahith bin Zarih bin Sami
bin Mazzi bin ‘Awda bin Aram bin Qaidar bin Ishmael son of Abraham (Peace be upon them).

The third part: beyond Abraham (Peace be upon him) , Ibn Tarih (Azar) bin Nahur bin Saru‘ bin Ra‘u
bin Falikh bin Abir bin Shalikh bin Arfakhshad bin Sam bin Noah (Peace be upon him) , bin Lamik bin
Mutwashlack bin Akhnukh [who was said to be Prophet Idris (Enoch) (Peace be upon him) bin
Yarid bin Mahla’il bin Qabin Anusha bin Shith bin Adam (Peace be upon him)
THE PROPHETIC FAMILY:

The family of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is called the Hashimite family after his
grandfather Hashim bin ‘Abd Munaf. Let us now speak a little about Hashim and his descendants:

1. Hashim: As we have previously mentioned, he was the one responsible for giving food and
water to the pilgrims. This had been his charge when the sons of ‘Abd Munaf and those of
‘Abd Ad-Dar compromised on dividing the charges between them. Hashim was wealthy and
honest. He was the first to offer the pilgrims sopped bread in broth. His first name was ‘Amr
but he was called Hashim because he had been in the practice of crumbling bread (for the
pilgrims). He was also the first man who started Quraish’s two journeys of summer and
winter. It was reported that he went to Syria as a merchant. In Madinah, he married Salma
— the daughter of ‘Amr from Bani ‘Adi bin An-Najjar. He spent some time with her in
Madinah then he left for Syria again while she was pregnant. He died in Ghazza in Palestine
in 497 A.D. Later, his wife gave birth to ‘Abdul-Muttalib and named him Shaiba for the white
hair in his head , and brought him up in her father’s house in Madinah. None of his family in
Makkah learned of his birth. Hashim had four sons; Asad, Abu Saifi, Nadla and ‘Abdul-
Muttalib, and five daughters Ash-Shifa, Khalida, Da‘ifa, Ruqyah and Jannah.

2. ‘Abdul-Muttalib: We have already known that after the death of Hashim, the charge of
pilgrims’ food and water went to his brother Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Munaf (who was honest,
generous and trustworthy). When ‘Abdul-Muttalib reached the age of boyhood, his uncle Al-
Muttalib heard of him and went to Madinah to fetch him. When he saw him, tears filled his
eyes and rolled down his cheeks, he embraced him and took him on his camel. The boy,
however abstained from going with him to Makkah until he took his mother’s consent. Al-
Muttalib asked her to send the boy with him to Makkah, but she refused. He managed to
convince her saying: “Your son is going to Makkah to restore his father’s authority, and to
live in the vicinity of the Sacred House.” There in Makkah, people wondered at seeing Abdul-
Muttalib, and they considered him the slave of Muttalib. Al-Muttalib said: “He is my nephew,
the son of my brother Hashim.” The boy was brought up in Al-Muttalib’s house, but later on
Al-Muttalib died in Bardman in Yemen so ‘Abdul-Muttalib took over and managed to maintain
his people’s prestige and outdo his grandfathers in his honourable behaviour which gained
him Makkah’s deep love and high esteem.

3. When Al-Muttalib died, Nawfal usurped ‘Abdul-Muttalib of his charges, so the latter asked for
help from Quraish but they abstained from extending any sort of support to either of them.

Consequently, he wrote to his uncles of Bani An-Najjar (his mother’s brothers) to come to
his aid. His uncle, Abu Sa‘d bin ‘Adi (his mother’s brother) marched to Makkah at the head
of eighty horsemen and camped in Abtah in Makkah. ‘Abdul-Muttalib received the men and
invited them to go to his house but Abu Sa‘d said: “Not before I meet Nawfal.” He found
Nawfal sitting with some old men of Quraish in the shade of Al-Ka‘bah. Abu Sa‘d drew his
sword and said: “I swear by Allâh that if you don’t restore to my nephew what you have
taken, I will kill you with this sword.” Nawfal was thus forced to give up what he had
usurped, and the notables of Quraish were made to witness to his words. Abu Sa‘d then
went to ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s house where he stayed for three nights, made ‘Umra a nd left back
for Madinah. Later on, Nawfal entered into alliance with Bani ‘Abd Shams bin ‘Abd Munaf
against Bani Hashim. When Khuza‘a, a tribe, saw Bani An-Najjar’s support to ‘Abdul-Muttalib
they said: “He is our son as he is yours. We have more reasons to support him than you.”
‘Abd Munaf’s mother was one of them. They went into An-Nadwa House and entered into
alliance with Bani Hashim against Bani ‘Abd Shams and Nawfal. It was an alliance that was
later to constitute the main reason for the conquest of Makkah. ‘Abdul-Muttalib witnessed
two important events in his lifetime, namely digging Zamzam well and the Elephant raid.

In brief, ‘Abdul-Muttalib received an order in his dream to dig Zamzam well in a particular
place. He did that and found the things that Jurhum men had buried therein when they were
forced to evacuate Makkah. He found the swords, armours and the two deer of gold. The
gate of Al-Ka‘bah was stamped from the gold swords and the two deer and then the
tradition of providing Zamzam water to pilgrims was established.

When the well of Zamzam gushed water forth, Quraish made a claim to partnership in the
enterprise, but ‘Abdul-Muttalib refused their demands on grounds that Allâh had singled only
him out for this honourable job. To settle the dispute, they agreed to consult Bani Sa‘d’s
diviner. On their way, Allâh showed them His Signs that confirmed ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s
prerogative as regards the sacred spring. Only then did ‘Abdul-Muttalib make a solemn vow
to sacrifice one of his adult children to Al-Ka‘bah if he had ten.

The second event was that of Abraha As-Sabah Al-Habashi, the Abyssinian (Ethiopian)
viceroy in Yemen. He had seen that the Arabs made their pilgrimage to Al-Ka‘bah so he built
a large church in San‘a in order to attract the Arab pilgrims to it to the exclusion of Makkah.

A man from Kinana tribe understood this move, therefore he entered the church stealthily at
night and besmeared its front wall with excrement. When Abraha knew of that, he got very
angry and led a great army – of sixty thousand warriors – to demolish Al-Ka‘bah. He chose
the biggest elephant for himself. His army included nine or thirteen elephants. He continued
marching until he reached a place called Al-Magmas. There, he mobilized his army, prepared
his elephants and got ready to enter Makkah. When he reached Muhassar Valley, between
Muzdalifah and Mina, the elephant knelt down and refused to go forward. Whenever they
directed it northwards, southwards or eastwards, the elephant moved quickly but when
directed westwards towards Al-Ka‘bah, it knelt down. Meanwhile, Allâh loosed upon them
birds in flights, hurling against them stones of baked clay and made them like green blades
devoured. These birds were very much like swallows and sparrows, each carrying three
stones; one in its peak and two in its claws. The stones hit Abraha’s men and cut their limbs
and killed them. A large number of Abraha’s soldiers were killed in this way and the others
fled at random and died everywhere. Abraha himself had an infection that had his fingertips
amputated. When he reached San‘a he was in a miserable state and died soon after.

The Quraishites on their part had fled for their lives to the hillocks and mountain tops. When
the enemy had been thus routed, they returned home safely.

The Event of the Elephant took place in the month of Al-Muharram, fifty or fifty five days
before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) which corresponded to late
February or early March 571 A.D. It was a gift from Allâh to His Prophet and his family. It
could actually be regarded as a Divine auspicious precursor of the light to come and
accompany the advent of the Prophet and his family. By contrast, Jerusalem had suffered
under the yoke of the atrocities of Allâh’s enemies. Here we can recall Bukhtanassar in B.C.

587 and the Romans in 70 A.D. Al-Ka‘bah, by Divine Grace, never came under the hold of
the Christians – the Muslims of that time – although Makkah was populated by polytheists.

News of the Elephant Event reached the most distant corners of the then civilized world.

Abyssinia (Ethiopia) maintained strong ties with the Romans, while the Persians on the other
hand, were on the vigil with respect to any strategic changes that were looming on the
socio-political horizon, and soon came to occupy Yemen. Incidentally, the Roman and
Persian Empires stood for the powerful civilized world at that time. The Elephant Raid Event
riveted the world’s attention to the sacredness of Allâh’s House, and showed that this House
had been chosen by Allâh for its ho. It followed then if any of its people claimed
Prophethood, it would be congruous with the outcome of the Elephant Event, and would
provide a justifiable explanation for the ulterior Divine Wisdom that lay behind backing
polytheists against Christians in a manner that transcended the cause-and-effect formula.

‘Abdul-Muttalib had ten sons, Al-Harith, Az-Zubair, Abu Talib, ‘Abdullah, Hamzah, Abu
Lahab, Ghidaq, Maqwam, Safar and Al-‘Abbas. He also had six daughters, who were Umm
Al-Hakim – the only white one, Barrah, ‘Atikah, Safiya, Arwa and Omaima.

4. ‘Abdullah: The father of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). His mother was Fatimah,
daughter of ‘Amr bin ‘A’idh bin ‘Imran bin Makhzum bin Yaqdha bin Murra. ‘Abdullah was the
smartest of ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s sons, the chastest and the most loved. He was also the son
whom the divination arrows pointed at to be slaughtered as a sacrifice to Al-Ka‘bah. When
‘Abdul-Muttalib had ten sons and they reached maturity, he divulged to them his secret vow
in which they silently and obediently acquiesced. Their names were written on divination
arrows and given to the guardian of their most beloved goddess, Hubal. The arrows were
shuffled and drawn. An arrow showed that it was ‘Abdullah to be sacrificed. ‘Abdul-Muttalib
then took the boy to Al-Ka‘bah with a razor to slaughter the boy. Quraish, his uncles from
Makhzum tribe and his brother Abu Talib, however, tried to dissuade him from
consummating his purpose. He then sought their advice as regards his vow. They suggested
that he summon a she-diviner to judge whereabout. She ordered that the divination arrows
should be drawn with respect to ‘Abdullah as well as ten camels. She added that drawing the
lots should be repeated with ten more camels every time the arrow showed ‘Abdullah. The
operation was thus repeated until the number of the camels amounted to one hundred. At
this point the arrow showed the camels, consequently they were all slaughtered (to the
satisfaction of Hubal) instead of his son. The slaughtered camels were left for anyone to eat
from, human or animal.

• This incident produced a change in the amount of blood-money usually accepted in
Arabia. It had been ten camels, but after this event it was increased to a hundred. Islam,
later on, approved of this. Another thing closely relevant to the above issue goes to the
effect that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) once said:

“I am the offspring of the slaughtered two,” meaning Ishmael and ‘Abdullah.

‘Abdul-Muttalib chose Amina, daughter of Wahab bin ‘Abd Munaf bin Zahra bin Kilab, as a wife for
his son, ‘Abdullah. She thus, in the light of this ancestral lineage, stood eminent in respect of
nobility of position and descent. Her father was the chief of Bani Zahra to whom great honour was
attributed. They were married in Makkah, and soon after ‘Abdullah was sent by his father to buy
dates in Madinah where he died. In another version, ‘Abdullah went to Syria on a trade journey and
died in Madinah on his way back. He was buried in the house of An-Nabigha Al-Ju‘di. He was twentyfive
years old when he died. Most historians state that his death was two months before the birth of
Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã . Some others said that his death was two months after the
Prophet’s birth. When Amina was informed of her husband’s death, she celebrated his memory in a
most heart-touching elegy.

‘Abdullah left very little wealth —five camels, a small number of goats, a she-servant, called
Barakah – Umm Aiman – who would later serve as the Prophet’s nursemaid.

MUHAMMAD'S BIRTH AND FORTY YEARS PRIOR TO PROPHETHOOD
HIS BIRTH:

Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the Master of Prophets, was born in Bani Hashim lane in Makkah
on Monday morning, the ninth of Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the same year of the Elephant Event, and forty
years of the reign of Kisra (Khosru Nushirwan), i.e. the twentieth or twenty-second of April, 571
A.D., according to the scholar Muhammad Sulaimân Al-Mansourpuri, and the astrologer Mahmûd
Pasha.

Ibn Sa‘d reported that Muhammad’s mother said: “When he was born, there was a light that issued
out of my pudendum and lit the palaces of Syria.” Ahmad reported on the authority of ‘Arbadh bin
Sariya something similar to this.

It was but controversially reported that significant precursors accompanied his birth: fourteen
galleries of Kisra’s palace cracked and rolled down, the Magians’ sacred fire died down and some
churches on Lake Sawa sank down and collapsed.

His mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event.

Happily he came to her, carried him to Al-Ka‘bah, prayed to Allâh and thanked Him. ‘Abdul-Muttalib
called the baby Muhammad, a name not then common among the Arabs. He circumcised him on his
seventh day as was the custom of the Arabs.

The first woman who suckled him after his mother was Thuyebah, the concubine of Abu Lahab, with
her son, Masrouh. She had suckled Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib before and later Abu Salamah bin
‘Abd Al-Asad Al-Makhzumi.

BABYHOOD:

It was the general custom of the Arabs living in towns to send their children away to bedouin wet
nurses so that they might grow up in the free and healthy surroundings of the desert whereby they
would develop a robust frame and acquire the pure speech and manners of the bedouins, who were
noted both for chastity of their language and for being free from those vices which usually develop
in sedentary societies.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was later entrusted to Haleemah bint Abi Dhuaib from Bani Sa‘d
bin Bakr. Her husband was Al-Harith bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza called Abi Kabshah, from the same tribe.

Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had several foster brothers and sisters, ‘Abdullah bin Al-Harith,
Aneesah bint Al-Harith, Hudhafah or Judhamah bint Al-Harith (known as Ash-Shayma’), and she
used to nurse the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib,
the Prophet’s cousin. Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle, was suckled by the same two
wet nurses, Thuyeba and Haleemah As-Sa‘diyah, who suckled the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

Traditions delightfully relate how Haleemah and the whole of her household were favoured by
successive strokes of good fortune while the baby Muhammad (Peace be upon him) lived under her
care. Ibn Ishaq states that Haleemah narrated that she along with her husband and a suckling babe,
set out from her village in the company of some women of her clan in quest of children to suckle.

She said:

It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode on a brown she-ass. We also
had with us an old she-camel. By Allâh we could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a
wink of sleep during the night for the child kept crying on account of hunger. There was not enough
milk in my breast and even the she-camel had nothing to feed him. We used to constantly pray for
rain and immediate relief. At length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle. Not even a
single woman amongst us accepted the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) offered to her. As
soon as they were told that he was an orphan, they refused him. We had fixed our eyes on the
reward that we would get from the child’s father. An orphan! What are his grandfather and mother
likely to do? So we spurned him because of that. Every woman who came with me got a suckling
and when we were about to depart, I said to my husband: “By Allâh, I do not like to go back along
with the other women without any baby. I should go to that orphan and I must take him.” He said,
“There is no harm in doing so and perhaps Allâh might bless us through him.” So I went and took
him because there was simply no other alternative left for me but to take him. When I lifted him in
my arms and returned to my place I put him on my breast and to my great surprise, I found enough
milk in it. He drank to his heart’s content, and so did his foster brother and then both of them went
to sleep although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night. My husband then went to
the she-camel to milk it and, to his astonishment, he found plenty of milk in it. He milked it and we
drank to our fill, and enjoyed a sound sleep during the night. The next morning, my husband said:

“By Allâh Haleemah, you must understand that you have been able to get a blessed child.” And I
replied: “By the grace of Allâh, I hope so.”
The tradition is explicit on the point that Haleemah’s return journey and her s ubsequent life, as long
as the Prophet (Peace be upon him)stayed with her, was encircled with a halo of good fortune. The
donkey that she rode when she came to Makkah was lean and almost foundered; it recovered speed
much to the amazement of Haleemah’s fellow travellers. By the time they reached the
encampments in the country of the clan of Sa‘d, they found the scales of fortune turned in their
favour. The barren land sprouted forth luxuriant grass and beasts came back to them satisfied and
full of milk. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) stayed with Haleemah for two years until he was
weaned as Haleemah said:

We then took him back to his mother requesting her earnestly to have him stay with us and benefit
by the good fortune and blessings he had brought us. We persisted in our request which we
substantiated by our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah. At last,
we were granted our wish and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stayed with us until he was four or
five years of age.

When, as related by Anas in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel came down and ripped his chest open and took
out the heart. He then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said: “That was the part of Satan in thee.”
And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the heart was joined
together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates came running to his mother, i.e. his
nurse, and said: “Verily, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been murdered.” They all rushed
towards him and found him all right only his face was white.

BACK TO HIS COMPASSIONATE MOTHER:

After this event, Haleemah was worried about the boy and returned him to his mother with whom
he stayed until he was six.

In respect of the memory of her late husband, Amina decided to visit h is grave in Yathrib (Madinah).

She set out to cover a journey of 500 kilometers with her orphan boy, woman servant Umm Ayman
and her father-in-law ‘Abdul-Muttalib. She spent a month there and then took her way back to
Makkah. On the way, she had a severe illness and died in Abwa on the road between Makkah and
Madinah.

BACK TO HIS COMPASSIONATE GRANDFATHER:

‘Abdul-Muttalib brought the boy to Makkah. He had warm passions towards the boy, his orphan
grandson, whose recent disaster (his mother’s death) added more to the pains of the past. ‘Abdul-
Muttalib was more passionate with his grandson than with his own children. He never left the boy a
prey to loneliness, but always preferred him to his own kids. Ibn Hisham reported: A mattress was
put in the shade of Al-Ka‘bah for ‘Abdul-Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in
honour to their father, but Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to sit on it. His uncles would take
him back, but if ‘Abdul-Muttalib was present, he would say: “Leave my grandson. I swear by Allâh
that this boy will hold a significant position.” He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back
and was always pleased with what the boy did.

When Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was eight years, two months and ten days old, his
grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib passed away in Makkah. The charge of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
was now passed on to his uncle Abu Talib, who was the brother of the Prophet’s father.

Abu Talib tookthe charge of his nephew in the best way. He put him with his children and preferred
him to them. He singled the boy out with great respect and high esteem. Abu Talib remained for
forty years cherishing his nephew and extending all possible protection and support to him. His
relations with the others were determined in the light of the treatment they showed to the Prophet
(Peace be upon him).

Ibn ‘Asakir reported on the authority of Jalhamah bin ‘Arfuta who said: “I came to Makkah when it
was a rainless year, so Quraish said ‘O Abu Talib, the valley has become leafless and the children
hungry, let us go and pray for rain-fall.’ Abu Talib went to Al-Ka‘bah with a young boy who was as
beautiful as the sun, and a black cloud was over his head. Abu Talib and the boy stood by the wall of
Al-Ka‘bah and prayed for rain. Immediately clouds from all directions gathered and rain fell heavily
and caused the flow of springs and growth of plants in the town and the country.

BAHIRA, THE MONK:

When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was twelve years old, he went with his u ncle Abu
Talib on a business journey to Syria. When they reached Busra (which was a part of Syria, in the
vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain) they met a monk called Bahira (his real name was
Georges), who showed great kindness, and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the
habit of receiving or entertaining them before. He readily enough recognized the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) and said while taking his hand: “This is the master of all humans. Allâh will send him with
a Message which will be a mercy to all beings.” Abu Talib asked: “How do you know that?” He
replied: “When you appeared from the direction of ‘Aqabah, all stones and trees prostrated
themselves, which they never do except for a Prophet. I can recognize him also by the seal of
Prophethood which is below his shoulder, like an apple. We have got to learn this from our books.”
He also asked Abu Talib to send the boy back to Makkah and not to take him to Syria for fear of the
Jews. Abu Talib obeyed and sent him back to Makkah with some of his men servants.

THE ‘SACRILIGIOUS' WARS:

Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was hardly fifteen when the ‘sacrilegious’ wars — which continued
with varying fortunes and considerable loss of human life for a number of years — broke out
between Quraish and Banu Kinana on the one side and Qais ‘Ailan tribe on the other. It was thus
called because the inviolables were made violable, the prohibited months being included. Harb bin
Omaiyah, on account of his outstanding position and honourable descent, used to be the leader of
Quraish and their allies. In one of those battles, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) attended on his
uncles but did not raise arms against their opponents. His efforts were confined to picking up the
arrows of the enemy as they fell, and handing them over to his uncles.

ALFUDOUL CONFEDERACY:

At the conclusion of these wars, when peace was restored, people felt the need for forming
confederacy at Makkah for suppressing violence and injustice, and vindicating the rights of the weak
and the destitute. Representatives of Banu Hashim, Banu Al-Muttalib, Asad bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza,
Zahrah bin Kilab and Taim bin Murra were called to meet in the habitation of an honourable elderly
man called ‘Abdullah bin Jada‘an At-Taimy to enter into a confederacy that would provide for the
above-mentioned items. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) shortly after he had been
honoured with the ministry of Prophethood, witnessed this league and commented on it, with very
positive words: “I witnessed a confederacy in the house of ‘Abdullah bin Jada‘an. It was more
appealing to me than herds of cattle. Even now in the period of Islam I would respond positively to
attending such a meeting if I were invited."
In fact, the spirit of this confederacy and the course of deliberations therein marked a complete
departure from the pre-Islamic tribal-pride. The story that led to its convention says that a man
from Zubaid clan came as a merchant to Makkah where he sold some commodities to Al-‘As bin Wail
As-Sahmy. The latter by hook or by crook tried to evade paying for the goods. The salesman sought
help from the different clans in Quraish but they paid no heed to his earnest pleas. He then resorted
to a mountain top and began, at the top of his voice, to recite verses of complaint giving account of
the injustices he sustained. Az-Zubair bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib heard of him and made inquiries into the
matter. Consequently, the parties to the aforesaid confederacy convened their meeting and
managed to force Az-Zubaidy’s money out of Al-‘As bin Wa’il.

MUHAMMAD'S EARLY JOB:

Muhammad (Peace be upon him), had no particular job at his early youth, but it was reported that
he worked as a shepherd for Bani Sa‘d and in Makkah. At the age of 25, he went to Syria as a
merchant for Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) Ibn Ishaq reported that Khadijah, daughter
of Khwailid was a business-woman of great honour and fortune. She used to employ men to do her
business for a certain percentage of the profits. Quraish people were mostly tradespeople, so when
Khadijah was informed of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his truthful words, great honesty and
kind manners, she sent for him. She offered him money to go to Syria and do her business, and she
would give him a higher rate than the others. She would also send her hireling, Maisarah, with him.

He agreed and went with her servant to Syria for trade.

HIS MARRIEAGE TO KHADIJAH:

When he returned to Makkah, Khadijah noticed, in her money, more profits and blessings than she
used to. Her hireling also told her of Muhammad’s good manners, honesty, deep thought, sincerity
and faith. She realized that she homed at her target. Many prominent men had asked for her hand
in marriage but she always spurned their advances. She disclosed her wish to her friend Nafisa,
daughter of Maniya, who immediately went to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and broke the good
news to him. He agreed and requested his uncles to go to Khadijah’s uncle and talk on this issue.

Subsequently, they were married. The marriage contract was witnessed by Bani Hashim and the
heads of Mudar. This took place after the Prophet’s return from Syria. He gave her twenty camels as
dowry. She was, then, forty years old and was considered as the best woman of her folk in lineage,
fortune and wisdom. She was the first woman whom the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
married. He did not get married to any other until she had died.

Khadijah bore all his children, except Ibrahim: Al-Qasim, Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah
and ‘Abdullah who was called Taiyib and Tahir. All his sons died in their childhood and all the
daughters except Fatimah died during his lifetime. Fatimah died six months after his death. All his
daughters witnessed Islam, embraced it, and emigrated to Madinah.

REBUILDING AL-KA'BAH AND THE ARBITRATION ISSUE:

When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was thirty five, Quraish started rebuilding Al-
Ka‘bah. That was because it was a low building of white stones no more than 6.30 metres high, from
the days of Ishmael. It was also roofless and that gave the thieves easy access to its treasures
inside. It was also exposed to the wearing factors of nature — because it was built a long time ago
— that weakened and cracked its walls. Five years before Prophethood, there was a great flood in
Makkah that swept towards Al-Ka‘bah and almost demolished it. Quraish was obliged to rebuild it to
safeguard its holiness and position. The chiefs of Quraish decided to use only licit money in
rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, so all money that derived from harlotry, usury or unjust practices was
excluded. They were, at first, too awed to knock down the wall, but Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah Al-
Mukhzumi started the work. Seeing that no harm had happened to him, the others participated in
demolishing the walls until they reached the basis laid by Abraham. When they started rebuilding its
walls, they divided the work among the tribes. Each tribe was responsible for rebuilding a part of it.

The tribes collected stones and startwork. The man who laid the stones was a Roman mason called
Baqum. The work went on in harmony till the time came to put the sacred Black Stone in its proper
place. Then strife broke out among the chiefs, and lasted for four or five days, each contesting for
the honour of placing the stone in its position. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great
bloodshed seemed imminent. Luckily, the oldest among the chiefs Abu Omaiyah bin Mugheerah Al-
Makhzumi made a proposal which was accepted by all. He said: “Let him, who enters the Sanctuary
first of all, decide on the point.” It was then Allâh’s Will that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon
him) should be the first to enter the Mosque. On seeing him, all the people on the scene, cried with
one voice: “Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) has come. We are content to abide by his decision.” Calm
and self-possessed, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) received the commission and at once resolved
upon an expedient which was to conciliate them all. He asked for a mantle which he spread on the
ground and placed the stone in its centre. He then asked the representatives of the different clans
among them, to lift the stone all together. When it had reached the proper place, Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) laid it in the proper position with his own hands. This is how a very tense
situation was eased and a grave danger averted by the wisdom of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

Quraish ran short of the licit money, they collected, so they eliminated six yards area on the
northern side of Al-Ka‘bah which is called Al-Hijr or Al-Hateem. They raised its door two metres from
the level ground to let in only the people whom they desired. When the structure was fifteen yards
high they erected the roof which rested on six columns.

When the building of Al-Ka‘bah had finished, it assumed a square form fifteen metres high. The side
with the Black Stone and the one opposite were ten metres long each. The Black Stone was 1.50
metre from the circumambulation level ground. The two other sides were twelve metres long each.

The door was two metres high from the level ground. A building structure of 0.25 metre high and
0.30 metre wide on the average surrounded Al-Ka‘bah. It was called Ash-Shadherwan, originally an
integral part of the Sacred Sanctuary, but Quraish left it out.

A RAPID REVIEW OF MUHAMMAD'S BIOGRAPHY BEFORE COMMISSIONING OF THE
PROPHETHOOD:

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was, in his youth, a combination of the best social
attributes. He was an exemplary man of weighty mind and faultless insight. He was favoured with
intelligence, originality of thought and accurate choice of the means leading to accurate goals. His
long silence helped favourably in his habit of meditation and deep investigation into the truth. His
vivid mind and pure nature were helpfully instrumental in assimilating and comprehending ways of
life and people, individual and community-wise. He shunned superstitious practices but took an
active part in constructive and useful dealings, otherwise, he would have recourse to his selfconsecrated
solitude. He kept himself aloof from drinking wine, eating meat slaughtered on stone
altars, or attending idolatrous festivals. He held the idols in extreme aversion and most abhorrence.

He could never tolerate someone swearing by Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzza. Allâh’s providence, no doubts,
detached him from all abominable or evil practices. Even when he tried to obey his instinct to enjoy
some life pleasures or follow some irrespectable traditions, Allâh’s providence intervened to curb any
lapse in this course. Ibn Al-Atheer reported Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as saying: “I have
never tried to do what my people do except for two times. Every time Allâh intervened and checked
me from doing so and I never did that again. Once I told my fellow-shepherd to take care of my
sheep when we were in the upper part of Makkah. I wanted to go down to Makkah and entertain
myself as the young men did. I went down to the first house of Makkah where I heard music. I
entered and asked: ‘What is this?’ Someone answered: ‘It is a wedding party.’ I sat down and
listened but soon went into deep sleep. I was awakened by the heat of the sun. I went back to my
fellow-shepherd and told him of what had happened to me. I have never tried it again.”
Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that he said: “While the people were
rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) went with ‘Abbas to carry some
stones. ‘Abbas said: ‘Put your loincloth round your neck to protect you from the stones.’ (As he did
that) the Prophet (Peace be upon him) fell to the ground and his eyes turned skyward. Later on he
woke up and shouted: ‘My loincloth... my loincloth.’ He wrapped himself in his loincloth.” In another
report: “His loins were never seen afterwards.”
The authorities agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) modesty of
deportment, virtuous behaviour and graceful manners. He proved himself to be the ideal of
manhood, and to possess a spotless character. He was the most obliging to his compatriots, the
most honest in his talk and the mildest in temper. He was the most gentle-hearted, chaste,
hospitable and always impressed people by his piety-inspiring countenance. He was the most
truthful and the best to keep covenant. His fellow-citizens, by common consent, gave him the title of
Al-‘Ameen (trustworthy). The Mother of believers, Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) once
said: He unites uterine relations, he helps the poor and the needy, he entertains the guests and
endures hardships in the path of truthfulness.

IN THE SHADE OF THE MESSAGE AND PROPHETHOOD
IN THE CAVE HIRA:

When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was nearly forty, he had been wont to pass long
hours in retirement meditating and speculating over all aspects of creation around him. This
meditative temperament helped to widen the mental gap between him and his compatriots. He used
to provide himself with Sawiq (barley porridge) and water and then directly head for the hills and
ravines in the neighbourhood of Makkah. One of these in particular was his favourite resort — a
cave named Hira’, in the Mount An-Nour. It was only two miles from Makkah, a small cave 4 yards
long and 1.75 yard wide. He would always go there and invite wayfarers to share him his modest
provision. He used to devote most of his time, and Ramadan in particular, to worship and meditation
on the universe around him. His heart was restless about the moral evils and idolatry that were
rampant among his people; he was as yet helpless because no definite course, or specific approach
had been available for him to follow and rectify the ill practices around him. This solitude attended
with this sort of contemplative approach must be understood in its Divine perspective. It was a
preliminary stage to the period of grave responsibilities that he was to shoulder very soon.

Privacy and detachment from the impurities of life were two indispensable prerequisites for the
Prophet’s soul to come into close communion with the Unseen Power that lies behind all aspects of
existence in this infinite universe. It was a rich period of privacy which lasted for three years and
ushered in a new era, of indissoluble contact with that Power.

GAGRIEL BRINGS DOWN THE REVELATION:

When he was forty, the age of complete perfection at which Prophets were always ordered to
disclose their Message, signs of his Prophethood started to appear and twinkle on the horizons of
life; they were the true visions he used to experience for six months. The period of Prophethood was
23 years; so the period of these six months of true visions constituted an integral part of the fortysix
parts of Prophethood. In Ramadan, in his third year of solitude in the cave of Hira’, Allâh’s Will
desired His mercy to flow on earth and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was honoured with
Prophethood, and the light of Revelation burst upon him with some verses of the Noble Qur’ân.

As for the exact date, careful investigation into circumstantial evidence and relevant clues point
directly to Monday, 21st. Ramadan at night, i.e. Au, 10, 610 A.D. with Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) exactly 40 years, 6 months and 12 days of age, i.e. 39 Gregorian years, 3 months and
22 days.

‘Aishah, the veracious, gave the following narration of that most significant event that brought the
Divine light which would dispel the darkness of disbelief and ignorance. It led life down a new course
and brought about the most serious amendment to the line of the history of mankind:

Forerunners of the Revelation assumed the form of true visions that would strikingly come true all
the time. After that, solitude became dear to him and he would go to the cave, Hira’, to engage in
Tahannuth (devotion) there for a certain number of nights before returning to his family, and then
he would return for provisions for a similar stay. At length, unexpectedly, the Truth (the angel)
came to him and said, “Recite.” “I cannot recite,” he [Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] said. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) described: “Then he took me and squeezed me vehemently and then
let me go and repeated the order ‘Recite.’ ‘I cannot recite’ said I, and once again he squeezed me
and let me till I was exhausted. Then he said: ‘Recite.’ I said ‘I cannot recite.’ He squeezed me for a
third time and then let me go and said:

• “Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), has created man from
a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! and your Lord is the Most Generous.’”
[96:1-3]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) repeated these verses. He was trembling with fear. At this stage,
he came back to his wife Khadijah, and said, “Cover me, ... cover me.” They covered him until he
restored security. He apprised Khadijah of the incident of the cave and added that he was horrified.

His wife tried to soothe him and reassured him saying, “Allâh will never disgrace you. You unite
uterine relations; you bear the burden of the weak; you help the poor and the needy, you entertain
the guests and endure hardships in the path of truthfulness.”
She set out with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to her cousin Waraqa bin Nawfal bin Asad bin
‘Abd Al-‘Uzza, who had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic period, and used to write the Bible
in Hebrew. He was a blind old man. Khadijah said: “My cousin! Listen to your nephew!” Waraqa
said: “O my nephew! What did you see?” The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) told him what
had happened to him. Waraqa replied: “This is ‘Namus’ i.e. (the angel who is entrusted with Divine
Secrets) that Allâh sent to Moses. I wish I were younger. I wish I could live up to the time when
your people would turn you out.” Muhammad (Peace be upon him) asked: “Will they drive me out?”
Waraqa answered in the affirmative and said: “Anyone who came with something similar to what
you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should be alive till that day, then I would
support you strongly.” A few days later Waraqa died and the revelation also subsided.

At-Tabari and Ibn Hisham reported that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) left the cave of
Hira’ after being surprised by the Revelation, but later on, returned to the cave and continued his
solitude. Afterwards, he came back to Makkah. At-Tabari reported on this incident, saying:

After mentioning the coming of the Revelation, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “I
have never abhorred anyone more than a poet or a mad man. I can not stand looking at either of
them. I will never tell anyone of Quraish of my Revelation. I will climb a mountain and throw myself
down and die. That will relieve me. I went to do that but halfway up the mountain, I heard a voice
from the sky saying ‘O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and I am
Gabriel.’ I looked upwards and saw Gabriel in the form of a man putting his legs on the horizon. He
said: ‘O Muhammad You are the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and I am Gabriel.’ I
stopped and looked at him. His sight distracted my attention from what I had intended to do. I
stood in my place transfixed. I tried to shift my eyes away from him. He was in every direction I
looked at. I stopped in my place without any movement until Khadijah sent someone to look for me.

He went down to Makkah and came back while I was standing in the same place. Gabriel then left,
and I went back home. I found Khadijah at home, so I sat very close to her. She asked: ‘Father of
Al-Qasim! Where have you been? I sent someone to look for you. He went to Makkah and returned
to me.’ I told her of what I had seen. She replied: ‘It is a propitious sign, O my husband. Pull
yourself together, I swear by Allâh that you are a Messenger for this nation.’ Then she stood up and
went to Waraqa and informed him. Waraqa said: ‘I swear by Allâh that he has received the same
Namus, i.e. angel that was sent to Moses. He is the Prophet of this nation. Tell him to be patient.’
She came back to him and told him of Waraqa’s words. When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be
upon him) finished his solitary stay and went down to Makkah, he went to Waraqa, who told him:

‘You are the Prophet of this nation. I swear by Allâh that you have received the same angel that was
sent to Moses.’”
INTERRUPION OF REVELATION:

Ibn Sa‘d reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that the Revelation paused for a few days.After
careful study, this seems to be the most possible. To say that it lasted for three and a half years, as
some scholars allege, is not correct, but here there is no room to go into more details.

Meanwhile, the Prophet (Peace be upon him), was caught in a sort of depression coupled with
astonishment and perplexity. Al-Bukhari reported:

The Divine inspiration paused for a while and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) became so sad, as
we have heard, that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains,
and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would
appear before him and say: “O Muhammad! You are indeed Allâh’s Messenger in truth,” whereupon
his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and return home. Whenever the period of
the coming of the Revelation used to become long, he would do as before, but Gabriel would appear
again before him and say to him what he had said before.

ONCE, GABRIEL BRINGS ALLAH'S REVELATION:

Ibn Hajar said: ‘That (the pause of Allâh’s revelation for a few days) was to relieve the Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) of the fear he experienced and to make him long for the Revelation.

When the shades of puzzle receded, the flags of truth were raised, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be
upon him) knew for sure that he had become the Messenger of the Great Lord. He was also certain
that what had come to him was no more than the ambassador of inspiration. His waiting and longing
for the coming of the revelation constituted a good reason for his steadfastness and self-possession
on the arrival of Allâh’s inspiration, Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that
he had heard the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) speak about the period of pause as
follows:

“While I was walking, I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up, and surely enough, it was the same
angel who had visited me in the cave of Hira’. He was sitting on a chair between the earth and the
sky. I was very afraid of him and knelt on the ground. I went home saying: ‘Cover me …, Cover me
…’. Allâh revealed to me the verses:

• ‘O you [Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! And
your Lord (Allâh) magnify! And your garments purify! And keep away from Ar-Rujz (the
idols)!’” [74:1-5]

After that the revelation started coming strongly, frequently and regularly.

SOME DETAILS PERTINENT TO THE SUCCESSIVE STAGES OF REVELATION:

Before we go into the details of the period of communicating the Message and Prophethood, we
would like to get acquainted with the stages of the Revelation which constituted the main source of
the Message and the subject-matter of the Call. Ibn Al-Qayyim, mentioning the stages of the
Revelation, said:

• The First: The period of true vision. It was the starting point of the Revelation to the Men
of Allâh (Peace be upon him).

The Second: What the angel invisibly cast in the Prophet’s mind and heart. The Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “The Noble Spirit revealed to me ‘No soul will perish until
it exhausts its due course, so fear Allâh and gently request Him. Never get so impatient to
the verge of disobedience of Allâh. What Allâh has can never be acquired but through
obedience to Him.’”
The Third: The angel used to visit the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) in the form of
a human being and would speak to him directly. This would enable him to fully understand
what the angel said. The angel was sometimes seen in this form by the Prophet’s
Companions.

The Fourth: The angel came to him like the toll of a bell and this was the most difficult form
because the angel used to seize him tightly and sweat would stream from his forehead even
on the coldest day. If the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was on his camel, the camel would
not withstand the weight, so it would immediately kneel down on the ground. Once the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) had such a revelation when he was sitting and his
thigh was on Zaid’s, Zaid felt the pressure had almost injured his thigh.

The Fifth: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw the angel in his actual form. The angel
would reveal to him what Allâh had ordered him to reveal. This, as mentioned in (Qur’ân), in
Sûrah An-Najm (Chapter 53 - The Star), happened twice.

The Sixth: What Allâh Himself revealed to him in heaven i.e. when he ascended to heaven
and received Allâh’s behest of Salât (prayer).

The Seventh: Allâh’s Words to His Messenger (Peace be upon him) at first hand without the
mediation of an angel. It was a privilege granted to Moses (Peace be upon him) and clearly
attested in the Qur’ân, as it is attested to our Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the Sûrah Al-
Isrâ’ (Chapter 17 - The Journey by Night) of the Noble Qur’ân.

Some religious scholars added a controversial eighth stage in which they state that Allâh spoke to
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) directly without a curtain in between. This issue remains however
unconfirmed.

PROCLAIMING ALLAH, THE ALL-HIGH; AND THE IMMEDIATE CONSTITUENTS
The first Revelation sent to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) implied several injunctions, simple in
form but highly effective and of serious far-reaching ramifications. The angel communicated to him
a manifest Message saying:

• “O you [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! And
your Lord (Allâh) 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 Allâh’s
obedience as a favour to Allâh). And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your
duty to Allâh)!” [74:1-7]

For convenience and ease of understanding, we are going to segment the Message into its
immediate constituents:

1. The ultimate objective of warning is to make sure that no one breaching the pleasures of
Allâh in the whole universe is ignorant of the serious consequences that his behaviour
entails, and to create a sort of unprecedented shock within his mind and heart.

2. ‘Magnifying the Lord’ dictates explicitly that the only pride allowed to nourish on the earth is
exclusively Allâh’s to the exclusion of all the others’.

3. ‘Cleansing the garments and shunning all aspects of abomination’ point directly to the
indispensable need to render both the exterior and interior exceptionally chaste and pure, in
addition to the prerequisite of sanctifying the soul and establishing it highly immune against
the different sorts of impurities and the various kinds of pollutants. Only through this
avenue can the soul of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) reach an ideal status and become
eligible to enjoy the shady mercy of Allâh and His protection, security, guidance and evershining
light; and will consequently set the highest example to the human community,
attract the sound hearts and inspire awe and reverence in the stray ones in such a manner
that all the world, in agreement or disagreement, will head for it and take it as the rock-bed
in all facets of their welfare.

4. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) must not regard his strife in the way of Allâh as a deed of
grace that entitles him to a great reward. On the contrary, he has to exert himself to the
utmost, dedicate his whole efforts and be ready to offer all sacrifices in a spirit of selffogetfulness
enveloped by an ever-present awareness of Allâh, without the least sense of
pride in his deeds or sacrifices.

5. The last verse of the Qur’ân revealed to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) alludes to the
hostile attitude of the obdurate disbelievers, who will jeer at him and his followers. They are
expected to disparage him and step up their malice to the point of scheming against his life
and lives of all the believers around him. In this case he has got to be patient and is
supposed to persevere and display the highest degree of stamina for the sole purpose of
attaining the pleasure of Allâh.

These were the basic preliminaries that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had to observe, very
simple injunctions in appearance, greatly fascinating in their calm rhythm, but highly effective in
practice. They constituted the trigger that aroused a far-ranging tempest in all the corners of the
world.

The verses comprise the constituents of the new call and propagation of the new faith. A warning
logically implies that there are malpractices with painful consequences to be sustained by the
perpetrators, and since the present life is not necessarily the only room to bring people to account
for their misdeeds or some of them, then the warning would necessarily imply calling people to
account on another day, i.e. the Day of Resurrection, and this per se suggests the existence of a life
other than this one we are living. All the verses of the Noble Qur’ân call people to testify explicitly to
the Oneness of Allâh, to delegate all their affairs to Allâh, the All-High, and to subordinate the
desires of the self and the desires of Allâh’s servants to the attainment of His Pleasures.

The constituents of the call to Islam could, briefly speaking, go as follows:

1. Testimony to the Oneness of Allâh.

2. Belief in the Hereafter.

3. Sanctifying one’s soul and elevating it high above evils and abominations that conduce to
terrible consequences, besides this, there is the dire need for virtues and perfect manners
coupled with habituating oneself to righteous deeds.

4. Committing one’s all affairs to Allâh, the All-High.

5. All the foregoing should run as a natural corollary to unwavering belief in Muhammad’s
Message, and abidance by his noble leadership and righteous guidance.

The verses have been prefaced, in the voice of the Most High, by a heavenly call mandating the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) to undertake this daunting responsibility (calling people unto Allâh).

The verses meant to extract him forcibly out of his sleep, divest him of his mantle and detach him
from the warmth and quiet of life, and then drive him down a new course attended with countless
hardships, and requiring a great deal of strife in the way of Allâh:

• “O you [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn.”
[74:1-2]

Suggesting that to live to oneself is quite easy, but it has been decided that you have to shoulder
this heavy burden; consequently sleep, comfort, or warm bed are items decreed to be alien in your
lexicon of life. O Muhammad, arise quickly for the strife and toil awaiting you; no time is there for
sleep and such amenities; grave responsibilities have been Divinely determined to fall to your lot,
and drive you into the turmoil of life to develop a new sort of precarious affinity with the conscience
of people and the reality of life.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) managed quite successfully to rise to his feet and measure up to
the new task, he went ahead in a spirit of complete selflessness, relentlessly striving and never
abating in carrying the burden of the great Trust, the burden of enlightening mankind, and the
heavy weight of the new faith and strife for over twenty years, nothing distracting his attention from
the awcommission. May Allâh reward him, for us and all humanity, the best ending. The following
research at hand gives an account in miniature of his long strive and uninterrupted struggle he
made after receiving the ministry of Messengership.

PHASES ANS STAGES OF THE CALL:

The Muhammadan Call could be divided into two phases distinctively demarcated:

1. The Makkan phase: nearly thirteen years.

2. The Madinese phase: fully ten years.

Each of the two phases included distinctive features easily discernible through accurate scrutiny into
the circumstances that characterized each of them.

The Makkan phase can be divided into three stages:

1. The stage of the secret Call: three years.

2. The stage of the proclamation of the Call in Makkah: from the beginning of the fourth year
of Prophethood to almost the end of the tenth year.

3. The stage of the call to Islam and propagating it beyond Makkah: it lasted from the end of
tenth year of the Prophethood until Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) emigration to
Madinah.

The Madinese phase will be considered later in its due course.

THE FIRST STAGE
STRIFE IN THE WAY OF THE CALLTHREE YEARS OF SECRETE CALL:

It is well-known that Makkah was the centre for the Arabs, and housed the custodians of Al-Ka‘bah.

Protection and guardianship of the idols and stone graven images that received veneration on the
part of all the Arabs lay in the hands of the Makkans. Hence the difficulty of hitting the target of
reform and rectitude in a place considered the den of idolatry. Working in such an atmosphere no
doubt requires unshakable will and determination, that is why the call unto Islam assumed a
clandestine form so that the Makkans should not be enraged by the unexpected surprise.

THE EARLY CONVERTS:

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) naturally initiated his sacred mission right from home and then
moved to the people closely associated with him. He called unto Islam whomsoever he thought
would attest the truth which had come from his Lord. In fact, a host of people who nursed not the
least seed of doubt as regards the Prophet (Peace be upon him), immediately responded and quite
readily embraced the true faith. They are known in the Islamic literature as the early converts.

Khadijah, the Prophet’s spouse, the mother of believers, was the first to enter the fold of Islam
followed by his freed slave Zaid bin Harithah, his cousin, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, who had been living with
him since his early childhood, and next came his intimate friend Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (Abu Bakr the
truth verifier). All of those professed Islam on the very first day of the call. Abu Bakr, and from the
first day he embraced Islam, proved to be an energetic and most zealous activist. He was wealthy,
obliging, mild and upright. People used to frequent his house and draw nigh to him for his
knowledge, amity, pleasant company and business. He invited whomever he had confidence in to
Islam and through his personal efforts a good number of people converted to Islam, such as
‘Uthman bin ‘Affan Al-Umawi, Az-Zubair bin ‘Awwam Al-Asadi, ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, Sa‘d bin Abi
Waqqas, Az-Zuhri and Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullah At-Tamimy. Those eight men constituted the
forerunners and more specifically the vanguard of the new faith in Arabia. Among the early Muslim
were Bilal bin Rabah (the Abyssinian), Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah from Bani Harith bin Fahr (the
most trustworthy of the Muslim Nation), Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd Al-Asad, Al-Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam
from the tribe of Makhzum, ‘Uthman bin Maz‘oun and his two brothers Qudama and ‘Abdullah,
‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith bin Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Munaf, Sa‘id bin Zaid Al-‘Adawi and his wife Fatimah -
daughter of Al-Khattab (the sister of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab), Khabbab bin Al-Aratt, ‘Abdullâh bin
Mas‘ud Al-Hadhali and many others. These were the Muslim predecessors. They belonged to various
septs of Quraish. Ibn Hisham, a biographer, counted them to be more than forty.

Ibn Ishaq said: “Then people entered the fold of Islam in hosts, men or women and the new faith
could no longer be kept secret.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to meet and teach, the new converts, the religion in privacy
because the call to Islam was still running on an individual and secret basis. Revelation accelerated
and continued after the first verses of “ O you wrapped in garments.” The verses and pieces of Sûrah
(chapters) revealed at this time were short ones with wonderful strong pauses and quite fascinating
rhythms in full harmony with that delicate whispering setting. The central topic running through
them focused on sanctifying the soul, and deterring the Muslims from falling prey to the deceptive
glamour of life. The early verses used as well to give a highly accurate account of the Hell and the
Garden (Paradise), leading the believers down a new course diametrically opposed to the ill
practices rampant amongst their compatriots.

AS-SALAT (the Prayer):

Muqatil bin Sulaiman said: “Salât (prayer) was established as an obligatory ritual at an early stage
of the Islamic Call, a two rak‘ ah (unit of prayer) Salât in the morning and the same in the evening;
“And glorify the praises of your Lord in the ‘Ashi (i.e. the time period after the mid-noon till sunset)
and in the Ibkar (i.e. the time period from early morning or sunrise till before mid-noon).” [40:55]

Ibn Hijr said: “Definitely the Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to pray before ‘The Night Journey’
but it still remains a matter of controversy whether or not the prayer was established as an
obligatory ritual before imposing the rules of the usual five prayers a day. It is related that
obligatory prayer was established twice a day, in the morning before sunrise and after sunset. It is
reported through a chain of narrators that when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) received the first
Revelation, Gabriel - the angel, proceeded and taught him how to observe Wudu (ablution). When
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had finished, he took a handful of water and sprinkled it on his
loins.

Ibn Hisham reported that when it was time for prayers, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
and his Companions went into a mountain valley to pray secretly. Abu Talib once saw the Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and Ali praying, he asked them what they were up to. When he got
to know that it was obligatory prayer, he told them to stay constant in their practice.

THE QURAISHITES LEARN ABOUT THE CALL:

This stage of the Call, even though conducted in a clandestine manner and on an individual basis, its
news leaked out and assumed a public interest all over Makkah. In the beginning, the Makkan
leaders did not care much about Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and took no heed of his
teachings. At first, they thought that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was merely a religious
philosophist like Omaiyah bin Abi As-Salt, Quss bin Sa‘idah, ‘Amr bin Nufail and their ilk who used to
philosophize on godship and religious obligations. But this attitude of indifference soon changed into
real apprehension. The polytheists of Quraish began to watch Muhammad’s movements closely and
anxiously for fear of spreading his Call and producing a change in the prevalent mentality.

For three underground years of activism, a group of believers emerged stamped by a spirit of
fraternity and cooperation with one definite objective in their mind: propagating and deeply
establishing the call unto Islam. For full three years Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had been
content to teach within a rather narrow circle. The time had, however, come to preach the faith of
the Lord openly. The angel Gabriel had brought him down a further Revelation of Allâh’s Will to
confront his people, invalidate their falsehood and crush down their idolatrous practices.

THE SECOND PHASE OPEN PREACHING
FIRST REVELATION REGARDING REVELATION THE PREACHING:

"And warn your tribe [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] of near kindred." [26:214].

This was the first verse to be revealed in this concern. It is included in Sûrah Ash-Shu'arâ (Chapter
26 - The Poets) which relates the story of Moses (Peace be upon him) from his early days of
Prophethood going through his migration with the Children of Israel, their escape from the Pharaoh
and his folk, and the drowning Pharaoh and his hosts. This Chapter in fact narrates the different
stages that Moses (Peace be upon him) passed through in his struggle with Pharaoh and the mission
of calling his people unto Allâh. Moreover, it includes stories that speak about the terrible end in
store for those who belied the Messengers such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, Thamud, Abraham, Lout
and Ahlul-Aikah (Companions of the Wood). (A group of people who used to worship a tree called
Aikah)
Chronologically, this Chapter belongs to the middle Makkan period, when the contact of the light of
Prophecy with the cultural milieu of pagan Makkah was testing the Makkans in their most arrogant
mood. The Message that this Chapter communicates is in brief: "The Truth is insurmountable. When
the spirit of Prophecy came to Makkah, it was resisted by the votaries of evil; but Truth, unlike
falsehood, is bound to stay, whereas falsehood is surely perishable."
CALLING THE CLOSET KINSPEOPLE:

In obedience to Allâh's Commands, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) rallied his kinsmen of Bani
Hashim with a group of Bani Al-Muttalib bin 'Abd Munaf. The audience counted forty-five men.

Abu Lahab immediately took the initiative and addressed the Prophet (Peace be upon him): "These
are your uncles and cousins, speak on to the point, but first of all you have got to know that your
kinspeople are not in a position to withstand all the Arabs. Another point you have got to bear in
mind is that your relatives are sufficient unto you. If you follow their tradition, it will be easier for
them than to face the other clans of Quraish supported by the other Arabs. Verily, I have never
heard of anyone who has incurred more harm on his kinspeople than you." The Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) kept silent and said nothing 7in that meeting.

He invited them to another meeting and managed to secure audience. He then stood up and
delivered a short speech explaining quite cogently what was at stake. He said: "I celebrate Allâh's
praise, I seek His help, I believe in Him, I put my trust in Him, I bear witness that there is no god to
be worshipped but Allâh with no associate. A guide can never lie to his people. I swear by Allâh,
there is no god but He, that I have been sent as a Messenger to you, in particular and to all the
people, in general. I swear by Allâh you will die just as you sleep, you will be resurrected just as you
wake up. You will be called to account for your deeds. It is then either Hell forever or the Garden
(Paradise) forever."
Abu Talib replied: "We love to help you, accept your advice and believe in your words. These are
your kinspeople whom you have collected and I am one of them but I am the fastest to do what you
like. Do what you have been ordered. I shall protect and defend you, but I can't quit the religion of
'Abdul-Muttalib."
Abu Lahab then said to Abu Talib: " I swear by Allâh that this is a bad thing. You must stop him
before the others do." Abu Talib, however, answered: "I swear by Allâh to protect him as long as I
am alive."
ON MOUNT AS-SAFA: After the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) became sure of Abu
Talib's commitment to his protection while he called the people unto Allâh, he stood up on Mount
As-Safa one day and called out loudly: "O Sabahah! * " Septs of Quraish came to him. He called
them to testify to the Oneness of Allâh and believe in his Messengership and the Day of
Resurrection. Al-Bukhari reported part of this story on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas 9May Allah be
pleased with him). He said: "When the following verses were revealed:

"And warn your tribe [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] of near kindred." [26:214]

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) ascended Mount As-Safa and started to call: "O Bani
Fahr! O Bani 'Adi (two septs of Quraish)." Many people gathered and those who couldn't, sent
somebody to report to them. Abu Lahab was also present. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

"You see, if I were to tell you that there were some horsemen in the valley planning to raid you, will
you believe me?" They said: "Yes, we have never experienced any lie from you." He said: "I am a
warner to you before a severe torment." Abu Lahab promptly replied: "Perish you all the day! Have
you summoned us for such a thing?" The verses were immediately revealed on that occasion:

"Perish the two hands of Abi Lahab..." [111:1].

Muslim reported another part of this story on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Alah be pleased
with him) — He said: "When the following verses were revealed:

"And warn your tribe [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] of near kindred." [26:214]

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) called all the people of Quraish; so they gathered and
he gave them a general warning. Then he made a particular reference to certain tribes, and said: "O
Quraish, rescue yourselves from the Fire; O people of Bani Ka'b, rescue yourselves from Fire; O
Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) , rescue yourself from the Fire, for I have no
power to protect you from Allâh in anything except that I would sustain relationship with you."
It was verily a loud suggestive Call stating unequivocally to the closest people that belief in his
Message constituted the corner-stone of any future relation between him and them, and that the
blood-relation on which the whole Arabian life was based, had ceased to exist in the light of that
Divine ultimatum.

SHOUTING THE TRUTH AND THE POLYTHEISTS' REACTION:

The Prophet's voice kept reverberating in Makkah until the following verse was revealed:

"Therefore proclaim openly (Allâh's Message — Islamic Monotheism), that which you are
commanded, and turn away from Al-Mushrikûn (polytheists)." [15:94]

He then commenced discrediting the superstitious practices of idolatry, revealing its worthless
reality and utter impotence, and giving concrete proofs that idolatry per se or taking it as the media
through which an idolater could come in contact with Allâh, is manifest falsehood.

The Makkans, on their part, burst into outrage and disapproval. Muhammad's (Peace be upon him)
words created a thunderbolt that turned the Makkan time -honoured ideological life upside down.

They could ill afford to hear someone attaching to polytheists and idolaters, the description of
straying people. They started to rally their resources to settle down the affair, quell the onward
marching revolution and deal a pre-emptive strike to its votaries before it devours and crushes down
their consecrated traditions and long standing heritage. The Makkans had the deep conviction that
denying godship to anyone save Allâh and that belief in the Divine Message and the Hereafter are
interpreted in terms of complete compliance and absolute commitment, and this in turn leaves no
area at all for them to claim authority over themselves and over their wealth, let alone their
subordinates. In short, their arrogated religiously-based supremacy and highhandedness would no
longer be in effect; their pleasures would be subordinated to the pleasures of Allâh and His
Messenger and lastly they would have to abstain from incurring injustices on those whom they
falsely deemed to be weak, and perpetrating dreadful sins in their everyday life. They had already
been fully aware of these meanings, that is why their souls would not condescend to accept this
'disgraceful' position not out of motives based on dignity and honour but rather because:

"Nay! (Man denies Resurrection and Reckoning. So) he desires to continue committing sins."
[75:5]

They had been aware of all these consequences but they could afford to do nothing before an honest
truthful man who was the highest example of good manners and human values. They had never
known such an example in the history of theifolks or grandfathers. What would they do? They were
baffled, and they had the right to be so.

Following careful deliberations, they hit upon the only target available, i.e. to contact the
Messenger's uncle, Abu Talib and request him to intervene and advise his nephew to stop his
activities. In order to attach a serious and earnest stamp to their demand, they chose to touch the
most sensitive area in Arabian life, viz., ancestral pride. They addressed Abu Talib in the following
manner: "O Abu Talib! Your nephew curses our gods; finds faults with our way of life, mocks at our
religion and degrades our forefathers; either you must stop him, or you must let us get at him. For
you are in the same opposition as we are in opposition to him; and we will rid you of him." Abu Talib
tried to appease their wrath by giving them a polite reply. The Prophet (Peace be upon him),
however, continued on his way preaching Allâh's religion and calling men hitherto, heedless of all
their desperate attempts and malicious intentions
AN ADVISORY COUNCIL TO DEBAR PILGRIMS FROM MUHAMMAD'S CALl: During those days,
Quraish had another serious concern; the proclamation of the Call had only been a few months old
when the season of pilgrimage was soon to come. Quraish knew that the Arab delegates were
coming within a short time. They agreed that it was necessary to contemplate a device that was
bound to alienate the Arab pilgrims from the new faith preached by Muhammad (Peace be upon
him). They went to see Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah to deliberate on this issue. Al-Waleed invited
them to agree on a unanimous resolution that could enjoy the approbation of them all. However,
they were at variance. Some suggested that they describe him as Kahin, i.e., soothsayer; but this
suggestion was turned down on grounds that his words were not so rhymed. Others proposed
Majnun, i.e., possessed by jinn; this was also rejected because no insinuations peculiar to that state
of mind ware detected, they claimed. "Why not say he is a poet?" Some said. Here again they could
not reach a common consent, alleging that his words were totally outside the lexicon of poetry. "OK
then; let us accuse him of practising witchcraft," was a fourth suggestion. Here also Al-Waleed
showed some reluctance saying that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was known to have never
involved himself in the practice of blowing on the knots, and admitted that his speech was sweet
tasting root and branch. He, however, found that the most plausible charge to be levelled against
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was witchcraft. The ungodly company adopted this opinion and
agreed to propagate one uniform formula to the effect that he was a magician so powerful and
commanding in his art that he would successfully alienate son from father, man from his brother,
wife from her husband and man from his clan.

It is noteworthy in this regard to say that Allâh revealed sixteen verses as regards Al-Waleed and
the cunning method he contemplated to manipulate the people expected to arrive in Makkah for
pilgrimage. Allâh says:

"Verily, he thought and plotted; so let him be cursed! How he plotted! And once more let
him be cursed, how he plotted! Then he thought; then he frowned and he looked in a bad
tempered way; then he turned back and was proud; then he said: 'This is nothing but magic
from that of old; this is nothing but the word of a human being!' " [74:18-25]

The most wicked of them was the sworn enemy of Islam and Muhammad (Peace b e upon him), Abu
Lahab, who would shadow the Prophet's steps crying aloud, "O men, do not listen to him for he is a
liar; he is an apostate." Nevertheless, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) managed to create a stir in
the whole area, and even to convince a few people to accept his Call.

THE FIRST MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA (ETHIOPIA): The series of persecutions started late in
the fourth year of Prophethood, slowly at first, but steadily accelerated and worsened day by day
and month by month until the situation got so extremely grave and no longer tolerable in the middle
of the fifth year, that the Muslims began to seriously think of feasible ways liable to avert the painful
tortures meted out to them. It was at that gloomy and desperate time that Sûrah Al-Kahf (Chapter
18 — The Cave) was revealed comprising definite answers to the questions with which the
polytheists of Makkah constantly pestered the Prophet (Peace be upon him). It comprises three
stories that include highly suggestive parables for the true believers to assimilate. The story of the
Companions of the Cave implies implicit guidance for the believers to evacuate the hot spots of
disbelief and aggression pregnant with the peril of enticement away from the true religion:

The young men said to one another): And when you withdraw from them, and that which
they worship, except Allâh, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you
from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair (i.e. will give you what you will need
of provision, dwelling, etc.)18:16].

Next, there is the story of Al-Khidr (The Teacher of Arabia) and Moses (Peace be upon him) in a
clear and delicate reference to the vicissitudes of life. Future circumstances of life are not
necessarily the products of the prevalent conditions, they might be categorically the opposite. In
other words, the war waged against the Muslims would in the future assume a different turn, and
the tyrannous oppressors would one day come to suffer and be subjected to the same tortures to
which the Muslims were then put. Furthermore, there is the story of Dhul-Qarnain (The Two Horned
One), the powerful ruler of west and east. This story says explicitly that Allâh takes His righteous
servants to inherit the earth and whatever in it. It also speaks that Allâh raises a righteous man
every now and then to protect the weak against the strong.

Sûrah Az-Zumar (Chapter 39 — The Crowds) was then revealed pointing directly to migration and
stating that the earth is spacious enough and the believers must not consider themselves
constrained by the forces of tyranny and evil:

"Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world, and Allâh's earth is spacious (so
if you cannot worship Allâh at a place, then go to another)! Only those who are patient shall
receive their rewards in full without reckoning." [39:10].

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had already known that Ashamah Negus, king of Abyssinia
(Ethiopia), was a fair ruler who would not wrong any of his subordinates, so he permitted some of
his followers to seek asylum there in Abyssinia (Ethiopia).

In Rajab of the fifth year of Prophethood, a group of twelve men and four women left for Abyssinia
(Ethiopia). Among the emigrants were 'Uthman bin 'Affan and his wife Ruqaiyah [the daughter of
the Prophet (Peace be upon him)]. With respect to these two emigrants, the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said:

"They are the first people to migrate in the cause of Allâh after Abraham and Lot (Peace be
upon them) ."
They sneaked out of Makkah under the heavy curtain of a dark night and headed for the sea where
two boats happened to be sailing for Abyssinia (Ethiopia), their destination. News of their intended
departure reached the ears of Quraish, so some men were despatched in their pursuit, but the
believers had already left Shuaibah Port towards their secure haven where they were received
warmly and accorded due hospitality.

In Ramadan of the same year, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) went into the Holy Sanctuary where
there was a large host of Quraish polytheists, including some notables and celebrities. Suddenly he
began reciting Sûrah An-Najm (Chapter 41 — The Star). The awe-inspiring Words of Allâh
descended unawares upon them and they immediately got stunned by them. It was the first time for
them to be shocked by the truthful Revelation. It had formerly been the favourite trick of those
people who wished to dishonour Revelation, not only not to listen to it themselves but also to talk
loudly and insolently when it was being read, so that even the true listeners may not be able to
hear. They used to think that they were drowning the Voice of Allâh; in fact, they were piling up
misery for themselves, for Allâh's Voice can never be silenced, "And those who disbelieve say:

"Listen not to this Qur'ân, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may
overcome." [41:26].

When the unspeakably fascinating Words of Allâh came into direct contact with their hearts, they
were entranced and got oblivious of the materialistic world around them and were caught in a state
of full attentiveness to the Divine Words to such an extent that when the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) reached the stormy heart-beating ending:

"So fall you down in prostration to Allâh and worship Him (Alone)." [53:62]

The idolaters, unconsciously and with full compliance, prostrated themselves in absolute god-fearing
and stainless devotion. It was in fact the wonderful moment of the Truth that cleaved through the
obdurate souls of the haughty and the attitude of the scoffers. They stood aghast when they
perceived that Allâh's Words had conquered their hearts and done the same thing that they had
been trying hard to annihilate and exterminate. Their co-polytheists who had not been present on
the scene reproached and blamed them severely; consequently they began to fabricate lies and
calumniate the Prophet (Peace be upon him) alleging that he had attached to their idols great
veneration and ascribed to them the power of desirable intercession. All of these were desperate
attempts made to establish an excusable justification for their prostrating themselves with the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) on that day. Of course, this foolish and iniquitous slanderous
behaviour was in line with their life-consecrated practice of telling lies and plot hatching.

News of this incident was misreported to the Muslim emigrants in Abyssinia (Ethiopia). They were
informed that the whole of Quraish had embraced Islam so they made their way back home. They
arrived in Makkah in Shawwal of the same year. When they were only an hour's travel from Makkah,
the reality of the situation was discovered. Some of them returned to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), others
sneaked secretly into the city or went in publicly but under the tutelage of a local notable. However,
due to the news that transpired to the Makkans about the good hospitality and warm welcome that
the Muslims were accorded in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), the polytheists got terribly indignant and started
to mete out severer and more horrible maltreatment andtortures to the Muslims. Thereupon the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) deemed it imperative to permit the helpless creatures to
seek asylum in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) for the second time. Migration this time was not as easy as it
was the previous time, for Quraish was on the alert to the least suspicious moves of the Muslims. In
due course, however, the Muslims managed their affairs too fast for the Quraishites to thwart their
attempt of escape. The group of emigrants this time comprised eighty three men and nineteen or, in
some versions, eighteen women. Whether or not 'Ammar was included is still a matter of doubt.

QURAISH'S MACHINATION AGAINSTN THE EMIGRANTS: Quraish could not tolerate the
prospect of a secure haven available for the Muslims in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), so they despatched two
staunch envoys to demand their extradition. They were 'Amr bin Al-'As and 'Abdullah bin Abi Rabi'a
— before embracing Islam. They had taken with them valuable gifts to the king and his clergy, and
had been able to win some of the courtiers over to their side. The pagan envoys claimed that the
Muslim refugees should be expelled from Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and made over to them, on the
ground that they had abandoned the religion of their forefathers, and their leader was preaching a
religion different from theirs and from that of the king.

The king summoned the Muslims to the court and asked them to explain the teachings of their
religion. The Muslim emigrants had decided to tell the whole truth whatever the consequences were.

Ja'far bin Abi Talib stood up and addressed the king in the following words: "O king! we were
plunged in the depth of ignorance and barbarism; we adored idols, we lived in unchastity, we ate
the dead bodies, and we spoke abominations, we disregarded every feeling of humanity, and the
duties of hospitality and neighbourhood were neglected; we knew no law but that of the strong,
when Allâh raised among us a man, of whose birth, truthfulness, honesty, and purity we were
aware; and he called to the Oneness of Allâh, and taught us not to associate anything with Him. He
forbade us the worship of idols; and he enjoined us to speak the truth, to be faithful to our trusts, to
be merciful and to regard the rights of the neighbours and kith and kin; he forbade us to speak evil
of women, or to eat the substance of orphans; he ordered us to fly from the vices, and to abstain
from evil; to offer prayers, to render alms, and to observe fast. We have believed in him, we have
accepted his teachings and his injunctions to worship Allâh, and not to associate anything with Him,
and we have allowed what He has allowed, and prohibited what He has prohibited. For this reason,
our people have risen against us, have persecuted us in order to make us forsake the worship of
Allâh and return to the worship of idols and other abominations. They have tortured and injured us,
until finding no safety among them, we have come to your country, and hope you will protect us
from oppression."
The king was very much impressed by these words and asked the Muslims to recite some of Allâh's
Revelation. Ja'far recited the opening verses of Sûrah Maryam (Chapter 19 — Mary) wherein is told
the story of the birth of both John and Jesus Christ, down to the account of Mary having been fed
with the food miraculously. Thereupon the king, along with the bishops of his realm, was moved to
tears that rolled down his cheeks and even wet his beard. Here, the Negus exclaimed: "It seems as
if these words and those which were revealed to Jesus are the rays of the light which have radiated
from the same source." Turning to the crest-fallen envoys of Quraish, he said, "I am afraid, I cannot
give you back these refugees. They are free to live and worship in my realm as they please."
On the morrow, the two envoys again went to the king and said that Muhammad (Peace be upon
him) and his followers blasphemed Jesus Christ. Again the Muslims were summoned and asked what
they thought of Jesus. Ja'far again stood up and replied: "We speak about Jesus as we have been
taught by our Prophet (Peace be upon him) , that is, he is the servant of Allâh, His Messenger, His
spirit and His Word breathed into Virgin Mary." The king at once remarked, "Even so do we believe.

Blessed be you, and blessed be your master." Then turning to the frowning envoys and to his
bishops who got angry, he said: "You may fret and fume as you like but Jesus is nothing more than
what Ja'far has said about him." He then assured the Muslims of full protection. He returned to the
envoys of Quraish, the gifts they had brought with them and sent them away. The Muslims lived in
Abyssinia (Ethiopia) unmolested for a number of years till they returned to Madinah.

In this way Quraish's malicious intentions recoiled on them and their machination met with utter
failure. They came to fully realize that the g rudge they nursed against he Muslims would not operate
but within their realm of Makkah. They consequently began to entertain a horrible idea of silencing
the advocate of the new Call once and for all, through various channels of brutality, or else killing
him. An obstinate difficulty, however, used to curtail any move in this direction embodied by the
Prophet's uncle Abu Talib and the powerful social standing he used to enjoy as well as the full
protection and support he used to lend to his nephew. The pagans of Makkah therefore decided to
approach Abu Talib for the second time and insisted that he put a stop to his nephew's activities,
which if allowed unchecked, they said, would involve him into severe hostility. Abu Talib was deeply
distressed at this open threat and the breach with his people and their enmity, but he could not
afford to desert the Messenger too. He sent for his nephew and told him what the people had said,
"Spare me and yourself and put not burden on me that I can't bear." Upon this the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) thought that his uncle would let him down and would no longer support him, so he
replied:

"O my uncle! by Allâh if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on
condition that I abandon this course, until Allâh h as made me victorious, or I perish therein,
I would not abandon it." The Prophet (Peace be upon him) got up, and as he turned away,
his uncle called him and said, "Come back, my nephew," and when he came back, he said,
"Go and preach what you please, for by Allâh I will never forsake you."
He then recited two lines of verse pregnant with meanings of full support to the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) and absolute gratification by the course that his nephew had chalked out in Arabia.

ONECE MORE QURAISH APPROACHES ABU TALIB: Quraish, seeing that the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) was still intent on his Call, realized that Abu Talib would never forsake his
nephew even if this incurred their enmity. Some of them then went to see him once more taking
with them a youth called 'Amarah bin Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah, and said, "O Abu Talib! we have
brought you a smart boy still in the bloom of his youth, to make use of his mind and strength and
take him as your son in exchange for your nephew, who has run counter to your religion, brought
about social discord, found fault with your way of life, so that we kill him and rid you of his endless
troubles; just man for man." Abu Talib's reply was, "It is really an unfair bargain. You give me your
son to bring him up and I give you my son to kill him! By Allâh, it is something incredible!!" Al-
Mut'im bin 'Adi, a member of the delegation, interrupted saying that Quraish had been fair in that
bargain because "they meant only to rid you of that source of hateful trouble, b ut as I see you are
determined to refuse their favours." Abu Talib, of course, turned down all their offers and challenged
them to do whatever they pleased. Historical resources do not give the exact date of these two
meetings with Abu Talib. They, however, seem more likely to have taken place in the sixth year of
Prophethood with a brief lapse of time in between.

THE TYRANTS' DECISION TO KILL THE PROPHET: Now that all the schemes and conspiracof
Quraish had failed, they resorted to their old practices of persecution and inflicting tortures on the
Muslims in a more serious and brutal manner than ever before. They also began to nurse the idea of
killing the Prophet (Peace be upon him). In fact, contrary to their expectations, this new method and
this very idea served indirectly to consolidate the Call to Islam and support it with the conversion of
two staunch and mighty heroes of Makkah, i.e. Hamzah bin 'Abdul-Muttalib and 'Umar bin Al-
Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him).

'Utaibah bin Abi Lahab once approached the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and most defiantly and
brazenly shouted at him, "I disbelieve in: "By the star when it goes down." [53:1] and in "Then he
(Gabriel) approached and came closer." [53:8] In other words: "I do not believe in any of the
Qur'ân." He then started to deal highhandedly with Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and laid violent
hand on him, tore his shirt and spat into his face but his saliva missed the Holy face of the Prophet
(Peace be upon him). Thereupon, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) invoked Allâh's wrath on
'Utaibah and supplicated:

"O Allâh! Set one of Your dogs on him."
Allâh responded positively to Muhammad's supplication, and it happened in the following manner:

Once 'Utaibah with some of his compatriots from Quraish set out for Syria and took accommodation
in Az - Zarqa'. There a lion approached the group to the great fear of 'Utbah, who at once recalled
Muhammad's words in supplication, and said: "Woe to my brother! This lion will surely devour me
just as Muhammad (Peace be upon him) supplicated. He has really killed me in Syria while he is in
Makkah." The lion did really rush like lightning, snatched 'Utbah from amongst his people and
crushed his head.

It is also reported that a wretched idolater from Quraish, named 'Uqbah bin 'Abi Mu'ait once trod on
the Prophet's neck while he was prostrating himself in prayer until his eyes protruded.

More details reported by Ibn Ishaq testify to the tyrants' deeply-established intentions of killing the
Prophet (Peace be upon him). Abu Jahl, the archenemy of Islam, once addressed some of his
accomplices: "O people of Quraish! It seems that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is determined to
go on finding fault with our religion, degrading our forefathers, discrediting our way of life and
abusing our gods. I bear witness to our god that I will carry a too heavy rock and drop it on
Muhammad's head while he is in prostration to rid you of him, once and for all. I am not afraid of
whatever his sept, Banu 'Abd Munaf, might do." The terrible unfortunate audience endorsed his plan
and encouraged him to translate it into a decisive deed.

In the morning of the following day, Abu Jahl lay waiting for the arrival of the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) to offer prayer. The people of Quraish were in their assembly rooms waiting for
news. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) prostrated himself, Abu Jahl proceeded carrying the
big rock to fulfill his wicked intention. No sooner had he approached closer to the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) than he withdraw pale-faced, shuddering with his hands strained the rock falling off.

Thereupon, the people watching hurried forward asking him what the matter was. He replied: "When
I approached, a male-camel unusual in figure with fearful canines intercepted and almost devoured
me." Ibn Ishaq reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him), in the context of his comment on
the incident, said "It was Gabriel (Peace be upon him) , if Abu Jahl had approached closer, he would
have killed him. " Even so the tyrants of Quraish would not be admonished, contrariwise, the idea of
killing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was still being nourished in their iniquitous hearts. On the
authority of 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As, some people of Quraish were in a place called Al-Hijr
complaining that they had been too patient with the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who suddenly
appeared and began his usual circumambulation. They started to wink at him and utter sarcastic
remarks but he remained silent for two times, then on the third, he stopped and addressed the
infidels saying:

"O people of Quraish! Hearken, I swear by Allâh in Whose Hand is my soul, that you will one
day be slaughtered to pieces." As soon as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) uttered his word
of slaughter, they all stood aghast and switched off to a new style of language smacking of
fear and even horror trying to soothe his anger and comfort him saying: "You can leave Abul
Qasim, for you have never been foolish."
'Urwa bin Az-Zubair narrated: I asked Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As to tell me of the worst thing that
the pagans did to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He said: "While the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) was praying in Al-Hijr of Al-Ka'bah, 'Uqbah bin Al-Mu'ait came and put his garment around the
Prophet's neck and throttled him violently. Abu Bakr came and caught him by his shoulder and
pushed him away from the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and said: "Do you want to kill a man just
because he says, My Lord is Allâh?"
THE CONVERSION OF HAMZAH BIN 'ABDUL-MUTTALIB: In a gloomy atmosphere infested with
dark clouds of iniquity and tyranny, there shone on the horizon a promising light for the oppressed,
i.e. the conversion of Hamzah bin 'Abdul-Muttalib in Dhul Hijjah, the sixth year of Prophethood. It is
recorded that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was one day seated on the hillock of Safa when Abu
Jahl happened to pass by and accused the religion preached by him. Muhammad (Peace be upon
him), however, kept silent and did not utter a single word. Abu Jahl went on unchecked, took a
stone and cracked the Prophet's head which began to bleed. The aggressor then went to join the
Quraishites in their assembly place. It so happened that shortly after that, Hamzah, while returning
from a hunting expedition, passed by the same way, his bow hanging by his shoulder. A slave-girl
belonging to 'Abdullah bin Jada'an, who had noted the impertinence of Abu Jahl, told him the whole
story of the attack on the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . On hearing that, Hamzah was deeply
offended and hurried to Al-Ka'bah and there, in the courtyard of the Holy Sanctuary, found Abu Jahl
sitting with a company of Quraishites. Hamzah rushed upon him and struck his bow upon his head
violently and said: "Ah! You have been abusing Muhammad (Peace be upon him); I too follow his
religion and profess what he preaches." The men of Bani Makhzum came to his help, and men of
Bani Hashim wanted to render help, but Abu Jahl sent them away saying: "Let Abu 'Ummarah alone,
by Allâh I did revile his nephew shamelessly." In fact, Hamzah's conversion derived initially from the
pride of a man who would not accept the notion of others humiliating his relative. Later on,
however, Allâh purified his nature and he managed to grasp the most trustworthy hand-hold (Faith
in Allâh). He proved to be a source of great strength to the Islamic Faith and its followers.

THE CONVERSION OF 'UMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB: Another significant addition to the strength of
Islam was the conversion of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab in Dhul-Hijjah, the sixth year of Prophethood,
three days following the conversion of Hamzah. ] He was a man of dauntless courage and
resolution, feared and respected in Makkah, and hitherto a bitter opponent of the new religion. The
traditional account reveals that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) once raised his hands in prayer
and said:

"O Allâh! Give strength to Islam especially through either of two men you love more: 'Umar
bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham."
'Umar, obviously, was the one who merited that privilege.

When we scrutinize the several versions that speak of 'Umar's conversion, we can safely conclude
that various contradictory emotions used to conflict with one another within his soul. On the one
hand, he used to highly regard the traditions of his people, and was habituated to the practice of
indulgence in wine orgies; on the other hand, he greatly admired the stamina of the Muslims and
their relentless dedication to their faith. These two extreme views created a sort of skepticism in
himind and made him at times tend to believe that the doctrines of Islam could bear better and
more sacred seeds of life, that is why he would always experience fits of outrage directly followed by
unexpected enervation. On the whole, the account of his conversion is very interesting and requires
us to go into some details.

One day, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab set out from his house, and headed for the Holy Sanctuary where he
saw the Prophet (Peace be upon him) offering prayer and overheard him reciting the Sûrah Al-
Hâqqah (Chapter 69 — The Reality) of the Noble Qur'ân. The Words of Allâh appealed to him and
touched the innermost cells of his heart. He felt that they derived from unusual composition, and he
began to question his people's allegations as regards the man-composed poetry or words of a
soothsayer that they used to attach to the Noble Qur'ân. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) went on
to recite:

"That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger (i.e. Gabriel or Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) which he has brought from Allâh). 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)." [69:40-43]

At that very moment, Islam permeated his heart. However, the dark layer of pre-Islamic tendencies,
the deep-seated traditional bigotry as well as the blind pride in his forefathers overshadowed the
essence of the great Truth that began to feel its way reluctantly into his heart. He, therefore,
persisted in his atrocities against Islam and its adherents unmindful of the pure and true-to-man's
nature feeling that lay behind that fragile cover of pre-Islamic ignorance and mentality. His sharp
temper and excessive enmity towards the Prophet (Peace be upon him) led him one day to leave his
house, sword in hand, with the intention of killing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . He was in a fit
of anger and was fretting and fuming. Nu'aim bin 'Abdullah, a friend of 'Umar's, met him
accidentally half way. What had caused so much excitement in him and on whom was the fury to
burst, he inquired casually. 'Umar said furiously: "To destroy the man Muhammad (Peace be upon
him) this apostate, who has shattered the unity of Quraish, picked holes in their religion, found folly
with their wise men and blasphemed their gods." "'Umar, I am sure, your soul has deceived you, do
you think that Banu 'Abd Munaf would let you walk on earth if you slain Muhammad (Peace be upon
him)? Why don't you take care of your own family first and set them right?"
"Which of the folk of my house?" asked 'Umar angrily. "Your brother-in-law and your sister have
apostatized [meaning to say: They have become followers of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] and
abandoned your religion."
'Umar directed his footsteps to his sister's house. As he drew near, he heard the voice of Khabbab
bin Aratt, who was reading the Qur'ânic Chapter Tâ-Hâ (mystic letters, T. H.) to both of them.

Khabbab, perceiving the noise of his footsteps retired to a closet. Fatimah, 'Umar's sister, took hold
of the leaf and hid it. But 'Umar had already heard the voice. "What sound was that I have heard
just now?" shouted the son of Khattab, entering angrily. Both his sister and her husband replied,
"You heard nothing." "Nay," said he swearing fiercely, "I have heard that you have apostatized." He
plunged forward towards his brother-in-law and beat him severely, but Fatimah rushed to the
rescue of her husband. Thereupon, 'Umar fell upon his sister and struck upon her head. The
husband and wife could not contain themselves and cried aloud: "Yes, we are Muslims, we believe in
Allâh and His Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him) so do what you will." When 'Umar saw
the face of his dear sister besmeared with blood, he was softened and said: "Let me see what you
were reading, so that I may see what Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has brought." Fatimah was
satisfied with the assurance, but said: "O brother, you are unclean on account of your idolatry, none
but the pure may touch it. So go and wash first." He did so, and took the page and read the opening
verses of the Chapter Tâ-Hâ until he reached:

"Verily! I am Allâh! Lâ ilâha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship
Me and offer prayers perfectly (Iqâmat-as-Salât), for My Remembrance." [20:14].

'Umar read the verses with great interest and was much entranced with them. "How excellent it is,
and how graceful! Please guide me to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ." said he. And when he
heard that, Khabbab came out of concealment and said, "O 'Umar, I hope that Allâh has answered
the prayer of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , for I heard him say: 'O Allâh! Strengthen Islam
through either 'Umar bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham.'" 'Umar then left for a house in Safa
where Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had been holding secret meetings along with his
Companions. 'Umar reached that place with the sword swinging by his arm. He knocked at the door.

The Companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned to see who the intruder was. One of
them peeped through a chink in the door and reeled back exclaiming: "It is 'Umar with his sword."
Hamzah, dispelling the fears of his friends, said: "Let him in. As a friend he is welcome. As a foe, he
will have his head cut off with his own sword." The Prophet (Peace be upon him) asked his
Companions to open the door. In came the son of Khattab. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
advanced to receive the dreadful visitor, caught him by his garment and scabbard, and asked him
the reason of his visit. At that 'Umar replied: "O Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), I come to
you in order to believe in Allâh and his Messenger and that which he has brought from his Lord."
Filled with delight, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) together with his Companions, cried aloud:

'Allâhu Akbar' (Allâh is Great).

The conversion of 'Umar was a real triumph for the cause of Islam. So great and instant was the
effect of his conversion on the situation that the believers who had hitherto worshipped Allâh within
their four walls in secret now assembled and performed their rites of worship openly in the Holy
Sanctuary itself. This raised their spirits, and dread and uneasiness began to seize Quraish.

Ibn Ishaq narrated on the authority of 'Umar (May Allah be pleased), "When I embraced Islam, I
remembered the archenemy of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), i.e. Abu Jahl. I set out, and
knocked at his door. When he came out to see me, I told him directly that I had embraced Islam. He
immediately slammed the door repulsively denouncing my move as infamous and my face as ugly."
In fact, 'Umar's conversion created a great deal of stir in Makkah that some people denounced him
as an apostate, yet he would never waver in Faith, on the contrary, he persisted in his stance even
at the peril of his life. The polytheists of Quraish marched towards his house with the intention of
killing him. 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated: While 'Umar was at home
in a state of fear, there came Al-'As bin Wa'il As-Sahmy Abu 'Amr, wearing an embroidered cloak
and a shirt having silk hems. He was from the tribe of Bani Sahm who were our allies during the
pre-Islamic period of ignorance. Al-'As said to 'Umar: What's wrong with you? He said: Your people
claim that they will kill me if I become a Muslim. Al-'As said: Nobody will harm you after I have
given protection to you. So Al-'As went out and met the people streaming in the whole valley. He
said: Where are you going? They replied: We want son of Al-Khattab who has embraced Islam. Al-
'As said: There is no way for anybody to touch him. So the people retreated.

With respect to the Muslims in Makkah, 'Umar's conversion had a different tremendous impact.

Mujahid, on the authority of Ibn Al-'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) related that he had
asked 'Umar bin Al-Khattab why he had been given the epithet of Al-Farouque (he who distinguishes
truth from falsehood), he replied: After I had embraced Islam, I asked the Prophet (Peace be upon
him): 'Aren't we on the right path here andHereafter?' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) answered:

'Of course you are! I swear by Allâh in Whose Hand my soul is, that you are right in this world and
in the hereafter.' I, therefore, asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him) 'Why we then had to conduct
clandestine activism. I swear by Allâh Who has sent you with the Truth, that we will leave our
concealment and proclaim our noble cause publicly.' We then went out in two groups, Hamzah
leading one and I the other. We headed for the Mosque in broad daylight when the polytheists of
Quraish saw us, their faces went pale and got incredibly depressed and resentful. On that very
occasion, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) attached to me the epithet of Al-Farouque. Ibn Mas'ud
(May Allah be pleased with him) related that they (the Muslims) had never been able to observe
their religious rites inside the Holy Sanctuary except when 'Umar embraced Islam.

Suhaib bin Sinan (May Allah be pleased with him), in the same context, said that it was only after
'Umar's conversion, that we started to proclaim our Call, assemble around and circumambulate the
Sacred House freely. We even dared retaliate against some of the injustices done to harm us. In the
same context, Ibn Mas'ud said: We have been strengthened a lot since 'Umar embraced Islam.

QURAISH'S REPRESENTATIVE NEGOTIATES WITH THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH: Shortly after
the conversion of these two powerful heroes, Hamzah bin 'Abdul-Muttalib and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab
(May Allah be pleased with him), the clouds of tyranny and oppression started to clear away and the
polytheists realized that it was no use meting out torture to the Muslims. They consequently began
to direct their campaign to a different course. The authentic records of the biography of the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) show that it had occurred to the Makkan leaders to credit Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) with ambition. They, therefore, time and again plied him with temptation. One day
some of the important men of Makkah gathered in the enclosure of Al-Ka'bah, and 'Utbah bin Rabi'a,
a chief among them, offered to approach the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and contract a bargain
with him whereby they give him whatever worldly wealth he asks for, on condition that he keep
silent and no longer proclaim his new faith. The people of Quraish endorsed his proposal and
requested him to undertake that task. 'Utbah came closer to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and
addressed him in the following words:

We have seen no other man of Arabia, who has brought so great a calamity to a nation, as you have
done. You have outraged our gods and religion and taxed our forefathers and wise men with impiety
and error and created strife amongst us. You have left no stone unturned to estrange the relations
with us. If you are doing all this with a view to getting wealth, we will join together to give you
greater riches than any Quraishite has possessed. If ambition moves you, we will make you our
chief. If you desire kingship we will readily offer you that. If you are under the power of an evil spirit
which seems to haunt and dominate you so that you cannot shake off its yoke, then we shall call in
skilful physicians to cure you.

"Have you said all?" asked Muhammad (Peace be upon him); and then hearing that all had been
said, he spoke forth, and said:

"In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Hâ-Mîm. [These letters are
one of the miracles of the Qur'ân, and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings]. A
revelation from Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. A Book whereof the verses are
explained in detail; — a Qur'ân in Arabic for people who know. Giving glad tidings [of
Paradise to the one who believes in the Oneness of Allâh (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) and fears
Allâh much (abstains from all kinds of sins and evil deeds.) and loves Allâh much
(performing all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], and warning (of punishment in
the Hell-fire to the one who disbelieves in the Oneness of Allâh), but most of them turn
away, so they listen not. And they say: Our hearts are under coverings (screened) from that
to which you invite us …" [41: 1-5]

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went on reciting the Chapter while 'Utbah sitting and
listening attentively with his hand behind his back to support him. When the Messenger reached the
verse that required prostration, he immediately prostrated himself. After that, he turned to 'Utbah
saying: "Well Abu Al-Waleed! You have heard my reply, you are now free to do whatever you
please." 'Utbah then retired to his company to apprise them of the Prophet's attitude. When his
compatriots saw him, they swore that he had returned to them with a countenance unlike the one
he had before meeting the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . He immediately communicated to them
the details of the talk he gave a nd the reply he received, and appended saying: "I have never heard
words similar to those ones he recited. They definitely relate neither to poetry nor to witchcraft nor
do they derive from soothsaying. O people of Quraish! I request you to heed my advice and grant
the man full freedom to pursue his goals, in which case you could safely detach yourselves from
him. I swear that his words bear a supreme Message. Should the other Arabs rid you of him, they
will then spare you the trouble, on the other hand if he accedes to power over the Arabs, then you
will bask in his kingship and share him his might." These words of course fell on deaf ears, and did
not appeal to the infidels, who jeered at 'Utbah and claimed that the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
had bewitched him.

In another version of the same event, it is related that 'Utbah went on attentively listening to the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) until the latter began to recite Allâh's Words:

"But if they turn away, they say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ]: "I have warned you
of a Sa'iqa (a destructive awful cry, torment, hit, a thunder-bolt) like the Sa'iqa which
overtook 'Ad and Thamûd (people)." [41:13]

Here 'Utbah stood up panicked and stunned putting his hand on the Prophet's mouth beseeching
him: "I beg you in the Name of Allâh and uterine ties to stop lest the calamity should befall the
people of Quraish." He then hurriedly returned to his compatriots and informed them of what he had
heard.

ABU TALIB ASSEMBLES BANI HASHIM ND BANI AL-MUTTALIB: The new and welcome
changes notwithstanding, Abu Talib still had a deep sensation of fear over his nephew. He
deliberated on the previous series of incidents including the barter affair of 'Amarah bin Al-Waleed,
Abu Jahl's rock, 'Uqbah's attempt to choke the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , and finally 'Umar's
(before conversion) intention to kill Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The wise man understood that
all of these unequivocally smacked of a serious plot being hatched to disregard his status as a
custodian of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and kill the latter publicly. In the event of such a
thing, Abu Talib deeply believed, neither 'Umar nor Hamzah would be of any avail, socially powerful
though they were.

Abu Talib was right. The polytheists had laid a carefully-studied plan to kill the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), and banded together to put their plan into effect. He, therefore, assembled his kinsfolk
of Bani Hashim and Bani Al-Muttalib, sons of 'Abd Munaf and exhorted them to immunize and
defend his nephew. All of them, whether believers or disbelievers, responded positively except his
brother Abu Lahab, who sided with the idolaters.

ATTEMPTS MADE TO CHECK THE ONWARD MARCH OF ISLAM:

Having fully perceived that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) could never be desisted from his Call,
Quraish, in a desperate attempt to quell the tidal wave of the Call, resorted to other cheap means
acting from base motives:

1. Scoffing, degrading, ridiculing, belying and laughter-instigating cheap manners, all of which
levelled at the new converts in general, and the person of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)
in particular, with the aim of dragging the spirit of despair into their morale, and slackening
their ardent zealotry. They used to denounce the Prophet (Peace be upon him) as a man
possessed by a jinn, or an insane person:

And they say: O you [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an)
has been sent down! Verily, you are a mad man. [15:6]

or a liar practising witchcraft,
And they (Arab pagans) wonder that a warner [Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ]

has come to them from among themselves! And the disbelievers say: This [Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] is a sorcerer, a liar. [38:4].

Their eyes would also look at the good man as if they would eat him up ' , or trip him up, or disturb
him from the position of stability or firmness. They used all sorts of terms of abuse madman' or one
possessed by an evil spirit', and so on:

And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes through hatreds
when they hear the Reminder (the Qur'an), and they say: Verily, he [Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) ] is a madman! [68:51]

Amongst the early converts, there was a group who had unfortunately no strong clan at their back
to support them. These innocent souls were ridiculed and jeered in season and out of season.

Referring to such people, the highbrow Quraish aristocrats used repeatedly to ask the Prophet
(Peace be upon him), with jest and scorn:

Allah has favoured from amongst us? [6:53]

And Allah said:

Does not Allah know best those who are grateful? [6:53]

The wicked used to laugh at the righteous in many ways:

1. They would inwardly laugh at their Faith, because they felt themselves so superior.

2. In public places, when the righteous passed, they used to insult and wink at them,
3. In their own houses, they would run them down.

4. Whenever and wherever they saw them, they reproached and called them fools who had lost
their way. In the Hereafter, all these tricks and falsehoods will be shown for what they are,
and the tables will be reversed. Allâh had said:

Verily! (During the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to laugh at those
who believed; and whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in
mockery); and when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
and when they saw them, they said: Verily! These have indeed gone astry!' But they
(disbelievers, sinners) had not been sent as watchers over them (the believers).

[83:29-33]

2. Distorting Muhammad's teachings, evoking ambiguities, circulating false propaganda;
forging groundless allegations concerning his doctrines, person and character, and going to
excess in such a manner in order to screen off any scope of sound contemplation from the
public. With respect to the Qur'an, they used to allege that it was:

Tales of the ancients, which he [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] has written
down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon. [25:5]

The iniquitous went on ceaselessly inculcating in people's ears that the Qur'an was not a
true Revelation:

This (the Qur'an) is nothing but a lie that he [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] has
invented, and others have helped him at it. [25:4]

The wicked would also attribute to men of Allâh just such motives and springs of action as they
themselves would be guilty of in such circumstances. The pagans and those who were hostile to the
revelation of Allâh and Islam, could not understand how such wonderful verses could flow from the
tongue of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) without having someone to teach, and claimed:

It is only a human being who teaches him. [16:103]

They also raised another baseless and superficial objection:

Why does this Messenger [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] eat food and walk
about in the markets (like ourselves)? [25:7]

They were sadly ignorant and painfully at fault for they could not perceive that a teacher for
mankind is one who shares their nature, mingles intheir life, is acquainted with their doings, and
sympathises with their joys and sorrows.

The Noble Qur'an has vehemently refuted their charges and allegations and has explained that the
utterances of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) are the Revelations of the Lord and their nature and
contents provide a bold challenge to those who attribute his Prophetic expressions to some base
origin, at times to the mental throes of a dreaming reformer, at others to the effusion of a frenzied
poet or the incoherent drivelling of an insane man.

3. Contrasting the Qur'an with the mythology of the ancients in order to distract people's
interests from Allâh's Words. Once An-Nadr bin Harith addressed the Quraishites in the
following manner: O Quraish! You have experienced an unprecedented phenomenon before
which you have so far been desperately helpless. Muhammad (Peace be upon h im) grew up
here among you and always proved to be highly obliging, the most truthful and trustworthy
young man. However, later on when he reached manhood, he began to preach a new faith
alien to your society, and opposed to your liking so you began to denounce him at a time as
a sorcerer, at another as a soothsayer, a poet, or even an insane man. I swear by Allâh he
is not anyone of those. He is not interested in blowing on knots as magicians are, nor do his
words belong to the world of soothsaying; he is not a poet either, for his mentality is not
that of a rambler, nor is he insane because he has never been witnessed to develop any sort
of hallucinations or insinuations peculiar to madmen. O people of Quraish, it is really a
serious issue and I recommend that you reconsider your attitude.

It is narrated that An-Nadr, at a later stage, headed for Heerah where he got conversant
with the traditions of the kings of Persia and the accounts of people like Rustum and
Asphandiar, and then returned to Makkah. Here he would always shadow the Messenger's
steps in whatever audiences the later held to preach the new faith and to caution people
against Allâh's wrath. An-Nadr would directly follow the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and
narrate to the same audience long tales about those people of Persia. He would then always
append his talk with a question cunningly inquiring if he did not outdo Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) . Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) related that An-Nadr used to
purchase songstresses who would through their bodily charms and songs entice away from
Islam anyone developing the least attachment to the Prophet (Peace be upon him); in this
regard, Allâh says:

And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead
(men) from the Path of Allâh. [31:6]

4. In a fresh attempt to dissuade Muhammad (Peace be upon him) from his principled stand,
Quraish invited him to compromise on his teachings and come to terms with their pre-
Islamic practices in such a way that he quits some of his religion and the polytheists do the
same. Allâh, the All-High says:

They wish that you should compromise (in religion out of courtesy) with them, so
they (too) would compromise with you. [68:9].

On the authority of Ibn Jareer and At-Tabarani, the idolaters offered that Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) worship their gods for a year, and they worship his Lord for a year. In another
version, they said: If you accept our gods, we would worship yours. Ibn Ishaq related that
Al-Aswad bin Al-Muttalib, Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah, Omaiyah bin Khalaf and Al-As bin
Wa'il As-Sahmy, a constellation of influential polytheists, intercepted the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) while he was circumambulating in the Holy Sanctuary, and offered him to worship
that they worshipped, and they worship that he worshipped so that, according to them, both
parties would reach a common denominator. They added Should the Lord you worship prove
to be better than ours, then it will be so much better for us, but if our gods proved to be
better than yours, then you would have benefit from it. Allâh, the Exalted, was decisive on
the spot and revealed the following Chapter:

Say: O Al-Kâfirûn (disbelievers in Allâh, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books,
in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, in Al-Qadar, etc.)! I worship not that
which you worship, nor will you worship that which I worship. And I shall not
worship that which you are worshipping, nor will you worship that which I worship.

To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islamic Monotheism). [109]

PERSECUTIONS:

At the beginning of the fourth year of the Call, and for a period of some months, the polytheists
confined their harassment tactics to the above-mentioned ones. But on realizing the futility of these
procedures, they decided to organize a full-scale opposition campaign. They called for a general
meeting and elected a committee of twenty-five men of Quraish notables with Abu Lahab, the
Prophet's uncle, as a chairman. Following some lengthy deliberations, they reached a decisive
decision to take measures deemed to stop the tidal wave of Islam through different channels. They
were determined to spare no effort, in combatting the new faith. They decided to malign the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and put the new converts to different sorts of torture using
all available resources. It was easy to put the resolutions relating to the new converts who were
deemed weak into effect. As for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , it was not easy to malign him
because he h ad such gravity, magnanimity and matchless perfection of character that deterred even
his enemies from committing any act of folly against him. He had, as well, Abu Talib, his uncle, who
came from a noble descent and had an awe-inspiring clan to support him. This situation was a
source of great worry to the infidels, but they felt that they could no longer exercise patience or
show any tolerance before a formidable power marching steadily to annul their religious office and
temporal authority.

Abu Lahab himself took the initiative in the new series of persecutions, and started to mete out
countless aspects of harmful deeds, hatred and spite against Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Starting with flinging stones at him, forcing his two sons to divorce their wives Ruqaiya and Umm
Kulthum, the Prophet's daughters, gloating over him on his second son's death calling him the man
cut off with offspring', and then shadowing his step during the pilgrimage and forums seasons to
belie him and entice the bedouins against him and his Call. His wife, Umm Jameel bint Harb, the
sister of Abu Sufyan had also her share in this ruthless campaign. She proved that she was not less
than her husband in the enmity and hatred she harboured for the Prophet (Peace be upon him). She
used to tie bundles of thorns with ropes of twisted palm-leaf fibre and strew them about in the paths
which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was expected to take, in order to cause him bodily injury.

She was a real shrew, bad-tempered with abusive language, highly skilled in the art of hatching
intrigues, and enkindling the fire of discord and sedition. She was deservedly stained as the carrier
of firewood' in the Noble Qur'an. On receiving this news, she directly proceeded to the Mosque with
a handful of pebbles to hurl at the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Allâh, the Great, took away her
sight and she saw only Abu Bakr who was sitting immediately next to the Prophet (Peace be upon
him). She then addressed Abu Bakr most audaciously threatening to break his Companion's mouth
with her handful of pebbles, and recited a line of verse pregnant with impudent defiance: We have
disobeyed the dispraised one, rejected his Call, and alienated ourselves from his religion. When she
had left, Abu Bakr turned to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and inquired about the matter. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) assured him that she did not see him because Allâh had taken away
her sight.

Abu Lahab and his household used to inflict those shameful examples of torture and harassment in
spite of the blood relation that tied them for he was the Prophet's uncle and both lived in two
contiguous houses. Actually, few of the Prophet's neighbabstained from maligning him. They even
threw the entrails of a goat on his back while he was performing his prayers. He always used to
complain about that unbecoming neighbourliness but to no avail for they were deeply indulged in
error.

Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Ibn Masud, narrated that once when the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) was prostrating himself while praying in Al-Kabah, Abu Jahl asked his companions to bring the
dirty foetus of a she-camel and place it on his back. Uqbah bin Abi Muait was the unfortunate man
who hastened to do this ignoble act. A peal of laughter rose amongst the infidels. In the meanwhile,
Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), happened to pass that way. She
removed the filth from her father's back. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) invoked the wrath of
Allâh upon them, especially upon Abu Jahl, Utbah bin Rabia, Shaibah bin Rabia, Al-Waleed bin
Utbah, Omaiyah bin Khalaf and Uqbah bin Muait. It is recorded that all of them were killed in the
battle of Badr.

Scandal-mongering and backbiting were also amongst the means of oppression that the chiefs of
Makkah, in general, and Omaiyah bin Khalaf, in particular, resorted to in their overall process of
evil-doing. In this regard, Allâh says:

Woe to every slanderer and backbiter. [104:1]

Uqbah bin Al-Muait once attended an audience of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and listened to
him preaching Islam. A close friend of his, Ubai bin Khalaf, heard of this. He could not tolerate any
act of this sort, so he reproached Uqbah and ordered him to spit in the Prophet's holy face, and he
shamelessly did it. Ubai did not spare any thinkable way to malign the Prophet (Peace be upon
him); he even ground old decomposed bones and blew the powder on him. Al-Akhnas bin Shuraique
Ath-Thaqafi used to detract from the character of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in season and
out of season. The Noble Qur'an, in direct reference to this man's ignominious deeds, attached to
him nine abominable traits:

And obey not everyone who swears much, — and is considered worthless, a
slanderer, going about with calumnies, hinderer of the good, transgressor, sinful,
cruel — after all that base-born (of illegitimate birth). [68:10-13]

Abu Jahl's arrogance and haughtiness blocked all avenues that could produce the least light of belief
in his heart:

So he (the disbeliever) neither believed [in this Qur'an, in the Message of
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] nor prayed! [75:31]

He, moreover, wanted to debar the Prophet (Peace be upon him) from the Noble Sanctuary. It
happened once that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was praying within the precinct of the Sacred
House, when Abu Jahl proceeded threateningly and uttering abusive language. The Prophet (Peace
be upon him) chided him severely to which Abu Jahl answered back defiantly claiming that he was
the mightiest in Makkah; Allâh then revealed:

Then, let him call upon his council (of helpers). [96:17]

In another version of the same incident, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) took Abu Jahl by his neck,
rocked him severely saying:

Woe to you [O man (disbeliever)]! And then (again) woe to you! Again, woe to you
[O man (disbeliever)]! And then (again) woe to you! [75:34, 35].

Notwithstanding this reproach, Abu Jahl would never wake up to himself nor did he realize his
foolish practices. On the contrary, he was determined to go to extremes, and swore he would dust
the Messenger's face and tread on his neck. No sooner had he proceeded to fulfill his wicked
intention than he was seen turning back shielding himself with his hands (as if something horrible in
his pursuit). His companions asked him what the matter was. He said: I perceived a ditch of burning
fire and some wings flying. Later on, the Messenger commented saying, If he had proceeded
further, the angels would have plucked off his limbs one after another.

Such was the disgraceful treatment meted out to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the great man,
respected as he was by his compatriots, with an influential man, his uncle Abu Talib, at his back to
support him. If the matters were so with the Prophet (Peace be upon him), what about those people
deemed weak with no clan to support them? Let us consider their situation in some detail. Whenever
Abu Jahl heard of the conversion of a man of high birth with powerful friends, he would degrade his
prudence and intellect, undermine his judgement; and threaten him with dire consequences if he
was a merchant. If the new convert was socially weak, he would beat him ruthlessly and put him to
unspeakable tortures.

The uncle of Uthman bin Affan used to wrap Uthman in a mat of palm leaves, and set fire under
him. When Umm Musab bin Umair heard of her son's conversion, she put him to starvation and then
expelled him from her house. He used to enjoy full luxurious easy life, but in the aftermath of the
tortures he sustained, his skin got wizened, and he assumed a horrible physical appearance.

Bilal, the slave of Omaiyah bin Khalaf, was severely beaten by his master when the latter came to
know of his conversion to Islam. Sometimes a rope was put around his neck and street boys were
made to drag him through the streets and even across the hillocks of Makkah. At times he was
subjected to prolonged deprivation of food and drink; at others he was bound up, made to lie down
on the burning sand and under the crushing burden of heavy stones. Similar other measures were
resorted to in order to force him to recant. All this proved in vain. He persisted in his belief in the
Oneness of Allâh. On one such occasion, Abu Bakr was passing by; moved by pity, he purchased
and emancipated him from slavery.

Another victim of the highhandedness of Quraish was Ammar bin Yasir, a freed slave of Bani
Makhzoum. He, along with his mother and father, embraced Islam in its early phase. They were
repeatedly made to lie on the burning sand and were beaten severely. Ammar was at times tossed
up on embers. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was greatly moved by the atrocities which were
being perpetrated upon Ammar and his family. He always comforted them and raised his hand in
prayer and said: Be patient, you will verily find your abode in the Paradise. Yasir, the father, died
because of repeated tortures. Sumaiyah, Ammar's mother was bayoneted to death by Abu Jahl
himself, and thus merited the title of the first woman martyr in Islam. Ammar himself was subjected
to various modes of torture and was always threatened to sustain severe suffering unless he abused
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and recanted to Al-Lat and Uzza. In a weak moment, he uttered a
word construed as recantation though his heart never wavered and he came back once to the
Prophet (Peace be upon him), who consoled him for his pain and confirmed his faith. Immediately
afterwards the following verse was revealed:

Whoever disbelieved in Allâh after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and
whose heart is at rest with Faith —. [16:106]

Abu Fakeeh, Aflah, a freed slave of Bani Abd Ad-Dar was the third of those helpless victims. The
oppressors used to fasten his feet with a rope and drag him in the streets of Makkah.

Khabbab bin Al-Aratt was also an easy victim to similar outrages on every possible occasion. He
experienced exemplary torture and maltreatment. The Makkan polytheists used to pull his hair and
twist his neck, and made him lie on burning coal with a big rock on his chest to prevent him from
escaping. Some Muslims of rank and position were wrapped in the raw skins of camels and thrown
away, and others were put in armours and cast on burning sand in the scorching sun of Arabia.

Even the women converts were not spared, and the list is too long to include all of them. Zanirah,
An-Nahdiyah and her daughter, Umm Ubais and many others had their full share of persecution at
the hand of the oppressors Umar bin Al-Khattab included of course before his conversion to Islam.

Abu Bakr, a wealthy believer, purchased and freed some of those she-slaves, just as he did with
regard to Bilal and Amir bin Fuheirah.

THE HOUSE OF AL-ARQAM:

In thlight of these inhuman persecutions, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) deemed it wise to advise
his followers to conceal their conversion, in both word and deed. He took the decision to meet them
secretly lest Quraish should get to know of his designs, and so take measures that might foil his
goals. He also had in mind to avoid any sort of open confrontation with the polytheists because such
a thing at this early stage would not be in the interest of the newly-born Call, still vulnerable and
not fully fledged. Once, in the fourth year of Prophethood, the Muslims were on their way to the
hillocks of Makkah to hold a clandestine meeting with the Prophet (Peace be upon him), when a
group of polytheists did observe their suspicious movement and began to abuse and fight them. Sad
bin Abi Waqqas beat a polytheist and shed his blood and thus recorded the first instance of
bloodshed in the history of Islam.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him), on the other hand, used to proclaim the Islamic Faith and preach
it openly with deep devotion and studious pursuit, but for the general welfare of the new converts
and in consideration of the strategic interest of Islam, he took Dar Al-Arqam, in As-Safa mountain,
in the fifth year of his mission, as a temporary centre to meet his followers secretly and instruct
them in the Qur'an and in the Islamic wisdom.

GENERAL SOCIAL BOYCOTT:

Four events of special significance occurred within less than four weeks — the conversion of
Hamzah, the conversion of ‘Umar, Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) refusal to negotiate any sort
of compromise and then the pact drawn up between Banu Muttalib and Banu Hashim to immunize
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and shield him against any treacherous attempt to kill him. The
polytheists were baffled and at a loss as to what course they would follow to rid themselves of this
obstinate and relentless obstacle that had appeared to shatter to pieces their whole tradition of life.

They had already been aware that if they killed Muhammad (Peace be upon him) theblood would
surely flow profusely in the valleys of Makkah and they would certainly be exterminated. Taking this
dreadful prospect into consideration, they grudgingly resorted to a different iniquitous course that
would not imply murder.

A PACT OF INJUSTICE AND AGGRESSION:

The pagans of Makkah held a meeting in a place called Wadi Al-Muhassab, and formed a
confederation hostile to both Bani Hashim and Bani Al-Muttalib. They decided not to have any
business dealings with them nor any sort of inter-marriage. Social relations, visits and even verbal
contacts with Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his supporters would discontinue until the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) was given up to them to be killed. The articles of their proclamation,
which had provided for merciless measures against Bani Hashim, were committed to writing by an
idolater, Bagheed bin ‘Amir bin Hashim and then suspended in Al-Ka‘bah. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) invoked Allâh’s imprecations upon Bagheed, whose hand was later paralysed.

Abu Talib wisely and quietly took stock of the situation and decided to withdraw to a valley on the
eastern outskirts of Makkah. Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib, who followed suit, were thus
confined within a narrow pass (Shi‘b of Abu Talib), from the beginning of Muharram, the seventh
year of Muhammad’s mission till the tenth year, viz., a period of three years. It was a stifling siege.

The supply of food was almost stopped and the people in confinement faced great hardships. The
idolaters used to buy whatever food commodities entered Makkah lest they should leak to the
people in Ash-Shi‘b, who were so overstrained that they had to eat leaves of trees and skins of
animals. Cries of little children suffering from hunger used to be heard clearly. Nothing to eat
reached them except, on few occasions, some meagre quantities of food were smuggled by some
compassionate Makkans. During ‘the prohibited months’ — when hostilities traditionally ceased, they
would leave their confinement and buy food coming from outside Makkah. Even then, the food stuff
was unjustly overpriced so that their financial situation would fall short of finding access to it.

Hakeem bin Hizam was once on his way to smuggle some wheat to his aunt Khadijah (May Allah be
pleased with her) when Abu Jahl intercepted and wanted to debar him. Only when Al-Bukhtari
intervened, did Hakeem manage to reach his destination. Abu Talib was so much concerned about
the personal safety of his nephew. Whenever people retired to sleep, he would ask the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) to lie in his place, but when all the others fell asleep, he would order him to
change his place and take another, all of which in an attempt to trick a potential assassin.

Despite all odds, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) persisted in his line and his determination and
courage never weakened. He continued to go to Al-Ka‘bah and to pray publicly. He used every
opportunity to preach to outsiders who visited Makkah for business or on pilgrimage during the
sacred months and special seasons of assemblies.

This situation ultimately created dissension amongst the various Makkan factions, who were tied
with the besieged people by blood relations. After three years of blockade and in Muharram, the
tenth year of Muhammad’s mission, the pact was broken. Hisham bin ‘Amr, who used to smuggle
some food to Bani Hashim secretly at night, went to see Zuhair bin Abi Omaiyah Al-Makhzoumy and
reproached him for resigning to that intolerable treatment meted out to his uncles in exile. The
latter pleaded impotence, but agreed to work with Hisham and form a pressure group that would
secure the extrication of the exiles. On the ground of motivation by uterine relations, there emerged
a group of five people who set out to abrogate the pact and declare all relevant clauses null and
void. They were Hisham bin ‘Amr, Zuhair bin Abi Omaiya, Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi, Abu Al-Bukhtari and
Zam‘a bin Al-Aswad. They decided to meet in their assembly place and start their self-charged
mission from the very precinct of the Sacred House. Zuhair, after circumambulating seven times,
along with his colleagues approached the hosts of people there and rebuked them for indulging in
the amenities of life whereas their kith and kin of Bani Hashim were perishing on account of
starvation and economic boycott. They swore they would never relent until the parchment of boycott
was torn to piece and the pact broken at once. Abu Jahl, standing nearby, retorted that it would
never be torn. Zam‘a was infuriated and accused Abu Jahl of telling lies, adding that the pact was
established and the parchment was written without seeking their approval. Al-Bukhtari intervened
and backed Zam‘a. Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi and Hisham bin ‘Amr attested to the truthfulness of their two
companions. Abu Jahl, with a cunning attempt to liquidate the hot argument that was running
counter to his malicious goals, answered that the issue had already been resolved sometime and
somewhere before.

Abu Talib meanwhile was s itting in a corner of the Mosque. He came to communicate to them that a
Revelation had been sent to his nephew, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to the effect that ants
had eaten away all their proclamation that smacked of injustice and aggression except those parts
that bore the Name of Allâh. He contended that he would be ready to give Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) up to them if his words proved untrue, otherwise, they would have to recant and repeal
their boycott. The Makkans agreed to the soundness of his proposition. Al-Mut‘im went to see the
parchment and there he did discover that it was eaten away by ants and nothing was left save the
part bearing (in the Name of Allâh).

The proclamation was thus abrogated, and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the other people
were permitted to leave Ash-Sh‘ib and return home. In the context of this trial to which the Muslims
were subjected, the polytheists had a golden opportunity to experience a striking sign of
Muhammad’s Prophethood (the white ants eating away the parchment) but to their miserable lot
they desisted and augmented in disbelief:

THE FINAL PHASE OF THE DIPLOMACY OF NEGOTIATION:

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) left his confinement and went on preaching his Faith as
usual. Quraish, likewise, repealed the boycott but went on in their atrocities and oppression on the
Muslims. Abu Talib, the octogenarian notable, was still keen on shielding his nephew but by that
time, and on account of the series of tremendous events and continual pains, he began to develop
certain fits of weakness. No sooner had he emerged victorious from the inhuman boycott, than he
was caught in a persistent illness and physical enervation. The polytheists of Makkah, seeing this
serious situation and fearing that the stain of infamy that the other Arabs could attribute to them in
case they took any aggressive action against the Prophet (Peace be upon him) after he had lost his
main support, Abu Talib, took a decision to negotiate with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) once
more and submit some concessions withheld previously. They then delegated some representatives
to see Abu Talib and discuss the issue with him. Ibn Ishaq and others related: “When a serious
illness caught Abu Talib, the people of Quraish began to deliberate on the situation and reviewed the
main features that characterized that period and which included the conversion of ‘Umar and
Hamzah to Islam, coupled with the tremendous stir that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had
created amongst all the tribes of Quraish. They then deemed it imperative to see Abu Talib before
he died to pressure his nephew to negotiate a compromise on the various disputed points. They
were afraid that the other Arabs might attribute to them the charge of opportunism.”
The delegation of Quraish comprised 25 men including notables like ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a, Shaibah bin
Rabi‘a, Abu Jahl bin Hisham, Omaiyah bin Khalaf, Abu Sufyan bin Harb. They first paid tribute to him
and confirmed their high esteem of his person and position among them. They then shifted to the
newgive-and-take policy that they claimed they wanted to follow. To substantiate their argument
they alleged that they would refrain from intervening in his religion if he did the same.

Abu Talib summoned his nephew and apprised him of the minutes of his meeting with them, and
said: “Well, my nephew, here are the celebrities of your people. They have proposed this meeting to
submit a policy of mutual concessions and peaceful coexistence.” The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be
upon him) turned to them saying:

• “I will guide you to the means by which you will gain sovereignty over both the Arabs and
non-Arabs.”
In another version, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) addressed Abu Talib in the following words: “O
uncle! Why don’t you call them unto something better?” Abu Talib asked him, “What is it that you
invite them to?” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied, “I invite them to hold fast to a Message
that is bound to give them access to kingship over the Arabs and non-Arabs.” According to Ibn
Ishaq’s version, “It is just one word that will give you supremacy over the Arabs and non-Arabs.”
The Makkan deputies were taken by incredible surprise and began to wonder what sort of word was
that which would benefit them to that extent. Abu Jahl asked, “What is that word? I swear by your
father that we will surely grant you your wish followed by ten times as much.” He said, “I want you
to testify that there is no god worthy to be worshipped but Allâh, and then divest yourselves of any
sort of worship you h arbour for any deities other than Allâh.” They immediately clapped their hands
in ridicule, and said “How can you expect us to combine all the deities in one God. It is really
something incredible.” On their way out leaving, they said to one another, “By god this man
[Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] will never relent, nor will he offer any concessions. Let us hold
fast to the religion of our forefathers, and Allâ h will in due course adjudicate and settle the dispute
between us and him.” As regards this incident, Allâh revealed the following verses:

•  “Sâd: [These letters (Sâd, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Qur’ân and none but Allâh
(Alone) knows their meanings]. By the Qur’ân full of reminding. Nay, those who disbelieve
are in false pride and Apposition. How many a generation We have destroyed before them,
and they cried out when there was no longer time for escape! And they (Arab pagans) wonder
that a warner [Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] has come to them from among
themselves! And the disbelievers say, ‘This [Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] is a
sorcerer, a liar. Has he made the gods (all) into One God (Allâh). Verily, this is a curious
thing!’ And the leaders among them went about (saying): ‘Go on, and remain constant to
your gods! Verily, this is a thing designed (against you)! We have not heard (the like) of this
among the people of these later days. This is nothing but an invention.’” [38:1-7]

THE YEAR OF GRIEF
ABU TALIB'S DEATH:

In Rajab, the tenth year of the Prophethood, Abu Talib fell ill and passed away, six months after
leaving the confinement at Ash-Sh‘ib. In another version, Abu Talib breathed his last in Ramadan,
three days prior to the death of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her). On the authority of Al-
Musaiyab, when Abu Talib was on the death bed, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) entered the room
where he saw Abu Jahl and ‘Abdullah bin Abi Omaiyah. He requested his uncle:

• “My uncle, you just make a profession that there is no true god but Allâh, and I will bear
testimony before Allâh (of your being a believer)”.

Abu Jahl and ‘Abdullah bin Abi Omaiyah addressing him said: “Abu Talib, would you abandon the
religion of ‘Abdul-Muttalib?” The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) constantly requested him
(to accept his offer), and (on the other hand) was repeated the same statement (of Abu Jahl and
‘Abdullah bin Abi Omaiyah) — till Abu Talib gave his final decision and he stuck to the religion of
‘Abdul-Muttalib and refused to profess that there is no true god but Allâh. Upon this the Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him) remarked:

• “By Allâh, I will persistently beg pardon for you till I am forbidden to do so (by Allâh)”.

It was then that Allâh, the Magnificent and Glorious revealed this verse:

• “It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allâh’s forgiveness for the
Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) even though
they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire
(because they died in a state of disbelief).” [9:113]

And it was said to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him):

• “Verily! You [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] guide not whom you like.” [28:56]

It goes without saying that Abu Talib was very much attached to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) .

For forty years, Abu Talib had been the faithful friend — the prop of his childhood, the guardian of
his youth and in later life a very tower of defence. The sacrifices to which Abu Talib exposed himself
and his family for the sake of his nephew, while yet incredulous of his mission, stamp his character
as singularly noble and unselfish. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) did his best to persuade his
octogenarian uncle to make profession of the true faith, but he remained obdurate and stuck to the
paganism of his forefathers, and thus could not achieve complete success. Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-
Muttalib narrated that he said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) “You have not been of any avail
to your uncle (Abu Talib) (though) by Allâh, he used to protect you and get angry on your behalf.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “He is in a shallow fire, and had it not been for me, he would
have been at the bottom of the (Hell) Fire.”
Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri narrated that he heard the Prophet (Peace be upon him) say, when the mention
of his uncle was made, “I hope that my intercession may avail him, and he be placed in a shallow
fire that rises up only to his heels.”
KHADIJAH PASSES AWAY TO THE MERCY OF ALLAH:

Only two months after the death of his uncle, did the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
experience another great personal loss viz., the Mother of believers, his wife Khadijah passed away
in Ramadan of the tenth year of his Prophethood, when she was sixty-five years old, and he was
fifty. Khadijah was in fact a blessing of Allâh for the Prophet (Peace be upon him). She, for twentyfive
years, shared with him the toils and trials of life, especially in the first ten years of his ministry
of Prophethood. He deeply mourned over her death, and once he replied in an honest burst of
tender emotions:

“She believed in me when none else did. She embraced Islam when people disbelieved
me. And she helped and comforted me in her person and wealth when there was none else
to lend me a helping hand. I had children from her only.”
Abu Hurairah reported that Gabriel came to Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) and said:

“Allâh’s Messenger, lo, Khadijah is coming to you with a vessel of seasoned food or drink. When she
comes to you, offer her greetings from her Lord, and give her glad tidings of a palace of jewels in
Paradise where there is no noise and no toil.”
These two painful events took place within a short lapse of time and added a lot to his grief and
suffering. The Makkans now openly declared their campaign of torture and oppression. The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) lost all hope of bringing them back to the right path, so he set out for Al-Ta’if
seeking a supportive atmosphere. But there too, he was disappointed and he sustained unbearable
tortures and maltreatment that far outweighed his miserable situation in his native town.

His Companions were on equal footing subjected to unspeakable torture and unbearable oppression
to such an extent that his closest friend, Abu Bakr, to escape pressure, fled out of Makkah and
wanted to leave for Abyssinia (Ethiopia) if it were not for Ibn Ad-Daghanah w ho met him at Bark Al-
Ghamad and managed to dissuade him from completing his journey of escape and brought him back
under his protection.

Tdeath of Abu Talib rendered the Prophet (Peace be upon him) vulnerable, and the polytheists
availed them of that opportunity to give free rein to their hatred and highhandedness and to
translate them in terms of oppression and physical tortures. Once an insolent Quraishite intercepted
him and sprinkled sand on his head. When he arrived home, a daughter of his washed the sand
away and wept. “Do not weep, my daughter. Allâh will verily protect your father.” The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) said.

Rapid succession of misfortunes, led the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to call that period, ‘the year
of grief and mourning’. Thenceforth, that year bore that appellation.

HIS MARRIAGE TO SAWDA IN SHAWWAL, THE TENTH YEAR OF PROPHETHOOD :

The death of Khadijah left the Prophet (Peace be upon him) lonely. The name of Sawdah was
suggested to him for marriage which he accepted. This lady had suffered many hardships for the
sake of Islam. She was an early convert to the Islamic Faith and it was by her persuasion that her
husband had embraced Islam. On the second emigration to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Sawdah had
accompanied her husband As-Sakran bin ‘Amr. He died on their way back to Makkah leaving her in a
terrible state of destitution. She was the first woman for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to marry
after the death of Khadijah. Some years later she granted her turn with the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) to her co-wife, ‘Aishah.

FACTORS INSPIRING PATIENCE AND PERSERVANCE
It is natural for sensible and mild-tempered people to meditate deeply on the factors that inspired
those early Muslims that miraculous constancy and perseverance. It is n ormal to wonder how those
people managed to tolerate unspeakable persecutions, and stand fast in the face of tyrannical
tortures. With respect to these questions, we deem it wise just to touch on those underlying
reasons:

1. Unshakable Belief in Allâh. The first and foremost factor is no doubt, unshakable Belief in
Allâh Alone coupled with a wonderful degree of perception of His Attributes. A man with this
Belief deeply averred in his heart will look at those foreseen difficulties as triflings and can
under no circumstance compare with the sweetness of Belief:

• “Then, as for the foam, it passes away as scum upon the banks, while that which is for
the good of mankind remains in the earth.” [13:17]

Other sub-factors that branch out from that Belief and assist in strengthening it and
promoting long amity are:

2. Wholeheartedly-loved leadership. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) the great leader of the
Muslim community, and mankind at large, was an exemplary man in his perfect manners
and noble attributes; no one could measure up to his endowments of nobility, honesty,
trustworthiness and abstinence; unanimously and uncontestedly acknowledged even by his
enemies. Abu Jahl himself, the great enemy of Islam, used repeatedly to say: “O
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), we are in no position to belie you, we rather disbelieve
what you have brought us (Islam).” It is narrated that three people of Quraish each
separately and secretly listened to some verses of the Noble Qur’ân. Later, this secret was
uncovered and one of them asked Abu Jahl (one of the three) what he thought of what he
heard from Muhammad (Peace be upon him). He answered: We contested the honour of
leadership and generosity with Banu ‘Abd Munaf and shared equal privileges competitively.

They then began to boast saying that a Prophet rose among them whom Revelation came
down upon from heavens. I swear we will never believe in him.

• So Allâh said:

“… It is not you that they deny, but it is the Verses (the Qur’ân) of Allâh that the Zâlimûn
(polytheists and wrong-doers) deny.” [6:33]

One day, the disbelievers of Quraish leveled to him a cynical remark three times. He
remained silent but for the third one he remarked, “O Quraish! Slaughter is in store for
you.” They were taken aback and ulterior fear filled their hearts to such an extent that the
most hostile among them began to make up for their insult by the best friendly terms they
could afford. When they slung the entrails of a camel on him while prostrating himself in
prayer, he invoked Allâh’s wrath on them, and they immediately were caught in an
inexpressible state of worry and were almost convinced that they would be destroyed. Ubai
bin Khalaf used always to threaten he would kill Muhammad (Peace be upon him). One day
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) retorted that he would kill him by Allâh’s Will. When Ubai
received a scratch in his neck, on the day of Uhud, he, under the sense of horror,
remembered the Prophet’s words and remarked, “I am convinced he would be able to kill
me even if he spat on me. ” Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh said to Omaiyah bin Khalaf in Makkah, “I heard
the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) one day say that the Muslims would surely kill
you.” Omaiyah was extremely panicked and swore he would never step out of Makkah. Even
when Abu Jahl obliged him to march with them to fight the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on
the day of Badr, he bought the best and swift camels in Makkah in order that they hasten
his escape. Even his wife warned him against going out reminding him of Sa‘d’s words, his
reply was “By Allâh, I have no intention of going out with Quraish, I will disengage from
them after a short distance.”
That was the clear sense of horror and terror haunting his enemies wherever they were. His
friends and companions, on the other hand, held him dearest to them, and he occupied the
innermost cells of their hearts. They were always ready to defend him and secure his wellbeing
even at the risk of their lives. One day, Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafa was severely beaten
by ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a, a terrible polytheist. His whole body was almost bleeding and he was
on the verge of death, yet when his people took him back home extremely indignant at his
misfortune, he swore he would never eat or drink anything until they had told him about the
well-being of his noble Companion, Muhammad (Peace be upon him). That was the spirit of
selflessness and sacrifice that characterized the behaviour of those early Companions.

3. The sense of responsibility. The early Companions were fully aware of the daunting
responsibility they were expected to shoulder. They were also convinced that those charges
were inescapable even though they were being persecuted for fear of the far-reaching
ramifications, and the horrible impact that humanity would suffer in case they shirked their
obligations.

4. Unwavering Belief in the truth of the Hereafter. This was the corner-stone that strengthened
their sense of responsibility. There was a deep certainty established through the light of
their religion that one day they would have to rise on the Day of Resurrection and account
for all worldly deeds, small or big. They were sure that their future in the other world would
depend wholly on their acts in their provisional life on earth, either to everlasting Garden
(Paradise) or perpetual chastisement in Hell. Their whole life was divided between hope for
Allâh’s mercy and fear of His punishment.

• “… Who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their
hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charities, etc., have been accepted or not),
because they are sure to return to their Lord.” [23:60]

They had already known that life with all its amenities and pains was worthless when
compared with the Hereafter. Such deep convictions brought about in them a sense of
indifference to all troubles and hardships that attended their life.

5. The Qur’ân. The verses and chapters of the Noble Qur’ân were attractively, forcefully and
successively revealed at that gloomy and critical stage, supporting and advancing
arguments on the truth and soundness of the principles of Islam, round whose axis the
whole Call of Muhammad Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã was revolving. They constituted the immune
basis upon which the best and most wonderful Divinely decreed society was to be
established. The Qur’ânic verses served also to excite the feelings of the believers,
strengthen their selves on their course of patience and endurance and introduce them to the
most purposeful examples and suggestive instructions:

• “Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who
passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so
shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When (will
come) the Help of Allâh?’ Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allâh is near!” [2:214]

“Alif-Lam-Mim. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe’,
and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allâh will
certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it)
known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allâh knows all that before putting
them to test).” [29: 1-3]

Mere lip profession of Faith is not enough. It must be tried and tested in the real turmoil of
life. The test will be applied in all kinds of circumstances, in individual life and in relation to
the environment around us to see whether we can strive constantly and put the Lord above
self. Much pain, sorrow and self-sacrifice may be necessary, not because they are good in
themselves, but because they will purify us, like fire applied to a goldsmith’s crucible to burn
out the dross.

These verses also constituted an irrefutable answer to the false allegations of the
disbelievers, and a clear ultimatum that smacked of the horrible consequethat would ensue
in case they persisted in their disbelief. On the other hand, the Noble Qur’ân was leading the
Muslims to a new world and enlightening them as to its features, the beauty of Lordship, the
perfection of Godship, the impact of kindness and mercy and the manifestations of the
yearned for Allâh’s pleasure. They implicitly connoted meaningful messages carrying glad
tidings of definitely approaching Divine Mercy leading to eternal bliss in a blissful Garden
(Paradise). They, at the same time, envisaged the end of the tyrants and disbelievers who
would be brought to Divine Justice and then dragged through the Fire where they would
taste the touch of Hell.

6. Glad tidings of success. Ever since the time they experienced the adversities of life, the
Muslims had been certain that entrance into the fold of Islam did not entail involvement into
hardships or digging one’s own grave. They had been aware that the Islamic Call had one
goal, viz extermination of pre-Islamic tradition and destroying its iniquitous system, to go on
parallel lines with extending its influence allover the earth and holding in firm control the
political situation worldwide to lead humanity along a course conducive to Allâh’s Pleasure,
and perfect enough to rid people of worshipping Allâh’s servant to worshipping Allâh,
Himself. Glad tidings of this sort were being revealed sometimes explicitly and at other
times implicitly, in a manner relevant to the situation. When the Muslims were forced to
undergo constraints, or when their life was kept under continual restraint, there would be
revealed verses telling identical stories of past Prophets with their people and the sufferings
and pains they had experienced. The verses would also include suggestive clues to the final
tragic end of the Makkan disbelievers envisaging their final perdition, yet and at the same
time, bearing glad tidings to the believers and promising the true servants of vicegerency on
earth to go with absolute success, and victory to attend the Islamic Call and its proponents.

• Here we could adduce some of the verses of this category pregnant with glad tidings
referring to the final victory that would crown the perseverance and patience of the Muslims:

• “And, verily, Our Word has gone forth of old for Our slaves, — the Messengers,
that they verily would be made triumphant. And that Our hosts, they verily would be
the victors. So turn away [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] from them for a
while, and watch them and they shall see (the punishment)! Do they seek to hasten
on Our torment? Then, when it descends into their courtyard (i.e. near to them), evil
will be the morning for those who had been warned.” [37:171-177]

In the same context, Allâh told His Prophet (Peace be upon him):

• “Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.” [54:45]

He also said:

• “They will be a defeated host like the confederates of the old times.” [38:11]

The Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) had the following:

• “And as for those who emigrated for the cause of Allâh, after suffering oppression,
We will certainly give them goodly residence in this world, but indeed the reward of
the Hereafter will be greater, if they but knew.” [16:41]

In the context of the story of Joseph, there was:

• “Verily, in Joseph and his brethren there were Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses,
lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) for those who ask.” [12:7]

i.e., the Makkans will receive the same fate that befell Joseph’s brothers, viz, failure and
surrender. In another instance, Allâh speaks about the Messengers:

• “And those who disbelieved, said to their Messengers: ‘Surely, we shall drive you
out of our land, or you shall return to our religion!’ So their Lord inspired them:

‘Truly, We shall destroy the Zâlimûn (polytheists, disbelievers and wrong-doers).

And indeed, We shall make you dwell in the land after them. This is for him who
fears standing before Me (on the Day of Resurrection or fears My punishment) and
also fears My threat.” [14:13,14]

During the war between the Persians and the Romans, the disbelievers had a sincere wish
that victory be the former’s lot, because both parties professed polytheism, whereas the
Muslims prayed for a Roman victory because both groups believed in Allâh, His Messengers,
Books, the Revelation and the Hereafter.

The war resulted in the overthrow of Rome by Persia. They were pro-Persian, as we have
said, and in their hearts they hoped that the nascent movement of Islam, which at that time
was, from a worldly point of view, very weak and helpless, would collapse under their
persecution. But they misread the true signs of the times. They were told that they would
soon be disillusioned in both their calculations, and it actually so happened when Heraclius
carried his campaign into the heart of Persia and the Makkan Quraish were beaten off at
Badr:

• “And on that Day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by
Allâh to the Romans against the Persians) with the help of Allâh.” [30:4,5]

During the season of ‘Ukaz forum, and other such occasions, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace
be upon him) himself would communicate not only glad tidings pertinent to the Garden
(Paradise) but also news of promising prospects for the true believers in the Call of Islam.

He would openly tell them that they would surely prosper, rule the whole of Arabia and
subdue Persia if they professed the most serious pillar of Islam, i.e. the Oneness of Allâh.

Khabbab bin Al-Aratt once urged the Messenger to call upon Allâh to shield him against the
adversities he was suffering at the hand of the polytheists. The Prophet’s face reddened and
he remarked that the true believer must not precipitate things, it was incumbent upon a
believer to undergo all the odds of life as much as he could, fearing nobody except Allâh
until the religion was established, which would surely happen. The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) in this regard, referred to the perseverance that the Muslims had to show and the
hardships they had to undergo in order to establish the land of Islam where peace and
security would prevail all over it.

Glad tidings of better prospects for Islam and the Muslims were not confined to
Muhammad’s followers, in fact they were being disclosed time and again to both believers
and disbelievers. Whenever the two parties met, the latter would jeer at the former and
mockingly say “Here are the sovereigns of earth who will defeat Chosroes and Caesar.” But
the believers, in anticipation of that shining and Godly-orientated future, would always
persevere and tolerate all sorts of persecution and humiliation regarding them as summer
clouds that would soon clear away.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him), on his part, would always maintain and sustain his
followers’ souls with the light of belief, sanctify them through inculcating the Qur’ânic
wisdom in their hearts and cultivate their minds deeply with the spirit of Islam that would
elevate them to a state of noble spirituality, pure heartedness and an absolute degree of
freedom from the yoke of materialism, a h igh morale powerful enough to resist worldly lusts
and consequently lead them from darkness to light. He would constantly teach them to be
tolerant, forgiving and overpowering over their selves in order to get well established in
their religion, disdain lust, and devote themselves to attaining the Pleasure of Allâh,
yearning for the Garden (Paradise), enthusiasm in sciences relating to their faith, calling
themselves to account, subordinating fleeing whims, holding under firm control all rageprovoking
incidents and finally observing sobriety, patience and gravity.

THE THIRD PHASE CALLING UNTO ISLAM BEYOND MAKKAH
In Shawwal (in the last of May or in the beginning of June 619 A.D.), ten years after receiving his
mission from his Lord, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) set out towards At-Ta’if, about 60
kilometres from Makkah, in the company of his freed slave Zaid bin Haritha inviting people to Islam.

But contrary to his expectations, the general atmosphere was terribly hostile. He approached the
family of ‘Umair, who were reckoned amongst the nobility of the town. But, to his disappointment,
all of them turned deaf ear to his message and used abusive language as regards the noble cause
he had been striving for. Three brothers from the chieftains of Thaqeef —‘Abd Yaleel, Mas‘ud and
Habeeb — sons of ‘Amr bin ‘Umair Ath-Thaqafy met the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , who invited
them to embrace Islam and worship Allâh, but they impudently jeered at him and refused his
invitation. “He is tearing the cloths of Al-Ka‘bah; is it true that Allâh has sent you as a Messenger?”
said one of them. “Has not Allâh found someone else to entrust him with His Message?” said the
second. “I swear by Allâh that I will never have any contact with you. If you are really the
Messenger of Allâh, then you are too serious to retort back; and if you are belying Allâh, then I feel
it is imperative not to speak to.” said the third. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) ,
finding that they were hopeless cases, stood up and left them saying: “Should you indulge in these
practices of yours, never divulge them to me.”
For ten days he stayed there delivering his message to several people, one after another, but all to
no purpose. Stirred up to hasten the departure of the unwelcome visitor, the people hooted him
through the alley-ways, pelted him with stones and obliged him to flee from the city pursued by a
relentless rabble. Blood flowed down both his legs; and Zaid, endeavouring to shield him, was
wounded in the head. The mob did not desist until they had chased him two or three miles across
the sandy plains to the foot of the surrounding hills. There, wearied and exhausted, he took refuge
in one of the numerous orchards, and rested against the wall of a vineyard. At a time when the
whole world seemed to have turned against him, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) turned to his
Lord and betook himself to prayer and the following touching words are still preserved as those
through which his oppressed soul gave vent to its distress. He was weary and wounded but
confident of the help of his Lord:

• “O Allâh! To You alone I make complaint of my helplessness, the paucity of my resources
and my insignificance before mankind. You are the most Merciful of the mercifuls. You are
the Lord of the helpless and the weak, O Lord of mine! Into whose hands would You
abandon me: into the hands of an unsympathetic distant relative who would sullenly frown
at me, or to the enemy who has been given control over my affairs? But if Your wrath does
not fall on me, there is nothing for me to worry about.”
“I seek protection in the light of Your Countenance, which illuminates the heavens and
dispels darkness, and which controls all affairs in this world as well as in the Hereafter. May
it never be that I should incur Your wrath, or that You should be wrathful to me. And there
is no power nor resource, but Yours alone.”
Seeing him in this helpless situation, Rabi‘a’s two sons, wealthy Makkans, were moved on grounds
of kinship and compassion, and sent to him one of their Christian servants with a tray of grapes.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) accepted the fruit with pious invocation: “In the Name of the
Allâh.” The Christian servant ‘Addas was greatly impressed by these words and said: “These are
words which people in this land do not generally use.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) inquired of
him whence he came and what religion he professed. ‘Addas replied: “I am a Christian by faith and
come from Nineveh.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) then said: “You belong to the city of the
righteous Jonah, son of Matta.” ‘Addas asked him anxiously if he knew anything about Jonah. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) significantly remarked: “He is my brother. He was a Prophet and so
am I.” Thereupon ‘Addas paid homage to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and kissed his hands. His
masters admonished him at this act but he replied: “None on the earth is better than he is. He has
revealed to me a truth which only a Prophet can do.” They again reprimanded him and said: “We
forewarn you against the consequences of abandoning the faith of your forefathers. The religion
which you profess is far better than the one you feel inclined to.”
Heart-broken and depressed, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) set out on the way back to Makkah.

When he reached Qarn Al-Manazil, Allâh, the Almighty sent him Gabriel together with the angel of
mountains. The latter asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him) for permission to bury Makkah
between Al–Akhshabain —Abu Qubais and Qu‘ayqa‘an mountains. Full narration of this event was
given by ‘Aishah (May be pleased with her) (the Prophet’s spouse). She said: “I asked the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) if he had ever experienced a worse day than Uhud. He answered that he had
suffered a lot from those people (the idolaters) but the most painful was on the day of ‘Aqabah. I
went seeking support from Ibn ‘Abd Yalil bin ‘Abd Kalal, but he spurned me. I set out wearied and
grieved heedless of anything around me until I suddenly realized I was in Qarn Ath-Tha‘alib, called
Qarn Al-Manazil. There, I looked up and saw a cloud casting its shade on me, and Gabriel
addressing me: Allâh has heard your people’s words and sent you the angel of mountains to your
aid. The latter called and gave me his greetings and asked for my permission to bury Makkah
between Al-Akhshabain, the two mountains flanking Makkah. I said in reply that I would rather have
someone from their loins who will worship Allâh, the All–Mighty with no associate.” A concise
meaningful answer fully indicative of the Prophet’s matchless character and the fathomless
magnanimous manners.

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) then came back to wakefulness and his heart was set
at rest in the light of that invisible Divinely provided aid. He proceeded to Wadi Nakhlah where he
stayed for a few days.

During his stay there, Allâh sent him a company of jinns who listened to him reciting the Noble
Qur’ân:

• “And (remember) when We sent towards you [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] Nafran
(three to ten persons) of the jinns, (quietly) listening 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 Book (this
Qur’ân) sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it, it guides to the Truth and to
a Straight Path (i.e. Islam). O our people! Respond (with obedience) to Allâh’s Caller [i.e.

Allâh’s Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ], and believe in him (i.e. believe in that
which Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has brought from Allâh and follow him). He (Allâh)
will forgive you of your sins, and will save you from a painful torment (i.e. Hell-fire).’”
[46:29-31]

The same incident is referred to in Sûrah Al-Jinn:

• “Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ]: “It has been revealed to me that a group
(from three to ten in number) of jinns listened (to this Qur’ân). They said: ‘Verily! We have
heard a wonderful Recital (this Qur’ân)! It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed
therein, and we shall never join (in worship) anything with our Lord (Allâh).’” [72:1,2] … Till
the end of the 15th verse.

From the context of these verses and their relevant interpretation, we can safely establish it 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. However, the context of the different versions suggests that the jinns repeated
their visits later on. The presence of that company of jinns comes in the context of the Divine
support givto His Messenger, and constitutes a propitious sign of ultimate victory and success for
the Call of Islam. It provides an unshakable proof that no power however mighty could alter what is
wrought by Allâh:

• “And whosoever does not respond to Allâh’s Caller, he cannot escape on earth, and there
will be no Auliyâ (protectors) from him besides Allâh (from Allâh’s punishment). Those are in
manifest error.” [46:32]

“And we think that we cannot escape (from the punishment of) Allâ h in the earth, nor can
we escape (from the punishment) by flight.” [72:12]

Given this support and auspicious start, depression, dismay and sadness that used to beset him
since he was driven out of At-Ta’if, he turned his face towards Makkah with fresh determination to
resume his earlier plan to expose people to Islam and communicate his Message in a great spirit of
zeal and matchless enthusiasm.

Zaid bin Harithah, his companion, addressing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, “How dare you
step into Makkah after they (Quraish) have expatriated you?” The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
answered: “Hearken Zaid, Allâh will surely provide relief and He will verily support His religion and
Prophet.”
When he was a short distance from Makkah, he retired to Hira’ Cave. Whence he despatched a man
from Khuza‘ah tribe to Al-Akhnas bin Shuraiq seeking his protection. The latter answered that he
was Quraish’s ally and in no position to offer protection. He despatched the messenger to Suhail bin
‘Amr, but to no avail, either. Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi, a notable in Makkah, however, volunteered to
respond to the Prophet’s appeal for shelter. He asked his people to prepare themselves fully armed
and then asked Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to enter into the town and directly into the Holy
Sanctuary. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) observed a two-Rak‘a prayer and left for his house
guarded by the heavily-armed vigilant ‘Adi’s.

It has been reported that later Abu Jahl, the archenemy of Islam, asked Mut‘im if his behaviour
suggested protection or conversion, the latter replied it was merely protection. Abu Jahl was
relieved and said that he would give Muhammad protection for his sake.

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) never forgot Mut‘im’s favour. At the conclusion of the
battle of Badr, he declared publicly that if Mut‘im had been still alive and asked for the release of the
Quraishite captives, he would not deny him his request.

ISLAM BEING INTRODUCED TO ARABIAN TRIBES AND INDIVIDUALS
In Dhul Qa‘dah, the tenth year of Prophethood, i.e. July 619, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) ,
returned to Makkah to resume his activities. The time for pilgrimage to Makkah was approaching so
he hastened to introduce people b oth tribes and individuals to Islam and call upon them to embrace
it, just as it was his practice since the fourth year of his Prophethood.

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 premigration
season of pilgrimage. They however, remained obdurate and none of them responded
positively.

The following is a resume of aspects relating to the Prophet’s appeals as regards the new faith he
was preaching:

1. He visited a sept of Banu Kalb known as Banu ‘Abdullah. He called them to Allâh’s Message
and entreated them to accept it for the sake of Allâh Who had chosen a beautiful name for
their father, but without avail.

2. He called on Bani Haneefah in their habitation, but received very repugnant treatment.

3. He addressed Bani ‘Amir bin Sa‘sa‘ah in their encampment, calling them to abandon idolatry
and join him. One of them called Buhairah bin Firras, answered him back: “Should we give
you allegiance and Allâh give you power over your opponents, will you give us right to
inheritance and succeed you in power?” The Prophet replied: “The whole affair lies in Allâh’s
Hands. He gives the power to whomever He desires.” The man commented: “Do you expect
us to incur the wrath and vengeance o f the Arabs without the least hope of leadership? We
can in fact readily dispense with your offers.”
When Banu ‘Amir returned to their habitations, they narrated the story to an elderly man who had
lingered behind because he was too old. They told him, “A young man of Quraish of Bani ‘Abdul
Muttalib, claiming that he is a Prophet, contacted us, asked for support and invited us to embrace
his religion.” The old sheikh was struck by the news, and wondered if there was no way of making
amends for the loss of that opportunity and swore, “He is really Ishmaelite (he descends from
Ishmael). He is the Truth (he is a real Prophet). How did it happen that you misjudged his words?”
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. He did not confine his
efforts to the tribes but also conducted contacts with individuals from some of whom he was able to
receive a favourable response. Moreover, later in the same season, some of them did believe in his
Prophethood and entered the fold of Islam. The following list included some of those early converts:

1. Swaid bin Samit . He was an intelligent discreet poet from Yathrib (Madinah). During his
stay in Makkah for pilgrimage (or lesser pilgrimage), he encountered the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) who invited him to embrace Islam. At this invitation, Swaid imparted to the
Prophet some sound words from Luqman’s wisdom. The Prophet approved of that wisdom
but told the man that he had something far better. He recited some verses from the Qur’ân,
the man listened meditatively and the words appealed to his originally pure nature and
accepted Islam as his faith at once. He was killed in the battle of Bu‘ath. That was in the
eleventh year of the Prophethood.

2. Eyas bin Mu‘adh. He was still a youth from Aws tribe. He came as a member of delegation
seeking alliance with Quraish against another rival tribe dwelling in Madinah, Al-Khazraj. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) met them and advised them to follow a better course than that
they had in mind. He introduced himself and Islam to them, apprised them of his mission
and narrated some verses from the Noble Qur’ân. Eyas’s heart immediately absorbed the
Divine Message and agreed with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) . Abul Haisar Anas bin
Rafi‘, a member of the delegation disapproved of the boy’s behaviour and silenced him by
hurling some dust into his face. The people then left Madinah after having failed in
establishing alliance with Quraish. Shortly after arrival in Madinah, the boy breathed his last
acclaiming Allâh’s Name and celebrating His Glory.

3. Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari. He used to live in the suburbs of Yathrib. News of the Islamization of
Swaid bin Samit and Eyas bin Mu‘adh reached him and constituted a turning point in his life
per se. He sent his brother to Makkah for more details about the Prophet’s intentions. The
man came back and reported to Abu Dhar that the ‘said man’ enjoined good and forbade
evil. Abu Dhar was not satisfied and decided that he himself should go out and probe the
real situation. After some attempts to identify the person of the Prophet(Peace be upon him)
, he managed to meet him though not without some difficulties due to the antagonistic
atmosphere within which the proponents of the new faith were trying to work their way. No
sooner than Abu Dhar was exposed to the real nature of Islam, he embraced it. Despite the
Prophet’s earnest plea not to divulge his new move, Abu Dhar went directly to the Holy
Sanctuary where he publicly declared that he had testified to the Oneness of Allâh and
Prophethood of Muhammad. The heathens all around hurried and began beating him. He
almost died when Al-‘Abbas intervened warning against killing someone whose tribe was in
full command of the strategic commercial caravan routes leading to Makkah. Thevent
recurred in the following morning with the same man to come to the scene and rescue him.

4. Tufail bin ‘Amr Ad-Dausi. He was an honest poet and chief of Ad-Daus tribe inhabiting an
area close to Yemen in South Arabia. He arrived in Makkah in the eleventh year of
Prophethood. Great reception ceremonies were accorded to him on his advent. The Makkans
soon started to inculcate in his ears all sorts of antipathy against the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) . They even alleged that he had caused the most horrible societal schism,
dividing all sorts of social life even the family ties were subject to his schemes and plans of
dissension. They even warned him against speaking or even listening to him. The man
overpowered by these pleas, complied by their requests. He even stuffed his ears with a
piece of cotton in order not to hear any word of his. However, when this tribesman entered
the mosque, he saw Muhammad (Peace be upon him) observing his prayer and out of
curiosity, he approached him for it was a Divine Will to hear the Prophet’s sound and
appealing words. The temptation to hear more was irresistible so he followed the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) into his house, briefed him on his advent and all the story of the
people of Quraish. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) recited some verses of the
Noble Qur’ân and the man managed to taste something exceptionally beautiful and discern
the truth latent within. He embraced Islam and testified that there was no god but Allâh and
that Muhammad was His Messenger. He then said that he was an influential man among his
people and that he would call them to profess Islam, yet he wanted the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) to equip him with a supportive sign that would ease his future task. It was in fact
a Divinely bestowed light in his whip. He called his father and wife to embrace Islam and
they did respond. His people lagged a little but he exhorted them fervently and was fully
successful. He and seventy or eighty of his followers emigrated to Madinah after the Trench
Battle. He was a perfect fighter in the cause of Allâh and was martyred in Al-Yamama
events.

5. Dhumad Al-Azdi. He came from Azd Shanu’a in Yemen, specialist in incantation. He arrived
in Makkah to hear the fools there say that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was out of his
mind. He decided to practise his craft on the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , who on seeing
him said: “Praise is to Allâh, we entertain His praise and seek His help. Whomsoever Allâh
guides, none will lead astray, and whomsoever Allâh leads astray, none will guide. I testify
there is no god but Allâh and Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.” Dhumad heard the
words and requested the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to echo them again, and he was
granted his wish thrice. Here he said: “I have heard the soothsayers, sorcerers and poets,
but never have I experienced the sweetness of your words.” He then gave a pledge of a
sincere convert.

HOPE INSPIRING BREEZES FROM THE MADINESE:

It was during the pilgrimage season, in the eleventh year of Prophethood, that the Islamic Call
found the righteous seeds through which it would grow up to constitute tall trees whose leaves
would foster the new faith and shelter the new vulnerable converts from the blows of injustices and
high-handness of Quraish. It was the Prophet’s wise practice to meet the delegates of the Arabian
tribes by night so that the hostile Makkans would not debar him from achieving his objectives. In
the company of his two truthful Companions ‘Ali and Abu Bakr, he had an interesting talk regarding
Islamization with Bani Dhuhal, but the latter suspended their conversion. In pursuit of the same
objective, the Prophet and his Companions passed by ‘Aqabat Mina where they heard people talking.

They went at their heels until they encountered six men from Yathrib, all of whom from Khazraj
tribe: As‘ad bin Zurarah, ‘Awf bin Harith, Rafi‘ bin Malik, Qutbah bin ‘Amir, ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir and
Jabir bin ‘Abdullah. The last two being from Aws and the former four from Khazraj.

The Madinese always heard the Jews say that a Prophet was about to rise, for the time for a new
dispensation had arrived. Him they would follow and then smite their enemies as the children of ‘Ad
and Iram had been smitten.

“Of what tribe are you?” asked the Prophet. “Of the tribe of Khazraj,” they replied. “Are you the
allies of the Jews?” The Prophet enquired. They said: “Yes.” “Then why not sit down for a little and I
will speak to you.” The offer was readily accepted for the fame of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)
had spread to Madinah and the strangers were curious to see more of the man who had created a
stir in the whole area. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) presented to them an expose of Islam,
explained its implications, and the responsibilities that fell upon the men who accepted it. When the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) concluded his talk, they exchanged among themselves ideas to the
following effect: “Know surely, this is the Prophet with whom the Jews are ever threatening us;
wherefore let us make haste and be the first to join him.”
They, therefore, embraced Islam, and said to the Prophet, “We have left our community for no tribe
is so divided by hatred and rancour as they are. Allâh may cement our ties through you. So let us go
and invite them to this religion of yours; and if Allâh unites them in it, no man will be dearer than
you.”
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).

MARRIAGE OF THE PROPHET (Peace be upon him) to ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased her):

In Shawwal of the same year, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) concluded a marriage contract with
‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) ‘the truth verifier’, when she was six of age and
consummated his marriage with her in Shawwal, the year 1 A.H. in Madinah when she was nine.

AL-ISRA’ AND Al-MI‘RAJ (The Miraculous Night Journey from Makkah to the Farthest Mosque in
Jerusalem, and the Ascent through the Spheres of Heavens)
The last days of the Makkan phase of the Prophet’s life are noted for alternate fortunes ranging
between two extremes: gradual success and continual persecution. However, glimpses of propitious
lights were looming on the distant horizon, to ultimately materialize in the event of the Prophet’s
Night Journey to Jerusalem and then Ascension through the spheres of the heavens.

As for its exact date, it is still controversial and no common consent has been reached. However, the
majority of jurists is in favour of a date between 16-12 months prior to migration to Madinah. The
following is a epitome of the details of that miraculous event narrated on the authority of Ibn Al-
Qayyim.

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was carried in body from the Sacred Mosque in Makkah
to the Distant Mosque in Jerusalem on a horse called Al-Buraq in the company of Gabriel, the
archangel. There he alighted, tethered the horse to a ring in the gate of the Mosque and led the
Prophets in prayer. After that Gabriel took him to the heavens on the same horse. When they
reached the first heaven Gabriel asked the guardian angel to open the door of heaven. It was
opened and he saw Adam, the progenitor of mankind. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) saluted him
and the other welcomed him and expressed his faith in Muhammad’s Prophethood. He saw the souls
of martyrs on his right and those of the wretched on his left.

Gabriel then ascended with the Prophet to the second heaven, asked for opening the gate and there
he saw and saluted John, son of Zachariya (Yahya bin Zakariya) and Jesus, son of Mary. They
returned the salutation, welcomed him and expressed their faith in his Prophethood. Then they
reached the third heaven where they saw Joseph (Yusuf) and saluted him. The latter welcomed the
Prophet and expressed faith in his Prophethood. The Prophet, in the company of Gabriel, then
reached the fourth heaven where he met the Prophet (Idris) and saluted him. Prophet Enoch
returned the salutation and expressed faith in his Prophethood. Then he was carried to the fifth
heaven where he met the Prophet Aaron (Harun) and saluted him. The latter returned the salutation
and expressed faith in his Prophethood. In the sixth heaven he met Moses (Musa) and saluted him.

The latter returned the salutation and expressed faith in his Prophethood. Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) on leaving, saw that Moses began to weep. He asked about the reason. Moses answered
that he was weeping because he witnessed a man sent after him as a Messenger (Muhammad) who
was able to lead more of his people to the Paradise than he himself did. Then Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) reached the seventh heaven and met Abraham (Ibrahim) (Peace be upon him)
and saluted him. The latter returned the salutation and expressed faith in his Prophethood. Then he
was carried to Sidrat-al-Muntaha (the remotest lote tree) and was shown Al-Bait-al-Ma‘mûr [(the
much frequented house) which is like the Ka‘bah (Sacred House) encompassed daily by seventy
thousand angels, so that the angels who once encompassed it would not have their turn again till
the Resurrection]. He was then presented to the Divine Presence and 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. On his
return, he spoke to Moses that his followers had been enjoined to pray fifty times a day. Moses
addressing the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Your followers cannot perform so many prayers.

Go back to your Lord and ask for a remission in number.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned
to Gabriel as if holding counsel with him. Gabriel nodded, “Yes, if you desire,” and ascended with
him to the Presence of Allâh. The All-Mighty Allâh, Glory is to Him, made a reduction of ten prayers.

He then descended and reported that to Moses, who again urged him to request for a further
reduction. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) once more begged his Lord to reduce the number still
further. He went again and again in the Presence of Allâh at the suggestion of Moses for reduction in
the number of prayers till these were reduced to five only. Moses again asked him to implore for
more reduction, but he said: “I feel ashamed now of repeatedly asking my Lord for reduction. I
accept and resign to His Will.” When Muhammad(Peace be upon him) went farther, a Caller was
heard saying: “I have imposed My Ordinance and alleviated the burden of My servants.”
There is however some difference as regards the issue whether the Prophet saw Allâh with his
physical eye or not. Some interpreters say that seeing Allâh with his naked eyes was not confirmed.

Ibn ‘Abbas, on the other hand, says that the word Ru’ya as used in the Noble Qur’ân signifies the
observation with the help of the eye.

In Sûrah An–Najm (Chapter —The Star) we read:

• “Then he approached and came closer.” [53:8]

Here (he) refers to archangel Gabriel, and this context is completely different from that in the
Prophetic tradition of Isra’ and Mi‘raj, where ‘the approach’ relates to that of the Lord, Glory is to
Him.

Some significant suggestive incidents featured the ‘Night Journey’ of the Prophet, of which we could
mention:

1. The Prophet’s breast was cleft by Gabriel, his heart extracted and washed with the water of
Zamzam —a sacred spring in Makkah.

2. In the same context, there were brought to him two gold vessels. There was milk in one,
while the other was full of wine. He was asked to choose either of them, so he selected the
vessel containing milk and drank it. He (the angel) said: “ You have been guided on Al-Fitrah
or you have attained Al-Fitrah. Had you selected wine, your nation would have been misled.”
[It is a symbolic way of saying that good and evil in the form of milk and wine were brought
before the Prophet and he instinctively made a choice for the good. It is very difficult to
render the Arabic term ‘Fitrah’ into English. It denotes the original constitution or
disposition, with which a child comes into this world, as contrasted with qualities or
inclinations acquired during life; besides it refers to the spiritual inclination inherent in man
in his unspoilt state].

3. The Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã told that he saw two manifest rivers, — the Nile and the
Euphrates — and two hidden ones. It appears that the two manifest rivers, the Nile and the
Euphrates, symbolically describe the area in whose fertile valleys, Muhammad’s Message will
settle, and the people whereof will always remain the adherent bearers of Islam that will be
passed on from generation to another. They can by no means suggest that they well up
from the Garden.

4. He had the opportunity to see Malik, the guardian of Hell, with a cheerless frowning face.

Therein, he saw the Hell dwellers, of whom were those who unjustly eat up the property of
the orphans. They have flews similar to those of camels, swallowing red-hot stones and then
issuing out of their backs. There were also the people who take usury with bellies too big to
be able to move around; they are trodden by the people of Pharaoh when these are
admitted into Hell. In the same abode, he saw the adulterers offered tasty fatty meat and
rotten smelly one but they make option for the latter. The licentious women were also there
hanging from their breasts.

5. The ‘Night Journey’ raised a good deal of stir among the people and the sceptical audience
plied Muhammad with all sorts of questions. He told them that he saw the camels of Makkan
merchants to and fro. He also guided them to some of their animals that went astray. He
informed them that he had drunk some of their water while they were fast asleep and left
the container covered.

The disbelievers, however, found it a suitable opportunity to jeer at the Muslims and their creed.

They pestered the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with questions as to the description of the Mosque
at Jerusalem, where he had never gone before and, to the astonishment of many, the Prophet’s
replies furnished the most accurate information about that city. He supplied them with all the news
about their caravans and the routes of their camels. However, all this increased in them nothing but
flight from the Truth, and they accepted nothing but disbelief.

For the true Muslims, however there was nothing unusual about the Night Journey. The All-Mighty
Allâh, Who is Powerful enough to have created the heavens and the earth by an act of His Will, is
surely Powerful enough to take His Messenger beyond the heavens and show him those signs of His
at firsthand which are inaccessible to man otherwise. The disbelievers on their part went to see Abu
Bakr on account of this event, and he readily said: “Yes, I do verify it.” It was on this occasion that
he earned the title of As-Siddiq (the verifier of the truth).

The most eloquent and most concise justification of this ‘Journey’ is expressed in Allâh’s Words:

• “... in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, signs,
etc.)” [17:1].

The Divine rules as regards the Prophets goes as follows:

• “Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he be one of
those who have Faith with certainty.” [6:75]

To Moses, his Lord said:

• “That We may show you (some) of Our Greater Signs.” [20:23]

In order that:

• “He be of those who have Faith with certainty.”
The Prophets, after seeing Allâh’s Signs, will establish their Faith on solid certainty too immune to be
parted with. They are in fact eligible for this Divine privilege because they are the ones who will bear
burdens too heavy for other ordinary people to carry, and in the process of their mission, they will
regard all worldly ordeals and agonies too small to care about.

There are simple facts that emanate from this blessed Journey, and flow along into the flowery
garden of the Prophetic biography; peace and blessings of Allâh be upon its author, Muhammad. The
story of ‘the Night Journey’ as we see in the Noble Qur’ân is epitomised in the first verse of the
Sûrah Isra’(Chapter 17 — The Jourby Night) then there is a quick shift to uncover the shameful
deeds and crimes of the Jews, followed by an admonition saying that the Qur’ân guides to that
which is most just and right. This arrangement is not in fact a mere coincidence. Jerusalem was the
first scene of the Night Journey, and here lies the message directed to the Jews and which explicitly
suggested that they would be discharged of the office of leadership of mankind due to the crimes
they had perpetrated and which no longer justified their occupation of that office. The message
suggested explicitly that the office of leadership would be reinstituted by the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) to hold in his hand both headquarters of the Abrahamic Faith, the Holy
Sanctuary in Makkah and the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem. It was high time for the spiritual
authority to be transferred from a nation whose history got pregnant with treachery, covenantbreaching
and aggression to another nation blessed with piety, and dutifulness to Allâh, with a
Messenger who enjoys the privilege of the Qur’ânic Revelation, which leads to that which is best and
right.

There, however, remains a crucial question waiting to be answered: How could this foreseen
transition of authority be effected while the champion himself (Muhammad) was left deserted and
forsaken stumbling in the hillocks of Makkah? This question per se uncovered the secrets of another
issue which referred to a phase of the Islamic Call and the appearance of another role it was about
to take up, different in its course and noble in its approaches. The forerunners of that new task took
the shape of Qur’ânic verses smacking of direct and unequivocal warning accompanied by a severe
ultimatum directed to the polytheists and their agents:

• “And when We decide to destroy a town (population), We (first) send a definite order (to
obey Allâh and be righteous) to those among them [ or We (first) increase in number those
of its population] who are given the good things of this life. Then, they transgress therein,
and thus the word (of torment) is justified against it (them). Then We destroy it with
complete destruction. And how many generations (past nations) have We destroyed after
Noah! And Sufficient is your Lord as an All-Knower and All-Beholder of the sins of His
slaves.” [17:16, 17]

Together with these verses, there were others revealed to show the Muslims the rules and items of
the civilization upon which they could erect their Muslim community, and foreshadowing their
ownership of a piece of land, exercising full freedom over it and establishing a coherent society
around whose axis the whole humanity would rotate. Those verses in reality implied better
prospects for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) comprising a secure shelter to settle in, and
headquarters safe enough to empower and embolden him to communicate his Message to all the
world at large; that was in fact the inner secret of that blessed journey. For this very wisdom and
the like we deem it appropriate to suggest that ‘the Night Journey’ took place either before the First
Pledge of ‘Aqabah or between the two; after all, Allâh knows best.

THE FIRST ‘AQABAH PLEDGE
We have already spoken about six Madinese who embraced Islam in the pilgrimage season in the
eleventh year of Prophethood. They promised to communicate the Message of Islam to their
townsfolk.

The following year, on the occasion of the pilgrimage, there came a group of twelve disciples ready
to acknowledge Muhammad as their Prophet. The group of men comprised five of the six who had
met the Prophet (Peace be upon him) the year before, the sixth who stayed away was Jabir bin
‘Abdullah bin Reyab, the other seven were:

1. Mu‘adh bin Al-Harith, Ibn ‘Afra, from Khazraj.

2. Dhakwan bin ‘Abd Al-Qais, from Khazraj.

3. ‘Ubadah bin As-Samit, from Khazraj.

4. Yazeed bin Tha‘labah, from Khazraj.

5. ‘Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Ubadah bin Nadalah, from Khazraj.

6. Abul Haitham bin At-Taihan, from Aws.

7. ‘Uwaim bin Sa‘idah, from Aws.

They avowed their faith in Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as a Prophet and swore: “We will not
worship any one but one Allah; we will not steal; neither will we commit adultery, nor kill our
children; we will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood and we will not disobey you in any
just matter.” When they had taken the pledge, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: “He who
carries it out, Allâh will reward him; and who neglects anything and is afflicted in this world, it may
prove redemption for him in the Hereafter; and if the sin remains hidden from the eyes of the men
and no grief comes to him, then his affair is with Allâh. He may forgive him or He may not.”
THE MUSLIM ENVOY IN MADINAH:

After the Pledge (in the form of an oath had been taken) the Prophet (Peace be upon him) sent to
Yathrib (Madinah) Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari, (May Allah be pleased with him) the first Muslim
‘ambassador’ to teach the people there the doctrines of Islam, give them practical guidance and
make attempts at propagating the Islam among those who still professed polytheism. As‘ad bin
Zurarah hosted him in Madinah. So prepared was the ground, and so zealous the propagation that
the Islam spread rapidly from house to house and from tribe to tribe. There were various cheerful
and promising aspects of success that characterized Mus‘ab’s task. One day Mus‘ab and As‘ad were
on their way to the habitations of Bani ‘Abd Al-Ashhal and Bani Zafar, when they went into the
premises of the latter clan. There they sat near a well conversing with some new converts. Sa‘d bin
Mu‘adh and Usaid bin Hudair, chiefs o f the two clans heard of this meeting, so Usaid approached the
Muslims armed with his lance while the other Sa‘d excused himself on grounds that As‘ad was his
maternal cousin. Usaid came closer cursing and swearing and accused the two men of befooling
people weak of heart, and ordered that they stop it altogether. Mus‘ab calmly invited him to sit
saying, “If you are pleased with our talk, you can accept it; should you hold it in abhorrence, you
could freely immunize yourself against what you hate.” “That’s fair,” said Usaid, pierced his lance in
the sand, listened to Mus‘ab and then heard some verses of the Noble Qur’ân. His face bespoke
satisfaction and pleasure before uttering any words of approval. He asked the two men about the
procedures pertinent to embracing Islam. They asked him to observe washing, purge his garment,
bear witness to the Truth and then perform two Rak‘a. He responded and did exactly what he was
asked to do, and then said there was a man (Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh) whose people would never hang b ack
if he followed the Islam. He then left to see Sa‘d and his people. Sa‘d could immediately understand
that Usaid had changed. To a question posed by Sa‘d, Usaid said that two men were ready to
comply with whatever orders they received. He then managed a certain situation that provided the
two men with a chance to talk with Sa‘d privately. The previous scene with Usaid recurred and Sa‘d
embraced Islam, and directly turned to his people swearing that he would never talk with them until
they had believed in Allâh, and in His Messenger. Hardly did the evening of that day arrive when all
the men and women of that sept of Arabians embraced Islam with the exception of one, Al-Usairim,
who hung back until the Day of Uhud. On that day he embraced Islam and fought the polytheists
but was eventually killed before observing any prostration in the way of prayer. The Prophet (Peace
be upon him) commented saying: “He has done a little but his reward is great.”
Mus‘ab stayed in Madinah carrying out his mission diligently and successfully until all the houses of
Al-Ansar (the future Helpers) had Muslims elements, men and women. One family only stood
obdurate to the Islamic Da‘wah (Call). They were under the influence of the poet Qais bin Al-Aslat,
who managed to hold them at bay and screen off the Call of Islam from their ears until the year 5
A.H.

Shortly before the approach of the following pilgrimage season, i.e. the thirteenth year of
Prophethood, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair returned to Makkah carrying to the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
glad tidings about the new fertile soil ofIslam in Madinah, and its environment rich in the prospects
of good, and the power and immunity that that city was bound to provide to the cause of Islam.

THE SECOND ‘AQABAH PLEDGE
The next year, thirteenth of Prophethood, June 622 A.D., during the pilgrimage season, over
seventy converts from Madinah came in the trail of their polytheist people to perform the rituals of
pilgrimage in Makkah. The oft-repeated question amongst them was “Isn’t it high time we protect
Muhammad instead of leaving him forsaken, deserted and stumbling in the hillocks of Makkah?”
Shortly after arrival, they conducted clandestine contacts with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and
agreed to meet him secretly at night in mid Tashreeq Days (the 11th, 12th and 13th days of Dhul
Hijja) in a hillock at Al-‘Aqabah, the last year’s meeting place.

One of the leaders of the Ansâr (Helpers), Ka‘b bin Malik Al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him),
gave an account of the historic meeting which changed the whole course of the struggle between
Islam and paganism, he said:

We set out for pilgrimage and struck a rendezvous in mid Tashreeq Days. We were accompanied by
a celebrity and a notable of ours called ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Haram, who was still a polytheist. We
disclosed to him our intention of meeting Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and exhorted him to join
our ranks and give up polytheism lest he should serve as wood for Hell in the Hereafter. He
promptly embraced Islam and witnessed the serious meeting at Al-‘Aqabah.

That very night we slept with our people in our camps. After a third of the night had elapsed, we
began to leave stealthily and met in a hillock nearby. We were seventy three men and two women
Nusaibah bint Ka‘b from the Najjars and Asma’ bint ‘Amr from Bani Salamah. We waited for the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) until he came in the company of his uncle Al-‘Abbas bin
‘Abdul Muttalib who (though himself not a Muslim), adjured us not to draw his nephew away from
the protection of his own kindred unless we were fully prepared to defend him even at the risk of
our lives. He was the first to speak:

“O you people of the Khazraj — the Arabs used to call the Ansâr (Helpers) Khazraj, whether from
Khazraj or Aws — you all know the position that Muhammad holds among us. We have protected
him from our people as much as we could. He is honoured and respected among his people. He
refuses to join any party except you. So if you think you can carry out what you promise while
inviting him to your town, and if you can defend him against the enemies, then assume the burden
that you have taken. But if you are going to surrender him and betray him after having taken him
away with you, you had better leave him now because he is respected and well defended in his own
place.”
Ka‘b replied: “We have heard your words, and now O Messenger of Allâh, it is for you to speak and
take from us any pledge that you want regarding your Lord and yourself.”
It was a definite stance showing full determination, courage and deep faith to shoulder the daunting
responsibility and bear its serious consequences.

The Messenger of Allâh then preached the Faith, and the pledge was taken. Al-Imam Ahmad, on the
authority of Jabir, gave the following details:

The Ansâr (Helpers) asked the Messenger of Allâh about the principles over which they would take a
pledge. The Prophet answered:

1. To listen and obey in all sets of circumstances.

2. To spend in plenty as well as in scarcity.

3. To enjoin good and forbid evil.

4. In Allâh’s service, you will fear the censure of none.

5. To defend me in case I seek your help, and debar me from anything you debar yourself,
your spouses and children from. And if you observe those precepts, Paradise is in store for
you.

In another version narrated by Ka‘b, he said:

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) began to speak, recited some Qur’ânic verses, called people unto
Allâh, exhorted them to enter the fold of Islam and concluded saying: “I give you my pledge that
you debar me from whatever you debar your women and children from.” Here Al-Bara’ bin Ma‘rur,
caught him by hand, and said: “Oh yes, we swear by Allâh, Who sent you as a Prophet in Truth, that
we will debar you from whatever we debar our women from. Have confidence in us, O Messenger of
Allâh. By Allâh, we are genuine fighters and quite reliable in war, it is a trait passed down to us from
our ancestors.”
Then ‘Abul Haitham At-Taihan interrupted and said: “O Prophet of Allâh! Between us and the Jews,
there are agreements which we would then s ever. If Allâh grants you power and victory, should we
expect that you would not leave us, and join the ranks of your people (meaning Quraish)?” The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) smiled and replied:

• “Nay, 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.”
After the negotiations concerning the conditions of allegiance had ended, and all of the audience
were unanimously agreed to ratify it, two men of the early generation of converts who had
embraced Islam in the eleventh and twelfth years rose to their feet to apprise the others of the
serious step they were about to take so that they could give their pledge fully aware of the whole
affair and consequently be ready for the sacrifice they were expected to make. Al ‘Abbas bin Ubada
bin Nadlah, in this context, remarked: “O you people of Khazraj! Do you know the significance of the
pact that you are entering into with this man? You are in fact avowing that you will fight against all
and sundry. If you fear that your property will be at stake or the lives of your nobles will be
endangered, then leave him now, because if you do this after the pledge, it will be degrading for you
both in this world and the world to come. But if you think that you can carry out what you are called
upon to do in spite of the loss of precious lives and property, then undertake this heavy
responsibility, and I swear by Allâh, that herein lies the good of this world and that of the next.”
They replied, “We have already considered the loss of property and the murder of our notables, yet
we pay him allegiance. But what is our reward if we observe all the items of this pact?” The Prophet
replied: “Paradise is in store for you.” Then they asked him to stretch out his hand, and they all
stretched out their hands and took the pledge. Only at that time did As‘ad bin Zurarah come to
realize the people’s readiness for sacrifice in the cause of Allâh.

On the authority of Jabir, who said: “When we started to pay allegiance to the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) , As‘ad bin Zurarah stood up and gave the following short address: “Take it easy people
of Yathrib! We have not covered that long distance except because we have had deep belief that he
(Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ) is the Messenger of Allâh. We are already convinced that
following him entails departure from the pagan Arabs even if it were at the risk of our life. Should
you preserve in this course, holdfast to it, and your great reward is placed in the Hand of Allâh, but
if you are caught in fear, I admonish you to give it up just now, and then you would be more
excusable by Allâh.”
With respect to the two women, the pledge was taken orally for the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
had never shaken hands with a strange lady.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) then asked the group to appoint twelve deputies to preach Islam
to their people in Madinah, to shoulder the responsibility of implementing the articles of this pledge
and to guide the respective men of their own tribes in matters relating to the propagation of Islam.

The deputies elected were nine from Al-Khazraj: As‘ad bin Zurarah bin ‘Ads, Sa‘d bin Ar-Rabi‘ bin
‘Amr, ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah bin Tha‘labah, Rafi‘ bin Malik bin Al-‘Ajlan, Al-Bara’ bin Ma‘rur bin
Sakhr, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Haram, ‘Ubadah bin As-Samit bin Qais, Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah bin Dulaim
and Al-Mundhir bin ‘Amr bin Khunais. Three others were from Al-Aws: Usaid bin Hudair bin
Sammak, Sa‘d bin Khaithamah bin Al-Harith and Rifa‘a bin ‘Abdul Mundhir bin Zubair. Once again,
those twelvemen were sworn to act as surety over the affairs of their people just as the Christ’s
disciples did, and the Prophet would act as surety over his people, meaning all the Muslims.

Somehow or other, the news of these secret desert meetings with the Madinese leaked out. The
Prophet immediately knew that it was a certain pudgy ugly devil, inhabited in Al-‘Aqabah, who
discovered their meeting, and he threatened to settle his account with him as soon as possible.

On hearing this, Al-‘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, back
to your camps.” They went back to sleep till morning.

No sooner did Quraish hear of this treaty than a kind of trouble-provoking tumult began to
mushroom in all directions. They realized quite fully that an allegiance of this sort is bound to
produce far-reaching ramifications of direct impact on their lives and wealth. The following day, a
large delegation comprising the leaders and arch-criminals of Makkah set out for the camp of the
Madinese to protest severely against the treaty. They addressed the Madinese: “O people of
Khazraj, it transpired to us that you have come here to conclude a treaty with this man
(Muhammad) and evacuate him out of Makkah. By Allâh, we do really hold in abhorrence any sort of
fight between you and us.”
The Madinese polytheists having known nothing about the secretly taken pledge, began to swear by
Allâh and answered in good faith that there was no truth in the report. ‘Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul,
a Madinese polytheist, refuted their allegations denouncing them as null and void, claiming that his
people would never initiate anything unless he gave them clear orders.

The Madinese Muslims, however, remained silent neither negating nor confirming. The Quraishite
leaders seemed to be almost convinced by the arguments presented by the polytheists, and went
back home frustrated. However, they did not fully acquiesce in the words they heard. They began to
scrutinize the smallest details, and trace the minutest news till it was established beyond a shadow
of doubt that the pact did take place, but that was after the Madinese pilgrims had left Makkah. In a
fit of rage, they pursued the pilgrims but did not succeed in catching hold of anyone except Sa‘d bin
‘Ubadah. They subjected him to unspeakable tortures, but he was later rescued by Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi
and Harith bin Harb bin Omaiya with whom he had trade relations.

That is the story of the Second ‘Aqabah Pledge, later known as the Great ‘Aqabah Pledge, effected in
an atmosphere of love, allegiance and mutual support between Madinese believers and weak
Makkan Muslims. This new spirit of affection, rapport and cooperation could never be attributable to
a fleeing whim, on the contrary, it totally derived from an already d eeply-established approach, viz.

Belief in Allâh, His Messenger and His Book. It was a Belief so rooted in the selves that it managed
to stand immune to all powers of injustice and aggression, and could be translated into miracles in
the practical aspects of action and ideology pursuit. That sort of Belief was the real instrument for
the Muslims to record in the annals of history unprecedented breakthroughs. We are also sure that
the future will always remain wanting as regards those great achievements carried out by those
great men.

THE VANGUAD OF MIGRATION (in the Cause of Allâh)
After the endorsement of the Second ‘Aqabah Pledge and the establishment of a petite Muslim state
in a vast desert surging with disbelief and ignorance — the most serious gain in terms of Islam —,
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave his leave for the Muslims to migrate to Madinah, the nascent
Muslim state.

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 killed either at the beginning or end of his departure.

The future was foggy, pregnant with various unpredictable sorts of sorrows and crises.

Bearing all this in mind, the Muslims began to migrate, while the polytheists spared no effort in
hindering and debarring them, knowing beforehand that such a move implied unimaginable threats
and unthinkable destructive dangers to their whole society:

1. The first one to migrate was Abu Salamah, a year before the Great ‘Aqabah Pledge. When
he had made up his mind to leave Makkah, his in-laws, in a desperate attempt to raise
obstacles, detained his wife and snatched his son and dislocated his hand. Umm Salamah,
after the departure of her husband and the loss of her son spent a year by herself weeping
and lamenting. A relative of hers eventually had pity on her and exhorted the others to
release her son and let her join her husband. She then set out on a journey of 500
kilometres with no help whatsoever. At a spot called At-Tan‘im, ‘Uthman bin Talhah came
across her and offered to give her a ride to Madinah. She, along with her son, joined Abu
Salamah in the village of Quba’, a suburb of Madinah.

2. Another instance of the atrocities of the polytheist Makkans, as regards migration, is Suhaib.

This man expressed his wish to migrate and of course this was a source of indignation to the
disbelievers. They began to insult him claiming that he had come into Makkah as a worthless
tramp, but their town was gracious enough and thanks to them he managed to make a lot of
money and become wealthy. They gave orders that he would not leave. Seeing this, he
offered to give away all his wealth to them. They eventually agreed to release him on that
condition. The Prophet heard this story and commented on it saying:

• “Suhaib is the winner, after all.”
3. Then, there was the story of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, ‘Ayyash bin Abi Rabi‘a and Hisham bin
Al-‘Asi, who agreed to meet at a certain place one morning in order to leave for Madinah;
‘Umar and ‘Ayyash came but Hisham was detained by the Makkans.

Shortly afterwards Abu Jahl, and his brother Al-Harith came to Madinah to see their third brother
‘Ayyash. They cunningly tried to touch the most sensitive area in man, i.e. his relation with his
mother. They addressed him claiming that his mother had sworn she would never comb her hair,
nor shade herself off the sun unless she had seen him. ‘Ayyash took pity on his mother, but ‘Umar
was intelligent enough to understand that they wanted to entice ‘Ayyash away from Islam so he
cautioned him against their tricks, and added “your mother would comb her hair if lice pestered her,
and would shade herself off if the sun of Makkah got too hot for h er.” These words notwithstanding,
‘Ayyash was determined to go and see his mother, so ‘Umar gave him his manageable docile camel
advising him to stick to its back because it would provide rescue for him if he perceived anything
suspicious on their part. The party of three then set forth towards Makkah. As soon as they covered
part of the distance, Abu Jahl complained about his camel and requested ‘Ayyash to allow him to
ride behind him on his camel. When they knelt down to the level of the ground, the two p olytheists
fell upon ‘Ayyash and tied him. They rode on into Makkah shouting at people to follow their example
with respect to ‘fools’
These are just three self-explanatory models of the Makkans’ reaction towards anyone intending to
migrate. Nevertheless, the believers still managed to escape in successive groups and so rapidly
that within two months of the Second ‘Aqabah Pledge, entire quarters of Makkah were deserted.

Almost all the followers of Muhammad had migrated to their new abode, except Abu Bakr, ‘Ali, the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself, and those helpless noble souls who had been detained in
confinement or were unable to escape. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) , together with Abu Bakr
and ‘Ali, had made all the necessary preparations for migration but was waiting for leave from his
Lord.

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

The situation was no doubt critical in Makkah but Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was not at all
perturbed. Abu Bakr was, however, urging the Prophet to depart from that town. He was also
eagerly waiting for an opportunity to accompany Muhammad (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.

IN AN-NADWAH (COUNCIL) HOUSE THE PARLIAMENT OF QURAISH
The polytheists were paralysed by the carefully planned and speedy movement of Muhammad’s
followers towards their new abode in Madinah. They were caught in unprecedented anxiety and got
deeply worried over their whole pagan and economic entity. 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). Al-Aws
and Al-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 rancour 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 polytheists 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 Prophethood / 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 one item on the agenda: How to take effective measures with a view to
stopping that tidal wave. Delegates representing all the Quraishite tribes attended the meeting, the
most significant of whom were:

1. Abu Jahl bin Hisham, from Bani Makhzum;
2. Jubair bin Mut‘im, Tuaima bin ‘Adi, and Al-Harith bin ‘Amir representing Bani Naufal bin ‘Abd
Munaf;
3. Rabi‘a’s two sons Shaibah and ‘Utbah besides Abu Sufyan bin Harb from Bani ‘Abd Shams
bin ‘Abd Munaf;
4. An-Nadr bin Al-Harith (who had besmeared the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with animal
entrails) to speak for Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar;
5. Abul Bukhtary bin Hisham, Zama‘a bin Al-Aswad and Hakeem bin Hizam to represent Bani
Asad bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza;
6. Al-Hajjaj’s two sons Nabih and Munbih from Bani Sahm;
7. Omaiyah bin Khalaf from Bani Jumah.

On their way to An-Nadwah House, Iblis (Satan) in the guise of a venerable elderly man standing at
the door interrupted their talk and introduced himself as a man from Najd curious enough to attend
the meeting, listen to the debate and wish them success to reach a sound opinion. He was readily
admitted in.

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 Jahl bin Hisham suggested that
they assassinate him. But assassination by one man would have exposed him and his family to the
vengeance of blood. The difficulty was at last solved by Abu Jahl himself, who suggested that a band
of young men, one from each tribe, should strike Muhammad simultaneously with their swords so
that the blood-money would be spread over them all and therefore could not be exacted, and his
people would seek a mind-based recourse for settlement. The sinful proposal was unanimously
accepted, and the representatives broke up the meeting and went back home with full determination
for immediate implementation.

MIGRATION OF THE PROPHET (Peace be upon him) :

When the iniquitous decision had been made, Gabriel was sent down to Muhammad (Peace be upon
him) to reveal to him Quraish’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. 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, to which the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) gave his consent.

To make the necessary preparations for the implementation of their devilish plan, the chiefs of
Makkah had chosen eleven men: Abu Jahl, Hakam bin Abil Al-‘As, ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait, An-Nadr bin
Harith, Omaiyah bin Khalaf, Zama‘a bin Al-Aswad, Tu‘aima bin ‘Adi, Abu Lahab, Ubai bin Khalaf,
Nabih bin Al-Hajjaj and his brother Munbih bin Al-Hajjaj. All were on the alert. As night advanced,
they posted assassins around the Prophet’s house. Thus they kept vigil all night long, waiting to kill
him the moment he left his house early in the morning, peeping now and then through a hole in the
door to make sure that he was still lying in his bed. Abu Jahl, the great enemy of Islam, used to
walk about haughtily and arrogantly jeering at Muhammad’s words, saying to the people around
him: “Muhammad claims that if you follow him, he will appoint you rulers over the Arabs and non-
Arabs and in the Hereafter your reward will be Gardens similar to those in Jordan, otherwise, he will
slaughter you and after death you will be burnt in fire.” He was too confident of the success of his
devilish plan. Allâh, the All-Mighty, however, in Whose Hands lie the sovereignty of the heavens and
earth, does what He desires; He renders succour and can never be overpowered. He did exactly
what He later said to His Prophet:

• “And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you [O Muhammad (Peace be
upon him)] to imprison you, or to kill you, or to get you out (from your home, i.e. Makkah);
they were plotting and Allâh too was planning, and Allâh is the Best of the planners.” [8:30]

At that critical time the plans of Quraish utterly failed despite the tight siege they laid to the
Prophet’s house, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and ‘Ali were inside the house. The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) told ‘Ali to sleep in his bed and cover himself with his green mantle and
assured him full security under Allâh’s protection and told him that no harm would come to him. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) then came out of the room and cast a handful of dust a t the assassins
and managed to work his way through them reciting verses of the Noble Qur’ân:

• “And We have put a barrier before them, and a barrier behind them, and We have
covered them up, so that they cannot see.” [36:9]

He proceeded direct to the h ouse of Abu Bakr who, immediately accompanied him and both set out
southwards, clambered up the lofty peak of Mountain Thawr, and decided to take refuge in a cave.

The assassins who laid siege to the house were waiting for the zero hour when someone came and
informed them that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had already left. They rushed in and to their
utter surprise, found that the person lying in the Prophet’s bed was ‘Ali not Muhammad (Peace be
upon him). This created a stir in the whole town. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had thus left his
house on Safar 27th, the fourteenth year of Prophethood, i.e. 12/13 September 622 A.D.

Knowing already that Quraish would mobilize all its potentials to find him, he played a clever trick on
them and instead of taking the road to Madinah in north side of Makkah as the polythiest would
expect, he walked along a road least expected lying south of Makkah and leading to Yemen. He
walked for 5 miles until he reached a rough rocky mountain called Thawr. There his shoes were
worn out, some said he used to walk tiptoe in order not to leave a trail behind him. Abu Bakr (May
Allah be pleased with him) carried him up the mountain to a cave called after the name of the
mountain, Cave Thawr. Abu Bakr first entered to explore the cave and be sure that it was safe,
closed all holes with pieces torn off from his clothes, cleaned it and then asked the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) to step in. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) went in and immediately laid his head in
Abu Bakr’s lap and fell asleep. Suddenly Abu Bakr’s foot was stung by a poisonous insect. It hurt so
much that his tears fell on the Prophet’s face. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) immediately applied
his saliva on Abu Bakr’s foot and the pain went off on the spot. They confined themselves to this
cave for three nights, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. ‘Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr would go to see
them after dusk, stay the night there, apprise them of the latest situation in Makkah, and then leave
in the early morning to mix with the Makkans as usual and not to draw the least attention to his
clandestine activities. ‘Amir bin Fuhairah, while in the company of other shepherds of Makkah
tending his master Abu Bakr’s flock, used to stole away unobserved every evening with a few goats
to the cave and furnished its inmates with a plentiful supply of milk.

Quraish, on the other hand, were quite baffled and exasperated when the news of the escape of the
two companions was confirmed. They brought ‘Ali to Al-Ka‘bah, beat him brutally and confined him
there for an hour attempting desperately to make him divulge the secret of the disappearance of the
two ‘fugitives’, but to no avail. They then went to see Asma’, Abu Bakr’s daughter, but here also
their attempts went in vain. While at her door Abu Jahl slapped the girl so severely that her earring
broke up.

The notables of Makkah convened an emergency session to determine the future course of action
and explore all areas that could help arrest the two men. They decided to block all avenues leading
out of Makkah and imposed heavy armed surveillance over all potential exits. A price of 100 camels
was set upon the head of each one. Horsemen, infantry and tracers of tracks scoured the country.

Once they even reached the mouth of the cave where the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and Abu
Bakr were hiding. When he saw the enemy at a very close distance, Abu Bakr whispered to the
Prophet (Peace be upon him): “What, if they were to look through the crevice and detect us?” The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) in his God-inspired calm replied:

• “Silence Abu Bakr! What do you think of those two with whom the Third is Allâh.”
It was really a Divine miracle, the chasers were only a few steps from the cave.

For three days Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr lived in the cave and Quraish
continued their frantic efforts to get hold of them.

Someone called ‘Abdullah bin Uraiquit, who had as yet not embraced Islam, but was trusted by Abu
Bakr, and had been hired by him as a guide, reached the cave after three nights according to a plan
bringing with him Abu Bakr’s two camels. His report satisfied the noble ‘fugitives’ that the search
had slackened. The opportunity to depart was come. Here Abu Bakr offered the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) the swift animal to ride on. The latter agreed provided that he would pay its price. They
took with them the food provisions that Asma’, daughter of Abu Bakr, brought and tied in a bundle
of her waistband, after tearing it into two parts, hence the appellation attached to her: “Asma’ of the
two waistbands.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him), Abu Bakr and ‘Amir bin Fuhairah departed, and
their guide ‘Abdullah bin Uraiquit led them on hardly ever trodden ways along the coastal route.

That was in Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, 1st year A.H., i.e. September 622 A.D. The little caravan travelled
through many villages on their way to Quba’. In this context, it is relevant to introduce some
interesting incidents that featured their wearying journey:

1. One day they could find no shelter from the scorching heat so Abu Bakr (May Allah be
pleased with him) cast a glance and found a little shade beside a rock. He cleaned the
ground, spread his mantle for the Prophet(Peace be upon him) to lie on and himself went off
in search of food. He came across a shepherd, a bedouin boy, who was also seeking a
shelter. Abu Bakr asked him for some milk and took it to the Prophet (Peace be upon him),
cooled it with some water and waited till the Prophet (Peace be upon him) woke up and
quenched his thirst.

2. Whoever asked Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) about the identity of his
honourable companion, he would reply that he was a man who guided him on his way. The
questioner would think that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was a guide, in terms of roads,
whereas Abu Bakr used to mean guide to the way of righteousness.

3. Quraish, as we have already mentioned, had declared that whoever would seize Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) would receive a hundred camels as reward. This had spurred many
persons to try their luck. Among those who were on the lookout for the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) and his companion in order to win the reward was Suraqah, the son of Malik. He,
on receiving information that a party of four, had been spotted on a certain route, decided
to pursue it secretly so that he alone should be the winner of the reward. He mounted a
swift horse and went in hot pursuit of them. On the way the horse stumbled and he fell on
the ground. On drawing a lot so as to divine whether he should continue the chase or not, as
the Arabs used to do in such circumstances, he found the omens unpropitious. But the lust
for material wealth blinded him altogether and he resumed the chase. Once more he met
with the same fate but paid no heed to it. Again he jumped onto the saddle and galloped at
a break-neck speed till he came quite close to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Abu Bakr’s
heart agitated and he kept looking back while the Prophet (Peace be upon him) remained
steadfast and continued reciting verses of the Qur’ân.

• The repeated stumbling of Suraqah’s horse and his falling off awakened him to the
situation, and he realized that it was a constant warning of Allâh for his evil design which he
contemplated against the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He approached the travelling group
with a penitent heart and begged of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) forgiveness in all
humility. He addressed the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his companion, saying: “Your
people (the Quraishites) have promised a generous reward to anyone who captures you.” He
added that he offered them provision but they declined his offer. They only asked him to
screen off their departure and blind the polytheists to their hiding place. Then the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) forgave him and confirmed it with a token written by ‘Amir bin
Fuhairah on a piece of parchment. Suraqah hurried back to Makkah and tried to foil the
attempts of those who were in pursuit of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his noble
companions. The sworn enemy was converted into an honest believer.

In a version by Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him), he said: “We emigrated while the
Makkans were in pursuit of us. None caught up with us except Suraqah bin Malik bin
Ju‘sham on a horse. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allâh, this one has caught up with us.’ The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied:

• ‘Don’t be cast down, verily, Allâh is with us.’”
4. The party continued its journey until it reached to solitary tents belonging to a woman called
Umm Ma‘bad Al-Khuza‘iyah. She was a gracious lady who sat at her tent-door with a mat
spread out for any chance traveller that might pass by the way. Fatigued and thirsty, the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his companions wanted to refresh themselves with food
and some milk. The lady told them that the flock was out in the pasture and the goat
standing nearby was almost dry. It was a rainless year. The Prophet (Peace be upon him),
with her permission, touched its udders, reciting over them the Name of Allâh, and to their
great joy, there flowed plenty of milk out of them. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) first
offered that to the lady of the house, and he shared what was left with the members of the
party. Before he left, he milked the goat, filled the container and gave it to Umm Ma‘bad.

Later on, her husband arrived with slender goats hardly having any milk in their udders. He
was astonished to see milk in the house. His wife told him that a blessed man passed by the
way, and then she gavedetails about his physical appearance and manner of talk. Here Abu
Ma‘bad realized on the spot that the man was the one whom Q uraish were searching for and
asked her to give full description of him. She gave a wonderful account of his physique and
manners, to which we will go in detail later in the process of talking about his attributes and
merits.

• Abu Ma‘bad, after listening to his wife’s account, expressed a sincere wish to accompany
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) whenever that was possible, and reiterated his admiration
in verses of poetry that echoed all over Makkah to such an extent that the people therein
thought it was a jinn inculcating words in their ears. Asma’, daughter of Abu Bakr, on
hearing those lines, got to know that the two companions were heading for Madinah . The
short poem opened with thanks giving to Allâh having given them (the Ma‘bads) the chance
to host the Prophet (Peace be upon him) for a while. It then gave an account of the bliss
that would settle in the heart of the Prophet’s companion whosoever he was; it closed with
an invitation to all mankind to come and see by themselves Umm Ma‘bad, her goat and the
container of milk that would all testify to the truthfulness of the Prophet (Peace be upon
him).

5. On his way to Madinah , the Prophet (Peace be upon him) met Abu Buraidah, one of those
driven by their lust for the reward of Quraish. No sooner did he face the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) and talk with him, than he embraced Islam along with seventy of his men. He
took off his turban, tied it round his lance and took it as a banner bearing witness that the
angel of security and peace had come to imbue the whole world with justice and fairness.

6. The two Emigrants resumed their journey. It was during this time that they met Az-Zubair
at the head of a caravan returning from Syria. There was warm greeting and Az-Zubair
presented to them two white garments which they thankfully accepted.

On Monday, 8th Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the fourteenth year of Prophethood, i.e. September 23rd. 622, the
Messenger of Allâh arrived at Quba’.

As soon as the news of Muhammad’s arrival began to spread, crowds came flocking out of Madinah .

They would come every morning and wait eagerly for his appearance until forced by the unbearable
heat of the midday sun to return. One day they had gone as usual, and after a long wait and watch
they retired to the city when a Jew, catching a glimpse of three travellers clad in white winding their
way to Madinah , shouted from the top of a hillock: “O you people of Arabia! Your grandfather has
come! He, whom you have been eagerly waiting for, has come!” The Muslims immediately rushed
holding their weapons, (to defend him). The joyful news soon spread through the city and people
marched forward to greet their noble guest.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “The shouts of ‘Allâhu Akbar’ (Allâh is Great) resounded in Banu ‘Amr bin ‘Auf.

Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) elation correspondingly increased, but with rare sense of timing
and propriety, called a halt. Serenity enveloped him and the ñ evelation was sent down:

• “... then verily, Allâh is his Maula (Lord, Master or Protector), and Gabriel, and the
righteous among the believers, - and furthermore, the angels - are his helpers.” [66:4]

‘Urwah bin Az-Zubair said: They received the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), and went
with them to the right. There Banu ‘Amr bin ‘Awf hosted him. That was on Monday, Rabi‘ Al-Awwal.

He sat down silent, and Al-Ansar (the Helpers), who had not had the opportunity to see him before,
came in to greet him: It is said that the sun became too hot so Abu Bakr stood up to shade him
from the hot sun rays. It was really an unprecedented day in Madinah . The Jews could perceive
concretely the veracity of their Prophet Habquq, who said: ‘God has come from At-Taiman, and the
Qudus one from Faran Mount.’
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) stayed in Quba’ with Kulthum bin Al-Hadm, a hospitable chief of
the tribe of ‘Amr bin ‘Awf. Here he spent four days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday . It
was during this period that the foundation of Quba’ Mosque was laid on the basis of pure piety. ‘Ali
hung back in Makkah for three days to return the trusts, on behalf of the Prophet (Peace be upon
him), to their respective owners. After that he started his emigration journey to catch up with him at
Quba’.

On Friday morning, the Prophet (Peace be upon him), sent for Bani An-Najjar, his maternal uncles,
to come and escort him and Abu Bakr to Madinah . He rode towards the new headquarters amidst
the cordial greetings of his Madinese followers who had lined his path. He halted at a place in the
vale of Banu Salim and there he performed his Friday prayer w ith a hundred others. Meanwhile the
tribes and families of Madinah , the new name for Yathrib and a short form of ‘The Messenger’s
Madinah (City)’, came streaming forth, and vied with one another in inviting the noble visitor to
their homes. The girls of the Madinese used to chant beautiful verses of welcome rich in all
meanings of obedience and dutifulness to the new Messenger.

Though not wealthy, every Ansar (Helper) was wholeheartedly eager and anxious to receive the
Messenger in his house. It was indeed a triumphal procession. Around the camel of Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) and his immediate followers, rode the chiefs of the city in their best raiment
and in glittering armour, everyone saying: “Alight here O Messenger of Allâh, abide by us.”
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to answer everyone courteously and kindly: “This camel is
commanded by Allâh, wherever it stops, that will be my abode.”
The camel moved onward with slackened rein, reached the site of the Prophetic Mosque and knelt
down. He did not dismount until it rose up again, went on forward, turned back and then returned to
kneel down in the very former spot. Here, he alighted in a quarter inhabited by Banu Najjar, a tribe
related to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) from the maternal side. In fact, it was his wish to
honour his maternal uncles and live among them. The fortunate host, Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, stepped
forward with unbounded joy for the Divine blessing appropriated to him, welcomed the Noble Guest
and solicited him to enter his house.

A few days later, there arrived the Prophet’s spouse Sawdah, his two daughters Fatimah and Umm
Kulthum, Usama bin Zaid, Umm Aiman, ‘Abdullah — son of Abu Bakr with Abu Bakr’s house-hold
including ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her). Zainab was not a ble to emigrate and stayed with
her husband Abi Al-‘As till Badr Battle.

‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: “When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
arrived in Madinah , both Abu Bakr and Bilal fell ill. I used to attend to their needs. When the fever
took firm grip of Abu Bakr he used to recite verses of poetry that smacked of near death; Bilal,
when the fit of fever alleviated, would also recite verses of poetry that pointed to clear
homesickness.” ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) added:

“I briefed the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on their grave situation, and he replied: O Allâh, we
entreat You to establish in our hearts a strong love for Madinah equal to that we used to have for
Makkah, or even more. O Allâh, bless and increase the wealth of Madinah and we beseech You to
transmute its rotten mud into wholesome edible fat.”
LIFE IN MADINAH:

The Madinese era could be divided into three phases:

1. The first phase was characterized by too much trouble and discord, and too many obstacles
from within coupled by a hostile wave from without aiming at total extermination of the
rising faith. It ended with Al-Hudaibiyah Peace Treaty in Dhul Qa‘da 6 A.H.

2. The second phase featured a truce with the pagan leadership and ended in the conquest of
Makkah in Ramadan 8 A.H. It also witnessed the Prophet (Peace be upon him) inviting kings
beyond Arabia to enter the fold of Islam.

3. In the third phase, people came to embrace Islam in hosts. Tribes and other folks arrived in
Madinah to pay homage to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). It ended at the death of the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) in Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 11 A.H.

THE FIRST PHASE THE STATUS QUO IN MADINAH AT THE TIME OF EMIGRATION
Emigration to Madinah could never be attributable to attempts to escape from jeers and oppression
only, but it also constituted a sort of cooperation with the aim of erecting the pillars of a new society
in a secure place. Hence it was incumbent upon every capable Muslim to contribute to building this
new homeland, immunizing it and holding up its prop. As a leader and spiritual guide, there was no
doubt the Noble Messenger (Peace be upon him), in whose hands exclusively all affairs would be
resolved.

In Madinah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had to deal with three distinctively different categories
of people with different respective problems:

1. His Companions, the noble and Allâh fearing elite (May Allah be pleased with them).

2. Polytheists still detached from the Islam and were purely Madinese tribes.

3. The Jews.

1. As for his Companions, the conditions of life in Madinah were totally different from those
they experienced in Makkah. There, in Makkah, they used to strive for one corporate target,
but physically, they were scattered, overpowered and forsaken. They were helpless in terms
of pursuing their new course of orientation. Their means, socially and materially, fell short of
establishing a new Muslim community. In parallel lines, the Makkan Chapters of the Noble
Qur’ân were confined to delineating the Islamic precepts, enacting legislations pertaining to
the believers individually and enjoining good and piety and forbidding evils and vices.

In Madinah , things were otherwise; here all the affairs of their life rested in their hands.

Now, they were at ease and could quite confidently handle the challenges of civilization,
construction, means of living, economics, politics, government administration, war and
peace, codification of the questions of the allowed and prohibited, worship, ethics and all the
relevant issues. In a nutshell, they were in Madinah at full liberty to erect the pillars of a
new Muslim community not only utterly different from that pre-Islamic code of life, but also
distinctive in its features in the world at large. It was a society that could stand for the
Islamic Call for whose sake the Muslims had been put to unspeakable tortures for 10 years.

No doubt, the construction of a society that runs in line with this type of ethics cannot be
accomplished overnight, within a month or a year. It requires a long time to build during
which legislation and legalization will run gradually in a complementary process with mind
cultivation, training and education. Allâh, the All-Knowing, of course undertook legislation
and His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), implementation and orientation:

• “He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger [Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them
(from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this
Qur’ân, Islamic laws and Islamic Jurisprudence) and Al-Hikmah [As-Sunna: legal
ways, orders, acts of worship, etc. of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon
him)].” [62:2]

The Prophet’s Companion (May Allah be pleased with), rushed enthusiastically to assimilate
these Qur’ânic rules and fill their hearts joyfully with them:

• “And when His Verses (this Qur’ân) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses)
increase their Faith.” [8:2]

With respect to the Muslims, this task constituted the greatest challenge for the Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him). In fact, this very purpose lay at the heart of the Islamic Call
and the Muhammadan mission; it was never an incidental issue though there were the
matters that required urgent addressing.

The Muslims in Madinah consisted virtually of two parties: The first one already settled down
in their abode, land and wealth, fully at ease, but seeds of discord amongst them were
deeply seated and chronic enmity continually evoked; they were Al-Ansar (the Helpers). The
second party were Al-Muhajirun (the Emigrants), homeless, jobless and penniless. Their
number was not small, on the contrary, it was increasing day by day after the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) had given them the green light to leave for Madinah whose economic
structure, originally not that prosperous one, began to show signs of imbalance aggravated
by the economic boycott that the anti-Islamic groups imposed and consequently imports
diminished and living conditions worsened.

2. The purely Madinese polytheists constituted the second sector with whom the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) had to deal. Those people had no control at all over the Muslim. Some
of them nursed no grudge against the Muslims, but were rather skeptical of their ancestors’
religious practices, and developed tentative inclination towards Islam and before long they
embraced the new faith and were truly devoted to Allâh. However, some others harboured
evil intentions against the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his followers but were too
cowardly to resist them publicly, they were rather, under those Islamically favourable
conditions, obliged to fake amicability and friendliness. ‘Abdullah bin Ubai, who had almost
been given presidency over Al-Khazraj and Al-Aws tribes in the wake of Bu‘ath War between
the two tribes, came at the head of that group of hypocrites. The Prophet’s advent and the
vigorous rise of the new spirit of Islam foiled that orientation and the idea soon went into
oblivion. He, seeing another one, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), coming to deprive him
and his agents of the prospective temporal privileges, could not be pleased, and for
overriding reasons he showed pretension to Islam but with horrible disbelief deeply-rooted
in his heart. He also used to exploit some events and weak-hearted new converts in
scheming malevolently against the true believers.

3. The Jews (the Hebrews), who had migrated to Al-Hijaz from Syria following the Byzantine
and Assyrian persecution campaigns, were the third category existent on the demographic
scene in Madinah. In their new abode they assumed the Arabian stamp in dress, language
and manner of life and there were instances of intermarriage with the local Arabs, however
they retained their ethnic particularism and detached themselves from amalgamation with
the immediate environment. They even used to pride in their Jewish-Israeli origin, and
spurn the Arabs around designating them as illiterate meaning brutal, naïve and backward.

They desired the wealth of their neighbours to be made lawful to them and they could thus
appropriate it the way they liked.

• “… because they say: “There is no blame on us to betray and take the properties of the
illiterates (Arabs)” [3:75]

Religiously, they showed no zeal; their most obvious religious commodity was fortunetelling,
witchcraft and the secret arts (blowing on knots), for which they used to attach to themselves
advantages of science and spiritual precedence.

They excelled at the arts of earning money and trading. They in fact monopolized trading in cereals,
dates, wine, clothes, export and import. For the services they offered to the Arabs, the latter paid
heavily. Usury was a common practice amongst them, lending the Arab notables great sums to be
squandered on mercenary poets, and in vanity avenues, and in return seizing their fertile land given
as surety.

They were very good at corrupting and scheming. They used to sow seeds of discord between
adjacent tribes and entice each one to hatch plots against the other with the natural corollary of
continual exhaustive bloody fighting. Whenever they felt that fire of hatred was about to subside,
they would nourish it with new means of perpetuity so that they could always have the upper hand,
and at the same time gain heavy interest rates on loans spent on inter-tribal warfare.

Three famous tribes of Jews constituted the demographic presence in Yathrib (now Madinah): Banu
Qainuqua‘, allies of Al-Khazraj tribe, Banu An-Nadir and Banu Quraizah who allied Al-Aws and
inhabited the suburbs of Madinah.

Naturally they held the new changes with abhorrence and were terribly hateful to them, simply
because the Messenger of Allâh was of a different race, and this point was in itself too repugnant for
them to reconcile with. Second, Islam came to brabout a spirit of rapport, to terminate the state of
enmity and hatred, and to establish a social regime based on denunciation of the prohibited and
promotion of the allowed. Adherence to these canons of life implied paving the way for an Arab
unity that could work to the prejudice of the Jews and their interests at both the social and
economic levels; the Arab tribes would then try to restore their wealth and land misappropriated by
the Jews through usurious practices.

The Jews of course deeply considered all these things ever since they had known that the Islamic
Call would try to settle in Yathrib, and it was no surprise to discover that they harboured the most
enmity and hatred to Islam and the Messenger (Peace be upon him) even though they did not have
the courage to uncover their feelings in the beginning.

The following incident could attest clearly to that abominable antipathy that the Jews harboured
towards the new political and religious changes that came to stamp the life of Madinah. Ibn Ishaq,
on the authority of the Mother of believers Safiyah (May Allah be pleased her) narrated: Safiyah,
daughter of Huyayi bin Akhtab said: I was the closest child to my father and my uncle Abi Yasir’s
heart. Whenever they saw me with a child of theirs, they should pamper me so tenderly to the
exclusion of anyone else. However, with the advent o f the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
and setting in Quba’ with Bani ‘Amr bin ‘Awf, my father, Huyayi bin Akhtab and my uncle Abu Yasir
bin Akhtab went to see him and did not return until sunset when they came back walking lazily and
fully dejected. I, as usually, hurried to meet them smiling, but they would not turn to me for the
grief that caught them. I heard my uncle Abu Yasir say to Ubai and Huyayi: “Is it really he [i.e.

Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]?” The former said: “It is he, I swear by Allâh!” “Did you really
recognize him?” they asked. He answered: “Yes, and my heart is burning with enmity towards him”
An interesting story that took place on the first day, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stepped in
Madinah, could be quoted to illustrate the mental disturbance and deep anxiety that beset the Jews.

‘Abdullah bin Salam, the most learned rabbi among the Jews came to see the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) when he arrived, and asked him certain questions to ascertain his real Prophethood. No
sooner did he hear the Prophet’s answers than he embraced Islam, but added that if his people
knew of his Islamization they would advance false arguments against me. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) sent for some Jews and asked them about ‘Abdullah bin Salam, they testified to his
scholarly aptitude and virtuous standing. Here it was divulged to them that he had embraced Islam
and on the spot, they imparted categorically opposite testimonies and described him as the most
evil of all evils. In another narration ‘Abdullah bin Salam said, “O Jews! Be Allâh fearing. By Allâh,
the only One, you know that he is the Messenger of Allâh sent to people with the Truth.” They
replied, “You are lying.” ... That was the Prophet’s first experience with the Jews.

That was the demo-political picture within Madinah. Five hundred kilometres away in Makkah, there
still lay another source of detrimental threat, the archenemy of Islam, Quraish. For ten years, while
at the mercy of Quraish, the Muslims were subjected to all sorts of terrorism, boycott, harassment
and starvation coupled by a large scale painstaking psychological war and aggressive organized
propaganda. When they had emigrated to Madinah, their land, wealth and property were seized,
wives detained and the socially humble in rank brutally tortured. Quraish also schemed and made
attempts on the life of the first figure of the Call, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) . Due to their
acknowledged temporal leadership and religious supremacy among the pagan Arabs, given the
custodianship of the Sacred Sanctuary, the Quraishites spared no effort in enticing the Arabians
against Madinah and boycotting the Madinese socially and economically. To quote Muhammad Al-
Ghazali: “A state of war virtually existed between the Makkan tyrants and the Muslims in their
abode. It is foolish to blame the Muslims for the horrible consequences that were bound to ensue in
the light of that long-standing feud.”
The Muslims in Madinah were completely eligible then to confiscate the wealth of those tyrants,
mete out for them exemplary punishment and bring twofold retaliation on them in order to deter
them from committing any folly against the Muslims and their sanctities.

That was a resume of the major problems that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had to
face, and the complicated issues he was supposed to resolve.

In full acknowledgment, we could safely say that he quite honestly shouldered the responsibilities of
Messengership, and cleverly discharged the liabilities of both temporal and religious leadership in
Madinah. He accorded to everyone his due portion whether of mercy or punishment, with the former
usually seasoning the latter in the overall process of establishing Islam on firm grounds among its
faithful adherents.

A NEW SOCIETY BEING BUILT
We have already mentioned that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah on
Friday, 12th Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 1 A.H., i.e. September 27th. 622 A.D. and took the downstairs of Abi
Ayyub’s house as a temporary residence.

The first task to which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) attended on his arrival in Madinah was the
construction of a Mosque, in the very site where his camel knelt down. The land, which belonged to
two orphans, was purchased. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself contributed to building the
Mosque by carrying adobe bricks and stones while reciting verses:

• “O Allâh! no bliss is there but that of the Hereafter, I beseech you to forgive the
Emigrants and Helpers.”
The ground was cleared, of weeds and shrubs, palm trees and rubbish, the graves of the polytheists
dug up and then levelled and the trees planted around. The Qiblah (the direction in which the
Muslims turn their faces in prayer) was constructed to face Jerusalem; two beams were also erected
to hold the ceiling up. It was square in form, each side measuring approximately 100 yards, facing
towards the north and having three gates on each of the remaining sides. Nearby, rooms reserved
for the Prophet’s household were built of stones and adobe bricks with ceilings of palm leaves. To
the north of the Mosque a place was reserved for the Muslims who had neither family nor home. The
Adhân (summoning the Muslims to the Mosque by the Call for prayer) was initiated at this early
stage of post-migration era. The Mosque was not merely a locus to perform prayers, but rather an
Islamic league where the Muslim’s were instructed in Islam and its doctrines. It served as an
assembly place where the conflicting pre-Islamic trends used to come to terms; it was the
headquarter wherein all the affairs of the Muslims were administered, and consultative and
executive councils held.

The Mosque being thus constructed, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) next turned his attention to
cementing the ties of mutual brotherhood amongst the Muslims of Madinah, Al-Ansar (the Helpers)
and Al-Muhajirun (the Emigrants). It was indeed unique in the history of the world. A gathering of
90 men, half of whom Emigrants and the others Helpers assembled in the house of Anas bin Malik
where the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave the spirit of brotherhood his official blessing. When
either of the two persons who had been paired as brothers, passed away, his property was inherited
by his brother-in-faith. This practice continued till the following verse was revealed at the time of
the battle of Badr, and the regular rule of inheritance was allowed to take its usual course:

• “But kindred by blood are nearer to one another regarding inheritance.” [8:75]

“Brotherhood-in-faith” to quote Muhammad Al-Ghazali again, “was holding subordinate every
distinction of race and kindred and supporting the Islamic precept: none is superior to the other
except on the basis of piety and God-fearing.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) attached to that brotherhood a valid contract; it was not just
meaningless words but rather a valid practice relating to blood and wealth rather than a passing
whim taking the form of accidental greeting.

The atmosphere of brotherhood and fellow-feeling created a spirit of selflessness infused deeply in
the hearts of his followers, and produced very healthy results. For example, Sa‘d bin Ar-Rabi‘, a
Helper, said to his fellow brother ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, “I am the richest man amongst the
Helpers. I am glad to share my property half and half with you. I have two wives, I am ready to
divorce one and after the expiry of her ‘Iddah, (the prescribed period for a woman divorcee to stay
within her house unmarried) you may marry her.” But ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf was not prepared to
accept anything: neither property nor home. So he blessed his brother and said: “Kindly direct me
to the market so that I may make my fortune with my own hands.” And he did prosper and got
married very shortly by his own labour.

The Helpers were extremely generous to their brethren-in-faith. Abu Hurairah reported that they
once approached the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with the request that their orchards of palm trees
should be distributed equally between the Muslims of Madinah and their brethren from Makkah. But
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was reluctant to put this heavy burden upon them. It was,
however, decided that the Emigrants would work in the orchards alongwith the Helpers and the yield
would be divided equally amongst them.

Such examples point directly to the spirit of sacrifice, altruism and cordiality on the part of the
Helpers, and also to the feeling of appreciation, gratitude and self-respect that the Emigrants held
dear to their hearts. They took only what helped them eke a reasonable living. In short, this policy
of mutual brotherhood was so wise and timely that many obstinate problems were resolved
wonderfully and reasonably.

A CHARTER OF ISLAMIC ALLIANCE:

Just as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had established a code of brotherhood amongst the
believers, so too he was keen on establishing friendly relations between the Muslims and non-
Muslim tribes of Arabia. He established a sort of treaty aiming at ruling out all pre-Islamic rancour
and inter-tribal feuds. He was so meticulous not to leave any area in the charter that would allow
pre-Islamic traditions to sneak in or violate the new environment he wanted to establish. Herein, we
look over some of its provisions.

• In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

This is a document from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh, concerning Emigrants and
Helpers and those who followed and strove with them.

1. They are one nation to the exclusion of other people.

2. The Emigrants of Quraish unite together and shall pay blood money among themselves, and
shall ransom honourably their prisoners. Every tribe of the Helpers unite together, as they
were at first, and every section among them will pay a ransom for acquitting its relative
prisoners.

3. Believers shall not leave anyone destitute among them by not paying his redemption money
or blood money in kind.

4. Whoever is rebellious or whoever seeks to spread enmity and sedition, the hand of every
God-fearing Muslim shall be against him, even if he be his son.

5. A believer shall not kill another believer, nor shall support a disbeliever against a believer.

6. The protection of Allâh is one (and is equally) extended to the humblest of the believers.

7. The believers are supported by each other.

8. Whosoever of the Jews follows us shall have aid and succour; they shall not be injured, nor
any enemy be aided against them.

9. The peace of the believers is indivisible. No separate peace shall be made when believers
are fighting in the way of Allâh. Conditions must be fair and equitable to all.

10. It shall not be lawful for a believer, who holds by what is in this document and believes in
Allâh and the Day of Judgement, to help a criminal nor give h im refuge. Those who give him
refuge and render him help shall have the curse and anger of Allâh on the Day of
Resurrection. Their indemnity is not accepted.

11. Whenever you differ about a matter, it must be referred to Allâh and to Muhammad.

12. Killing a believer deliberately with no good reason entails killing the killer unless the sponsor
deems it otherwise.

It was solely by his wisdom and dexterity, that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) erected the pillars
of the new society. This phenomenon no doubt left its mark on the virtuous Muslims. He used to
bring them up in the light of the Islamic education, he sanctified their selves, enjoined them to
observe righteousness and praiseworthy manners and was keen on infusing into them the ethics of
amity, glory, honour, worship and first and foremost obedience to Allâh and His Messenger.

The following is a cluster of the virtues he used to inculcate in the minds of his followers:

• A man asked the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) which of the merits is superior
in Islam. He [the Prophet (Peace be upon him)] remarked:

• “That you provide food and extend greetings to one whom you know or do not
know.”
‘Abdubin Salâm said: When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah, I went to
see him and I immediately recognized through his features that he would never be a liar.

The first things he (the Prophet [Peace be upon him)] said was:

• “Extend peace greetings amongst yourselves, provide food to the needy, maintain
uterine relations, observe prayer at night while people are asleep, then you will
peacefully enter the Garden (Paradise).”
And he said:

• “The Muslim is that one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.”
And said:

• “None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother that which he loves for
himself.”
And said:

• “He will not enter Paradise, he whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct.”
And said:

• “A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he neither oppresses him nor does he fail him.

Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allâh will remove from him one of the
griefs of the Day of Judgement. Whosoever shields a Muslim, Allâh will shield him on the
Day of Resurrection.”
And said:

• “Abusing a Muslim is an outrage and fighting against him is disbelief.”
And said:

• “To remove something harmful from the road, is charity.”
And said:

• “Charity erases sins just as water extinguishes fire.”
And said:

• “He is not a perfect believer, who goes to bed full and knows that his neighbour is
hungry.”
And said:

• “Show mercy to people on earth so that Allâh will have mercy on you in heaven.”
And said:

• “Try to avert fire even by half a date (in charity) if not by tendering a good word.”
And said:

• “Clothing an under-clad Muslim, entitles you to a garment from the Paradise; feeding a
hungry Muslim will make you eligible (by Allâh’s Will) for the fruit of the Paradise, and if you
provide water to a thirsty Muslim, Allâh will provide you with a drink from ‘the Sealed
Nectar’.”
He used as well to exhort the believers to spend in charity reminding them of relevant virtues for
which the hearts yearn.

He said:

• “The believers in their mutual love, are like the human body where when the eye is in
agony, the entire body feels the pain; when the head aches, all the body will suffer.”
And said:

• “The bonds of brotherhood between two Muslims are like parts of a house, one part
strengthens and holds the other.”
And said:

• “Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go
against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slaves of Allâh! Be like brothers with each other. It
is not violable for a Muslim to desert his brother for over three days.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) used as well to promote that habit of abstention from asking the
others for help unless one is totally helpless. He used to talk to his companions a lot about the
merits, virtues and Divine reward implied in observing the prescribed worships and rituals. He would
always bring forth corroborated proofs in order to link them physically and spiritually to the
Revelation sent to him, hence he would apprise them of their duties and responsibilities in terms of
the consequences of the Call of Islam, and at the same time emphasize the exigencies of
comprehension and contemplation.

That was his practice of maximizing their morale and imbuing them with the noble values and ideals
so that they could become models of virtue to be copied by subsequent generations.

‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (May Allah be pleased with him) once said: If you are willing to follow a good
example, then you can have a recourse in the tradition of the deceased, because the living are likely
to fall an easy victim to oppression (so they might waver in faith). Follow the steps of Muhammad’s
Companions. They were the best in this nation, the most pious, the most learned and the least
pretentious. Allâh chose them to accompany the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and establish His
religion. Therefore, it is imperative to get to know their grace, follow their righteous way and adhere
as much as you can to their manners and assimilate their biography. They were always on the
orthodox path. There is then the great Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) whose moral visible
attributes, aspects of perfection, talents, virtues, noble manners and praiseworthy deeds, entitle
him to occupy the innermost cells of our hearts, and become the dearest target that the self yearns
for. Hardly did he utter a word when his Companions would race to assimilate it and work in its
light.

Those were the attributes and qualities on whose basis the Prophet (Peace be upon him) wanted to
build a new society, the most wonderful and the most honourable society ever known in history. On
these grounds, he strove to resolve the longstanding problems, and later gave mankind the chance
to breathe a sigh of relief after a long wearying journey in dark and gloomy avenues. Such lofty
morale lay at the very basis of creating a new society with integrated components immune to all
fluctuations of time, and powerful enough to change the whole course of humanity.

A COOPEARATION AND NON-AGGRESSION
PACT WITH THE JEWS
Soon after emigrating to Madinah and making sure that the pillars of the new Islamic community
were well established on strong bases of administrative, political and ideological unity, the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) commenced to establish regular and clearly-defined relations with non-
Muslims. All of these efforts were exerted solely to provide peace, security, and prosperity to all
mankind at large, and to bring about a spirit of rapport and harmony within his region, in particular.

Geographically, the closest people to Madinah were the Jews. Whilst harbouring evil intentions, and
nursing bitter grudge, they showed not the least resistance nor the slightest animosity. The Prophet
decided to ratify a treaty with them with clauses that provided full freedom in faith and wealth. He
had no intention whatsoever of following severe policies involving banishment, seizure of wealth and
land or hostility.

The treaty came within the context of another one of a larger framework relating to inter-Muslim
relationships.

The most important provisions of the treaty are the following:

1. The Jews of Bani ‘Awf are one community with the believers. The Jews will profess their
religion, and the Muslims theirs.

2. The Jews shall be responsible for their expenditure, and the Muslims for theirs.

3. If attacked by a third party, each shall come to the assistance of the other.

4. Each party shall hold counsel with the other. Mutual relation shall be founded on
righteousness; sin is totally excluded.

5. Neither shall commit sins to the prejudice of the other.

6. The wronged party shall be aided.

7. The Jews shall contribute to the cost of war so long as they are fighting alongside the
believers.

8. Madinah shall remain sacred and inviolable for all that join this treaty.

9. Should any disagreement arise between the signatories to this treaty, then Allâh, the All-
High and His Messenger shall settle the dispute.

10. The signatories to this treaty shall boycott Quraish commercially; they shall also abstain
from extending any support to them.

11. Each shall contribute to defending Madinah, in case of a foreign attack, in its respective
area.

12. This treaty shall not hinder either party from seeking lawful revenge.

Madinah and its suburbs, after the ratification of this treaty, turned into a coalition state, with
Madinah proper as capital and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as ‘president’; authorities lay mainly
in the hand of the Muslims, and consequently it was a real capital of Islam. To expand the zone of
peace and security the Prophet (Peace be upon him) s tarted to enter into similar treaties with other
tribes living around ‘his state’.

THE PROPHET ON THE BATTLEFIELD
The Quraishites, mortified at the escape of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) along with his devoted
companions, and jealous of his growing power in Madinah, kept a stringent watch over the Muslims
left behind and persecuted them in every possible way. They also initiated clandestine contacts with
‘Abdullah bin Uabi bin Salul, chief of Madinese polytheists, and president designate of the tribes ‘Aws
and Khazraj before the Prophet’s emigration. They senthim a strongly-worded ultimatum ordering
him to fight or expel the Prophet, otherwise they would launch a widespread military campaign that
would exterminate his people and proscribe his women.

His pride wounded and kingship no longer his, ‘Abdullah bin Uabi bin Salul, a priori responded
positively to his Quraishite co-polytheists. He mobilized his supporters to counteract the Muslims.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) on hearing about this unholy alliance, summoned ‘Abdullah and
admonished him to be more sensible and thoughtful and cautioned his men against being snared in
malicious tricks. The men, on grounds of cowardice, or reason, gave up the idea. Their chief,
however, seemingly complied, but at heart, he remained a wicked unpredictable accomplice with
Quraish and the envious Jews. Skirmishes and provocations started to pave the way for a major
confrontation between the Muslims and polytheists. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, an outstanding Helper,
announced his intention to observe ‘Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) and headed for Makkah. There
Omaiya bin Khalaf provided tutelage for him to observe the ritual circumambulation. Abu Jahl, an
archenemy of Islam saw him in the Sacred Sanctuary and threatened he would have killed him if he
had not been in the company of Omaiya. Sa‘d, fearlessly and defiantly, challenged him to
committing any folly at the risk of cutting their caravans off.

Provocative actions continued and Quraish sent the Muslims a note threatening to put them to death
in their own homeland. Those were not mere words, for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) received
information from reliable sources attesting to real intrigues and plots being hatched by the enemies
of Islam. Precautionary measures were taken and a state of alertness was called for, including the
positioning of security guards around the house of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and strategic
junctures. ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon
him) lay down on bed during one night on his arrival in Madinah and said: Were there a pious
person from amongst my Companions who should keep a watch for me during the night? She
[‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her)] said: We were in this state when we heard the clanging
noise of arms. He [the Prophet (Peace be upon him)] said: Who is it? He said: This is Sa‘d bin Abi
Waqqas. Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said to him: What brings you here? Thereupon he
said: I harboured fear (lest any harm should come to) Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him), so I
came to serve as your sentinel. Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) invoked blessings upon him
and then he slept.

This state of close vigilance continued ceaselessly until the Words of Allâh were revealed saying:

• “Allâh will protect you from mankind.”[5:67]

Here, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) peeped from the dome of his house asking his people to go
away, and making it clear that Allâh would take the charge of protecting him.

The Prophet’s life was not the o nly target of the wicked schemes, but rather the lives and the whole
entity of the Muslims. When the Madinese provided the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his
Companions with safe refuge, the desert bedouins began to look at them all in the same
perspective, and outlawed all the Muslims.

At this precarious juncture with Quraish, intent on pursuing their aggressive and devilish plans,
Allâh, the All-High, gave the Muslims the permission to take arms against the disbelievers:

• “Permission to fight is given to those (i.e. believers against those disbelievers), who are
fighting them, (and) because they (believers) have been wronged, and surely Allâh is Able
to give them (believers) victory.” [22:39]

This verse was revealed in a larger context of Divine instructions to eradicate all aspects of
falsehood, and hold in honour the symbols and rites of Allâh:

• “Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order for Iqamatas-
Salât: [i.e. to perform Salât (prayer) — the five compulsory, congregational prayers (the
males in Mosques)], to pay the Zakat (obligatory charity), and they enjoin Al-Ma‘ruf (i.e.

Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief,
polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’ân as the Law of their
country in all the spheres of life].” [22:41].

Doubtlessly, the permission to fight was revealed in Madinah after emigration, not in Makkah, still
the exact date where of is in doubt.

The permission to fight was already there, but in the light of the status quo, it was wise for the
Muslims to bring the commercial routes leading to Makkah under their control. To realize this
strategic objective, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had to choose either of two options:

1. Entering into non-aggression pacts with the tribes inhabiting either the areas adjacent to the
routes or between these routes and Madinah. With respect to this course of action, the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) had already signed, together with the Jews and other
neighbouring tribes, the aforementioned pact of cooperation and good neighbourliness.

2. Despatching successive armed missions for harassment along the strategic commercial
routs.

PRE-BADR MISSIONS AND INVASIONS:

With a view to implementing these plans, the Muslims commenced real military activities, which at
first took the form of reconnaissance patrols delegated to explore the geopolitical features of the
roads surrounding Madinah and others leading to Makkah, and building alliances with the tribes
nearby. The Prophet wanted to impress upon the polytheists and Jews of Madinah as well as the
bedouins in its vicinity, that the Muslims had smashed their old fears, and had been too strong to be
attacked with impunity. He also wanted to display the power of his followers in order to deter
Quraish from committing any military folly against him which might jeopardize their economic life
and means of living, and to stop them from persecuting the helpless Muslims detained in Makkah,
consequently he would avail himself of this opportunity and resume his job of propagating the
Divine Call freely.

The following is a resume of these missions and errands:

1. Saif Al-Bahr Platoon sent in Ramadan 1 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. led by Hamzah bin ‘Abdul
Muttalib and comprising 30 Emigrants with a definite task of intercepting a caravan
belonging to Quraish. It was a caravan of 300 people including Abu Jahl bin Hisham. The
two parties encountered each other and aligned in preparation for fighting. Majdi bin ‘Amr,
on good terms with both sides, happened to be there and managed to prevent an imminent
clash.

• On that occasion, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) accredited the first flag in the history
of Muslims. It was white in colour and was entrusted to Kinaz bin Husain Al-Ghanawi, to
carry.

2. In Shawwal, 1 A.H., i.e. April 623 A.D. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
despatched ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith bin Al-Muttalib at the head of 60 horsemen of Emigrants
to a spot called Batn Rabegh where they encountered Abu Sufyan at the head of a caravan
of 200 men. There was arrow shooting but no actual fighting.

• It is interesting to note that two Muslims, Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr Al-Bahrani and ‘Utbah bin
Ghazwan Al-Mazini, defected from the caravan of Quraish and joined the ranks of ‘Ubaidah.

The Muslims had a white flag carried by Mistah bin Athatha bin Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Munaf.

3. In Dhul Qa‘dah 1 A.H., i.e. May 623 A.D. the Prophet (Peace be upon him) despatched Sa‘d
bin Abi Waqqas at the head of 20 horsemen, and instructed them not to go beyond Al
Kharrar. After a five-day march they reached the spot to discover that the camels of Quraish
had left the day before; their flag, as usual, was white and carried by Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr.

4. Ghazwa Al-Abwa’ or Waddan. It was in Safar 2 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. The Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) set out himself at the head of 70 men, mostly Emigrants, to intercept a
camel caravan belonging to Quraish, leaving behind Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah to dispose the affairs
in Madinah. When he reached Waddan, a place between Makkah and Madinah, he found
none.

• In the process of this campaign, he contracted a non-aggressiopact with ‘Amr bin Makhshi
Ad-Damari. The provisions of the pact go as follows:

• “This is a document from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh concerning Bani
Damrah in which he established them safe and secure in their wealth and lives. They
can expect support from the Muslims unless they oppose the religion of Allâh. They
are also expected to respond positively in case the Prophet sought their help.”
This was the first invasion under the leadership of the Messenger of Allâh. It took fifteen
days, with a white flag carried by Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib.

5. Buwat Invasion. It took place in Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 2 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him), at the head of 200 companions, marched for Buwat to intercept a caravan
belonging to Quraish comprising 100 Quraishites, Omaiya bin Khalaf among them, and 2500
camels. When he reached Buwat, the caravan had left. Before leaving Madinah, he
mandated Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh to dispose the affairs until his return.

6. Safwan Invasion. In Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 2 A.H., i.e. 623 A.D. Karz bin Jabir at the head of a
small group of polytheists raided the pastures of Madinah and looted some animals. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) at the head of 70 men left Madinah to fight the aggressors. He
went in their pursuit till he reached a place called Safwan near Badr but could not catch up
with them. This invasion came to be known as the preliminary Badr Invasion. During his
absence, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) entrusted Zaid bin Harithah with the disposition
of the affairs in Madinah. The standard was white in colour and entrusted to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib
to carry.

7. Dhil ‘Ushairah Invasion. It was in Jumada-al-Ula and Jumada-al-Akhirah the first or second 2
A.H., i.e. November-December 623 A.D. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) at the head of
150-200 Muslim volunteers, with 30 camels which they rode turn by turn, set out to
intercept a Quraishite caravan. He reached Dhil ‘Ushairah but the camels had left some days
before. These camels were the same that he went out to intercept on their return from
Syria, and were the direct reason for the break out of the battle of Badr. In the process of
this campaign, the Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã contracted a non-aggression pact with Bani
Madlij and their allies Bani Dhumrah. Abu Salama bin ‘Abd Al-Asad Al-Makhzumi was
mandated to rule Madinah in his absence.

8. The Platoon of Nakhlah. It took place in Rajab 2 A.H., i.e. January 624 A.H. The Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him) despatched ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh Asadi to Nakhlah at the head
of 12 Emigrants with six camels. ‘Abdullah was given a letter by the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) but was instructed to read it only after two days. He followed the instructions and
discovered that he was asked to go on to a place called Nakhlah standing between Makkah
and At-Ta’if, intercept a caravan for Quraish and collect news about their intentions. He
disclosed the contents of the letters to his fellows who blindly obeyed the orders. At
Nakhlah, the caravan passed carrying loads of raisins (dried grapes), food stuff and other
commodities. Notable polytheists were also there such as ‘Amr bin Al-Hadrami, ‘Uthman and
Naufal, sons of ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mugheerah and others... The Muslims held consultations
among themselves with respect to fighting them taking into account Rajab which was a
sacred month (during which, along with Dhul Hijja, Dhul Qa‘da and Muharram, war activities
were suspended as was the custom in Arabia then). At last they agreed to engage with them
in fighting. ‘Amr bin Al-Hadrami was shot dead by an arrow, ‘Uthman and Al-Hakam were
captured whereas Naufal escaped. They came back with the booty and the two prisoners.

They set aside one-fifth of the booty assigned to Allâh and His Messenger, and took the rest.

The Messenger disapproved of that act and suspended any action as regards the camels and
the two captives on account of the prohibited months already mentioned. The polytheists,
on their part, exploited this golden opportunity to calumniate the Muslims and accuse them
of violating what is Divinely inviolable. This idle talk brought about a painful headache to
Muhammad’s Companions, until at last they were relieved when the Revelation came down
giving a decisive answer and stating quite explicitly that the behaviour of the polytheists in
the whole process was much more heinous and far more serious than the act of the
Muslims:

• “They ask you concerning fighting in the sacred months (i.e. 1st, 7th, 11th and 12th
months of the Islamic calendar). Say, ‘Fighting therein is a great (transgression) but a
greater (transgression) with Allâh is to prevent mankind from following the way of Allâh, to
disbelieve in Him, to prevent access to Al-Masjid-Al-Harâm (at Makkah), and to drive out its
inhabitants, and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing.” [2:217]

The Words of Allâh were quite clear and said that the tumult created by the polytheists was
groundless. The sacred inviolable sanctities had been repeatedly violated in the long process of
fighting Islam and persecuting its adherents. The wealth of the Muslims as well as their homes had
already been violated and their Prophet (Peace be upon him) had been the target of repeated
attempts on his life. In short, that sort of propaganda could deservedly be described as impudence
and prostitution. This has been a resume of pre-Badr platoons and invasions. None of them
witnessed any sort of looting property or killing people except when the polytheists had committed
such crimes under the leadership of Karz bin Jabir Al-Fahri. It was, in fact, the polytheists who had
initiated such acts. No wonder, for such ill-behaviour is immanent in their natural disposition.

Shortly afterwards, the two captives were released and blood money was given to the killed man’s
father.

After this event, Quraish began to realize the real danger that Madinah could present with. They
came to know that Madinah had always been on the alert, watching closely their commercial
caravans. It was then common knowledge to them that the Muslims in their new abode could span
and extend their military activities over an area of 300 miles. and bring it under full control.

However, the new situation borne in mind, the Makkans could not be deterred and were too
obstinate to come to terms with the new rising power of Islam. They were determined to bring their
fall by their own hands and with this recklessness they precipitated the great battle of Badr.

The Muslims, on the other hand, and at the behest of their Lord, were ordered to go to war in
Sha‘ban 2 A.H:

• “And fight, in the way of Allâh those who fight you; but transgress not the limits. Truly,
Allâh likes not the transgressors. And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out
from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah (polytheism or calamity) is worse than
killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-Al-Harâm (the Sanctuary at Makkah), unless
they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of
the disbelievers. But if they cease, then Allâh is O ft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them
until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allâh) and (all
and every kind of ) worship is for Allâh (Alone). But if they cease, let there be no
transgression except against Az-Zalimûn (polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)” [2:190-193]

Before long, Allâh again sent the Muslims a different sort of verses whereby teaching them ways of
fighting, urging them to go to war and demonstrating relevant rules:

• “So, when you meet (in fight - Jihâd in Allâh’s cause), those who disbelieve smite at their
necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on
them, i.e. take them as captives). Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free
them without ransom), or ransom (according to what benefits Islam), until the war lays
down its burden. Thus [you are ordered by Allâh to continue in carrying out Jihâd against
the disbelievers till they embrace Islam (i.e. are saved from the punishment in the Hell-fire)
or at least come under your protection], but if it had been Allâh’s Will, He Himself could
certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you,
some with others. But those who are killed in the way of Allâh, He will never let their deeds
be lost. He will guide them and set right their state. And admit them to Paradise which He
has made known to them (i.e. they will know their places in Paradise more than they used
to know their houses in the world). O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allâh,
He will help you, and make your foothold firm.” [47:4-7]

Shortly afterwards, Allâh began to dispraise the hypocrites, the weak at heart and cowardly
elements:

• “But when a decisive Sûrah (explaining and ordering things) is sent down, and fighting
(Jihâd — the holy fighting) is mentioned (i.e. ordained) therein, you will see those in whose
hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) looking at you with a look of one fainting to death. ”
[47:20]

The prevalent exigencies required as a top priority exhorting the Muslims to fight. Any leader with a
deep insight would order his soldiers to get ready for any sort of emergency, let alone the All-
Knowing Exalted Lord, Who is at all times omniscient of the minutest details of affairs. The event of
that skirmish with the polytheists dealt a heavy blow to the pride of Quraish and created a sort of
horrible restlessness amongst them.

The aforementioned Qur’ânic verses, enjoining the Muslims to strive in the cause of Allâh, betrayed
the proximity of blood clashes that would be crowned by a decisive victory for the Muslims, and final
expulsion of polytheists out of the Sacred City, Makkah. They referred to rules pertinent to the
treatment of captives and slaughtering the pagan soldiers till the war ended and laid down its
burdens. All of these could act as clues to a final triumph that would envelop the strife of the
Muslims towards their noble objectives.

Another event of great significance featured the same month Sha‘ban 2 A.H., i.e. February 624
A.D., which was a Divine injunction ordering that Al-Qiblah be changed from Jerusalem to the
Sacred Mosque in Makkah. That was of a great advantage to the Muslims at two levels. First, it
brought about a kind of social sifting, so to speak, in terms of the hypocrites of the Jews and others
weak at heart, and revealed their true nature and inclinations; the ranks of the Muslims were
thereby purged from those discord-prone elements. Second, facing a new Qiblah, the Sacred
Mosque in Makkah, refers gently to a new role awaiting the Muslims to take up, and would start only
after the repatriation of the Muslims to their Sacred City, Makkah for it is not logical for the Muslims
to leave their Qiblah at the mercy of non-Muslims.

The Muslims, therefore, at the behest of Allâh and on account of those Divine clues, augmented
their activities and their tendency towards striving in the cause of Allâh and encountering His
enemies in a decisive battle were greatly intensified.

THE BATTLE OF BADR THE FIRST DECISIVE BATTLE IN THE HISTORY OF ISLAM
REASON OF THE BATTLE:

We have already spoken about Al-‘Ushairah Invasion when a caravan belonging to Quraish had
escaped an imminent military encounter with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his men. When
their return from Syria approached, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) despatched Talhah bin
‘Ubaidullâh and Sa‘id bin Zaid northward to scout around for any movements of this sort. The two
scouts stayed at Al-Hawra’ for some days until Abu Sufyan, the leader of the caravan, passed by
them. The two men hurried back to Madinah and reported to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) their
findings. Great wealth amounting to 50 thousand gold Dinars guarded by 40 men moving relatively
close to Madinah constituted a tempting target for the Muslim military, and provided a potentially
heavy economic, political and military strike that was bound to shake the entire structure of the
Makkan polytheists.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) immediately exhorted the Muslims to rush out and waylay the
caravan to make up for their property and wealth they were forced to give up in Makkah. He did not
give orders binding to everyone, but rather gave them full liberty to go out or stay back, thinking
that it would be just an errand on a small scale.

The Muslim army was made up of 300-317 men, 82-86 Emigrants, 61 from Aws and 170 from
Khazraj. They were not well-equipped nor adequately prepared. They had only two horses belonging
to Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam and Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad Al-Kindi, 70 camels, one for two or three
men to ride alternatively. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) himself, ‘Ali and Murthid bin
Abi Murthid Al-Ghanawi had only one camel. Disposition of the affairs of Madinah was entrusted to
Ibn Umm Maktum but later to Abu Lubabah bin ‘Abdul Mundhir. The general leadership was given to
Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-Qurashi Al-‘Abdari, and their standard was white in colour. The little army was
divided into two battalions, the Emigrants with a standard raised by ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, and the
Helpers whose standard was in the hand of Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh. Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam was
appointed to the leadership of the right flank, Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr to lead the left flank, and the rear
of the army was at the command of Qais bin Abi Sa‘sa‘ah. The General Commander-in-Chief was the
Prophet (Peace be upon him), of course.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him), at the head of his army, marched out along the main road
leading to Makkah. He then turned left towards Badr and when he reached As-Safrâ’, he despatched
two men to scout about for the camels of Quraish.

Abu Sufyan, on the other hand, was on the utmost alert. He had already been aware that the route
he was following was attended with dangers. He was also anxious to know about the movements of
Muhammad (Peace be upon him). His scouting men submitted to him reports to the effect that the
Muslims were lying in ambush for his caravan. To be on the safe side, he hired Damdam bin ‘Amr Al-
Ghifari to communicate a message asking for help from the Quraishites. The messenger rode fast
and reached Makkah in frenzy. Felling himself from his camel, he stood dramatically before Al-
Ka‘bah, cut off the nose and the ears of the camel, turned its saddle upside down, tore off his own
shirt from front and behind, and cried: “O Quraish! Your merchandise! It is with Abu Sufyan. The
caravan is being intercepted by Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his companions. I cannot say
what would have happened to them. Help! Help!”
The effect of this hue and cry was instantaneous and the news stunned Quraish and they
immediately remembered their pride that was wounded when the Muslims had intercepted Al-
Hadrami caravan. They therefore swiftly mustered almost all of their forces and none stayed behind
except Abu Lahab, who delegated someone who owed him some money. They also mobilized some
Arab tribes to contribute to the war against the Prophet (Peace be upon him). All the clans of
Quraish gave their consent except Banu ‘Adi. Soon an excited throng of 1300 soldiers including 100
horsemen and 600 mailed soldiers with a large number of camels, was clamouring to proceed to
fight the Muslims. For food supplies, they used to slaughter an alternate number of camels of ten
and nine every day. They were however afraid that Banu Bakr, on account of old long deep-seated
animosity, would attack their rear. At that critical moment, Iblis (Satan) appeared to them in the
guise of Suraqa bin Malik bin Ju‘sham Al-Mudlaji — chief of Bani Kinana — saying to them: “I
guarantee that no harm will happen from behind.”
They set out burning with indignation, motivated by a horrible desire for revenge and exterminating
anyone that might jeopardize the routes of their caravans:

• “…boastfully and to be seen of men, and hinder (men) from the path of Allâh. ” [8:47]

Or as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

• “O Allâh these are the haughty and conceited; they have come defying Allâh and defying
His Messenger.”
They moved swiftly northward to Badr. On the way they received another message from Abu Sufyan
asking them to go back home because the caravan had escaped the Muslims. Incidentally, Abu
Sufyan, on learning the intention of the Muslims, led his caravan off the main route, and inclined it
towards the Red Sea. By this manoeuvre, he was able to slip past the Madinese ambush and was
out of their reach.

On receiving Abu Sufyan’s message, the Makkan army showed a desire to return home. The tyrant
Abu Jahl, however haughtily and arrogantly insisted that they proceed to Badr, stay three nights
there for making festivities. Now they wanted to punish the Muslims and prevent them from
intercepting their caravans, and impress on the Arabs that Quraish still had the upper hand and
enjoyed supremacy in that area.

Abu Jahl’s threats and insistence notwithstanding, Banu Zahrah, acting on the advice of Al-Akhnas
bin Shuraiq, broke away and returned to Makkah. Thenceforth Al-Akhnas remained ‘the well-rubbed
palm tree’ for Bani Zahrah and was blindly obeyed in all relevant matters.

Banu Hashim were also inclined to break away, but Abu Jahl’s threats made them desist from that
idea.

The rest of the army, now 1000 soldiers, approached Badr and encamped themselves beyond a sand
dune at Al-‘Udwat Al-Quswa.

‘The intelligence corps’ of the Madinese army reported to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) that a
bloody encounter with the Makkans was inescapable, and that a daring step in this context had to
be taken, or else the forces of evil would violate the inviolable and would consequently manage to
undermine the noble cause of the Islam and tread upon its faithful adherents. The Muslims were
afraid that the pagan Makkans would march on and start the war activities within the headquarters
of Islam, Madinah. A move of such nature would certainly damage and produce an infamous impact
on the dignity and stance of the Muslims.

On account of the new grave developments, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) held an advisory
military emergency meeting to review the ongoing situation and exchange viewpoints with the army
leaders. Admittedly, some Muslims feared the horrible encounter and their courage began to waver;
in this regard, Allâh says:

• “As your Lord caused you (O Muhammad [Peace be upon him) ] to go out from your home
with the Truth, and verily, a party among the believers disliked it, disputing with you
concerning the Truth after it was made manifest, as if they were being driven to death while
they were looking (at it).” [8:5, 6]

The Prophet (Peace b e upon him) apprised his men of the gravity of the situation and asked for their
advice. Abu Bakr was the first who spoke on the occasion and assured the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) of the unreserved obedience to his command. ‘Umar was the next to stand up and supported
the views expressed by his noble friend. Then Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr got up and said: “O Messenger of
Allâh! Proceed where Allâh directs you to, for we are with you. We will not say as the Children of
Israel said to Moses (Peace be upon him):

• “Go you and your Lord and fight and we will stay here;”
Rather we shall say:

• “Go you and yourLord and fight and we will fight along with you.”
By Allâh! If you were to take us to Bark Al-Ghimad, we will still fight resolutely with you against its
defenders until you gained it.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) thanked him and blessed him.

The three leaders who spoke were from the Emigrants, who only constituted a minor section of the
army. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) wanted, and for the more reason, to hear the Helpers’ view
because they were the majority of the soldiers and were expected to shoulder the brunt of the war
activities. Moreover, the clauses of Al-‘Aqabah Pledge did not commit them to fighting beyond their
territories.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) then said: “Advise me my men!”
by which he meant the Helpers, in particular. Upon this Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh stood up and said: “By
Allâh, I feel you want us (the Helpers) to speak.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) directly said:

“Oh, yes!” Sa‘d said: “O Prophet of Allâh! We believe in you and we bear witness to what you have
vouchsafed to us and we declare in unequivocal terms that what you have brought is the Truth. We
give you our firm pledge of obedience and sacrifice. We will obey you most willingly in whatever you
command us, and by Allâh, Who has sent you with the Truth, if you were to ask us to plunge into
the sea, we will do that most readily and not a man of us will stay behind. We do not grudge the
idea of encounter with the enemy. We are experienced in war and we are trustworthy in combat. We
hope that Allâh will show you through our hands those deeds of valour which will please your eyes.

Kindly lead us to the battlefield in the Name of Allâh.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was impressed with the fidelity and the spirit of sacrifice which his
companions showed at this critical juncture. Then he said to them: “Forward and be of cheer, for
Allâh has promised me one of the two (the lucrative course through capturing the booty or strife in
the cause of Allâh against the polytheists), and by Allâh it is as if I now saw the enemy lying
prostrate.”
In the immediate vicinity of Badr, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his cavemate Abu Bakr
conducted a scouting operation during which they managed to locate the camp of Quraish. They
came across an old bedouin nearby whom they manipulated and managed to extract from him the
exact location of the army of the polytheists. In the evening of the same day, he despatched three
Emigrant leaders, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Az-Zubair bin Al-‘Awwam and Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas to scout
about for news about the enemy. They saw two men drawing water for the Makkan army. On
interrogation, they admitted that they were water carriers working for Quraish. But that answer did
not please some Muslims and they beat the two boys severely in order to exact from them an
answer, even if it isn’t true, alluding to the caravan laden with wealth. The two boys thus lied, and
so they were released. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) w as angry with those men and censured
them saying: “On telling the truth, you beat them, and on telling a lie, you released them!” He then
addressed the two boys and after a little conversation with them he learned a lot about the enemy:

number of soldiers, their exact location and names of some of their notables. He then turned to the
Muslims and said: “Hearken, Quraish has sent you their most precious lives.”
The same night it rained on both sides. For the polytheists it obstructed further progress, whereas it
was a blessing for the Muslims. It cleaned them and removed from them the stain of Satan. Allâh
sent rain to strengthen their hearts and to plant their feet firmly therewith. They marched a little
forward and encamped at the farther bank of the valley. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) stopped
at the nearest spring of Badr. Al-Hubab bin Mundhir asked him, “Has Allâh inspired you to choose
this very spot or is it stratagem of war and the product of consultation?” The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) replied “It is stratagem of war and consultation.” Al-Hubab said: “This place is no good;
let us go and encamp on the nearest water well and make a basin or reservoir full of water, then
destroy all the other wells so that they will be deprived of the water.” The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) approved of his plan and agreed to carry it out, which they actually did at midnight.

Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh suggested that a trellis be built for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to function as
headquarters for the Muslim army and a place providing reasonable protection for the leader. Sa‘d
began to justify his proposal and said that if they had been victorious, then everything would be
satisfactory. In case of defeat, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) would not be harmed and he could
go back to Madinah where there were more people who loved him and who would have come for
help if they had known that he was in that difficult situation, so that he would resume his job, hold
counsel with them and they would strive in the cause of Allâh with him again and again.

A squad of guards was also chosen from amongst the Helpers under the leadership of the same
man, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, in order to defend the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in his headquarters.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) spent the whole night preceding the day of the battle in prayer
and supplication. The Muslim army, wearied with their long march, enjoyed sound and refreshing
sleep, a mark of the Divine favour and of the state of their undisturbed minds.

• “(Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He
caused rain to descend on you from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you
the Rijz (whispering, evil suggestions, etc.) of Satan, and to strengthen your hearts, and
make your feet firm thereby.” [8:11]

That was Friday night, Ramadan 17th., the year 2 A.H.

In the morning, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) called his men to offer the prayers and then urged
them to fight in the way of Allâh. As the sun rose over the desert, the Prophet(Peace be upon him)
drew up his little army, and pointing with an arrow which he held in his hand, arranged the ranks.

Quraish, on the other hand, positioned their forces in Al-‘Udwat Al-Quswa opposite the Muslim lines.

A few of them approached, in a provocative deed, to draw water from the wells of Badr, but were all
shot dead except one, Hakeem bin Hizam, who later became a devoted Muslim. ‘Umair bin Wahab
Al-Jumahi, in an attempt to reconnoiter the power of the Muslims, made a scouting errand and
submitted a report saying that the Muslim army numbered as many as 300 men keen on fighting to
the last man. On another reconnaissance mission he came to the conclusion that neither
reinforcements were coming nor ambushes laid. He understood that they were too brave to
surrender and too intent on carrying out their military duties to withdraw without slaying the largest
number possible of the polytheists. This report as well as kindred relations binding the two
belligerent parties together, slackened the desire to fight among some of the Quraishites. To
counteract this reason-based opposition advocated by a rival of his, ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a and others,
Abu Jahl started an anti-campaign seeking vengeance on Muhammad’s followers for the Quraishites
killed at Nakhlah. In this way, h e managed to thwart the opposite orientation, and manipulated the
people to see his evil views only.

When the two parties approached closer and were visible to each other, the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) began supplicating Allâh “O Allâh! The conceited and haughty Quraishites are already here
defying You and belying Your Messenger. O Allâh! I am waiting for Your victory which You have
promised me. I beseech You Allâh to defeat them (the enemies).” He also gave strict orders that his
men would not start fighting until he gave them his final word. He recommended that they use their
arrows sparingly and never resort to sword unless the enemies came too close.

Abu Jahl also prayed for victory, saying: “Our Lord, whichever of the two parties was less kind to his
relatives, and brought us what we do not know, then destroy him tomorrow.”. They were confident
ththeir superior number, equipment and experience would be decisive. The Noble Qur’ân, with a
play on the word, told them that the decision had come, and the victory — but not in the sense they
had hoped for:

• “(O disbelievers) if you ask for a judgement, now has the judgement come unto you and if
you cease (to do wrong), it will be better for you, and if you return (to the attack), so shall
we return, and your forces will be of no avail to you, however numerous it be, and verily,
Allâh is with the believers.” [8:19]

The first disbeliever to trigger the fire of the battle and be its first victim was Al-Aswad bin ‘Abdul
Asad Al-Makhzumi, a fierce bad-tempered idolater. He stepped out swearing he would drink from
the water basin of the Muslims, otherwise, destroy it or die for it. He engaged with Hamzah bin
‘Abdul Muttalib, who struck his leg with his sword and dealt him another blow that finished him off
inside the basin.

The battle had actually started. Protected by armour and shields, ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a stepped forth
between his brother Shaibah and his son Al-Waleed bin ‘Utbah from the lines of Quraish and hurled
maledictions at the Muslims. Three young men of the Helpers came out against them: ‘Awf and
Mu‘wwadh — the sons of Harith, and ‘Abdullah bin Rawaha. But the Makkans yelled that they had
nothing to do with them. They wanted the heads of their cousins. Upon this the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) asked ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith, Hamzah — his uncle, and his cousin ‘Ali (May Allah be
pleased with him) to go forward for the combat. The three duels were rapid. Hamzah killed Shaibah,
while ‘Ali killed Al-Waleed. ‘Ubaidah was seriously wounded but, before he fell, Hamzah fell upon
‘Utbah and with a sweep of his sword, cut off his head. ‘Ali and Hamzah carried ‘Ubaidah back with
his leg cut off. He died four or five days later of a disease in the bile duct.

‘Ali was possessed of a deep conviction that Allâh’s Words were revealed:

• “These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their
Lord.” [22:19]

These verses were revealed in connection with men of Faith who confess their Lord and seek to
carry out His Will (i.e. Muhammad ’s followers at Badr Battle), and men who deny their Lord and
defy Him (the people of Quraish).

The duel was followed by a few more duels but the Makkans suffered terrible defeats in all the
combats and lost some of their most precious lives. They were too much exasperated and enraged
and fell upon the Muslims to exterminate them once and for all. The Muslims, however, after
supplicating their Lord, calling upon Him for assistance, were made to hold to their position and
conduct a defensive war plan that was successful enough to inflict heavy losses on the attackers.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to pray to his Lord ceaselessly persistently and day and night
to come to their succour. When the fierce engagement grew too hot he again began to supplicate his
Lord saying:

• “O Allâh! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be
worshipped.”
He continued to call out to his Lord, stretching forth his hands and facing Al-Qiblah, until his cloak
fell off his shoulders. Then Abu Bakr came, picked up the cloak, and put it back on his shoulders and
said: “O Prophet of Allâh, you have cried out enough to your Lord. He will surely fulfill what He has
promised you.”
Immediate was the response from Allâh, Who sent down angels from the heavens for the help and
assistance of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his companions. The Noble Qur’ân observes:

• “Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the
hearts of those who have disbelieved.” [8:12]

Allâh, the All-Mighty, also inspired another message to His Messenger, saying:

• “I will help you with a thousand of the angels each behind the other (following one
another) in succession.” [8:9]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him), in his trellis, dozed off a little and then raised his head joyfully
crying:

• “O Abu Bakr, glad tidings are there for you: Allâh’s victory has approached, by Allâh, I can
see Gabriel on his mare in the thick of a sandstorm.”
He then jumped out crying:

• “Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.” [54:45]

At the instance of Gabriel, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) took a handful of gravel, cast it at the
enemy and said: “Confusion seize their faces!” As he flung the dust, a violent sandstorm blew like
furnace blast into the eyes of the enemies. With respect to this, Allâh says:

• “And you [i.e. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] threw not when you did throw but Allâh
threw.” [8:17]

Only then did he give clear orders to launch a counter-attack. He was commanding the army,
inspiring confidence among his men and exhorting them to fight manfully for the sake of their Lord,
reciting the Words of Allâh:

• “And be quick for forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens
and the earth.” [3:133]

The spirit he infused into his men was clearly witnessed by the valour of ‘Umair, a lad of sixteen,
who flung away some dates he was eating crying out: “These (the dates) are holding me back from
Paradise.” So saying he plunged into the thick of the battle and died fighting bravely. Unique deeds
of valour, deep devotion and full obedience to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) were exhibited in
the process of the battle. The army of the faithfuls was borne forward by the power of enthusiasm
which the half-hearted warriors of Makkah miserably lacked. A large number of the polytheists were
killed and the others began to waver. No wonder! The standard-bearers of Truth were given
immediate help, and supernatural agencies (the angels), were sent to their assistance by their Lord
to help them defeat the forces of evil.

The records of Hadith speak eloquently of the fact that the angels did appear on that day and fought
on the side of the Muslims. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “While on that day a Muslim was chasing a disbeliever
and he heard over him the swashing of a whip and the voice of the rider saying: ‘Go ahead Haizum’.

He glanced at the polytheist who had (now) fallen down on his back. The Helper came to the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and related that event to him. The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) replied: ‘You have told the truth. This was the help from the third heaven.”
One of the Helpers captured ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib, who said: “O Messenger of Allâh, by Allâh
this man did not capture me. I was captured by a man who was bald and had the most handsome
face, and who was riding a piebald horse, I cannot see him here among the people.” The Helper
interrupted: “I captured him, O Messenger of Allâh.” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied:

• “Be quiet, Allâh the All-Mighty strengthened you with the help of a noble angel.”
Iblîs, the archsatan, in the guise of Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju‘sham Al-Mudlaji, on seeing angels
working in favour of the Muslims, and Quraish rapidly losing ground on the battlefield, made a quick
retreat despite the polytheists’ pleas to stay on. He ran off and plunged into the sea.

The ranks of Quraish began to give way and their numbers added nothing but confusion. The
Muslims followed eagerly their retreating steps, slaying or taking captive all that fell within their
reach. Retreat soon turned into ignominious rout; and they flied in haste, casting away their
armour, abandoned beasts of burden, camp and equipage.

The great tyrant Abu Jahl, however, on seeing the adverse course of the battle, tried to stop the
tidal wave of the Islamic victory by nerving the polytheists and encouraging them by all means
available and adjuring them by Al-Lat and ‘Uzza and all symbols of paganism to stand firm in place
and retaliate against the Muslims, but to no avail. Their morale had already been drastically reduced
to zero, and their lines broken down. He then began to realize the reality of his arrogance and
haughtiness. None remained around him except a gang of doomed polytheists whose resistance was
also quelled by an Islamic irresistible storm of true devotion-based valour and Islam-orientated
pursuit of martyrdom. Jahl was deserted and left by himself on his horse waiting for death at the
hand of two courageous lads of the Helpers.

‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf related the following interesting story in this regard: I was in the thick of
the battle when two youths, still seemingly inexperienced in the art of fighting, one on the right and
the second on the left. One of them spoke in a secret voice asking me to show him Abu Jahl. I asked
about his intention, to which he replied, that he had a strong desire to engage with him in a combat
until either of them was killed. It was something incredible to me. I turned left and the other said
something to the same effect and showed a similar desire. I acceded to their earnest pleas and
pointed directly at their target. They both rushed swiftly towards the spot, and without a moment’s
hesitation struck him simultaneously with their swords and finished him off. They went back to the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), each claiming that he had killed Abu Jahl to the exclusion
of the other. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)asked if they had wiped the blood off their swords
and they answered that they had not. He then examined both swords and assured them that they
both had killed him. When the battle concluded, Abu Jahl’s spoils were given to Mu‘adh bin ‘Amr bin
Al-Jumuh, because the other Mu‘awwadh bin Al-‘Afrâ’ was later killed in the course of the same
battle. At the termination of the battle, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) wanted to look for this
archenemy of Islam, Abu Jahl. ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud found him on the verge of death breathing his
last. He stepped on his neck addressing him: “Have you seen how Allâh has disgraced you?” The
enemy of Islam still defiantly answered: “I am not disgraced. I am no more than a man killed by his
own people on the battlefield.” And then inquired “Who has won the battle?” Ibn Mas‘ud replied
“Allâh and His Messenger.” Abu Jahl then said with a heart full of grudge “You have followed difficult
ways, you shepherd!” Ibn Mas‘ud used to be a shepherd working for the Makkan aristocrats.

Ibn Mas‘ud then cut off his head and took it to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) who, on
seeing it, began to entertain Allâh’s praise:

• “Allâh is Great, praise is to Allâh, Who has fulfilled His Promise, assisted His servant and
defeated the confederates alone.”
He then set out to have a look at the corpse. There he said: “This is the Pharaoh of this nation.”
SOME SIGNIFICANT INSTANCES OF DEVOTION:

1. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) advised his companions to preserve the lives of Banu
Hashim who had gone out to Badr with the polytheists unwillingly because they had feared
the censure of their people. Among them, he named Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib and Abu
Bukhtari bin Hisham. He ordered the Muslims to capture, but not to kill them. Abu Hudhaifah
bin ‘Utbah showed great surprise and commented saying: “We kill our fathers, children,
brothers and members of our clan, and then come to spare Al-‘Abbas? By Allâh! If I see him
I will surely strike him with my sword.” On hearing these words, the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him), addressing ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, said “Is it fair that the face of the
Messenger’s uncle be struck with sword?” ‘Umar got indignant and threatened to kill Abu
Hudhaifah; the latter later said that extreme fear had taken firm grip of him and felt that
nothing except martyrdom could expiate for his mistake. He was actually killed later on
during Al-Yamamah events.

2. Abu Al-Bukhtari bin Hisham had already done his best to restrain his people, the Makkans,
from committing any act of folly against the Prophet (Peace be upon him) while the latter
was still in Makkah. He also neither hurt nor was reported to have uttered anything
repugnant with regard to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He had as well been among the
people who tried to invalidate the boycott alliance taken against Banu Hashim and Banu
‘Abdul Muttalib.

• Here, however, in the battle of Badr he insisted on fighting unless his compatriot was
spared. Al-Mujdhir bin Ziyad Al-Balwi, with whom he was engaged in combat, replied that
the other was not included in the Prophet ’s recommendation. The combat went o n to end in
Al-Bukhtari’s death.

3. ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf and Omaiyah bin Khalaf had been close friends during the pre-
Islamic era. When the battle of Badr ended, ‘Abdur-Rahman saw Omaiyah and his son
among the captives. He threw away the armour he had as spoils, and walked with them
both. Bilal, the Prophet’s caller for prayer, saw Omaiyah and soon all the torture he had
been put to at the hand of this man dawned upon him, and swore he would have revenge on
Omaiyah. ‘Abdur-Rahman tried to ease the tension and address embarrassing situation
amicably but with no success. The Muslims gathered around and struck Omaiyah’s son with
swords. At this point, ‘Abdur-Rahman called upon his old friend to run for his life but he was
put to swords from different people and lay down dead. ‘Abdur-Rahman, completely helpless
and resigned said: May Allâh have mercy on Bilal, for he deprived me of the spoils, and I
have been stricken by the death of my two captives.

4. On the moral level, the battle of Badr was an inescapable conflict between the forces of
good and those of evil. In this context, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab did not spare the life of any
polytheist even his uncle on the maternal side Al-‘As bin Hisham bin Al-Mugheerah.

5. Abu Bakr shouted at his son ‘Abdur-Rahman, still a polytheist and fighting with them,
“Where is my wealth, you wicked boy?” The son answered that it was gone with the wind.

6. When the battle ended, the Muslims began to hold some polytheists in captivity. The
Prophet (Peace be upon him) looked into the face of Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, the Head of the
Prophet’s guards, and understood that he was hateful to taking the enemy elements as
prisoners. Sa‘d agreed to what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said and added that it was
the first victory for the Muslims over the forces of polytheism, and he had more liking for
slaying them than sparing their lives.

7. On the day of Badr, the sword of ‘Ukashah bin Mihsan Al-Asdi broke down so the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) gave him a log of wood which he shook and it immediately turned into
a long strong white sword. ‘Ukashah went on using that same sword in most of the Islamic
conquests until he died in the process of the apostasy wars.

8. When the war activities had been concluded, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari saw his brother,
still a polytheist, being handcuffed by a Ansari. Mus‘ab recommended that the Helper tighten
the knot for the prisoner’s mother was wealthy enough to ransom her son. ‘Abu ‘Aziz,
Mus‘ab’s brother, tried to appeal to his brother through the family ties, but the latter firmly
replied that the Helper was more eligible for brotherhood than him.

9. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) ordered that the corpses of the polytheists be
dropped into an empty well, Abu Hudhaifah bin ‘Utbah looked sadly at his dead father, who
fought on the side of the polytheists. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) noticed that and
asked him about it. Hudhaifah said that he had never held the least doubt that his father
met his fate deservedly, but added that he wished he had been guided to the path of Islam,
and that is why he felt sad. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) whispered in his ears some
comforting words.

The outcome of the battle was as aforementioned an ignominious rout for the polytheists and a
manifest victory for the Muslims. Fourteen Muslims were killed, of whom six were from the
Emigrants and eight from the Helpers. The polytheists sustained heavy casualties, seventy were
killed and a like number taken prisoners. Many of the principal men of Makkah, and some of
Muhammad ’s bitterest opponents, were among the slain. Chief of these was Abu Jahl.

On the third day, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went out to look at the slain
polytheists, and said:

• “What an evil tribe you were as regards your Prophet, you belied me but the others have
believed; you let me down while the others have supported me; you expelled m, whereas
the others have sheltered me.”
He stood over the bodies of twenty-four leaders of Quraish who had been thrown into one of the
wells, and started to call them by name and by the names of their fathers, saying: “Would it not
have been much better for you if you had obeyed Allâh and His Messenger? Behold, we have found
that our Lord’s promise do come true; did you (also) find that the promises of your Lord came
true?” Thereupon, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab said: “O Messenger of Allâh! Why you speak to bodies that
have no souls in them?” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) answered: “By Him in Whose hand is
Muhammad ’s soul! You do not hear better what I am saying than they do.”
REACTION IN MAKKAH:

The polytheists having received a large dose of disciplining and heavy defeat, fled away in great
disorder in the vales and hillocks heading for Makkah panicked and too ashamed to see their people.

Ibn Ishaq related that the first herald of bad tidings was Al-Haisaman bin ‘Abdullah Al-Khuza‘i. He
narrated to them how their notables were killed. People there did not believe him at first and
thought that he had gone mad, but soon the news was confirmed and a state of incredible
bewilderment overwhelmed the whole Makkan scene. Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith gave Abu Lahab a
full account of the massacre and the disgraceful rout they sustained, with emphasis on the role that
the angels played in bringing about their tragic end. Abu Lahab could not contain himself and gave
vent to his feelings of resentment in beating, abusing and slapping Abu Rafi‘, a Muslim, but reticent
on his conversion, for reiterating the role of the angels. Umm Al-Fadl, another Muslim woman,
greatly exasperated by Abu Lahab’s thoughtless behaviour, struck him with a log and cracked his
head. Seven days later, he died of an ominous ulcer and was left for three days unburied. His sons,
however, for fear of shameful rumours, drove him to a pit and keeping their distance, hurled stones
and dust at him.

The defeat was a matter of great shame and grief for the Makkans. In almost every house there
were silent tears for the dead and the captives. They were burning with humiliation and were
thirsting for revenge. Wailing, lamenting and crying however were decreed strictly forbidden lest the
Muslims should rejoice at their affliction.

MADINAH RECEIVES THE NEWS OF VICTORY:

Two heralds, ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah and Zaid bin Harithah were despatched to Madinah, to convey
the glad tidings of victory to the Muslims there.

The multi-ethnic and ideological structure of Madinah featured different respective reactions.

Rumour-mongers amongst the Jews and hypocrites spread news to the effect that the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) had been killed, and tried to impress their false assumption on the fact that
Zaid bin Harithah was riding Al-Qaswâ’, the Prophet’s she-camel. Having reached, the two
messengers imparted to the Muslims the happy news of victory, and furnished accurate information
about the course of events in order to establish the sense of reassurance deep in the hearts of the
anxious, but now, joyous Muslims. They immediately started acclaiming Allâh’s Name and
entertaining His praise at the top of their voices. Their chiefs went out of the city to wait and receive
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on the road leading to Badr.

Usamah bin Zaid related that they received the news of the manifest victory shortly after Ruqaiyah,
the Prophet ’s daughter, and the wife of ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan had been committed to earth. She had
been terminally ill and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had asked ‘Uthman to stay in Madinah and
look after her.

Before leaving the scene of the battle, dispute concerning the spoils of war arose among the Muslim
warriors, as the rule relating to their distribution had not yet been legislated. When the difference
grew wider, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) suspended any solution whereof until the
Revelation was sent down.

‘Ubadah bin As-Samit said: “We went out with the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and I
witnessed Badr with him. The battle started and Allâh, the Exalted, defeated the enemy. Some of
the Muslims sought and pursued the enemy, some were intent on collecting the spoils from the
enemy camp, and others were guarding the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and were on
the alert for any emergency or surprise attack. When night came and the Muslims gathered
together, those who had collected the booty said: “We collected it, so no one else has any right to
it.” Those who had pursued the enemy said: “You do not have more right to it than we do; we held
the enemy at bay and then defeated them.” As for the men who had been guarding the Prophet
(Peace be upon him), they also made similar claims to the spoils.

At that very time, a Qur’ânic verse was revealed saying:

• “They ask you [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] about the spoils of war. Say: ‘The
spoils are for Allâh and the Messenger.’ So fear Allâh and adjust all matters of difference
among you, and obey Allâh and His Messenger [Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ], if you
are believers.” [8:1]

On their way back to Madinah, at a large sand hill, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) divided the
spoils equally among the fighters after he had taken Al-Khums (one-fifth). When they reached As-
Safra’, he ordered that two of the prisoners should be killed. They were An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and
‘Uqbah bin Abi Muait, because they had persecuted the Muslims in Makkah, and harboured deep
hatred towards Allâh and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). In a nutshell, they were criminals of
war in modern terminology, and their execution was an awesome lesson to oppressors. ‘Uqbah
forgot his pride and cried out, “Who will look after my children O Messenger of Allâh?” The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) answered, “The fire (of Hell). ” Did ‘Uqbah not remember the day when he had
thrown the entrails of a sheep onto the head of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) while he was
prostrating himself in prayer, and Fatimah had come and washed it off him? He had also strangled
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with his cloak if it had not been for Abu Bakr to intervene and
release the Prophet (Peace be upon him). The heads of both criminals were struck off by ‘Ali bin Abi
Talib.

At Ar-Rawhâ’, a suburb of Madinah, the Muslim army was received by the joyous Madinese who had
come to congratulate the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on the manifest victory that Allâh had
granted him. Usaid bin Hudair, acting as a mouthpiece of the other true believers, after entertaining
Allâh’s praise, he excused himself for not having joined them on grounds that the Prophet ’s
intention was presumably, an errand aiming to intercept a caravan of camels only, he added that if
it had occurred to him that it would be real war, he would have never tarried. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) assured Usaid that he had believed him.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) now entered Madinah as a man to be counted for in a new
dimension — the military field. In consequence, a large number of the people of Madinah embraced
Islam, which added a lot to the strength, power and moral standing of the true religion.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) exhorted the Muslims to treat the prisoners so well to such an
extent that the captors used to give the captives their bread (the more valued part of the meal) and
keep the dates for themselves.

Prisoners of war constituted a problem awaiting resolution because it was a new phenomenon in the
history of Islam. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) consulted Abu Bakr and ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab as
to what he should do with the prisoners. Abu Bakr suggested that he should ransom them,
explaining this by saying: “They are after all our relatives, and this money would give us strength
against the disbelievers, moreover, Allâh could guide them to Islam.” ‘Umar advised killing them,
saying, “They are the leaders of Kufr (disbelief).” The Prophet (Peace be upon him) preferred Abu
Bakr’s suggestion to that of ‘Umar’s. The following day, ‘Umar called on the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) and Abu Bakr to see them weeping. He shextreme astonishment and inquired about the
situation so that he might weep if it was worth weeping for, or else he would feign weeping.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said that a Qur’ânic verse had been revealed rebuking them for
taking ransom from the captives rather than slaying them:

• “It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom)
until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of
this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allâh desires (for you) the
Hereafter. And Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allâh, a
severe torment would have touched you for what you took.” [8:67,68]

The previous Divine ordainment went as follows,
• “Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom) or ransom.”
[47:4]

Which included an area providing permission to take ransom, that is why no penalty was imposed.

They were rebuked only for taking prisoners before subduing all the land of disbelief. Apart from
this, the polytheists taken to Madinah were not only prisoners of war but rather archcriminals of war
whom modern war penal law brings to justice to receive their due sentence of death or prison for
life.

The ransom for the prisoners ranged between 4000 and 1000 Dirhams in accordance with the
captive’s financial situation. Another form of ransom assumed an educational dimension; most of
the Makkans, unlike the Madinese, were literate and so each prisoner who could not afford the
ransom was entrusted with ten children to teach them the art of writing and reading. Once the child
had been proficient enough, the instructor would be set free. Another clan of prisoners were
released unransomed on grounds of being hard up. Zainab, the daughter of the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), paid the ransom of her husband Abul-‘As with a necklace. The Muslims released her
prisoner and returned the necklace in deference to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) but on
condition that Abul-‘As allow Zainab to migrate to Madinah, which he actually did.

In captivity, there was also an eloquent orator called Suhail bin ‘Amr. ‘Umar suggested that they pull
out his front teeth to disable him from speaking, but the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned down
his suggestion for fear Quraish should retaliate in the same manner on one hand, and on the other
for fear of Allâh’s wrath on the Day of Resurrection.

Sa‘d bin An-Nu‘man, a lesser pilgrim detained in Makkah, was released in return for setting Abu
Sufyan’s son, a captive, free.

THE BATTLE OF BADR IN ITS QUR'ANIC CONTEXT:

The Chapter of Al-Anfal (spoils of war) was revealed on the occasion of the battle of Badr, Ramadan
17th 2 A.H. It constituted a unique Divine commentary on this battle.

Allâh, the All-High, in the context of this Chapter draws on major issues relating to the whole
process of Islamization. Allâh, here draws the attention of the Muslims to the still lingering moral
shortcomings in their character. He wants them to build an integrated, purified society. He speaks
about the invisible assistance he sent down to His obedient servants to enable them to accomplish
their noble objectives. He wants the Muslims to rid themselves of any trait of haughtiness or
arrogance that might sneak in. He wants them to turn to Him for help, obey Him and His Messenger
(Peace be upon him).

After that He delineated the noble objectives for which the Messenger (Peace be upon him) launched
that bloody battle, and directed them to the merits and qualities that brought about the great
victory.The polytheists, hypocrites, the Jews and prisoners of war were also mentioned, being
admonished to surrender to the Truth and adhere to it only. The question of the spoils of war was
resolved and the principles and basics relevant to this issue were clearly defined.

The laws and rules pertinent to war and peace were legalized and codified, especially at this
advanced stage of the Islamic action. Allâh wanted the Muslims to follow war ethics dissimilar to
those of pre-Islamic practices. The Muslims are deemed to outdo the others in ethics, values and
fine ideals. He wants to impress on the world that Islam is not merely a theoretical code of life, it is
rather mind cultivation-orientated practical principles. In this context, He established inter a nd intrastate
relations.

The fast of Ramadan was established as an obligatory observance in the year 2 A.H., appended by
the duty imposed upon Muslims of paying Zakat (alms tax, poor-due) in order to alleviate the
burden of the needy Emigrants.

A wonderful and striking coincidence was the establishment of Shawwal ‘Eid (the Festival of the
Fast-Breaking) directly after the manifest victory of Badr. It was actually the finest spectacle ever
witnessed of Muslims leaving their houses praying, acclaiming Allâh’s Name and entertaining His
praise at the top of their voices in recognition of His favour and grace, and last but not least, the
support He rendered them and through which the forces of the Truth overpowered those of evil.

• “And remember when you were few and were reckoned weak in the land, and were afraid
that men might kidnap you, but He provided a safe place for you, strengthened you with His
help, and provided you with good things so that you might be grateful.” [8:26]

THE MILITARY ACTIVITIES BETWEEN BADR AND UHUD
The battle of Badr was the first armed encounter between the Muslims and Quraish. It was in fact a
decisive battle that gained the Muslims a historic victory acknowledged by all the Arabs, and dealt a
heavy blow to the religious and economic interests of the polytheists. There were also the Jews who
also used to regard each . Islamic victory as a heavy blow to their religioeconomic entity. Both
parties were burning with rage and fury since the Muslims had achieved that great victory:

• “Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the
Jews and Al-Mushrikûn (polytheists, pagans, idolators and disbelievers, etc.).” [5:82]

Both resentful parties had their much more indignant suite in the form of hypocrites who faked
Islam just to save their faces; at the head of whom came ‘Abdullah bin Ubai and his retinue. The
desert bedouins living in tents pitched in the vicinity of Madinah, who depended on plundering and
looting as a means of living, were totally indifferent to this axial question of belief and disbelief.

Their worry derived from fear of losing their perverted avenues of subsistence in case a powerful
nascent Muslim state should rise up and put an end to such ill-practices, hence the grudge they
nursed against Islam and the Muslims, in general, and the person of Muhammad (Peace be upon
him) in particular.

The whole cause of Faith was thus at stake with four furious parties laying ambushes against the
new religion, each in its style: Pretension to Islam embedded with conspiracy plots and provocative
deeds within Madinah, explicitly uncovered animosity pregnant with indignation and fire of rage on
the part of the Jews, and there in Makkah open and persistent calls for vengeance coupled with
open intentions to mobilize all potential resources available to silence the voice of Islam once and
for all. This was later translated into military action, Uhud Invasion, which left a very bad impression
on the good name and esteem that the Muslims were painstakingly working to merit and preserve.

The Muslims were always obliged to be on the lookout for any hostile movements, and it was
imperative on them to launch pre-emptive strikes in all directions in order to enjoy a reasonable
degree of security in this great instability-provoking ocean of unrest. The following is a list of
military activities conducted in the post-Badr era:

ALKUDR INVASION
The scouting body of Madinah reported that Banu Saleem of Ghatafan were engaged in mustering
troops to invade the Muslims. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) took the initiative himself and
mounted a surprise attack on them in their own homeland at a watering place called Al-Kudr. Banu
Saleem, on receiving the news, had fled before he arrived. He stayed there for three days, took
their 500 camels as booty and distributed them to the fighters after he had set aside the usual onefifth;
each one gained two camels.

This invasion took place in Shawwal in the year 2 A.H., seven days after the event of Badr.

AN ATTEMP ON THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET (Peace be upon him)
The impact of defeat at Badr was so great that the Makkans began to burn with indignation and
resentment over their horrible losses. To resolve this situation two polytheists volunteered to
quench their thirst and muffle the source of that humiliation i.e. the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

‘Umair bin Wahab Al-Jumahi, a terrible polytheist, and an archenemy Safwan bin Omaiyah sat
together privately lamenting their loss and remembering their dead and captives. ‘Umair expressed
a fervent desire to kill the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and release his captured son in Madinah, if
it was not for the yoke of debts he was under and the large family he had to support. Safwan, also
had his good reasons to see the Prophet (Peace be upon him) killed, so he offered to discharge
‘Umair’s debts and support his family if he went on with his plan.

 ‘Umair agreed and asked Safwan to be reticent on the whole scheme. He left for Madinah, having
with him a sword to which he applied some kind of lethal poison. ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab saw him at
the door of the Mosque and understood that he had come with evil intentions. He immediately went
into the Mosque and informed the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He was let in looped by the sling of
his sword and in greeting he said “good morning”, to which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied
that Allâh had been Gracious and taught them the greeting of the dwellers of the Paradise: “peace
be upon you!” To a question raised by the Prophet (Peace be upon him), about his object, ‘Umair
said that he had come to see that his captured son was well treated. As for the sword, which the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) asked him about, he cursed it and said that it gained them nothing.

On exhorting him to tell his real goal, he remained obdurate and did not divulge the secret meeting
with Safwan. Here the Prophet (Peace be upon him) got impatient and he himself revealed to ‘Umair
his secret mission. ‘Umair was taken by surprise, and incredible astonishment seized him, and
immediately bore witness to the Messengership of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) He then began
to entertain Allâh’s praise for having been guided to the ‘Straight Path’. The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) was pleased and asked his Companions to teach ‘Umair the principles of Islam, recite to him
the Noble Qur’ân and release his son from captivity.

Safwan, meanwhile, was still entertaining false illusions as to the approaching redemption of
honour, and burying the memory of Badr into oblivion. He was impatiently awaiting ‘Umair’s news
but to his great surprise, he was told that the man had embraced Islam and changed into a devoted
believer. ‘Umair later came back to Makkah where he started to call people unto Islam and he did
actually manage to convert a lot of Makkans into Islam.

INVASION OF BANI QAYNUQA:

We have already spoken about the treaty that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) signed with the
Jews. He was very careful to abide by it to the letter and the Muslims did not show the least
violation of any of its provisions. The Jews, however, whose natural disposition is closely linked to
treachery, betrayal and covenant-breaching, could not rid themselves of the tradition of theirs, and
started a process of intrigues and troublemaking with the aim of producing schism in the growing
solid Muslim ranks. Here is a relevant model of their behaviour: Shas bin Qais, an elderly Jew, a
terrible disbeliever and a greatly envious man of the Muslims, passed by a group of Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) followers of Aws and Khazraj. He perceived a prevalent spirit of reconciliation
and an atmosphere of rapport and amity enveloping the whole group; an unusual scene
categorically in conflict with the animosity and hatred that characterized their pre-Islam behaviour.

He, therefore, sent a youth of his to sit among them, remind them of Bu‘ath war between them and
recite some of their verses which they used to compose satirizing each other; all of this with the
intention of sowing the seeds of discord and disagreement and undermining the new Islamicallyorientated
inter-tribal relations. The youth did in fact succeed and the two parties at no time recalled
the old days and pre-Islam tribal fanaticism sprang to the front to bring about a state of war.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was reported of this account, and immediately, at the head of
some Emigrants, set out to see to the situation. He began to rebuke them but in the manner of the
great instructor and the tolerant spirit of the understanding guide: “O, Muslims! Do you still advance
pre-Islamic arguments after I have been sent to you (as a Messenger). Remember that it is not
rightful for you to turn backward after Allâh has guided you to the Straight Path, delivered you from
disbelief and created amity between you.” The Muslims readily realized that it was a Satanic whim
and a plot hatched by the enemies. They directly embraced each other and went back home quite
satisfied and in full obedience to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).

Such were the practices of the , trouble-making, dissension-sowing, falsehood-fabrication, faking
belief in the day, and practising disbelief at night. In everyday life, they used to tighten the ropes of
financial dealings on the Muslims. If they happened to owe a Muslim something, they would shirk
their obligations on grounds that he had converted into a new religion and they would allege the
basis of agreement was no longer valid. If it was the other way, they would never cease to harass
him day and night to pay back the debt, all of which in a desperate attempt to demolish the great
edifice of the new religion that was rapidly gaining ground and speedily towering up skyward.

THE QAINUQA' JEWS BREACH THE COVENANT:

Seeing that Allâh sided with the believers and granted them a manifest victory and perceiving the
Muslims’ awesome presence in Madinah, the Jews could no longer contain themselves or conceal
indignation. They started a series of provocative and harmful deeds publicly. The most wicked
amongst them were the tribe of Banu Qainuqa‘, who lived in quarters within Madinah named after
them. As for jobs, they took up goldsmithery, blacksmithing and crafts of making household
instruments, that is why war weaponry was available in large quantities in their houses. They
counted 700 warriors, and were the most daring amongst the Jewish community in Arabia, and now
the first to breach the covenant of cooperation and non-aggression which they had already
countersigned with the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Their behaviour grew too impolite and
unbearable. They started a process of trouble-making, jeering at the Muslims, hurting those who
frequented their bazaars, and even intimidating their women. Such things began to aggravate the
general situation, so the Prophet(Peace be upon him) gathered them in assemblage, admonished
and called them to be rational, sensible and guided and cautioned against further transgression.

Nevertheless they remained obdurate and paid no heed to his warning, and said: “Don’t be deluded
on account of defeating some Quraishites inexperienced in the art of war. If you were to engage us
in fight, you will realize that we are genuine war experts.”
In this regard, the Words of Allâh were revealed saying:

• “Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ] to those who disbelieve: ‘You will be defeated
and gathered together to Hell, and worst indeed is that place to rest.’ There has already
been a Sign for you (O Jews) in the two armies that met (in combat — i.e. the battle of
Badr): One was fighting in the cause of Allâh, and as for the other (they) were disbelievers.

They (the believers) saw them (the disbelievers) with their own eyes twice their number
(although they were thrice their number). And Allâh supports with His Victory whom He
pleases. Verily, in this is a lesson for those who understand.” [3:12,13]

The answer of Banu Qainuqa‘ amounted, as seen, to war declaration. The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) suppressed his anger and advised the Muslims to be patient and forbearing and wait for what
time might reveal.

The Jews, went too far in their transgression, presumptuous behaviour and licentious practices. One
day a Jewish goldsmith provoked a Muslim woman whose genitals become uncovered when he had
tied the edge of the garment to her back. A Muslim man happened to be there and killed the man;
the Jews retaliated by killing that Muslim. The man’s family called the Muslims for help and war
started.

On Saturday, Shawwal 15th, 2 A.H., the Prophet (Peace be upon him) marched out with his soldiers,
Hamzah bin ‘Abdul Muttalib, carrying the standard of the Muslims and laid siege to the Jews’ forts
for 15 days. Allâh cast fear into their hearts, and they were obliged to defer to the Messenger
(Peace be upon him) judgement on their lives, wealth, women and children; their hands were tied
behind their backs.

At this point, ‘Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul started his hypocritical role and began to intercede for
them persistently on grounds of former alliance between those Jews and His tribe Khazraj.

Muhammad (Peace be upon him) dealt with this man as being a Muslim -- He had faked conversion
into Islam for only one month, by that time -- and so he granted him his request; for Islam accepts
people at their face value. Banu Qainuqa‘ handed over all materials, wealth and war equipage to the
Prophet (Peace be upon him), who set aside one fifth and distributed the rest to his men. After that
they were banished out of all Arabia to Azru‘a in Syria where they stayed for a while and soon
perished away.

AS-SAWIQ INVASION:

Two-pronged hostile activities were being independently conducted against the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) ; plots and intrigues being hatched by Safwan bin Omaiyah, the hypocrites and Jews on
the one hand, going on and on parallel lines with military hostilities being prepared by Abu Sufyan
aiming at saving the face of his people and impressing on the other Arabs that Quraish was still a
military power to be counted for. In the aftermath of Badr, Abu Sufyan was burning for revenge and
took a solemn vow he would never bathe off impurity unless he h ad avenged himself on Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) and his followers. He set out at the head of 200 men towards Madinah but was
not brave enough to attack it in broad daylight. He, instead resorted to acts of piracy that are
performed in the dark. He infiltrated into the Prophet ’s town and went to see an old ally Huyai bin
Akhtab, who was too cowardly to let him in, so he left for Salam bin Mashkam, chief of Bani Nadeer,
a tribe of Jews. The Jew entertained and gave him a full account of the situation therein. Late at
night he despatched a group of his men to raid Al-‘Uraid, a suburb of Madinah. There, the men felled
and burnt the palm trees, killed two Muslims and then took swiftly to their heels.

On hearing the news, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gathered his men and set out at their heels,
but could not catch them. The Muslims brought back the provisions (Sawiq, a kind of barley
porridge) which the polytheists had thrown aside in order to lighten their loads and hasten their
escape; hence this campaign was called As-Sawiq Invasion. It took place in Dhul-Hijjah 2 A.H., two
months after the event of Badr.

DHI AMR INVASION, MUHARRAM, 3 A.H:

The Prophet ’s intelligence personnel reported that Banu Tha‘labah and Banu Muhârib were
mustering troops with the aim of raiding the outskirts of Madinah. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
at the head of 450 horsemen and footmen set out to handle this new situation. ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan
was asked to dispose the affairs of the Muslims in Madinah. On their way, they captured a man who
embraced Islam and acted as a guide for the army. When the enemies heard of the approach of the
Muslims, they hurriedly dispersed in the mountains and disappeared. The Muslims encamped at a
watering place called “Dhi Amr” for the whole of Safar 3 A.H. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
aimed to impress upon the desert bedouins in the area, that the Muslims were then powerful enough
to cast fear and awe into the hearts of their enemies.

KA'B BIN AL-ASHRAF, KILLED:

Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf was the most resentful Jew at Islam and the Muslims, the keenest on inflicting
harm on the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and the most zealous advocate of waging war
against him. He belonged to Tai’ tribe but his mother to Banu Nadeer. He was a wealthy man known
for his handsomeness, and a poet living in luxury in his fort south east of Madinah at the rear of
Banu Nadeer’s habitations.

On hearing the news of Badr, he got terribly exasperated and swore that he would prefer death to
life if the news was true. When this was confirmed he wrote poems satirizing Muhammad (Peace be
upon him), eulogizing Quraish and enticing them against the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He then
rode to Makkah where he started to trigger the fire of war, and kindle rancour against the Muslims
in Madinah. When Abu Sufyan asked him which religion he was more inclined to, the religion of the
Makkans or that of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his companions, he replied that the pagans
were better guided. Wrespect to this situation, Allâh revealed His Words:

• “Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They believe in Jibt
and Taghût, and say to the disbelievers that they are better guided as regards the way than
the believers (Muslims).” [4:51]

He then returned to Madinah to start a fresh campaign of slanderous propaganda that took the form
of obscene songs and amatory sonnets with a view to defaming the Muslim women.

At this stage, the situation became unbearable and could no longer be put up with. The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) gathered his men and said: “Who will kill Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf? He had maligned
Allâh, and His Messenger.” Thereupon, Muhammad bin Maslamah, ‘Abbad bin Bishr, Al-Harith bin
Aws, Abu ‘Abs bin Hibr and Salkan bin Salamah, Ka‘b’s foster brother, volunteered to do the job.

Muhammad bin Maslamah said: “O Messenger of Allâh, do you wish that I should kill him?” He said:

“Yes.” He said: “Permit me to talk (to him in the way I deem fit).” He said: “Talk (as you like).” So,
Muhammad bin Maslamah came to Ka‘b and talked to him, saying: “This man (i.e. the Prophet
(Peace be upon him)) has made up his mind to collect charity (from us) and this has put us to a
great hardship.” When he heard this, Ka‘b said: “By Allâh you will be put to more trouble by him.”
Muhammad bin Maslamah answered: “No doubt, now we have become his followers and we do not
like to forsake him until we see what turn his affairs will take. I want that you should give me a
loan.” He said: “What will you mortgage?” Muhammad answered: “What do you want?” The immoral
and heartless Jew demanded women and children as articles of security against the debt.

Muhammad said: “Should we pledge our women whereas you are the most handsome of the Arabs;
and the son of one of us may be abused by saying that he was pledged for two wasq (measurement
unit of weight) of dates but we can pledge you (our) weapons.” Ka‘b agreed. Salkan bin Salamah,
Abu Na’ilah, at another time, went to see Ka‘b for the same purpose and there were more or less
the same subjects, only that Abu Na’ilah would bring him some companions. The plan was
successful and provided for the presence of both men and weapons. On Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 14th, at
night, the year 3 A.H. the people said good bye to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and set out in
the Name of Allâh to implement the carefully drawn plan. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) stayed
back praying for them and supplicating Allâh to render them success. The men went and called upon
him at night. He came down although his wife warned him not to meet them alleging that: “I hear a
voice which sounds like the voice of murder.” He said: “It is only Muhammad bin Maslamah and my
foster brother Abu Na’ilah. When a gentleman is called at night even if he be pierced with a spear,
he should respond to the call.” Abu Na’ilah said to his companions: “As he comes down, I will extend
my hand towards his head to smell and when I hold him fast, you should do your job.” So when he
came down, they talked together for about an hour. They then invited him to go out and spend a
nice time in the moonlight. On the way out, Abu Na’ilah remarked: “I smell the nicest perfume from
you.” Ka‘b said: “Yes, I have with me a mistress who is the most scented of the women of Arabia.”
Abu Na’ilah again said: “Allow me to smell (the scent on your head)”. He said: “Yes, you may
smell.” So he caught it and smelt. Then he said: “Allow me to do so(once again).” He then held his
head fast and said to his companions: “Do your job.” And they killed him. The group of men came
back after fulfilling their mission. One of them Al-Harith bin Aws was wounded by mistake with the
swords of his men, and was bleeding badly. When they reached Baqee‘ Al-Gharqad, they shouted,
“Allâh is Great”. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) heard them and realized that they had killed the
enemy of Allâh. As they saw him, he said: “Cheerful faces are yours.” In reply, they said: “And
yours O Messenger of Allâh.” They handed the head of the tyrant over to him. He entertained Allâh’s
praise for their success. He then applied his saliva to Al-Harith’s wound and it healed on the spot.

When the Jews learned about the death of their tyrant, Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, they were scared and
even their stonelike hearts were in the grip of inexpressible panic. They realized that the Messenger
of Allâh (Peace be upon him) would thenceforth never hesitate to use force when good words and
admonition failed. They remained silent and resigned, and faked adherence to covenants.

Now the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was free to collect his thoughts and give himself up to
resolving foreign affairs, and facing dangers that could be carried with hostile wind blowing again
from Makkah.

THE INVASION OF BUHRAN:

In Rabi‘ Ath-Thani, the year 3 A.H. the Prophet (Peace be upon him) led a campaign comprising 300
warriors to Buhran in the area of Al-Furu‘. He stayed there till Jumada Al-Ula, 3 A.H. No fighting
took place in the process of this patrolling invasion.

ZAID BIN HARITHAH LEADS A CAMPAIGN ON THE TRADE ROUTES OF QURAISH:

This was the most successful campaign prior to Uhud Battle. It took place in Jumada Ath-Thaniyah,
the year 3 A.H.

Summer approached and it was high time for the Makkan trade caravans to leave for Syria. The
people of Quraish whose lives depended mainly on a mercantile economy consisting of summer
caravans to Syria and winter caravans to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), were now at a loss as to what route
they would have to follow in order to avoid the backbreaking military strikes that the Muslims
successfully inflicted on the polytheists.

They held a meeting to discuss the chances of escaping the economic blockade and decided to go
along a trade route across Najd to Iraq. Furat bin Haiyan was appointed as a guide for the caravan.

Safwan bin Omaiyah led the caravan along the new route. News of the meeting leaked out through
Na‘im bin Mas‘ud Al-Ashja‘i under the effect of wine, and it flew fast to Madinah by Sulit bin An
Nu‘man. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) immediately mustered 100 horsemen under the
leadership of Zaid bin Harithah Al-Kalbi and despatched them to intercept and capture the caravan.

They caught up with the camels at a place called Al-Qardah. They took the polytheists by surprise
and arrested their guide and two other men. Safwan and his guards fled away without showing the
least resistance. The caravan was carrying silver and wares whose value amounted to 100 thousand
dirhams. The booty was distributed among the Muslim warriors after one-fifth had been set aside for
the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Furat bin Haiyan embraced Islam out of his o wn sweet free will.

As a result of this episode, the Muslims foiled Quraish’s plans to find a new trade route. The
economic siege laid to Makkah was thus consolidated and had a great impact on the mercantile
economy of Makkah. The Makkans were terribly anxious and worried about their prospects of life
now at stake with no hope whatsoever for any possible rehabilitation of commercial life or
redemption of former prestige at the socio-political level except through two avenues categorically
contrasting: Relinquishing all symbols of arrogance and all attitudes of haughtiness through
reconciliation with the new status quo, and peaceableness with the Muslims; or launching a decisive
overwhelming war with the aim of crushing down the military forces of Madinah. It was apparent
through the process of events that Quraish had opted for the second alternative. Loud cries were
being heard everywhere in Makkah demanding immediate vengeance and quick retaliatory action.

These movements on all levels constituted the direct preliminaries to the battle of Uhud.

THE BATTLE OF UHUD
The defeat at Badr was an ignominy which the Quraishites pride could not leave unavenged.

Revenge was, therefore, the catchword all over Makkah. The Makkans even forbade lamenting over
their murdered people, or ransoming their captives at Badr Battle lest the Muslims should realize the
grave degree of sadness and feeling of tragedy they were experiencing.

In the wake of Badr event, Quraish was in common consent and started fresh preparations to launch
an overall war against the Muslims in order to restore their blemished prestige and wounded pride.

The most enthusiastic polytheists desiring to go into a new battle were ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl, Safwan
bin Omaiyah, Abu Sufyan bin Harb, and ‘Abdullah bin Abi Rabi‘a. They were determined to crush the
commonwealth of Islam once and for all. Emissaries were sent to all the tribes to make common
cause against the rising Faith. As a consequence of this, they managed to enlist the support of two
well-known tribes Kinana and Tihamah besides some desert bedouins Ahabish. It was also decided
that the profits of the escaped caravan headed by Abu Sufyan, which amounted to 1000 camels and
50 thousand Dinars, should be devoted for providing equipment to the army. The Noble Qur’ân has
alluded to this decision of theirs in the following words:

• “Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the path of Allâh,
and so will they continue to spend it; but in the end it will become an anguish for them.

Then they will be overcomed.” [8:36]

They also devised other ways of recruitment including hiring poets to entice the tribes into fighting
the Muslims. Safwan bin Omaiyah allured Abu ‘Azza, the poet to work in this context in return for
riches after the war or supporting his daughters if killed. Incidentally, this poet was prisoner of war
(in the context of the Badr events) in the hands of the Muslims and the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) was gracious enough to release him unransomed provided he would not engage in fight against
him.

Abu Sufyan nursed the most grudge against Muslims because he had lost most of his supplies in As-
Sawiq invasion, let alone the heavy economic losses that Quraish had sustained in the aftermath of
the events that featured the platoon of Zaid bin Harithah.

In the light of these successive failures, Quraish precipitated and accelerated their preparations for a
decisive battle with the Muslims. At the turn of the year everything was ready for the move. The
Makkans also decided to take their women along with them for they might arouse them to fight
manfully. Thus a contingent of three thousand pitched warriors, of whom seven hundred were
mailed soldiers and two hundred well-mounted cavalry with three thousand camels and fifteen
women marched towards Madinah. The general leader was Abu Sufyan bin Harb, the cavalry under
the leadership of Khalid bin Al-Waleed assisted by ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl, and Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar were
entrusted with the flag.

Old deep-seated feelings of hatred, with heart-based grudge enveloped the whole process
foreshadowing bitter, bloody revenge-instigated fighting between the two parties.

Meanwhile Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib, was closely watching the military movements and
preparations for war, and these were all included in an urgent message sent by him to Prophet
(Peace be upon him) who received it while he was in Qubâ’ Mosque. Ubai bin Ka‘b read the letter to
the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who asked him to be reticent with respect to its serious contents.

He hurried back to Madinah, convened a meeting with the Helpers and Emigrants and conducted
with them serious consultations as regards the measures to be taken.

The whole of Madinah was put on the alert and all men were heavily armed even during prayer in
anticipation of any emergency. A group of Helpers volunteered to guard the Prophet(Peace be upon
him) and kept watchful eye all night at his door, amongst whom there were Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, Usaid
bin Hudair and Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah. Lest they should be taken by surprise, armed groups of the
Madinese began to police the entrances and roads leading to the city. To reconnoitre the movements
of the polytheists, Muslim platoons began to patrol the routes for any probable enemy raids.

The Makkan army, on the other hand, continued the march along the usual western road. On
reaching Al-Abwâ’, Hind bint ‘Utbah, Abu Sufyan’s wife, suggested that they dig up the grave of the
Prophet’s mother, but the leaders of the army refused to do so for fear of the consequent results.

The army then followed Wadi Al-‘Aqeeq and turned right to encamp themselves at a place called
‘Ainain near Uhud Mountain. That was on Friday, 6th Shawwal, 3 A.H.

A CONSULTANT ASSEMBLY FOR A DEFENCE PLAN:

The scouting party of Madinah conveyed the news of the Makkan army step by step. Then the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) held a head military consultation assembly to exchange
views about the situation. He told them about a dream he had. He said: “By Allâh, I have dreamt of
— I implore Allâh to be a dream of bounty — cows slaughtered and that there was a groove at the
pointed top of my sword, and that I had inserted my hand into an immune armour.”
The interpretation of ‘the cows’ was that some of his men were killed, and ‘the groove at the pointed
top of his sword’ was that a member of his House would be hurt. As for ‘the armour’ it was Madinah.

Then he offered a suggestion that his Companions should not go out of Madinah and that they
should encamp themselves within the city. He was of the opinion that the enemies should be left in
the open to exhaust themselves and thus the Muslims would not risk a battle. But if they thought of
attacking Madinah, Muslim men would be ready to fight them at the mouths of lanes; whereas
Muslim-women would help from over the house roofs.” ‘Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul — the head of
the hypocrites; who attended the meeting as a chief of Al-Khazraj — supported the Prophet ’s plan.

As a matter of fact his agreement was not based on the righteousness of the plan but rather on
personal benefit. He did not want to fight. On the contrary he secretly aimed at being far away from
fight. However it was Allâh’s Will that he should be disclosed and disgraced in public — for the first
time. It was His Will that the curtain which concealed their disbelief behind should be uncovered and
pulled down. Allâh’s Will enabled the Muslims to recognize the reality of those snakes that were
creeping within their garments and inside the sleeves of their clothes. Thanks to Allâh they
recognized them in one of the most critical times of their lives.

Some of the best honourable Companions, who had missed Al-Jihâd in Badr invasion, suggested
that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) should go out of Madinah and urged him to accept their point
of view. One of them said: “O, Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), for long time we have been
looking forward to this day; and we have implored Allâh to make such a day draw near. Thanks to
Allâh it is time to fight. So let us go out and fight our enemies lest they should think that we have
lost heart and do not dare to fight them.” Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib the paternal uncle of the
Prophet (Peace be upon him), who had already covered the ornaments of his sword with idolaters’
blood in Badr Battle, was ahead of those enthusiastics who urged him to go out and meet the
disbelievers. He said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him): “By Allâh, Who has sent the Book down
unto you, I will not taste food till I fight them with my sword outside Madinah.”
After weighing carefull the pros and cons of the issue, it was decided that the enemy should be
resisted outside the city at Uhud.

DIVIDING THE ISLAMIC ARMY INTO PHALANXES DEPARTURE TO THE BATTLE-FIELD:

Ascending the pulpit at the Friday congregational prayer, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) urged
the people in his sermon to fight courageously. “If you remain steadfast,” he said “you will be
helped by the Power of the All- Mighty.” Then he commanded his men to make ready for the battle.

Most of them rejoiced greatly.

He led the afternoon prwith crowds of people. Then he entered his house accompanied by his two
friends Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. They helped him dress and wear his headcloth. He armed himself and
wore two armours one over the other. He wore his sword and went out to me et people.

People were waiting for him impatiently. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh and Usaid bin Hudair blamed people for
pressing on the Prophet (Peace be upon him). They said: “You have forced the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) to fight the enemy outside Madinah.” Therefore they were determined to leave
the whole matter to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and blamed themselves for what they had
already done. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came out, they said: “O Messenger of Allâh,
we should have not disagreed with you. So, you are free to do what you desire. If you prefer to stay
inside Madinah we will stay with you. Upon this the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
remarked: “It does not become a Prophet that once he had put on armour, he should take it off,
until Allâh has decided between him and the enemy.”
THE PROPHET (Peace be upon him) DIVIDED HIS ARMY INTO THREE BATTALIONS:

1. Al-Muhajireen battalion, under the command of Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari.

2. Al-Ansari-Aws battalion was commanded by Usaid bin Hudair.

3. Al-Ansari-Khazraj battalion with Al-Hubab bin Al-Mundhir to lead it.

The army consisted of a thousand fighters; a hundred of them armoured; another fifty horsemen.

He appointed Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the people in prayer in Madinah. Departure was announced
and the army moved northwards with the two Sa‘ds, who were armoured, running in front of the
army.

Upon passing along Al-Wada‘ mountain trail he saw a well-armed battalion, which were detached
from the main body of the army. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) inquired who they were and he
was told that they were Jews and were allies of Al-Khazraj. They told him that they wanted to
contribute to the fight against the idolaters. “Have they embraced Islam?” The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) asked. “No,” they said. So he refused admitting them and said that he would not seek
the assistance of disbelievers against the idolaters.

PARADING THE ARMY:

As soon as he reached a location called Ash-Shaikhan, he paraded his army. He dismissed those
whom he considered to be disabled or too young to stand the fight. Among them were ‘Abdullah bin
‘Umar bin Al-Khattab. Usama bin Zaid; Usaid bin Zaheer, Zaid bin Thabit, Zaid bin Arqam. ‘Araba
bin Aws, ‘Amr bin Hazm, Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri, Zaid bin Haritha Al-Ansari, Sa‘d bin Habba and Al-
Barâ’ bin ‘Azib, Sahih Al-Bukhari pointed out that he had shared in the fight that day.

The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) allowed both Rafi‘ bin Khadaij and Samura bin Jundub
to join the army — though they were too young. The former proved to be skillful at shooting arrows;
the latter wrestled the former and beat him. The admission of Rafi‘ made Samura say: “I am
stronger than him, I can overcome him.” When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) heard this saying
he ordered them to wrestle. They did. Samura won so he was also admitted.

PASSING THE NIGHT BETWEEN UHUD AND MADINAH:

As night fell upon them there, they performed both the sunset and the evening prayers and spent
the night there as well. Fifty people were chosen to guard the camp and go round it. Muhammad bin
Maslama Al-Ansari, the hero of the brigade of Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, was in charge of the guards.

Whereas Dhakwan bin ‘Abd Qais undertook the responsibility of guarding the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), in particular.

THE REBELLION OF 'ABDALLAH BIN UBAI AND HIS FOLLOWERS:

At the end of the night and just before it was daybreak, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) moved
and when he got to Ash-Shawt he observed the dawn prayer. There he was close enough to the
enemy that they could see one another. It was there that ‘Abdullah bin Ubai — the hypocrite —
rebelled against the Muslims. One-third of the army withdrew with him — that is to say three
hundred fighters. He said, “We do not know why we shall kill ourselves.” He claime d that his
withdrawal was no more than showing protest against the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him)
who had already refused his opinion and accepted that of the others.

Undoubtedly that was not the real cause of his detachment. If it had been the refusal of his opinion
— as the hypocrite claimed — there would have no sense whatsoever for his joining the Prophetic
army. If it had been so, he would have refused to go out with the army from the very beginning of
the march. As a matter of fact the real purpose of this rebellion, withdrawal and detachment — at
this delicate and awkward position and time — was to produce bewilderment, confusion of mind, and
disorder in the Muslims army who were within the sight and hear range of the enemy who were also
looking forward to seeing more and more dissension on the side of the Muslims, like themselves.

They also aimed at breaking the high morale of the believers. That would accelerate — in their
opinion — the breakdown and consequently the death of Muhammad, his faithful Companions and
Islam as a whole. The way would then be clear for the reclaim of presidency, which that hypocrite
had lost on the advent of Islam into Madinah.

Short of Allâh’s Care, the hypocrite’s plot would have been successful. Banu Haritha of Al-Aws and
Banu Salama of Al-Khazraj were partially impressed by the hypocrite’s behaviour. Both of them
were overwhelmed by confusion and they had almost started to withdraw, but Allâh’s Care saved
them from that disgrace. About their incident Allâh says:

• “When two parties from among you were about to lose their heart, but Allâh was their
Wali (Supporter and Protector). And in Allâh should the believers put their trust.” [3:122]

‘Abdullah bin Haram — the father of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah — attempted to stop their withdrawal. He
reminded the hypocrites of their duty at this delicate and awkward condition, but in vain. He
followed them, reproached them and urged them to go back saying: “Come and fight in the way of
Allâh or at least be defenders.” They said: “If we had known that you would really fight we would
have not gone back.” Having despaired of them, he addressed them saying: “May Allâh cast you
away, you enemies of Allâh. Allâh will certainly suffice His Prophet.” Allâh says about those
hypocrites:

• “And that He might test the hypocrites, it was said to them: ‘Come, fight in the way of
Allâh or (at least) defend yourselves.’ They said: ‘Had we known that fighting will take place,
we would certainly have followed you.’ They were that day, nearer to disbelief than to Faith,
saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allâh has full knowledge of what
they conceal.” [3:167]

THE REMINDER OF THE ISLAMIC ARMY ARE ON THE MOVE TO UHUD:

With the remainder of fighters, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) moved towards the
enemy. After the rebellion and withdrawal of the hypocrites, the number of soldiers was reduced to
seven hundred only.

The camp of idolaters was situated in such a place that the many roads leading to Uhud were almost
blocked by them. So the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said to his men: “Which man of
you can lead us to where the people (i.e. the idolaters) are, along a short track that does not pass
by them?” Abu Khaithama said: “O Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), I am the man you
need.” Then he chose a short track that led to Uhud passing by Harrah Bani Harithah and their
farms, leaving the idolaters’ army westwards.

On their way they passed by Ha’it (i.e. the field) of Marba‘ bin Qaizi, who was a blind hypocrite.

When Marba‘ felt and realized that they were the Prophetic army, he started throwing earth at their
faces, so they rushed to kill him, but the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

• “Do not kill him. He is blind in heart and eyes.”
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) went along till climbed down the hillock of Uhud at the
slope of the valley. He camped there with his army facing Madinah while their backs were to the hills
of Uhud mountain. So the army of the enemy stood a barrier between the Muslims and Madinah.

THE DEFENCE PLAN:

TheMessenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) mobilized his army. He arranged them into two rows to
prepare them for fight. He s