11 December 2011

Hudaibiyah (1); Abraha; Exams

Seerah of Muhammed**: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

The Treaty of Hudaibiyah: part 1 – the journey the Mecca
One night the Prophet* dreamed that with his head shaved he entered the Ka'bah, and its key was in his hand. The next day he told his Companions of this and invited them to perform the Lesser Pilgrimage (Umrah) with him, whereupon they hastily set about making preparations so that they could leave as soon as possible. Between them they purchased seventy camels to be sacrificed in the sacred precinct. Their meat would then be distributed among the poor of Mecca. The Prophet decided to take one of his wives with him, and when lots were cast the lot fell to Umm Salamah. Also amongst the pilgrims were the two women of Khazraj who had been present at the Second 'Aqabah, Nusaybah and Umm Mani.
Each man took with him a sword, and what might be needed for hunting, but before they set off Umer and Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah suggested that they should go fully armed. Quraish, they said, might well take the opportunity of attacking them, despite the sacred month. But the Prophet refused, saying: "I will not carry arms; I have come forth for no end other than to make the Pilgrimage." At the first halt he called for the sacrificial camels to be brought to him, and he himself consecrated one of them, turning it to face towards Mecca, making a mark on its right flank, and placing garlands round its neck, after which he ordered that the others should be consecrated in the same way. He then sent on ahead a man of Khuza'ah, of the clan of Ka'b, to bring him back word of the reactions of Quraish.
The Prophet was bareheaded and had already donned the age-old traditional pilgrim's dress of two pieces of unstitched cloth, one girt round the waist to cover the lower part of the body, and the other draped round the shoulders. He now consecrated himself for the Pilgrimage with two prayer cycles, after which he began to utter the pilgrim's cry Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk, which means "Here I am at Thy service, O God." Most of the others followed his example, but a few preferred to wait until they had advanced somewhat further upon their journey, for the pilgrimal state carried with it certain restrictions about hunting.
When Quraish heard of the departure of the pilgrims from Medina, they were filled with misgivings, as the Prophet had anticipated, and they immediately summoned a meeting in the Assembly. Never had they known a more serious dilemma. If they, the guardians of the sanctuary, were to hinder the approach of over a thousand Arab pilgrims to the Holy House, this would be a most flagrant violation of the laws on which all their own greatness was founded. On the other hand, if they allowed their enemies to enter Mecca in peace and comfort, it would be an immense moral triumph for Muhammad. The tidings of it would spread throughout Arabia and be on everybody's lips; and it would serve to place the crown of defeat upon their own recent unsuccessful attack upon Medina. Perhaps worst of all, these pilgrims' performances of the ancient rites would serve to make the new faith more attractive and to confirm its claim to be the religion of Abraham. All things considered, it was out of the question to let them come. "By God, this shall not be," they said, "so long as there is a single eye amongst us with a glimmer of life left in it."
The scout that the Prophet* sent out came back to tell the Prophet* that a large number of slaves, as well as a huge army, were gathered to oppose him, and that the road to Makkah was completely blocked. The Prophet* consulted his Companions, who were of the opinion that they would fight none unless they were debarred from performing their pilgrimage.
When the pilgrims reached 'Usfan, the scout who had been sent on ahead rejoined them with the news that Quraish had sent Khalid bin Walid with a troop of two hundred horse to bar their approach. So the Prophet asked for a guide who could take them on by another way, and a man of Aslam led them a little towards the coast and then by a devious and difficult path until they reached the pass which leads down to Hudaibiyah, an open tract of land below Mecca at the edge of the sacred territory. Their detour had kept them well out of sight of Khalid, but at one point, when it was too late for him to take up another position, they raised so much dust that he realised what had happened, and galloped back to Mecca with his troop to warn Quraish of their approach.
The Prophet had chosen his favourite camel, Qaswa', for the Pilgrimage, and at the end of the pass she stopped and knelt. The rocks resounded as many of the men cried out ‘Hal! Hal!’, which is what they say to make a camel rise, but she remained as if rooted to the earth. "Qaswa' is stubborn," they said, but the Prophet knew well that it was a sign that they should go no further than Hudaibiyah, at any rate for the moment. "She is not stubborn," he said, "it is not in her nature; but He holdeth her who held the elephant." He added, referring to Quraish: "They shall not ask of me this day any concession which honoureth the rights of God but I will grant it them."! Then he spoke to Qaswa', and she quickly rose to her feet and bore him down to the edge of Hudaibiyah, followed by the other pilgrims. Here he told them to camp; but there was almost no water, only the dregs of it at the bottom of one or two hollows, and the men were complaining of thirst. The Prophet called Najiyah to him, the man of Aslam who was in charge of the sacrificial camels, and told him to bring him a pail of as much water as he could from the largest of the hollows, which he did. Having performed his ablution, the Prophet rinsed his mouth and spat back the water into the pail. Then, taking an arrow from his quiver, he said: "Go down with this water and pour it into the waters of the hollow; then stir them with this arrow." Najiyah did as he was bid, and water, clear and fresh, surged up so quickly and so plentifully at the touch of the arrow that he was almost overwhelmed before he could clamber out. The pilgrims gathered round the edge of the hollow and every man drank his fill, as did also the animals.

Abrahah and the Year of the Elephant
Just before  the Prophet* was born Yemen was under the rule of Abyssinia, and an Abyssinian named Abrahah was vice-regent. He built a magnificent cathedral in San'a', hoping thereby to make it supersede Mecca as the great place of pilgrimage for all Arabia. He had marble brought to it from one of the derelict palaces of the Queen of Sheba, and he set up crosses in it of gold and of silver, and pulpits of ivory and ebony, and he wrote to his master, the Negus: "I have built thee a church, O King, the like of which was never built for any king before thee; and I shall not rest until I have diverted unto it the pilgrimage of the Arabs." Nor did he make any secret of his intention, and great was the anger of the tribes throughout Hijaz and Najd. Finally a man of Kinanah, a tribe akin to Quraish, went to San'a' for the deliberate purpose of defiling the church (with excrement), which he did one night and then returned safely to his people.
When Abrahah heard of this he vowed that in revenge he would destroy the Ka'bah to the ground; and having made his preparations he set off for Mecca with a large army, in the head of which he placed an elephant. Some of the Arab tribes north of San'a' attempted to bar his way, but the Abyssinians put them to flight and captured their leader, Nufayl of the tribe of Khath'am. By way of ransom for his life, he offered to act as guide.
When the army reached Ta'if, the men of Thaqif came out to meet them, afraid that Abrahah might destroy their temple of al-Lat in mistake for the Ka'bah. They hastened to point out to him that he had not yet reached his goal, and they offered him a guide for the remainder of his march. Although he already had Nufayl, he accepted their offer, but the man died on the way, about two miles from Mecca, at a place called Mughammis, and they buried him. Afterwards the Arabs took to stoning his grave, and the people who live there still stone it to this day.
Abrahah halted at Mughammis, and sent on a detachment of horse to the outskirts of Mecca. They took what they could on the way, and sent back their plunder to Abrahah, including two hundred camels which were the property of 'Abd al-Muttalib. Quraish and other neighbouring tribes held a council of war, and decided that it was useless to try to resist the enemy. Meanwhile Abrahah sent a messenger to Mecca, bidding him to ask for the chief man there. He was to tell him they had not come to fight but only to destroy the temple, and if he wished to avoid all bloodshed he must come to the Abyssinian camp.
There had been no official chief of Quraish since the time when their privileges and responsibilities had been divided between the houses of 'Abd ad-Dar and 'Abdu Manaf, But most people had their opinion as to which of the chiefs of the clans was in fact if not by right the leading man of Mecca, and on this occasion the messenger was directed to the house of 'Abd al-Muttalib who, together with one of his sons, went back with the messenger to the camp. When Abrahah saw him he was so impressed by his appearance that he rose from his royal seat to greet him and then sat beside him on the carpet, telling his interpreter to inquire if he had a favour to ask. 'Abd al-Muttalib replied that the army had taken two hundred of his camels and he asked that they should be returned to him. Abrahah was somewhat surprised at the request, and said that he was disappointed in him, that he should be thinking of his camels rather than his religion which they had now come to destroy. 'Abd al-Muttalib replied: "I am the lord of the camels, and the temple likewise hath a lord who will defend it." "He cannot defend it against me," said Abrahah. "We shall see," said 'Abd al-Muttalib. "But give me my camels." And Abrahah gave orders for the camels to be returned.
'Abd al-Muttalib returned to Quraish and advised them to withdraw to the hills above the town. Then he went with some of his family and others to the Sanctuary. They stood beside him, praying to God for His help against Abrahah and his army, and he himself took hold of the metal ring in the middle of the Ka'bah door and said: "O God, thy slave protecteth his house. Protect Thou Thy House!" Having thus prayed, he went with the others to join the rest of Quraish in the hills at points where they could see what took place in the valley below.
The next morning Abrahah made ready to march into the town, intending to destroy the Ka'bah and then return to San'a' by the way they had come. The elephant, richly caparisoned, was led into the front of the army, which was already drawn up; and when the mighty animal reached his position his keeper Unays turned him the same way as the troops were turned, that is towards Mecca. But Nufayl, the reluctant guide, had marched most of the way in the van of the army with Unays, and had learned from him some of the words of command which the elephant understood; and while the head of Unays was turned to watch for the signal to advance, Nufayl took hold of the great ear and conveyed into it a subdued but intense imperative to kneel. Thereupon, to the surprise and dismay of Abrahah and the troops, the elephant slowly and deliberately knelt himself down to the ground. Unays ordered him to rise, but Nufayl's word had coincided with a command more powerful than that of any man, and the elephant would not move. They did everything they could to bring him to his feet; they even beat him about the head with iron bars and stuck iron hooks into his belly, but he remained like a rock. Then they tried the strategem of making the whole army turn about and march a few paces in the direction of the Yemen. He at once rose to his feet, turned round and followed them. Hopefully they turned round about again, and he also turned, but no sooner was he facing Mecca than again he knelt.
This was the clearest of portents not to move one step further forward, but Abrahah was blinded by his personal ambition for the sanctuary he had built and by his determination to destroy its great rival. If they had turned back then, perhaps they would all have escaped disaster. But suddenly it was too late: the western sky grew black, and a strange sound was heard; its volume increased as a great wave of darkness swept upon them from the direction of the sea, and the air above their heads, as high as they could see, was full of birds. Survivors said that they flew with a flight like that of swifts, and each bird had three pebbles the size of dried peas, one in its beak and one between the claws of each foot. They swooped to and fro over the ranks, pelting as they swooped, and the pebbles were so hard and launched with such velocity that they pierced even coats of mail. Every stone found its mark and killed its man, for as soon as a body was struck its flesh began to rot, quickly in some cases, more gradually in others. Not everyone was hit, and amongst those spared were Unays and the elephant, but all were terror-stricken. A few remained in the Hijaz and earned a livelihood by shepherding and other work. But the main part of the army returned in disorder to San'a': Many died by the wayside, and many others, Abrahah included, died soon after their return. As to Nufayl, he had slipped away from the army while all attention was concentrated on the elephant, and he made his way unscathed to the hills above Mecca. After that day Quraish were called by the Arabs "the people of God", and they were held in even greater respect than before, because God had answered their prayers and saved the Ka'bah from destruction. They are still honoured, but rather on account of a second event - no doubt not unconnected with the first -which took place in that same Year of the Elephant.

No Hadith or News

Main Topic:

Discussion about exams / tests !!

Exams (and lessons from the latest Quiz / Questionnaire)
We all know that life is one big exam – with the final results being dished out on the Day of Judgement. (Let us make du’a that we receive the book of deeds in the right hand – Ameen)
In order to pass most exams you need to PREPARE, which includes knowing what the test is about and how to pass. As Muslims, Allah has made it so easy for us by showing us the examination paper (all the questions) and giving us most of the answers. All we need to do is follow this! Allah wants us to get to Jannah (Paradise) hence HE tries to make is easy for us: Blessings such as Ramadhan, extra prayers, charity and kind words, kind thoughts etc – all good actions then multiplied…
Start preparing!

Reflecting on the recent Quiz / Questionnaire:
- Some answers in life are very easy for which there is also a great reward – don’t miss out
- Don’t miss out any questions – so you won’t get rewarded unless you try
- Belief / thoughts are important, as well as actions
- Sometimes there is no wrong answer – so try !
- There are always questions (or tests) of varying difficulty.

And the spread of ability is usually distributed in a ‘bell-shape’ or ‘normal distribution’ (see graph). A fair test will give this shape (and the Quiz / Questionnaire was fair) with most people doing well. Such is life. However, to sort ‘the wheat from the chaff’ or the ‘men from the boys’ harder questions are set to test & stretch ability in the extreme of the graph. But know what Allah says in Surat Al-Baqarah: “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear…” (Qur’an, 2:286). This is such a profound and comforting verse that we should all reflect on. Those that are tested hardest are the Prophets and all other tests (as part of al-Qadha w’al Qadr) are bearable for us humans. Hence, there should be no despair and no ultimate negation of this in acts like suicide. The tests we face – we can get through.

Well Done to everyone who did the Quiz / Questionnaire !!

Tests From Allah

Allah has tested the people of the past in various ways and will keep on testing His creation. He has informed us about these tests in the Quran. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad* also informed us that Allah will test us from time to time. Sometimes hardships and losses occur in life due to our sins. To wash of these sins in this world, Allah inflicts upon us these hardships:

Narrated By Aisha: Allah’s Apostle* said, “No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn.” (Bukhari). Narrated By Abu Said Al-Khudri and Abu Huraira: The Prophet* said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” (Bukhari)

Paying for sins in this world is much easier than paying in the Hereafter. It is a blessing in disguise which Allah bestows upon us and saves us from the payment of these sins in the Hereafter.

The Quran informs us what to do when we face these tests in our life and also tells us about the reward that we will receive if we are successful in dealing with the situation in the way we are expected to: Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return” They are those on whom (Descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance. - [TMQ 2:155-157]

We are to be patient during hard times and always remember that Allah is the Creator of everything and we all will return to Him. No deed is lost in front of Allah and we will be rewarded for even the smallest good that we ever did do. Trials afflicting us can be signs of His Love. It is narrated that Prophet Muhammad* said: Narrated By Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials.” (Bukhari)

Misfortune can bring a person towards the right path. It can make better Muslims out of people. Observing patience, remembering Allah and turning only to Him for help and guidance during such times, will help us attain Allah’s forgiveness and His rewards.

Allah tests man through various agencies, both through adversity and prosperity. A person with a luxurious life is tested to see how much he spends in the way of Allah and how much he is thankful to Allah for the blessings bestowed upon him. Another can be tested by the things he desires but does not and/or cannot possess. What do these people do is actually their test. Does the person deviate from the way of Allah to pursue the worldly gains? Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. To Us must ye return. [TMQ 21:35]

The Quran reminds us that in periods of hardships, we are to remain patient, remember Allah, and protect ourselves from committing that which is declared unlawful by Allah: Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and ye shall certainly Hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil,-then that will be a determining factor in all affairs. – [TMQ 3:186]

An important thing that we should always remember is that everyone is tested. If we declare that we are Muslims, that does not mean that we will not be tested in this world. The Quran is very clear on this issue: Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe”, and that they will not be tested? – [TMQ 29:2]

Surely Allah is not unjust and does not over burden a soul: On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear – [TMQ 2:286]

Tribulations are a part of life but that doesn’t make them easy. We still grieve — but how could we not? We are, after all, a very emotional creation. This world is an abode for tests and one should not deny or avoid these but should face them and pass them successfully. A person can be put into hardships for a number of reasons and we might not know those reasons when undergoing a certain loss but what we must do is always remember Allah, be patient, abstain from what is unlawful, give charity and ask Him to help ease out our hard times. If we do fail to do this then we should turn to Allah and ask for forgiveness. If you stand back and take a look at the whole picture, you will realize that what you have when faced by a tragedy is a choice. Will you go through the stages of grief, denying Allah’s destiny and the wisdom of His plan for you? Or will you realize that what you are going through is something you know you can handle? Whatever trial comes your way is something that Allah has planned and which He has guaranteed you can handle. Allah is Most Merciful & InshaAllah He will forgive us for the wrong that we do. So when you go through a difficult situation, be it the inevitable death of a loved one or the loss of a job or just a flat tire on the side of the highway, take a deep breath and say: “Say: ‘Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us…’” (TMQ 9:51)

Preparing for Exams and Preparing for Death

Each year we are faced with the scenario of sitting exams. Whether were at School, College or Uni, the outcomes of these decide whether we have progressed into the next year/semester or that we have failed and will need to re-sit our exams in order to continue our course. Indeed, it is very important for us to succeed, because the purpose of attending School, College or Uni is to gain expertise in specific areas to be able to gain employment and find work related to those areas. Hence we have a purpose for coming to university. We seek to achieve certain results, which require effort and hard work, in order for us to attain the degree.

During examinations this becomes very clear, because it is crunch time. Either you make it or you break it. So at this stage we are even more conscious about seeking those results and fulfilling the objective of attending university. For the preparation of these exams we see people change their entire timetable of activity. So people stop watching their favourite television programmes, some revise in the library till midnight, others have to let go of that x-box / Wii and shut off their online friends or limit going onto Facebook twice day as opposed to every hour! We will see people during this time whose health is very bad, because they haven’t been eating properly or at the right times. People who normally take pride in their appearances, all of a sudden are dressed shabby, because they have no time for this because of exams coming up.

Thinking affects our views/Attitudes

So we can see very clear patterns of thinking here and how it manages to transform a person’s behaviour radically. Everyone clearly realises, that they have to pass. They also realise that if they don’t pass then they still have the option to re-sit during summer time. However, there is one examination, one test which we all are a part of. The results of this exam are unknown to us presently. Each day that passes, we are monitored and are examined.

Reality of Death

The day when mankind will stand before Allah) on the day of reckoning definitely, and Allah will question us about our actions we performed in our life. The very life which Allah gave us without our choice and the one which he will take from us without our choice. This is the exam that every single human who has existed in this dunya, from the time of Adam and Bibi Hawa, to the last person to live in this dunya will face. And on that day we will not have the ability to go back to this world to make ourselves better. There will be no re-sits and the decision on that day made by Allah the supreme will be decisive and final, and nobody will be able to change it. Either it will be the Bliss of Jannah or the darkness of jahannam.

Our Attitude to Death

Islam answers the questions about our purpose in life, and gives us a direction in life. So we think about death and remind ourselves and question our actions. Those actions which Allah has given us a shariah for, to guide us to sirat-ul-mustaqim. So let us look at what attitude we should have towards the issue of death.

Allah’s Messenger* said to Abdullah b.Umar, “If you awoke in the morning, do not speak to yourself of the evening, and if you reach the evening, do not speak to yourself of the morning. Take from your life for your death, and from your health for your illness, as you, oh Abdullah, do not know what your name will be tomorrow” [Bukhari].

Remembrance of death continually keeps us in check in this dunya. It makes it realise that we have a contract with our creator. A contract with no expiry date specified. It is like a bomb, which is ticking and has no timer but just a question mark. You do not know when it will explode.  Allah says: “To every person is a term appointed. When their term is reached, not an hour can they delay it, nor by an hour can they advance it” [TMQ 7:34] Hence Life is limited, and time is short and there are many actions which we need to perform. Allah describes this in the following ayah: “It will seem to them that their life on Earth had spanned only one evening, or one morning” [TMQ 79; 46]

On the Authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (ra) who said: Once the Messenger of Allah (saw), slept on a mat made of date palm leaves and when he awoke the impressions of the mat were visible on his body. We (the Sahabah) said: “O messenger of Allah (saw) may we prepare a soft bedding for you?” Allah’s Messenger* said “I have nothing to do with this world, I am in this world like a rider who halts in the shade of a tree for a short period of time and after taking some rest, resumes his journey leaving the tree behind.” [Tirmidhi]

Remembrance of death is not crying and wailing and blaming one’s self when one is on the brink of death, or attending a funeral or visiting graves alone. Rather, remembrance of death is when a believer imagines that he will meet his Lord at any moment, and his actions will be cut off, as will his ability for repentance. So he will be aware of himself, careful to obey Allah (swt), wary of his Lord every second of his life.

What to Do

Exam time clearly shows us that those people who say they can’t change and their iman is weak are lying and fooling themselves. Exam time clearly shows us that Western Society makes people think individually and makes them avoid the real issues of life. Islam on the other hand builds a clear vision and a goal in life, part of which is that we seek education and we sit exams, and deem this as something which our deen has permitted. Let us question ourselves on our attitudes for the preparation of exams compared to our preparation for the life to come which is everlasting and has no end. Let us take today, this time, and this place where we renew our allegiance to Allah and promise that now will be the change to which the world will stand witness to. And Allah says: “And whoever believes in Allah and carries out His commands, Allah will forgive him his sins, and admit him into the Gardens of Paradise beneath which rivers flow, to live in forever, and this is the supreme success” [TMQ 64:9]

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