20 February 2011
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the Peace, Blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
The Quraish Preparing for Battle
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
They also devised other ways of recruitment including hiring poets to entice the tribes into fighting the Muslims. Safwan bin Umaiyah 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* was gracious enough to release him unransomed provided he would not engage in fight against him. 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.
The Prophet Responds.
Ascending the pulpit at the Friday congregational prayer, the Prophet [pbuh] 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 prayer with 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 meet people. People were waiting for him impatiently. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh and Usaid bin Hudair blamed people for pressing on the Prophet*. They said: "You have forced the Messenger of Allah* to fight the enemy outside Madinah." Therefore they were determined to leave the whole matter to the Prophet*, and blamed themselves for what they had already done. When the Prophet* came out, they said: "O Messenger of Allah, 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 Allah [pbuh] remarked: "It does not become a Prophet that once he had put on armour, he should take it off, until Allah has decided between him and the enemy."
The Prophet* 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* 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* asked. "No," they said. So he refused admitting them and said that he would not seek the assistance of disbelievers against the idolaters.
Hanzalah and Jamilah get married
After the friday prayer two men waited behind to speak to the Prophet, each having an urgent decision to make, One of them was Hanzalah - it was Hanzalah's wedding day -a day which had been chosen some weeks in advance. He was betrothed to his cousin Jamilah, the daughter of Ibn Ubai, and he didn’t want to postpone the marriage, yet determined to fight. The Prophet* told him to celebrate his marriage and spend the night in Medina. There could be no fighting before sunrise, and Hanzalah would have ample time to join him on the battlefield early the next morning. He could find out by inquiry which way the army had passed. In Medina that night Hanzalah and Jamilah had consummated their marriage; and in her sleep, during the small hours, Jarnilah had a dream in which she saw her husband standing at the outside of Heaven; and a door opened for him and he entered through it, whereupon it closed behind him. When she woke, she said to herself: "This is martyrdom." They performed their ablutions and prayed the dawn prayer together, after which he bade her farewell. But she clung to him, and would not let him go, and again he lay with her. Then he tore himself from her embrace, and not even staying to repeat his ablution, he put on his coat of mail, seized his weapons, and hastened from the house.
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 Allah* 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* 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*, in particular.
The Rebellion of ‘Abdullah bin Ubai and his Followers
At the end of the night and just before it was daybreak, the Prophet* 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 claimed that his withdrawal was no more than showing protest against the Messenger of Allah* 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 Allah’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 Allah’s Care saved them from that disgrace. About their incident Allah says: "When two parties from among you were about to lose their heart, but Allah was their Wali (Supporter and Protector). And in Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah cast you away, you enemies of Allah. Allah will certainly suffice His Prophet." Allah says about those hypocrites: "And that He might test the hypocrites, it was said to them: ‘Come, fight in the way of Allah 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 Allah has full knowledge of what they conceal." [3:167]
Hadith
Hadith 21 of Nawawi's 40 Hadith:
On the authority of Abu 'Amr, though others call him Abu 'Amrah Sufyan bin 'Abdullah who said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam which I could not ask anyone about save you." He answered: "Say: 'I believe in Allah', and then stand firm and steadfast." [Muslim]
The literal meaning of "Istiqamah": to go straight into the right direction, acting rightly, allowing no deviation. It is derived from the stem "Qiyyam", which implies the continuity of doing something, following up with it and making sure that it is done in the right way and there is neither deviation nor swerving.
The term has been used by the Qur'an in many verses. Allah the Almighty says: "Therefore, stand firm (on the straight path) as you are commanded and those who turn in repentance with you. And do not transgress, for He (Allah) sees well all that you do." [11:112]
Ibnu Abbas said that this verse was the hardest and most difficult verse of the Qur'an on the Prophet*. Indeed it is a difficult task to achieve Istiqamah, hence, the Prophet* said; "Be straight on the path or be close to it." In another verse, Allah the Almighty says: "So unto this (religion) invite (the people). Stand steadfast as you are commanded and do not follow their desires....." [42:15] Based on these two verses, it can be inferred that Istiqamah is to stand firm and steadfast to what we have been commanded by Allah, i.e. to fulfill obligations and to avoid prohibitions. Also, we should not allow ourselves to follow or be mislead by desires (whether it is our desires or the desires of others) as it will cause deviation and lead us astray.
There are five conditions to achieve Istiqamah in performing required deeds:
There are five conditions to achieve Istiqamah in performing required deeds:
- The act should be done for the sake of Allah alone (ikhlas).
- It should be done on the basis of knowledge ('ilm).
- Performing ibadah should be in the same manner that they have been commanded.
- To do it in the best way possible.
- Restricting oneself to what is lawful while performing those deeds.
Always being aware of the final destination, i.e. the Day of Judgment (Akhirah). And to use this awareness in a positive way as a motive to do good deeds. One way to do it is through remembering that a person's journey towards Akhirah starts the minute he / she passes away and leaves this world. One of the Salafs said: "If you live until the morning do not wait for the evening and if you live until the evening do not wait for the morning."
Commitment (Musharatah). One has to make a commitment that he/she will be steadfast and will do things in the right way and in the best way possible, and to adhere to conjunctions of Islam. Unfortunately many Muslims are being lenient in making such a commitment.
To make continuous efforts (Mujahadah) to bring that commitment to reality. Some Muslims dare to make the commitment, but dare not to make the effort to make the commitment a reality.
Continuous checking and reviewing of one's deeds (Muraqabah). Being honest with oneself so as not to give false excuses for failing to fulfill a commitment.
Self accountability (Muhasabah). This should be done twice: Firstly, before we start doing something, ensuring that it pleases Allah, that we do it for His sake only, realizing the right way it should be done. Secondly, after the action has been done, to check whether we have achieved what we aimed for, and to check for defects and shortcomings, and that we still could have done it better by not being satisfied with our action.
Blaming oneself for not doing it perfectly after it has been done. Self blaming here is a positive one by using it as a motive, and by aiming for improvement and having the intention of doing things better next time. This leads to making another commitment and continual commitments to improve our performance.
Striving for improvement (Tahsin). We have to make improvements in all that we do (daily activities, work, actions, good deeds, ibadah, etc.) as one of our objectives.
To be humble towards Allah, realizing that no one is perfect except Him, seeking His forgiveness, guidance and support.
It should be emphasized that these steps/conditions apply to worldly matters as well as ibadah and good religious deeds.
News Topics
Egypt, Bahrain and other people power movements
There has been continued unrest throughout many countries in the Muslim world (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq and Iran) with many people demonstrated in the streets. In many of the countries the demonstrators tend to be younger people.
It is a shame that despite all the wealth that these countries have, it is kept by a small corrupt ruling elite who are actively supported by Western governments. As part of this support the leaders of these countries are actively encouraged not to invest in the wealth they have for the benefit of their own population -- in terms of building infrastructure and industry that will give jobs to the population and empower them. Much of the wealth flows out of the country for investment in western economies. Part of the frustration behind the demonstrations is the lack of opportunities for young people in these countries.
There are also political reasons as people are fed up of being oppressed (and tortured) by their own governments and not having any meaningful say in how the country is run. The leaders of these countries are unlikely viewed as puppets of Western governments. In western countries the people have sovereignty -- which means they have the right to make the laws by which they live. Muslims believe that only Allah has the right to make laws and so only Allah is sovereign. It is not allowed for Muslims to make their own law when we have the Quran & Sunnah. Authority rests with the people. This means that it is a right of people to decide how they are governed. In Western countries this authority is exercised through representative government where the people elect persons from among themselves to rule over them as long as they rule by democratic values. The structure could be presidential or prime ministerial. In Islam, the authority also rests with the people and they give their pledge of allegiance to the rulers who will apply Islam on them.
Egypt, Bahrain and other people power movements
There has been continued unrest throughout many countries in the Muslim world (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq and Iran) with many people demonstrated in the streets. In many of the countries the demonstrators tend to be younger people.
It is a shame that despite all the wealth that these countries have, it is kept by a small corrupt ruling elite who are actively supported by Western governments. As part of this support the leaders of these countries are actively encouraged not to invest in the wealth they have for the benefit of their own population -- in terms of building infrastructure and industry that will give jobs to the population and empower them. Much of the wealth flows out of the country for investment in western economies. Part of the frustration behind the demonstrations is the lack of opportunities for young people in these countries.
There are also political reasons as people are fed up of being oppressed (and tortured) by their own governments and not having any meaningful say in how the country is run. The leaders of these countries are unlikely viewed as puppets of Western governments. In western countries the people have sovereignty -- which means they have the right to make the laws by which they live. Muslims believe that only Allah has the right to make laws and so only Allah is sovereign. It is not allowed for Muslims to make their own law when we have the Quran & Sunnah. Authority rests with the people. This means that it is a right of people to decide how they are governed. In Western countries this authority is exercised through representative government where the people elect persons from among themselves to rule over them as long as they rule by democratic values. The structure could be presidential or prime ministerial. In Islam, the authority also rests with the people and they give their pledge of allegiance to the rulers who will apply Islam on them.
Homework from 20 February 2011:
1. Seerah: We all know that the archers deserted their post during Uhud. What lessons can we learn from this event?
2. What do you understand from the next (number 22) of Nawawi's 40 Hadith: Abu ‘Abdullah Jabir bin ‘Abdullah al-Ansari reported that a man questioned the Messenger of Allah* saying: "Do you see, if I pray the prescribed (prayers), fast during Ramadhan, treat the lawful as permissible and treat the forbidden as prohibited, but do nothing more than that, shall I enter Paradise?” He*(the Prophet) answered: “Yes.” [Muslim]
2. What do you understand from the next (number 22) of Nawawi's 40 Hadith: Abu ‘Abdullah Jabir bin ‘Abdullah al-Ansari reported that a man questioned the Messenger of Allah* saying: "Do you see, if I pray the prescribed (prayers), fast during Ramadhan, treat the lawful as permissible and treat the forbidden as prohibited, but do nothing more than that, shall I enter Paradise?” He*(the Prophet) answered: “Yes.” [Muslim]
3. News Topics from this week: Any interesting news articles from the week that relate to Islam or the Muslims? Bring a clipping or print out if you can...
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