THE EARLY LIFE OF THE APOSTLE OF ALLAH
It is recorded that when the mother of the apostle of Allah became
pregnant with him she had a vision, and a voice spoke to her, saying, “Thou
art pregnant with the prince of this nation. When he is born on this earth,
thou must say, “I place him under the protection of the only One, from
the wickedness of every envious person.” And thou must name him Muhammad.”
While she was carrying the child in her womb she saw a light issue from
her which illuminated even the castles of Busra in Syria. And Abdullah
b. Abdul Muttalib, the father of the apostle, died while the child was
yet unborn. The apostle of Allah was born on a Monday, on the thirteenth
(lay of the month of Rabi in the year of the Elephant [c 570]*
At the time of the apostle's birth a Jew standing on
the flat roof of a house in Medina called forth the Jewish people and when
they assembled around him, saying, “Woe to you. What is the matter?”
he told them “This night the star has risen, under which the apostle is
born.”
[*The year of an invasion by the Abyssinians, whose army was
made memorable in Arabia by having an elephant in its train.]
When his mother was delivered of the apostle of Allah she sent the
following message to his grandfather: “An infant is born to you; come and
see him.” He came and she informed him of what she had seen
and heard during her pregnancy and the name she had been ordered to give
the child. It is said that his grandfather took the boy into the Kaba [place
of worship] and prayed to Allah and thanked Him for His gift; then he brought
him again to his mother.
Soon he hired for the boy a nurse, whose name was Halima.
Halima was the daughter of Abu Dhuayb of the Banu Sad tribe. The tradition
concerning her is that she went forth with her husband and a little son
whom she was suckling, with others of the women of the Banu
Sad who were in search of children to nurse. She relates: “In a year of
dearth, when nothing was left us, I went forth on a piebald
she ass and we had with us a she camel which gave us not one drop of milk.
We could not sleep the whole night, because the infant we had with
us cried for hunger, there being nothing in my breasts to satisfy him nor
anything in our camel to nourish him. We were, however, hoping for aid
and deliverance; accordingly I continued the journey, riding on my she
ass which was so weak that it lagged behind and the people complained.
“At last, we arrived in Mecca to look for sucklings, and there was not
a woman among us to whom the apostle of Allah was not offered. They all
refused to take charge of him as soon as they were told that
he was an orphan, because we expected benefits from the father of an infant
but did not like orphans, thinking that a mother or a grandfather
would do us but little good. Not a woman, however, remained who had not
obtained a suckling except myself. When we assembled to depart,
I said to my husband, “I am unwilling to return with my companions and
not take a suckling. I shall go to that orphan and take it.” He replied,
“Do so!
Perhaps Allah will make it a blessing to us.” Then I went and took
him just because I could find no other child. “After that, I took
him to my arms and offered him my breast he drank as much as he liked till
he was satisfied, and his brother did the same till he had enough.
After that both of slept, whereas before we could not sleep for our child
wailing. Then my husband approached our she camel, and lo! It was full.
Accordingly I milked it, and we both drank until we were satisfied and
filled, so that we had a good night. In the morning, my husband said, “By
Allah, Halima, you have brought a blessed soul.” I replied “This is just
what I hope for.” After that we departed. I mounted my she ass with the
infant, but the animal ran so fast that the other donkeys were not able
to keep up with it, and my companions asked, “0 daughter of Abu Dhuayb,
is not this the same donkey on which you came?”
I replied, “Yes. It is the very same”, and they exclaimed,
“There is something the matter with it!” When we arrived at our habitation
in the country of the Banu Sad a more sterile land
than which I do not know on the earth of Allah our sheep met me in the
evening, filled with milk so that we had only to milk and drink, whereas
others could not milk a single drop. And those of those of our people
who were present said to their shepherds, “Woe to you! Pasture where the
shepherd of the daughter of Abu Dhayb is pasturing.” Nevertheless their
sheep returned in the morning hungry, without a drop of milk, and my sheep
were filled with milk. “In this manner we continued to receive from
Allah increase benefits for two years; then I weaned the boy and he had
become strong as no other boys had. We returned him to his mother, although
we were anxious that he should remain with us since we had seen the blessing
he brought. I asked his mother to leave him with us to grow
fat, and told her that I feared the climate and disease in Mecca might
harm him. We did not cease to importune her until she allowed us to take
him back. “It was not longer than a month after our return
that his milk-brother came running to me and his father, saying, “Two men
dressed in white garments have taken hold of my brother, and have thrown
him on the ground. They ripped open his belly, and are squeezing him.”
I and his foster father hastened out and found him standing
apparently unharmed but with his countenance quite altered. We questioned
him, and he said, “Two men dressed in white garments came to me, who threw
me down, opened my abdomen and searched in it for I know not what.” We
returned with him to our tent, and his foster father said to me, “0 Halima!
I fear something has happened to the boy. Carry him to his
family ere the injury becomes apparent!” “Accordingly, we took him
back to his mother, who asked, “What has brought you here, when you were
so anxious that he should remain with you?” I replied, “Allah
has caused my son to grow and I have done my duty, but I feared that something
might befall him and therefore I have brought him back to you as you
desired.” She said, “Such is not the case! Tell me the truth about it.”
And she would not let me alone until I had told her everything. Then she
asked, “Are you afraid that he is possessed by Satan?” and
I replied, “Yes.” She said, “No, by Allah! Satan has no access to him,
because something great is the matter with my son. Shall I
tell you about it? While I was pregnant with him, I saw a light issuing
from me and, by Allah, I could not have had a pregnancy which was easier
or lighter than this. When he was born, he placed his hands
on the ground and raised his head to heaven. Do not trouble yourself about
him, and return home.” “
Later, the apostle of Allah himself described what had happened.
“Whilst I and my milk brother were pasturing some animals in the rear of
our house, two men came to us dressed in white garments and
bearing a golden platter full of snow. They took hold of me, opened my
belly, extracted my heart, split it open and took out of it
a black lump of blood which they threw away. Then they washed my heart
and belly with snow, until they had purified them. Then one of them said
to his companion, “Weigh him against one hundred of his people.”
And he weighed me with them, but I proved heavier than they. Then he said,
“Weigh him with one thousand of his people.” This he also did,
and I was again found more heavy. After that he said, “Leave him; for if
you were to weigh him against his whole nation, he would outweigh it.”
“ Later, the apostle of Allah was in the habit of saying that there was
not a prophet who had not pastured sheep. According to their traditions,
the people believe but Allah knows best that when his nurse
brought him back to Mecca, she lost him amongst the crowd while she was
taking him to his family.
She searched, but could not find him again, and she went his grandfather,
Abdul Muttalib, and said, “I have arrived this night with Muhammad, but
while I was in the upper part of the city he strayed from me,
and I know not where he is.” The grandfather of Muhammad stood up near
the Kaba and prayed to Allah to restore the boy, and it is
believed that he was found by two men of his own tribe who brought him
to Abdul Muttalib with the words, “Here is your son. We found
him in the upper of Mecca.” Then his grandfather took him and, making him
ride on his back, walked round the Kaba, recommending him to Allah and
praying for him. After that he sent him to his mother, Amina.
The apostle of Allah and his mother and his grandfather were under
the protection and keeping of Allah, and the boy grew a prosperous plant
on account of the grace for which He had predestined him. When the apostle
had attained his sixth year his mother Amina died in the place called Abwa,
between Mecca and Medina, when she was returning to Mecca with
him from a visit to his uncles. The apostle of Allah remained with his
grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. It was usual to place a bed for Abdul
Muttalib in the shade of the Kaba, around which his sons sat until he arrived;
none of his sons ventured to sit on the bed, from respect towards
him. Once the apostle of Allah, who was a plump boy, came and sat on it,
and they pushed him away.
When Abdul Muttalib saw this, he said, “Let my son alone! By Allah,
he will become something great.” Then he made the boy sit down by his side
on the bed, and allowed him to stroke his back with his hands,
and whatever he did pleased Abdul Muttalib. But when the apostle of Allah
had attained his eighth year his grandfather died. AbduI Muttalib
had been the acknowledged leader of the Quraysh tribe, guardians of the
holy city of Mecca. When he died none of his many sons was influential
enough to succeed him and leadership and influence began to pass to the
descendants of his cousin, Umayya, who had long been envious of the power
wielded by Abdul Muttalib.
After the death of his grandfather, the apostle of Allah lived with
his uncle Abu Talib, to whose care Abdul Muttalib is believed to have entrusted
him because Abu Talib and the father of the apostle were brothers
by the same father and mother. A soothsayer came once to Mecca to
prophesy to the Quraysh and they brought their sons to him to hear his
prophecies. Abu Talib visited this man, who looked at the apostle
of Allah, but was then diverted from him. When the soothsayer was again
at leisure, he asked for the boy and wanted to see him; but when Abu Talib
perceived the man's anxiety he took his nephew away. The soothsayer exclaimed,
“Woe to you! Bring back the boy whom I have just seen; for, by Allah, he
will have high dignity.” But Abu Talib would not return.
On another occasion Abu Talib went with a caravan on a trading journey
to Syria. When he was about to depart the apostle of Allah clung to him,
and it is believed that Abu Talib was so touched by this that
he exclaimed, “By Allah! I shall take him with me, and we shall never be
separated from each other.” Accordingly he took the boy with
him. Now, at Busra, in Syria, there was a monk named Bahira who was
of the Christian faith. He had always lived in the same hermitage, which
possessed a book for the instruction of the monks which was passed down
and was always kept by the oldest among them. When the caravan encamped
in the vicinity of Bahira”s hermitage and they had previously often passed
by without his speaking or presenting himself to them he prepared a great
deal of food for them, reputedly because of something he had seen whilst
in his cell. It was said that, from his hermitage, he had seen the apostle
of Allah in the caravan, and that as the caravan approached a cloud hung
over the apostle of Allah. When the caravan arrived the people halted under
a tree near the cell of the hermit, and he saw the cloud overshadow
the tree, and the branches bent themselves over the apostle of Allah so
protect him.
When Bahira saw this he came down from his cell and ordered
food to be prepared. When it was ready he sent the following message to
the people of the caravan, “I have made a dinner for you, o ye Quraysh
people. I should like you all to come, the small and the big,
the bondmen and the free! One man among them replied, “By Allah, Bahira!
There is something the matter with you today, because you have not acted
thus with us before, though we passed often near you! What is the matter
with you now? Bahira replied, “You have spoken the truth. But
you are guests and I should like to honor you, and give a dinner to all
of you.” Accordingly they all assembled, but the apostle of Allah remained
under the tree, because of his extreme youth, with the baggage
of the people. When Bahira looked around and missed him, he said, “O, ye
Quraysh people! Leave no one of you behind, deprived of my
food.” They replied, “No one who ought to come has remained behind, except
a boy, and he is the youngest of the people and therefore has been left
with our baggage.” Bahira said, “Do not treat him in this way, but call
him to dine with you,” and one of the Quraysh exclaimed, “I swear by
al-.Lat and by al Uzza that we are at fault for excluding the son of Abdullah
from partaking with us of this dinner!” Then he went to him, brought him
in his arms, and seated him among the people. When Bahira saw
him he scrutinized him closely and examined him to find the signs lie sought.
When the people had finished eating and dispersed Bahira addressed the
apostle of Allah as follows, “I adjure you by al Lat at Uzza; answer the
questions I shall ask.” (Bahira used these words because he
had heard the Quraysh swearing by these two idols.) It is said that the
apostle of Allah replied, “Do not ask me by a] Lat and by al
Uzza; for, by Allah, I have never hated anything more intensely than these
two.” Bahira continued, I adjure you by Allah to answer what I shall ask”,
and the apostle of Allah said, “Ask me what thou wilt.”
Accordingly he put to him various questions about his state during
sleep, and his condition and circumstances, to which
the apostle of Allah gave replies which agreed with what Bahira expected
of him. Then Bahira looked on his back and discovered the seal of prophecy
between his shoulders. After he had examined the boy, Bahira went
to Abu Talib and asked, “What is this boy to you?” He replied, “My son!
Bahira rejoined, “He is not your son, nor is there any need
for this boy to have a father living.” Abu Talib said, “He is the son of
my brother”, and Bahira asked, “What has become of his father?” When Abu
Talib replied, “He died whilst the boy's mother was pregnant with him”,
Bahira said, “You have spoken the truth. Return with your nephew to his
country, and guard him from the Jews; for, by Allah, if they
see him and know about him what I know, they will try to injure him, because
something very great will happen to this nephew of yours. Therefore
make haste to return with him to his country.”
Accordingly his uncle departed quickly with the apostle of Allah
and took him to Mecca as soon as he had finished his trading
in Syria. According to the legend current among the people, three
Christians or Jews named Zurayr, Tammam, and Daris, had the same information
about the apostle of Allah as Bahira had. When they saw the boy during
this same journey with his uncle Abu Talib, and contemplated doing him
some harm, Bahira warned them against it and reminded them
of God and of the description they would find in the scriptures; he said,
too, that even if they persisted in their intention they could not
carry it out. At last they understood and believed what he said, and they
departed.
The apostle of Allah grew Allah protecting, keeping
and guarding him from the abominations of idolatry, having predestined
him to become His apostle and the recipient of His grace
till he became the most excellent man of his people, the most agreeable
in behavior, the most noble in descent, the finest in neighborly
feeling, the greatest in meekness, and the most truthful in utterance;
the greatest in fidelity, the furthest from wickedness and from acts which
pollute; so exalted and noble that he was called among his
people “the faithful”, because of the good qualities Allah had bestowed
upon him. The apostle of Allah later told how Allah had preserved
him in his childhood and state of innocence, saying, “I was among Quraysh
boys and we were carrying stones for some play. We were all
naked, and every boy had placed his ezar [loincloth] around his neck to
carry stones in it, and I had done the same as .
When I was thus moving about, some Being whom I did
see struck me a fearful blow and exclaimed, “Bind on thy ezar “; accordingly
I girded myself therewith, and thus carried the stones on my neck, I being
the only one among my companions who wore his ezar.” The War of the Wicked
broke out when the apostle of Allah was twenty years old, and it was called
Wicked because during the sacred month two tribes, the Kinana
and the Qays Aylan, considered it right to do what was not right at such
a time. The Quraysh, after the sacred month, went to the aid of their allies,
the Kinana. The apostle of Allah was taken out by his uncles
during one battle to witness the fight, and he afterwards said, “I was
arrowing to my uncles, that is to say, I brought them the arrows,
which the enemies had shot against them.”
________________________________________
Khadijah
When the apostle of Allah was twenty five years old he married Khadija,
a rich and noble merchant woman who engaged men to sell her merchandise
and allowed them part of the profits; the Quraysh was a trading tribe.
She had heard of the veracity, honesty, and excellence of the apostle of
Allah, and sent for him to propose that he take some of her
goods to Syria as a trader. She promised to allow him a larger profit than
other merchants, to send with him her male slave, Maysara.
The apostle of the offer and departed with the goods
and the slave. On his arrival in Syria the apostle of Allah alighted
in the shade of a tree near the hermitage of a monk, who approached Maysara
and asked, “Who is this man under the tree?” Maysara replied, “This man
is one of the Quraysh from the sacred city.”
And the monk said, “Under this tree no one ever alighted except
a prophet.” Then the apostle of Allah sold the goods he had, purchased
others and returned with Maysara to Mecca. It is said that
Maysara saw, at noon during this return journey when the heat was strong,
two angels shading the apostle of Allah from the sun while he rode on his
camel. When he arrived at Mecca and came to Khadija with his goods, she
sold them and found their value doubled or almost so. Maysara, too, informed
her of what the monk had said, and what he had seen of the
two angels shading the apostle; and Khadija who was an intelligent,
noble and good woman, predestined to great favor by Allah sent for the
apostle of Allah and spoke the following words:
'O son of my uncle! I have taken a liking to you on account of our
relationship, your respectability among the people, your honesty,
character and veracity.' Then she offered herself to him for a wife. She
was at that time the most honored woman among the Quraysh because of her
lineage, the highest in nobility, and the richest in property; for this
everybody envied her.
When she had made this proposal to the apostle of Allah
he mentioned it to his uncles, and his uncle, Hamza, went with him to her
father, whom he asked for her; and he married her. The apostle of
Allah gave her twenty young camels for a dowry. She was the first wife
he married, and he never married another until she died. Khadija
bore to the apostle of Allah all his children except Ibrahim. She gave
birth to al Qasim, and to al Tayyib, to al-Tahir, to Ruqayya, to Zaynab,
to Umm Kulthum and to Fatima. Al Qasim, al Tayyib and al Tahir
died during 'ignorance' [before the promulgation of Islam], but all the
daughters of the apostle of Allah lived to see the establishment
of Islam, made profession of it, and emigrated with him to Medina.
Khadija told her cousin, Waraqa, who was a Christian well versed
in sacred and profane literature, what Maysara had related of the conversation
of the monk and what he had seen of the two angels shading the apostle
of Allah, and Waraqa replied, 'If this be true, o Khadija, then Muhammad
is the prophet of his people. I know that a prophet is expected at this
time.' Waraqa had been one of the men of the Quraysh known as the
'four inquirers', who had gone in search of the true religion of Abraham.
This happened in the following manner: Some decades earlier the Quraysh
had begun to establish the of 'The Hums', which imposed acceptance of Quraysh
priority over the other Arab tribes. 'We are the sons of Abraham,
men of honor, governors of the house of Allah, inhabitants of Mecca. No
Arab has such virtue as we, nor such dignity as we. No man of the Quraysh
should honor territory which is secular in the way he honors that which
is sacred. For if he does so the Arabs will slight his honor, and will
say of the Quraysh, "They have honored that which is profane
[outside the sacred limits] in the same way as that which is sacred [within
.the sanctuary of the holy territory of Mecca]." '
Accordingly the Quraysh abandoned certain holy ordinances of pilgrimage
enjoined by the religion of Abraham, saying: 'We are the inhabitants of
the sacred city of Mecca and it is not proper for us to leave it and honor
another place as we honor Mecca. We are the Hums, the people of the
sacred place.' But they imposed the ordinances on all other Arabs born
either without or within the limits of Mecca. They next invented
new observances for themselves. They announced that it was not proper for
the Hums to prepare eqth [milk be dried and reduced to powder], to melt
fat, or to enter a camel hair tent whilst they were in a state of purity
and sanctity [performing the ceremonies of the pilgrimage]. They added
even to these rules, saying that persons who had come from outside the
sacred city ought not to eat food they had brought in with them, whether
they came as pilgrims or visitors.
The pilgrims” first circuit of the Kaba should be made in dress
provided by the Hums, or, if such could not be procured, in no dress at
all; but rich men or women unwilling to do either could walk around the
temple in the garments in which they had arrived, provided they afterwards
threw them away and neither touched them any more nor allowed
anyone else to touch them. The Arabs were induced to agree to this and
made the circuit of the Kaba, the men naked, and the women
clad only in an open cassock. One day, when the Quraysh held a festival
near one of the stone idols which they honored, for which they slaughtered
sacrifices, near which they assiduously prayed, and around which they walked
in procession, four men (one of whom was Waraqa) separated from the rest,
saying one to another: 'Will we make a covenant of mutual friendship and
protection?'
And each said, 'Indeed we will! Our people have no religion! They
have lost the religion of their father Abraham! What worth
has a stone that it should be walked around, which can neither hear nor
see anything, neither hurt nor profit anyone? O ye Quraysh, seek a religion
for yourself, for, by Allah, you have none whatever.'
And the four dispersed to various countries to seek the religion of Abraham.
Waraqa decided on Christianity and followed the books of its teachers until
he had obtained knowledge of the scripture. Ubaydullah remained
in doubt until, after the revelation, he made profession of Islam and went
to Abyssinia; but when he arrived there he became a Christian
and died thus, after having renounced Islam. The third, Uthman, went
to Byzantium, where he became a Christian and attained high office.
The fourth man, Zayd, became neither Jew nor Christian, although he renounced
the religion of the Quraysh and abandoned idols, blood, and sacrifices
slain for idols, and condemned the burying alive of female
infants. He said, 'I worship the Lord of Abraham', and, when he was a very
old man, was to be seen leaning with his back against the Kaba,
saying, 'O ye Quraysh people! I swear by Him in whose hand the life of
Zayd is, there is not one among you of the religion of Abraham, except
myself. O Allah ! If I knew which way is most pleasing to Thee, I would
worship Thee according to it, but I do not know it.' He set forth in search
of the religion of Abraham and made inquiries from monks and
Jewish priests. He passed through Mesopotamia, and then wandered through
the whole of Syria until he found a monk in whom the knowledge
of Christianity was concentrated. Him he asked about the orthodox religion
of Abraham, and the monk replied, 'You are in search of a religion
to which no one can guide you at present; but the time is at hand when
a prophet will arise in your country; he will be sent with the religion
of Abraham. Adopt it, for he comes now, and this is the time.'
Shortly after this Zayd departed for Mecca, but he was attacked and died
by the way. When the apostle of Allah was thirty five years old some evil
men stole the treasure which was kept in a well inside the
Kaba. The treasure was found again in the possession of a manumitted slave,
and the Quraysh cut off his hands, although they believed others
had stolen the treasure and merely left it with the slave.
The Quraysh now felt it necessary to rebuild the Kaba and roof it
in, but they were afraid to demolish it, because there was a serpent which
always came up to the wall to warm itself. The people feared
it because when anyone approached it raised itself, hissed and opened its
mouth. One day, however, whilst it was warming itself as usual
in the sun on the wall, Allah sent a bird which snatched it up and flew
off with it. Thereon the Quraysh said: 'Allah must approve of our intention.
We have a workman, we. possess wood. and Allah has delivered
us from the serpent.” They were now firmly determined to pull down
the Kaba and build it up again, and Abu Wahb rose and took a stone from
the Kaba. But the stone leapt from his hand and returned to
its place, and he exclaimed: 'O ye Quraysh people! In the building of the
Kaba, do not employ any of your goods unless they be of righteous
origin; do not use in it the profit of iniquity, nor of usurious sale,
nor of injustice towards any man.' The Quraysh had decided that different
parts of the Kaba should be demolished by different sections of the community,
but the people were still afraid to destroy the edifice. Then
al-Walid said: 'I shall make a beginning for you', and he took up a pickaxe,
stood up before the Kaba and declared: 'O Allah! Let us not be afraid!
We want only what is good”.
Then he began to pull down the wall between the two buttresses.
But the people waited that night, saying: 'We shall see; and if
anything happens to al Walid, we shall not demolish it, but leave it as
it was; but if nothing befalls him, Allah is pleased with what we have
done demolition.' The next morning al Walid continued his work of demolition,
and the people aided him till they reached the foundations. In the buttress
they found an inscription in Syriac, and knew not what it meant
until a Jew read it for them. It was as follows: 'I am Allah, the lord
of Mecca! I created it when I created the heavens and the earth, when I
fashioned the sun and the moon, and I have appointed over it seven angels;
Mecca will not perish until its two hills perish! It will be blessed to
its inhabitants in water and milk!” When they reached the foundations
they found them to be green boulders adhering together like a single stone,
and when a man of the Quraysh inserted a lever to separate
the boulders, the whole of Mecca began to shake; so the people touched
the foundation no more.
The groups of Quraysh now collected stones for the rebuilding, each
group gathering separately, and they built until they reached the spot
for the ruku [the sacred black stone]. Then all the people
quarreled, because each group wished the honor of lifting the stone into
place; so bitter were the quarrels that the groups made alliances
and prepared to fight. One group produced a dish filled with blood and
entered into a covenant unto death with another group by dipping their
hands into the dish they were therefore called blood
lickers. The situation remained thus for four or five nights; then the
Quraysh assembled in the mosque to consult and reach a decision,
and the oldest man among them said at last, 'Why not let he who next enters
through the door of this mosque be the arbiter in this quarrel, and let
him decide it?' They agreed, and the first man who entered was the apostle
of Allah. And they said, 'This is the faithful one! We agree that he shall
judge.' When he came near they told him of the problem and
he said, 'Bring me a cloak'. When they had brought one, he placed the ruku
[black stone] in it with his own hands, saying, 'Let every
group take hold of a part of the cloak.' Then all of them lifted it together,
and when they reached the spot, the apostle placed it in position with
his own hands, and the building was continued over it. Thus
matters stood when Allah sent for Muhammad, His prophet, and revealed to
him His religion and the proper usages of the pilgrimage. 'Therefore go
[ye Quraysh] in procession as the people [the other Arabs]
go in procession, and ask pardon from Allah; because Allah is forgiving
and merciful.' As for the prohibitions invented by the Quraysh
concerning cooking, dress, the circuit of the Kaba, and food brought from
beyond the sacred territory, Allah revealed the following:
'O children of Adam! Wear decent apparel at every place of worship, and
eat, and drink but be not prodigal, for He loveth not prodigals.
Say, who has forbidden the decent apparel of Allah which He has brought
forth for His servants, and the good things of His providing?
Say, these benefits, especially on the day of resurrection shall be for
those who were believers during their present life”. Thus, when Allah
established Islam by sending his apostle, he set aside the observances
the Quraysh had invented for their own people.
________________________________________
THE REVELATION
As the time approached for the revelation of the apostle, Jewish
priests and Christian monks discussed prophecies concerning the event contained
in their sacred books and inherited from their own prophets. One
day, according to an Arab tribesman, 'I was lying in the courtyard of our
family house and a Jew who conducted business with us told us of the day
of judgement, the resurrection, the reckoning, of paradise
and of hell. We who were idolaters had no knowledge of the resurrection,
and said, "Woe be unto you! Do you think it possible that men
will be raised up after death in a place where there is a paradise and
a hell, and in which they will be requited according to their acts?"
And he assured us, by Him who is sworn by, that he would prefer to be cast
into the greatest oven in this world, scorching though it might be and
sealed tight, rather than face the torments of hell in the next. My kinsmen
said, "What will be the sign?" and he replied, "A prophet will arise in
the direction of this country", and pointed towards Mecca and
Yemen. They asked, "When will this happen?" and, looking at me, the youngest
of the people, he said, "When this boy's life attains maturity
he will see him." And by Allah, not a day nor a night passed after that
until the time when sent his apostle to live among us during which we did
not expect his arrival.
But when it came, that refractory and envious Jew refused to become
a believer, even after the apostle had promulgated Islam, and we said,
"Woe be to you! Did you not yourself inform us about the prophet?"
And he replied, "Indeed! But not about this one!" ' There was also
a Syrian Jew who paid a visit to the Banu Quraysa,a Jewish tribe, several
years before the establishment of Islam and settled down among them;
and many later said had never seen a man who did not recite five prayers
daily [i.e. was not a Muslim] of a better character than he. He remained
with them, and when they suffered from drought they said to
him, 'Come, and procure us water!'
After being paid with dates and barley, he went out into the fields
and prayed to Allah for rain and did not move until clouds came and drenched
him. This he did not once, twice or thrice, but many times. As his death
approached, he said, 'Why do you think I came away from the land of abundance
to the land of misfortune and famine? I have come to this country to await
the arrival of a prophet, whose time is near at hand; and it is to this
country that he will flee. I hoped he would be sent during my lifetime,
that I might follow him. His time is near at hand. Do not allow
others to forestall you in believing in his mission; for he will be sent
to shed the blood, and to capture the children and women, of those who
oppose him; but let not this hinder you from following him.'
Years later, when the apostle of Allah besieged the Banu Qurayza, the friends
of the dead Jew said, 'By Allah! This is the prophet foretold
to us.
This is he according to his description! They accordingly
came down from their fort, made profession of Islam, and thus preserved
their lives, their property and families. Like the Jews and
Christians, the Arab soothsayers also spoke coming of the coming of an
apostle, but their people paid no heed until Allah actually sent him,
when, the prophecies made by the soothsayers having been fulfilled, the
people became aware of their significance. Whereas the Jews and Christians
culled their prophecies from scripture, the Arab soothsayers
received their foreknowledge of most events from the djinns, spirits of
the air who stole information by listening close to heaven.
But when the coming of the apostle was close at hand meteors from heaven
were hurled at all the djinns and they were driven away from the
places where they used to sit and listen; and they realized that this was
by the command of Allah.
The first Arabs to be struck with fear at the sight of the shooting
stars for that was how the meteors thrown at the djinns appeared
on earth went to the wisest man of their tribe
and said, 'Have you seen what happened in the sky and the falling of some
of the stars?' He replied, 'If the stars thrown down were those which
serve as signs and guides by land and sea, those by which the seasons of
summer and winter are defined and by which the various affairs of mankind
are regulated, then by Allah the world has come to an end with
all the people thereof; but if those stars remain in their places and it
is others which have been hurled down, then Allah has a different
intention and does not mean to destroy creation.' Afterwards, the
apostle of Allah asked some men of Medina what had been said there about
the falling stars and was told: 'We said, "A king has died or has begun
to reign; a child has been born, or has died." ' The apostle of Allah replied:
'It was not so. When Allah reaches any decision concerning His people He
is heard by the bearers of His throne, who praise Him; and
this praise is taken up by the angels below them, and by others still further
below; and the praise continues to descend until it reaches the sky of
this world, where other angels also praise. Then these ask each other why
they praise, and the question ascends gradually till it reaches
the bearers of the throne.
They then, tell of the decree of Allah concerning His people, and
the news travels down by degrees until it reaches the heaven of
this world, where the angels discuss it. But the evil djinns, who used
to listen to such discussions by stealth, sometimes misheard, and what
they retailed to soothsayers on earth was sometimes true and
sometimes false. The soothsayers also conversed about these matters, some
giving true and some false accounts. So, when the coming of the apostle
was being discussed by the angels, Allah foiled the evil djinns by hurling
meteors, and from that time onwards an end was made to soothsayers.'
For some time the mind of Muhammad had been in a state of ferment. The
religious aspect, however, was not without political overtones, as can
be seen in the parts of the Koran dating From this period:
and an imperfect understanding of Christianity and Judaism colored the
beginnings (and, indeed, the later development of the new religion in his
mind. At the start of his mission, Muhammad saw himself as the latest in
the line of prophets which began with Moses and ended with Jesus of Nazareth.
When Muhammad was forty years old Allah sent him as a prophet of mercy
to the people of the visible and of the invisible worlds, and to all mankind.
With every prophet whom Allah had sent before the time of Muhammad,
He had made a covenant, binding each of them to the coming of Muhammad,
to declare him a true apostle, to aid him against every opponent,
and to testify to every man who believed in the truth of their own prophetic
missions that the mission of Muhammad was still to come. They
complied, according to His command, and spread the covenant of Allah to
all who believed in them, so that many men who believed in
the Old or the New Testament believed also in the truth of this covenant.
According to his wife, the first prophetic sign shown by the apostle of
Allah after Allah determined to honor him and, through him,
to show mercy to His servants took the form of
true visions. That is to say, the apostle of Allah never had a vision in
his sleep; instead, it came like the break of day. She also said that
Allah made him love solitude, so that he loved nothing more than to be
alone. When Allah had determined on the coming of the apostle of
Allah, Muhammad went out on some business at such a distance that he left
human habitation behind and came to deep valleys. He did not
pass by a stone or a tree but it said 'Salutation to thee, o apostle of
Allah!”
The apostle turned to his right, to his left, and looked behind,
but saw nothing except trees and stones. Thus he remained for some time
looking and listening, till Gabriel came to him with that revelation
which the grace of Allah was to bestow upon him when he was at Hira during
the month of Ramadan. Every year the apostle of Allah spent a month
praying at Hira and fed the poor who came to him; and when he returned
to Mecca he walked round the Kaba seven or more times, as it
pleased Allah, before entering his own house. In the month of Ramadan,
in the year when Allah designed to bestow grace upon him, the
apostle of Allah went to Hira as usual, and his family accompanied him.
In the night the angel Gabriel came with the command of Allah. The apostle
of Allah later said, 'He came while I was asleep, with a cloth of brocade
whereon there was writing, and he said, "Read." I replied, "I cannot read
it." Then he pressed the cloth on me till I thought I was dying;
he released his hold and said, "Read." I replied, "I cannot read it." And
he pressed me again with it, till I thought I was dying. Then
he loosed his hold of me and said, "Read." I replied, "I cannot read it."
Once more he pressed me and said, "Read." Then I asked, "What shall I read?"
And I said this because I feared he would press me again. Then
he said, "Read in the name of the Lord thy creator; who created man from
a drop of blood. Read, thy Lord is the most bountiful, who
taught by means of the pen, taught man what he knew not." Accordingly I
read these words, and he had finished his task and departed from me. I
awoke from my sleep, and felt as if words had been graven on my heart.'
Afterwards I went out, and when I was on the centre of the mountain, I
heard a voice from heaven, saying, "O Muhammad! Thou art the prophet of
Allah, and I am Gabriel." I raised my head to look at the sky,
and lo! I beheld Gabriel in the shape of a man with extended wings, standing
in the firmament, with his feet touching the ground.
And he said again, "O Muhammad! Thou art the apostle of Allah, and
I am Gabriel." I continued to gaze at him, neither advancing nor retreating.
Then I turned my face away from him to other parts of the sky,
but in whatever direction I looked I saw him in the same form. I remained
thus neither advancing nor retreating, and Khadija sent messengers
to search for me.
They went as far as the highest part of Mecca and again returned
to her, while I remained standing on the same spot, until the
angel departed from me and I returned to my family. When I came to
Khadija I narrated to her what I had seen, and she said, "Be of good cheer
and comfort thyself ! I swear by him whose hand the life of Khadija is,
that I hope thou wilt be the prophet of this nation!" Then she rose, collected
her garments around her and departed to Waraqa.' She described to him what
the apostle of Allah had seen and heard, and Waraqa exclaimed,
'Holy! Holy! I swear to Him in whose hands the life of Waraqa is that the
law of Moses has been bestowed on him and he is the prophet
of this nation! Tell him to stand firm.' Khadija then returned to the apostle
of Allah and informed him of what Waraqa had said. When
the apostle of Allah ended his sojourn at Hira he departed to Mecca and
went first round the Kaba as was his habit. And he was met by Waraqa, who
said, 'Thou wilt be accused of falsehood, thou wilt be persecuted,
exiled, and attacked.' Then Waraqa bent his head towards the apostle and
kissed him on the crown of the head, and the apostle of Allah
departed to his house.
But the revelations were not continued and the apostle became
much downcast, until Gabriel came to him with a message from Allah saying
that He had not abandoned Muhammad; 'By brightness, and by
the night when it is dark, thy Lord has not forsaken nor hated thee, and
the next life will be better for thee than the first. The Lord
will give thee victory in this world and reward in the next. Did He not
find thee an orphan and procure thee shelter? He found thee erring and
guided thee; He found thee needy and enriched thee.' The message
to Muhammad continued: 'Declare the goodness of thy Lord; declare what
has come to thee from Allah, and declare His bounty and grace
in thy mission; mention it, record it, and pray for manifestations of it.'
Accordingly the apostle of Allah began, at first in secret to those of
his family whom he trusted, to promulgate the gospel bestowed by Allah
on him, and on mankind through his agency. Prayer was made an ordinance
to Muhammad, and accordingly he prayed.
The apostle of Allah was first commanded to make two prayer flexions
[prostrations] for every prayer, but later Allah commanded
four prayer flexions for those who were at home, although He confirmed
the first ordinance of two prayer flexions for those who were on a journey.
When prayer was made obligatory to the apostle of Allah, Gabriel came to
him when he was in the highest part of Mecca, and spurred his heel into
the ground towards the valley; a spring gushed forth and Gabriel
performed religious ablutions. The apostle of Allah observed how purification
for prayers was to be made, and washed himself likewise. Then
Gabriel rose and prayed, and the apostle of Allah did so after him, and
then Gabriel departed. When the apostle of Allah came to Khadija
he performed the religious ablution in her presence to show her how purity
was attained, just as Gabriel had done. And she, too, washed as she had
been shown. Then the apostle prayed as Gabriel had prayed, and Khadija
prayed after him.
Then Gabriel came to him and held noon prayers when the sun passed
the zenith; and prayed the afternoon prayers with him when his shadow was
the same length as his own body. Then he prayed the sunset prayers when
the sun disappeared, and the last evening prayer when the twilight disappeared.
Next day he held morning prayers with the apostle at dawn;
then the midday prayers when the shadow was one with him; and the afternoon
prayers when it was twice as long as he; then the sunset orisons when the
sun disappeared, as on the preceding day. Then he prayed with him the last
evening prayers when the first third of the night had elapsed,
and lastly the morning prayers, when the morning dawned but the sun had
not yet risen. Then he said, 'O Muhammad! The time of prayer is between
thy prayers of yesterday and today.' The first man to believe
in the apostle of Allah, to pray with him t his prophetic mission, was
Ali, who at that time was ten years old. Even before Islam, Allah had favoured
him by allowing him to live under the protection of the apostle of Allah.
The Quraysh had been visited by severe famine, and, as Abu Talib had a
numerous family, the apostle of Allah went to another uncle, al Abbas who
was among the wealthiest of the tribe and said, 'Your brother Abu Talib
has a large family and you must be aware from what scarcity the people
are suffering. Come therefore with me, and we shall ease him of his burden.
I shall take one of his sons, and do you take another under
your care? Al-Abbas agreed, and they went to Abu Talib and said, “We wish
to alleviate your troubles until the people are released from their distress.'
Accordingly, the apostle of Allah took Ali and pressed him to his heart,
and al Abbas took Jafar. Ali remained with the apostle of Allah and
followed him, believed in him, and accepted the truth of his doctrines.
When the time of prayer was at hand, the apostle of
Allah habitually went out to the valleys of Mecca, and took Ali with him,
unknown to his father Abu Talib or to his people; and they prayed together
and returned in the evening. This continued for some time,
until one day Abu Talib happened to discover them at prayer and asked the
apostle of Allah, 'What religion is this I see you practicing?'
'This is the religion of Allah, and of His angels, of , and of our father
Abraham. Allah has sent me with this religion, as an apostle to His servants;
and you, my uncle, are the most worthy on whom I could bestow
advice and invitation to guidance; you are the most worthy to comply in
it and to aid me therein.' But Abu Talib said, 'I cannot abandon
the religion of my forefathers and what they believed in; but no harm shall
be done to you as long as I live.' It is also said that he asked Ali,
'What religion is this thou believest in?' and Ali replied, 'I believe
in the apostle of Allah, and that his revelation is true. I pray with him,
and I follow him.' His father said, 'He has called thee only
to what is good; therefore obey him.'
Next, Zayd, the manumitted slave of the apostle of Allah, made his
profession of Islam, being the second man who did so. The youth Zayd had
arrived from Syria as a slave, and the nephew of Khadija said
to her, 'Select any of these slaves you wish, as a present.' She chose
Zayd and took him away, but when the apostle saw him he asked
for him. Khadija agreed, and the apostle of Allah gave him his liberty
and adopted him as his son. (This was before the apostle had received the
revelation.) Meanwhile, the father of Zayd mourned for him and wept for
his loss; but at last he found his son with the apostle of Allah. The apostle
said to Zayd, 'Remain with me if you wish, or depart with your
father if you wish', and Zayd replied, 'I shall abide with you!' Accordingly
he never parted from the apostle until Allah bestowed his mission
on him. Zayd then professed Islam. Next Abu Bakr, called Assidiq ('The
True'), made his profession of Islam, confessing it publicly.
The apostle of Allah later said, 'I have preached Islam to no one
who did not hesitate, consider, and contradict, save Abu Bakr, who neither
hesitated nor was perplexed.' Abu Bakr invited the people to believe in
Allah the most high and glorious, and in His apostle. He was popular with
his people, amiable, and compassionate, and was unusually well acquainted
with Quraysh genealogy, and with whatever was good or evil therein. He
was a merchant, of humane and kindly disposition, so that the people of
his tribe sought after his company more than that of any other man, on
account of his knowledge, his scrupulous honesty, and his friendly conversation.
He now invited to Islam all the people who trusted in him, and associated
with him. At his invitation Uthman made profession of Islam, as well
as al Zubayr, Abdul Rahman, Sad b. Abu Waqqas, and Talha. Abu Bakr went
with them to the apostle of Allah and they made their profession
of Islam and prayed.
These eight men preceded all others in Islam; they prayed, they
believed in the apostle of Allah, and accepted as true the
revelation which had come to him from Allah. Soon several men and women
had made their profession of Islam and it was much discussed in
Mecca. Then Allah commanded his apostle to make public the revelation and
to invite the people to accept it; hitherto, for the three years since
his first revelation, it had been kept secret by the apostle.
Allah said 'Publish that which thou hast been commanded, and turn away
from the idolaters.'
When the apostle began to spread Islam among his people as Allah
had commanded him, they did not gainsay him until he began to abuse their
idols; but when he had done this, they accused him of seeking
power, denied his revelation, and united to injure him. The companions
of the apostle of Allah went into the valleys to pray, unknown to the people;
and once, whilst Sad and several companions of the apostle were at prayer,
they were discovered by idolaters who heaped insults upon them,
condemned their deeds, and provoked them to fight. Then Sad struck an idolater
with the jawbone of a camel, and wounded him; and this was the first
blood shed in Islam. But Abu Talib, uncle of the apostle, defended
him. Several nobles of the Quraysh, including Utba and Abu Sufyan, went
to Abu Talib and said, 'Your nephew has insulted our gods and condemned
our religion. He considers our young men to be fools, and our fathers to
have erred. You must either restrain him or allow us free action against
him, since your religion is the same as ours, opposed to his.' But the
apostle continued to preach the religion of Allah and to seek conversions,
and the people hated him.
Again they went to Abu Talib and said, 'You are aged, noble, and
highly respected among us, and we have already asked you to prohibit
your nephew from offending us. But you have not prohibited him, and, by
Allah, we shall not overlook his insults unless you guarantee his future
good behavior. Otherwise, we shall fight both him and you.' After
this they departed, and Abu Talib was much grieved by the enmity of his
tribe; but he could not surrender or desert the apostle of Allah.
After this visit, Abu Talib sent for the apostle and said, 'Consider my
life and yours, and do not burden me with what I cannot bear.' The apostle
of Allah feared from these words that his uncle, being too
weak, had determined to desert him and he replied, 'If they were to place
the sun in my right and the moon in my left hand, I would not
abandon my mission.' Then tears started in his eyes and he wept. But when
he turned to depart Abu Talib said, 'Nephew! Go, and speak what you wish.
By Allah! I shall never fail you.' And the nobles went once more
to Abu Talib and offered him the brilliant youth Umara in exchange for
Muhammad, but he replied, 'It is a wicked thing you propose,
that you give me your son to feed, and I give you mine to kill! This shall
never be.'
Then the Quraysh incited each other to enmity towards the companions
of the apostle of Allah, and persecuted them, and endeavoured to lead them
astray from their religion. But Allah protected His apostle and Abu Talib,
and Abu Talib gathered his friends around him.
When the season of pilgrimage was at hand, the Quraysh assembled
to agree on the attitude they should display about the apostle. They asked,
'Shall we call him a soothsayer?' but al Walid, the chief, replied, 'He
is not a soothsayer. We have seen soothsayers; he does not murmur and rhyme
as they do.' They continued, 'Then we shall say that he is
possessed by djinns.' He replied, 'He is not possessed. We have seen lunatics
and know them. He does not gasp, nor roll his eyes, nor mutter.'
They said, 'Then we shall say that he is a poet. 'Al Walid replied, 'He
is not a poet. We know all the poets and their styles. He is not a poet.'
They asked, 'Then what shall we say?' Al Walid replied, 'You
cannot say any of these things, for it will be known that they are false.
The best will be to say that he is a sorcerer, because he has
come with words which are sorcery and which separate a man from his father
or from his brother, or from his wife, or from his family.' When
the season of the pilgrimage arrived, the Quraysh sat by the roadside and
allowed no man to pass without warning about Muhammad. And the Arab pilgrims
carried away from Mecca news of the apostle of Allah, so that his fame
spread over the whole country.
When Islam began to spread in Mecca, the Quraysh imprisoned its
believers or sought to turn them away from Islam. The nobles sent for Muhammad
in order to justify themselves, and the apostle of Allah hastened
to them in the hope that they had conceived a favourable opinion of what
he had told them. But they only accused him once more of seeking
riches and power. This he denied, and reaffirmed his mission from Allah.
Then they said, 'You know that no people are in greater want
of land, of and of food than we are. Ask the Lord who has sent you to take
away these mountains which confine us and to level out the country, to
cause rivers to gush forth like the rivers of Syria, resurrect our ancestors
that we may ask them whether what you say is true or false. If they declare
you to be truthful and if you do what we have asked, we shall
believe you and shall know that Allah has sent you to be an apostle.' He
replied, 'I have not been sent to you with this, but I have
brought to you from Allah the revelation He has sent. If you reject it,
I appeal in this affair to Allah, that He decide between me and you.'
They continued, 'Ask, then, your Lord to send an angel to bear witness
to your veracity. Ask Him to give you gardens, and treasures of gold and
silver to enrich you; we know you go now to the markets to
procure food as we procure it. Then we shall know your rank and station
with Allah.' The apostle of Allah said, 'I shall not do this,
nor ask for this. I was not sent to you for this; but Allah has sent me
as a bearer of glad tidings and a preacher.'
They went on, 'Then cause the heavens to fall upon us, for we shall
not believe you unless you do something miraculous.' The apostle
of Allah replied, 'This is the choice of Allah! If He wishes He will do
it.' Then they said, 'We shall not cease to persecute you until we destroy
you or you destroy us. We shall not believe you until you come
with Allah and all the angels.' So the apostle of Allah returned
home, sad and downcast with disappointment in his people and their estrangement
from him. When the apostle had left them, Abu Jahl said, 'I
now make a vow to Allah, that I shall wait for him tomorrow with a stone
as large as I can carry and when he prostrates himself in prayer, I shall
smash his head with it! After that you may either surrender
me or defend me.' They replied, 'We shall never surrender you!'
Next morning, Abu Jahl took a stone as he had said,
and waited for the apostle of Allah, who arrived and prayed as usual at
Mecca with his face towards the Kaba and Syria beyond. Abu Jahl approached
him; but suddenly he turned back and fled, his countenance altered, so
frightened that his hands could not hold the stone. 'When I approached,'
he said, 'a stallion camel appeared before me with a skull,
a collar bone, and teeth the like of which I have never seen. It rushed
to devour me.'
Later, Utba, who was a prince among the Quraysh, said, 'Shall I
speak to Muhammad so that he may cease to trouble us?' They said, 'Yes,
go and speak to him.' So Utba went to Muhammad, and said, 'You
have disturbed our concord; listen to my proposal and consider it, that
you may perchance accept a part thereof. If property be your
desire in this affair, we shall collect as much of it as will make you
the richest of us; but if dignity be your object, we shall make you our
prince so that no affair, will be decided without you; and
if you want to be a king, we shall make you our king; but if this be a
spirit who visits you and you are unable to repel it, we shall
find a physician for you and give him money till he cures you of it.' The
apostle of Allah listened and then recited to him a verse from the Koran,
and Utba returned to his companions, saying, 'I have heard
words the like of which I have never heard. This is neither poetry, nor
sorcery, nor soothsaying.
Do not interfere with this man or his vocation but let
him alone. The words which I have heard will spread far and wide. If others
should kill him, you will be rid of him, but if he conquers
the Arabs, then his power will be your power, and his glory your
glory, so that you will through him become the happiest of people.' But
they thought him bewitched.
After this, the Quraysh sent al Nadr, a bitter enemy of Muhammad,
and Uqba to the Jewish priests in Medina with instructions to ask about
the apostle, for they said the Jews 'are possessors of the
first book [the Pentateuch] and have knowledge about prophets which we
have not'. The Jewish priests told them, 'Ask him three questions
which we shall give you. If he answers them obey him, for he is a prophet;
but if not, then he is a pretender, and you may deal with him as you think
proper.” Al-Nadr and Uqba returned to Mecca and told the people what
the priests had said, and they said to the apostle, 'Inform us about the
young men who passed away in ancient times, because their case
is wonderful; tell us also about the traveller who went from the east to
the west of the earth, and tell us about the soul and what
it is!' The apostle of Allah replied: 'I shall tell you tomorrow.'
Two weeks, however, passed and the apostle received no revelation
from Allah and no visit from Gabriel, and the people began to murmur against
him. At last Gabriel came and the apostle of Allah said, 'Thou
hast remained away from me so long that I became troubled by evil imaginings!'
Gabriel 'We descend only by command of thy Lord! To Him belongs
the present, the past, and whatever is between them. Nor is thy Lord ever
forgetful.' And Gabriel brought a revelation from Allah in
the form of the Sura known as The Cave. Part of the revelation contained
a warning that 'We will surely reduce whatever is on earth to dust and
desolation. To Me you must return, and I shall requite everyone according
to his works; do not therefore be distressed or grieved about what thou
seest or hearest on earth.'
Then Gabriel told the apostle the answer concerning the young men
whose case was wonderful. 'Verily they were young believed in the Lord
and We increased our guidance and We fortified their hearts,
and they said "Our Lord is the Lord of heaven and earth, we shall invoke
no other god him, for that would be to utter sacrilege." And
they took refuge in a cave from those who worshipped idols; and thou mightest
have seen the sun, when it rose, pass from their cave to the right,
and when it went down it left them on the left hand, and they were in the
centre thereof.
This is one of the signs of Allah that will satisfy thy questioners.
An onlooker would have thought the youths to be awake, though
they were sleeping; and their rulers said, "We shall build a place of worship
over them. " ' 'And the men dwelt in their cave three hundred years,
and nine more. Say, "Allah knows best how long they remained. He possesses
the secret of the heavens and of the earth. How well He sees
and hears! They have no other master besides Him, and He makes no one His
associate in judgment." ' Gabriel continued by warning Muhammad:
'Say not of anything "I shall do this tomorrow", without adding "If Allah
willeth it". Namely, never say as thou hast done in this instance
"I shall inform you tomorrow", but reserve the will of Allah. Remember
thy Lord if thou knowest not an answer, and say "Perhaps my Lord
will guide me to the information about which you have asked". Thou knowest
not what Allah will decide.
Then Gabriel told the apostle of Dhul Qarnayn [possibly another
name for Alexander the Great], the traveller who was gifted like no other
man, and to whom the roads were opened so that he travelled
to the east and the west, even to a place where the people scarcely understood
the sound of the voice, and he built a rampart faced with molten
brass. 'They will ask thee also about the spirit. Say "The spirit
stems from the command of my Lord, and as to knowledge, ye have yet received
but little of it." When the apostle of Allah gave the people these
replies, they were convinced of the truth of his position as a prophet,
but envy prevented them from following him, and they continued
in their unbelief, attempting to mock the apostle because they feared they
would be defeated in honest argument.
Whenever the apostle of Allah recited the Koran aloud in his devotions,
they refused to listen to him, save some who approached secretly and stayed
only as long as they were not observed by the Quraysh. The
injunction from Allah, 'Do not utter thy prayers too loud nor too low,
but keep a balance between them' was given the apostle because
of such men; prayer must not be too loud, or the people would go away;
and not too low, lest he who listened by stealth and who might
in some measure profit by it, would not be able to hear. On
a certain occasion, however, when the companions of the apostle of Allah
were assembled, they said, 'The Quraysh have never heard this Koran
publicly spoken.
Who is the man who will let them hear it?' Abdullah replied, I will!'
but they said, We fear they will injure you. It should be a man whose
people can defend him against the tribe.' Abdullah insisted, 'Let
me do it. Allah will protect me!' Accordingly, he made his appearenc
e next morning at daylight, and spoke: 'In the name of Allah
the merciful, the compassionate! The merciful who taught the Koran”.
The Quraysh asked, 'What says that son of a slave-woman? Then
they leapt up and belaboured him, but he continued to recite as much of
the Koran as Allah willed, and afterwards returned to his companions. 'The
enemies of Allah never seemed to me to be more despicable than
now,' he said. If you wish, I shall serve them in the same way tomorrow!'
But they said, 'Let it suffice! You have caused them to hear what they
dislike”.
The followers of Muhammad were often subjected to torture and some
gave up their belief through weakness, some because of their great sufferings;
but others were protected and strengthened by Allah so that
they remained steadfast. Bilal, a slave to one of the Banu
Jumah, was of a pure heart and sincere in his profession of Islam. He was
dragged out by Ummaya when the midday sun was hot and
thrown on his back out in the valley of Mecca. A great stone was placed
on his breast, and he was told, 'Remain thus until you expire, or
until you renounce Muhammad and worship al Lat and al Uzza.'
But during all this pain he merely repeated, 'One God! One!' Abu Bakr chancing
to pass by on a day when Bilal was suffering thus, said to
his torturer, Ummaya, 'Do you not fear Allah?' but he replied, 'You
have corrupted the slave! You can pull him out from under his burden!'
Abu Bakr said, 'I shall do so; I have a black boy, smarter and stronger
in your faith than this; I shall give him to you in exchange.'
Accordingly Abu Bakr gave Ummaya his slave and took
Bilal, whom he presented with his freedom, as he did six other slaves who
professed Islam. The idolaters so tormented many companions of the
apostle of Allah that their apostasy from Islam was excusable. 'I'hey used
to beat a man and to make him suffer hunger and thirst until
he was unable to sit upright, such was his agony, and he would finally
succumb to temptation and agree to all they asked of him. They
would say to him, 'Al Lat and al Uzza are your gods as well as Allah',
and he would agree. They went so far that, when even a dung beetle happened
to crawl by, they exclaimed, 'This is your god!' and he would
agree in order to be rid of them and of his pain. When the
apostle of Allah saw the distress which his companions suffered, while
he himself enjoyed comparative immunity under the protection of Allah and
of his uncle Abu Talib, and that he was unable to save them,
he said, 'If you were to go to the country of the Abyssinians, you would
do well; there is a king there under whom no one is persecuted;
it is a country of truth where you can remain until Allah grants you deliverance
from the miseries of the present.'
So the companions of the apostle of Allah emigrated for fear of
temptation, flying for refuge, and those who emigrated were eighty three
in number. Among them was Ubaydullah, one of the 'four inquirers'.
These and similar events had occurred over a period of several years, the
Quraysh becoming progressively more bitter about Muhammad.
The apostle himself had too much moral protection from such elders
as Abu Talib to suffer more than unpleasantness at their hands: there was
little physical violence, and his attackers confined themselves mainly
to slander and sneers. The Quraysh now sent a deputation to the Negus of
Abyssinia asking for the return of the fugitives ('the first emigrants'),
but the Negus chose to shelter them. Meanwhile, at Mecca, the faith
continued to spread.
Rukana, the strongest of the Quraysh in physical power, happened
one day to be with Muhammad in one of the passes, and the latter addressed
him thus, 'Will you not fear Allah, and accept the revelation which I offer
you?' He replied, 'If I knew what you say to be true, I would follow you!'
The apostle of Allah asked, 'Will you know my statements to
be true if I prostrate you to the ground?.' Rukana said, 'Yes', and the
apostle continued, 'Then rise that I may throw you down.'
Accordingly Rukana rose to the attack, but as soon as the apostle
of Allah assailed him, he fell to the ground helpless. After a while, he
said, 'Once more, o Muhammad' But he was knocked down And the apostle of
Allah said, 'I shall show you something wonderful still, if you will promise
to fear Allah and to follow my religion. I shall call out to
this tree here and it will come to me.' Accordingly he called it, and it
approached till it stood fast before the apostle of Allah; then he
said to the tree, “Return to thy place!” and it returned to its place.
While the apostle of Allah was at Mecca twenty or so Christians arrived
to visit him from Abyssinia, having heard of his fame.
They found him in the mosque, and sat down with him and conversed
and asked questions. After they had asked their questions, and been answered,
the apostle of Allah invited them to become believers in Allah the most
high and glorious, and recited to them the Koran. As they listened, tears
flowed from eyes and they believed in him and in his truth.
One day a slave girl saw Abu Jahl insult the apostle who made no
reply; when, shortly afterwards, Hamza a great hunter, who
was also uncle and foster brother of Muhammad returned from chase with
his bow hanging from his shoulder, she told him of the event. Hamza was
filled with great wrath because Allah had predestined him for
great favours and hastened away to punish Abu Jahl. Approaching
him, he struck him a fearful blow saying, 'Dare you insult him, when I
am of his religion and say what he says? Return my blow if
you are able ! Several witnesses rose to aid Abu Jahl, but he exclaimed,
'Let Hamza alone for I have insulted his nephew shamefully.'
Hamza then completed his profession of Islam, begun in the haste of passion,
by following the advice of the apostle in all the ordinances, and after
this the Quraysh realized that Muhammad had even stronger protection and
so ceased their worst incitement. Another valuable convert
at this time was Umar, hitherto a vociferous enemy of the apostle.
When the deputation of Quraysh returned disappointed from Abyssinia,
the tribe decided to counteract Muhammad's influence by forming a league
against him and his followers. They applied economic and social
sanctions, forbade trade with him, and banned the Believers from marrying
Quraysh women. This boycott had some success and the apostle
lived almost in a state of siege for close on three years, except during
the period of pilgrimage. All he could do was consolidate the
faith of those who were with him. At last, however, the ban was lifted
through the influence of several Quraysh who, though not Believers, sympathized
with their plight. The apostle was now fifty years of age.
The apostle, by the orders of Allah, continued patiently, confidently,
and lovingly to preach to his people, despite their accusations of falsehood,
their insults, and their mockeries. The worst mockers were
five in number, and after these men had persisted in their wickedness for
some time, and had heaped their mockeries upon the apostle of Allah, the
following verse was revealed: 'We shall suffice thee against the mockers
who worship another god with Allah; they will know.'
Gabriel came to the apostle of Allah whilst these five were circumambulating
the Kaba, and the apostle of Allah rose and stood by the side of Gabriel.
When the first mocker passed by Gabriel threw a green leaf
into his face, and he became blind. Then another passed to whose abdomen
he pointed, and the man was attacked by dropsy, of which he
died. When the third approached he pointed to the scar of a wound on the
mocker's heel which had been inflicted years ago, and this
wound opened again and killed him. When the fourth passed by he pointed
to the sole of his foot, and afterwards a thorn penetrated it and the.
man died. When the fifth mocker passed by he pointed to his head
and it began to ferment with poison and he died. Khadija, the wife
of the apostle, and Abu Talib, his uncle and protector died in the same
year, and after that calamities followed in losing his wife the apostle
of Allah lost his faithful supporter in Islam, and in losing his uncle
he lost his defender against the people. This happened three years before
the emigration to Medina. After the death of Abu Talib the Quraysh
insults upon the apostle of Allah which they would not attempted during
his life, and one of the fools among the Quraysh even went so far as to
strew dust on his head. The apostle went with the dust on his head to his
own house, and one of his daughters washed it off and wept; but
the apostle of Allah said, “Do not weep daughter Allah will protect thy
father.' And he added, 'The Quraysh would do nothing disagreeable to me
until Abu Talib died.' Once, when Muhammad had asked
the nobles 'Will you say is “There is no god but Allah?" and abandon whatever
you worship besides Him?' Abu Talib had said, 'Nephew! In my opinion you
have asked them to do something extraordinary!' When Abu Talib uttered
these words the apostle of Allah conceived hope for him and
exclaimed, ' Then, uncle! Pronounce that phrase, and it will procure you
redemption on the day of resurrection' When he perceived Muhammad's anxiety
to convert him Abu Talib said, 'O son of my brother, if I feared not such
curses as will fall upon you and the sons of your father after I am dead,
and that the Quraysh would suppose I had submitted from fear
of death, I would pronounce it just to please you”.
When Abu Talib was on his deathbed, al Abbas saw him move his lips
and, having bent towards him, said to Muhammad, By Allah! My brother has
uttered the phrase which you desired him to speak.' But the
apostle of Allah replied, 'I did not hear it.' And Abu Talib died.
After the death of Abu Talib, when the apostle began to meet with such
persecution from the Quraysh as he never had before, out to al Taif [the
nearest city of importance] in search of aid and protection
from the Thaqif, in the hope that they would accept the revelation he brought
from Allah. He went out to them quite alone. He sat down with the
three brothers who were the princes of the Thaqif and invited them to Allah,
and told them he had come to ask their aid in the propagation of Islam,
and their support against those of his people who opposed him. But one
of the men said he would tear up the cloth which covered the Kaba if Allah
had sent him; and the second man said, 'Could Allah find no better to send
except you?' and the third man complained, 'I shall never speak to you!
For, if you are an apostle of Allah, your dignity is too great for me to
contradict you; and if you are lying, there is no necessity for me to speak
to you.' So the apostle of Allah left them, in despair of receiving
any aid from the Thaqif.
He said to them, 'Since you have done what you have done, at least
keep my request secret', for he was unwilling that his
people should hear of the matter lest they be further incensed against
him. The three princes did not keep silent, however, but encouraged
their slaves to curse him and to shout after him, so that he was compelled
to take refuge in an orchard belonging to Utba and Shayba,
both of whom were ¬there at the time.
The rabble of Thaqif withdrew and the apostle of Allah sat down
in the shade of a vine while Utba and Shayba looked on. When he felt
himself safe the apostle cried, 'O Allah! To thee I complain of my weakness,
lack of resource, and helplessness before men. O most merciful Allah!
Thou art the Lord of the weak! Thou art my Lord! If Thy wrath is not upon
me, I care not for persecution; I fly for refuge to the light of Thy countenance,
which illuminates darkness and regulates this world and the next.
There is neither might nor power except with Thee!
Utba and Shayba were moved with compassion for the apostle and told
their Christian slave, Addas, to pluck a bunch of grapes, place it in a
dish, and take it to him. Addas placed the dish before the
apostle of Allah, telling him to eat, and the apostle put his hand into
the dish, said, 'In the name of Allah!” and began to eat. Addas
gazed at him and said, 'These are words uncommon to the people of this
country', and the apostle of Allah asked him from which country he came
and what was his religion; Addas replied, 'I am a Christian
from Nineveh.' The apostle of Allah said, From the town of the pious Jonah?
He is my brother; he is a prophet and I am a prophet! and Addas
bowed down and kissed the head, the hands, and the feet of the apostle.
Addas returned to the brothers they said, 'Woe betide you! Why did you
kiss the head of that man, and his hands, and his feet? He replied, 'O
my masters! There is no finer man on earth than he! He has
told me what none but a prophet can know', but they said, 'Let him not
turn you away from your religion for it is better than his.'
xxx
Then the apostle of Allah returned to Mecca, but his people more
violent in their resistance and opposition, save only a few poor people
who believed in him. He was in the habit of presenting himself at the time
of seasonal fairs to the Arab tribes, in the following manner. He would
stand before the Arab encampments and say, 'I am an apostle
from Allah to you and command you to adore Allah and not to bestow this
adoration on any other; to renounce the worship of idols; to believe me,
His apostle, and to defend me that I may explain to you the revelation
with which Allah has sent me.' But sometimes there stood behind him a shrewd
looking, well dressed man, wearing a cloak, and with a lock of hair on
each cheek, who addressed the people as soon as the apostle of Allah had
ended his discourse. “This man” he would say, “invites you to cast off
al Lat and al-Uzza, your allies among the djinns, in favor of his own invention
and falsehood! Neither obey nor hear him!” This man was Abu
Lahab, an uncle of the prophet. For some time the apostle had little
success with the tribes, although in the case of the Banu Amir one man
among them said, “By Allah! If I could take this man away from
the Quraysh and have him on my side I could eat up all the Arabs with him!”
He went on 'If we pay homage to your religion, and Allah aids you to
victory, what then?' and Muhammad replied, 'The dominion is Allah's! He
placeth it where He willeth.' And the man exclaimed, 'If you expect us
to make ourselves targets for the Arabs but offer us no certainty
of dominion in the case of victory, we have no need of your religion!'
So they rejected him.
|