05 December 2010

05 December 2010

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

Medina receives the news of victory
Abdullah bin Rawahah (to Upper Medina) and Zaid bin Harithah (to lower Medina) were despatched to Medina, to convey the glad tidings of victory to the Muslims there. There were different reactions. Rumour-mongers amongst the Jews and hypocrites (Munafiqeen) spread news to the effect that the Prophet* had been killed, and tried to impress their false assumption on the fact that Zaid bin Harithah was riding Al-Qaswa’, the Prophet*’s she-camel. This exposed some of the enemies of the Prophet*. Having reached different parts of the city, the two messengers imparted to the Muslims the happy news of victory, and gave accounts of the battle in order to establish the sense of reassurance deep in the hearts of the anxious, but now, joyous Muslims. They immediately started acclaiming Allah’s Name and entertaining His praise at the top of their voices. Their chiefs later went out of the city to wait and receive the Prophet* on the road leading to Badr.
 
Prisoners of war
The Prophet* advised his companions before the battle not to kill Al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib and Abu Bukhtari bin Hisham. He ordered the Muslims to capture, but not to kill them. Abu Al-Bukhtari bin Hisham had already done his best to restrain the Mecca from committing any act of folly against the Prophet* while the latter was still in Mecca. He also neither hurt nor was reported to have uttered anything repugnant with regard to the Prophet*. He was also among the people who cancelled the boycott taken against Banu Hashim and Banu Abdul Muttalib. Here, however, in the battle of Badr he insisted on fighting unless his compatriot was spared. Al-Mujdhir bin Ziyad Al-Balwi, with whom he was engaged in combat, replied that the other was not included in the Prophet*’s recommendation. The combat went on to end in Al-Bukhtari’s death.

When the war activities had been concluded, Mus‘ab bin Umair Al-Abdari saw his brother, still a polytheist, being handcuffed by a Ansari. Mus‘ab recommended that the Helper tighten the knot for the prisoner’s mother was wealthy enough to ransom her son. Abu Aziz, Mus‘ab’s brother, tried to appeal to his brother through the family ties, but the latter firmly replied that the Helper was more eligible for brotherhood than him.
The Prophet* told the Muslims to treat the prisoners well. The Muslims obeyed him to such an extent that the captors used to give the captives their bread (the more valued part of the meal) and keep the dates for themselves, or walk whilst some of the prisoners would ride the camels. This would embarrass some of the prisoners and helped others in seeing the greatness of Islam and to convert to Islam – something that accompanied many of the battles.

Revelation about the Prisoners

Prisoners of war were a new problem because it was a new phenomenon in the history of Islam. The Prophet* consulted Abu Bakr and Umer bin Al-Khattab as to what he should do with the prisoners. Abu Bakr suggested that he should ransom them, explaining this by saying: "They are after all our relatives, and this money would give us strength against the disbelievers, moreover, Allah could guide them to Islam." Umer advised killing them, saying, "They are the leaders of Kufr (disbelief)." The Prophet* preferred Abu Bakr’s suggestion to that of Umer’s stating that Abu Bakr was like Ibrahim and Isa, whereas Umer was like Nuh and Musa in the way they treated their followers. The following day, Umer called on the Prophet* and Abu Bakr to see them weeping. He showed extreme astonishment and inquired about the situation so that he might weep if it was worth weeping for, or else he would pretend to weep in sympathy.
The Prophet* said that a Qur’anic verse had been revealed rebuking them for taking ransom from the captives rather than slaying them: "It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is All- Mighty, All- Wise. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took." [Al-Qur'an 8:67,68]
The previous revelation: "Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom) or ransom." [Al-Qur'an 47:4] allowed them to ask for ransom - that is why no penalty was imposed. They were rebuked only for taking prisoners before subduing all the land of disbelief. Apart from this, the polytheists taken to Medina were not only prisoners of war but rather arch-criminals of war whom modern war penal law brings to justice to receive their due sentence of death or prison for life. The ransom for the prisoners ranged between 4000 and 1000 Dirhams in accordance with the captive’s financial situation.
In captivity, there was also an eloquent orator called Suhail bin Amr. Umer suggested that they pull out his front teeth to disable him from speaking, but the Prophet* turned down his suggestion for fear Quraish should retaliate in the same manner on one hand, and on the other for fear of Allah’s wrath on the Day of Resurrection. This also shows how the Muslims treated the prisoners – and all this compares differently to how the ‘civilised’ West treats Muslim prisoners – like the torture in Abu Ghraib in Iraq or Bagram in Afghanistan.
The most eminent of the captives was the chief of Amir, Suhayl, cousin of Sawdah and brother of her first husband. Others more closely connected with the Prophet were his uncle Abbas, his son-in-law, Zaynab's husband Abu l-Aas, and his cousins Aqil and Nawfal.
 

The sworn enemies of the Prophet*

Early next morning he set off for Medina with his army and the spoils. Two of the most valuable captives, that is those whose families could be relied upon to pay the full ransom of 4,000 dirhems, were An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and Uqbah bin Abi Muait. But these were two of the worst enemies of Islam because they had persecuted the Muslims in Mecca, and had deep hatred towards Allah and His Messenger*. An-Nadr bin Al-Harith had gone to Persia to learn tales from their ancient past to compete with the Prophet* when he would talk in public. He had been dispatched specifically to learn these stories and turn people away from Islam. Uqbah had thrown the intestines on the Prophet* and strangled the Prophet* so hard that said he felt that his eyes would pop. In a nutshell, they were criminals of war in modern terminology, and their execution was a lesson to oppressors. ‘Uqbah forgot his pride and cried out, "Who will look after my children O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet* answered, "The fire (of Hell). These two were at the forefront of oppression and lies against the Prophet and denigrating him and his message. This compares with the treatment the Prophet* insisted for the other prisoners of war, at that he ordered his followers to treat well, and even asked them not to kill certain non-Muslims during battle. One of the main lessons here is that Muslims should treat others appropriately – being kind and considerate to those that are kind with the Muslims.

Hadith

Number 11 of Nawawi's 40 Hadith: The Doubtful and Certain

On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah*, and the one much loved by him, who said: I memorised from the Messenger of Allah*: Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt. [at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasai]

This hadith is related to some previous hadith but had a slightly different angle to it. As Muslims and strong believers we should stick to those things that we are certain about in our Islam - and if we have a good and strong understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah, then by doing the certain things our hearts will fill with peace and tranquillity. If we were to approach things that have some doubt then we would feel anxious and worry about whether this is a desirable thing. This does not apply to those Muslims who do not understand or practice Islam – as they feel no shame when they sin against themselves and Allah.

We must be strong to resist the whispering (Waswasa) of the Shaytan especially in acts of worship (Ibadah). We should consider what is right based upon what we know for sure and do not let the doubts from Shayton put us off doing the worship altogether. For example, whilst praying – if we forget how many Rakah we have prayed we should continue based upon how many we know for sure that we have prayed and not be distracted to give up the prayer. Likewise when doing Tawaf around the Kaaba. Also, when performing wudu we should assume that the water is pure unless we know for certain that is is impure.

Also, when we make the intention for an act of worship – we should be certain that the conditions are fulfilled. Hence, we can only start Ramadhan with the new moon sighting or after 30 days Shaban, or pray when we are sure that it is the right time for prayer.

We should try to live our life in certainties and not doubt or uncertainties.

News Topic

Wikileaks

A brief discussion about some of the information being made available through the Wikileaks disclosures. These include how little respect the puppet Muslim leaders have from their own people and how much these corrupt puppet rulers of Muslim countries are constantly ttrying to please the West ern countries (like America) rather than looking after the affairs of the Muslim people.

Homework from 5 December 2010:

1. Discuss the reaction in Mecca to the news of the great victory at Badr. Some peope welcomed it whilst others didn't....

2. What do you understand from the next (number 12) of Nawawi's 40 Hadith:

On the authority of Abu Hurairah, who said : The messenger of Allah said: "Part of someone's being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern him." [at-Tirmidhi and others]

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...

17 October 2010

17 October 2010

Seerah of Muhammed*

*: May the peace blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him

TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

Prelude to the Battle of Badr

A few lessons from the sarayah:

• These sarayah were to establish the military presence of the Prophet* & the Muslims being sent out in all directions to let people know that the Muslims have forces and are capable of using it and as a deterrent for others, for the Bedouins who surrounded Medina who still have respect for the Quraish in their hearts being the custodians of the Ka’aba. The Prophet* was trying to break that, he tried to tell the people that there was now a rival power in the area
• The Prophet* was winning over tribes and establishing alliances.
• These sarayah were mostly for economic reasons to attacked the economical network of the Quraish and this was a serious threat to Quraish and this is what lead to the Battle of Badr.
• These sarayah was training for the Muslims learning methods of reconnaissance, and learn how to ambush. They would get to know the area, and the tribes around them.

The Prophet* wasn’t totally secure in Medina. The number of Muslims was not that large. One night he couldn’t sleep, and he wished that someone could guard him during this night and said: Were there a pious person from amongst my companions who should keep a watch for me during the night? He then heard the noise of arms, whereupon he said: Who is it? And Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas said: Allah's Messenger. I have come to serve as your guard.

This lasted for many years until Allah revealed the ayat of surah AL-MAIDAH (5:67): ”And Allah will protect you from the people..”

The Prophet* ordered a census to count the number of souls that profess Islam. The total number of men of fighting age was 1500. The sahabah then wondered that if their number is 1500 then they shouldn’t be afraid.

The Vision of Aatika

In Mecca, Aatika bint Abdul Muttallib, the aunt of the Prophet* saw a dream where a man rushes into Mecca riding his camel and he screams to gather the people of Mecca around him. His camel stands on top of Al-Ka’aba and after that it stands on top of a mountain in Mecca. He then warns the people of Quraish that: In three days you will perish. This man then takes a rock and throws it from on top of the mountain; it explodes as it lands in the valley of Mecca. Every house in Mecca is hit by a fragment of that explosion.

Aatika told her brother Al-Abbas about it, but told Abbas not to tell anyone about it. Al-Abbas heard the dream and said that it was a vision, he told Aatika to keep quiet about it. However Al-Abbas told his friend Waleed bin Utba and tells Waleed not to tell anybody about it. Waleed bin Utba goes and tells his father and soon the news is all over Mecca. Later, Abu Jahl saw Al-Abbas he asked him to join him and Abu Jahl said: How long has your family of Abdul Muttalib had this female prophet? Abbas pretended he didn’t know what Abu Jahl was talking about. Abu Jahl said that he was talking about Aatika’s vision. Abu Jahl then sarcastically asked that: aren’t you Abdul Muttalibs satisfied with your men becoming prophets, has it got to be your women now? Abu Jahl then said that Aatika gave the time of three days. Abu Jahl warned Abbas that the Quraish will keep a close eye on them for three days and if what she said is true, so be it. But if it turns out to be false then they will call him one of the biggest liars of Arabia.

Al-Abbas went back home and every woman of Abdul Muttalibs visited and said: Have you agreed to let that dirty old reprobate attack first your men and then your women while you just listened? Didn’t anything you heard, offend you? Al-Abbas said: I would have done something but I never had a problem with him before. I swear I will confront him. If he repeats this, I will confront him for you. So after three days Abbas goes to haram and walks by Abu Jahl so that Abu Jahl can call him, and then he could get a chance to argue back and take revenge for what happened.

Al Abbas says: On the morning of the third day after Aatika’s vision, I was extremely angry feeling that I have let him get away with something I should have put a stop to. I went into the mosque and saw him; I swear I was moving towards him to confront him, to get him to retract what he had said. He was a slight man with a sharp face, a sharp voice and a sharp gaze. When he hurried of towards the door of the mosque, I asked myself, ‘what could be the matter with the fellow?’ and whether he was doing this because he feared I was about to confront him? But actually he had heard something I had not; he had heard the voice of Damdam Ibn Amr Al-Ghafari, who was out in the centre of the valley standing by his camel.

The caravan of Abu Sufyan

The Quraish were sending out their major caravan to Ash-Sham headed by Abu Sufyan. The Prophet* heard of this through his network of spies. Having heard the news, the Prophet* came out hurriedly, spoke to the people and said: We are in need (of men); whoever has an animal to ride upon ready with him should ride with us. People began to ask him permission for bringing their riding animals which were grazing on the hillocks near Medina. He said: No. (I want) only those who have their riding animals ready. In total there were between 310 – 320 men. The purpose of this army was to take over the caravan of Quraish led by Abu Sufyan. The Prophet* told the people that: This caravan is of the Quraish and will carry much wealth, attack it, may Allah present it to you.

Abu Sufyan was very careful and also had sent out spies to gather the whereabouts of the Prophet*. Abu Sufyan reached Badr, which is 150 km from Medina. He held some camel manure in his hand and crushed it. He sensed that the manure had the animal feed of Medina in it. He figured out that Muhammed’s followers were pursuing him. Abu Sufyan sent out an urgent message to the Quraish, informing them about the threat to the caravan and called them to come and protect it. He sent the message with Damdam Ibn Amr Al-Ghafari.

Al Abbas says: On the morning of the third day after Aatika’s vision, I was extremely angry feeling that I have let him get away with something I should have put a stop to. I went into the mosque and saw him; I swear I was moving towards him to confront him, to get him to retract what he had said. He was a slight man with a sharp face, a sharp voice and a sharp gaze. When he hurried of towards the door of the mosque, I asked myself, ‘what could be the matter with the fellow?’ and whether he was doing this because he feared I was about to confront him? But actually he had heard something I had not; he had heard the voice of Damdam Ibn Amr Al-Ghafari, who was out in the center of the valley standing by his camel. The man, who was sent by Abu Sufyan, arrives three days after the dream of Aatika. Damdam Al-Ghafari comes into Mecca in a scene. He came in and he cut the nose of his camel and he turns its saddle upside down, and he tears his shirt. He stands in the middle of the valley screaming calling to the people and saying, ‘Oh Quraish! The caravan! The caravan! Your goods being brought by Abu Sufyan have been raided by Muhammed and his men. I don’t think you can save them. Help! Help!’

Al- Abbas said: ‘and so all this diverted us from our personal conflict.’ This was an emergency situation now; everyone was trying to defend their caravan. The people of Quraish mobilize to go and fight the Prophet* in order to protect their caravan.

The Prophet* asks for advice

The Prophet* made shura (to consult) with the sahabah (ra), he asked for counseling from his troops. Abu Bakr (ra) spoke, Umar (ra) spoke but it seemed as if the Prophet* didn’t take interest in what they had to say. Sa’d ibn Muadh said, that it seems the Prophet* want the Ansar to speak. the Prophet* said yes. Sa’d bin Muadh said: O Messenger of Allah, if you want us to lead our horses towards the sea, we will do that, and if you want us to lead our horses towards Bark ul-Ghamad which was at the tip of Arabia, we will do so. This made the Prophet* very happy. The Prophet*  wanted to know what the Ansar were thinking. The Prophet was very glad with the attitude of Al-Ansar, and it shows us the understanding that the Ansar had, about the importance of the protection of Rusool Allah (saw).

It has been narrated on the authority of A'isha, wife of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) set out for Badr. When he reached Harratul- Wabara (a place four miles from Medina) a man met him who was known for his valor and courage. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) were pleased to see him. He said: I have come so that I may follow you and get a share from the booty. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to him: Do you believe in Allah and His Apostle? He said: No. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Go back, I will not seek help from a Mushrik (polytheist). He went on until we reached Shajara, where the man met him again. He asked him the same question again and the man gave him the same answer. He said: Go back. I will not seek help from a Mushrik. The man returned and overtook him at Baida'? He asked him as he had asked previously: Do you believe in Allah and His Apostle? The man said: Yes. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to him: Then come along with us.

Every camel was shared by three men. These men would take turns. The Prophet* like everybody else shared a camel with two other sahabah and he said to them that : You are not stronger than I am, and I am in need of reward just as you are.

The caravan is safe but the Quraish carry on

Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan rushed the caravan towards the coast changing his course thus was able to evade the Muslims. He sends a letter back to Mecca saying: You came out to do battle in order to protect your caravan, people and wealth. Allah has now saved these, so go back.

Abu Jahl said: By Allah we will not turn around until we reach Badr. We sill stays there three days, slaughter some camels eat well, drink whine, and entertainers will play music for us. The Bedouin will get to hear of our journey and our gathering there and they will respect us for it. Let us proceed ahead.

So for Abu Jahl this was nothing but a show of the strength of the Quraish. Allah says in the Qur’an: And do not be like those who came forth from their homes insolently and to be seen by people and avert [them] from the way of Allah . And Allah is encompassing of what they do. (8:47)

So the people came out with insolence and arrogance. They wanted to boast there power and strength. Rusool Allah (saw) realised that the caravan is trying to get away and he thought that instead of facing around 40 men with the caravan they might have to face an army of thousand men.

Hadith

Nawawi's 40 Hadith ~ No. 7 (Religion is Advice)

On the authority of Abu Ruqayya Tameem ibn Aus ad-Dari (radi Allahu anhu) that the Prophet* said: 'The Deen (religion) is naseehah (advice/sincerity)'.

We said 'To whom?'

He said 'To Allah and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.' [Muslim]

This is the only hadeeth narrated by Tameem ad-Daaree (radi Allahu 'anhu). 'Naseehah' is a comprehensive word, whose meaning implies the desire for all possible good for the one being advised. And this word 'an-naseehah' is most concise in speech, and there is no other single word in the Arabic language that completely and precisely explains its meaning, just as it is said that regarding the word 'al-Falaah' (the success) that there is no other word in the Arabic language that more precisely and succinctly describes the good of both this world and the next.

And the meaning of this statement "The Deen is Naseehah" is that the main pillar of the Religion and its Straightness lies in this concept of Naseehah. And this is similar to the Prophet's* statement "The Hajj is 'Arafah", meaning the main pillar of the Hajj is the standing in the Plain of 'Arafah.

And giving Naseehah (advice) is a Fardh Kifaayah, such that if a sufficient number of people perform it then the obligation is lifted from the community as a whole, and it is obligatory according to the ability of the individual.

And in the arabic language 'naseehah' means 'purification/clarification', as it is said: "I purified (nasahtu) the honey", and it is said that it means other than that. And Allah knows best.

As for the detailed explanation of Naseehah then al-Khattaabi (rahimhu Allah) and others from amongst the 'ulemaa have said:

Naseehah to Allah refers:

• To sincerity to Allah(SWT)
• To having iman (faith) in Allah, and the denial of misinterpretation with regards to His Attributes.
• Describing Him(SWT) with the qualities of completeness, perfection, and greatness whilst declaring Him completely free from any defects or deficiencies.
• To avoid disobedience to Him & keeping away from sin.
• To love for His sake and to hate for His sake.
• To keep good relations with those who obey Him and to have enmity towards those who disobey Him.
• To perform Jihad against those who disbelieve in Him.
• To recognize His favours and to give thanks to Him for them.
• To have sincerity in all affairs.
• To supplicate to Him with all of His Names and Attributes that He has mentioned
• To call to everything that we have mentioned, and to encourage it.
• To show kindness to all people, to all those whom you are able to, in this call.

Imam al-Khattabi said, “The reality of this attachment refers back to the servant being sincere to himself, since Allah(SWT) has not need of the sincerity of the one doing it.“

And as for the Naseehah to His Book, then this is:

• By believing it to be the Speech of Allah and what He has sent down as Revelation
• Believing that there is no similarity between the Speech of Allah and the speech of mankind
• And that no one from amongst the creation is able to produce anything like it.
• Giving it due respect by reciting it and acting upon it as it should be done, and to do that well.
• And further, glorification of His Book and reciting it as it should be recited and fulfilling its Rights,
• Beautifying the recitation and having khushoo' (humility, submissiveness) while doing so,
• Establishing the correct pronunciation of its letters
• Defending the Qur'an from the false interpretations of the innovators, and having faith in all that is in it, and understanding its sciences and examples, and accepting its mutashaabih (hidden, unclear), and making du'aa by it.
• To believe in what is in it.
• To affirm its rulings.
• That you learn its sciences and examples.
• That you take heed over its warnings and ponder over its amazing matters.
• That you act upon those things that are clear, and that you submit to those that are not so clear.
• That you seek after those matters which are general and specific, abrogated and abrogating.
• To promulgate its sciences and to call to it, all of this being sincerity to it

And as for the Naseehah to His Messenger* then this involves:

• Believing in his Messengership, and having faith in all that he came with
• To obey him in what he ordered and prohibited.
• To help him both in his life and after his death.
• To having enmity with all those who have enmity with him.
• To having allegiance to all those who have allegiance with him.
• To fulfilling his Rights, and honouring him.
• To reviving his manner and Sunnah.
• To responding to his da'wah, and spreading his Sunnah, and his shari’ah (law).
• To expel any doubt that is raised against it.
• To give ones full attention to the sciences of Hadith.
• To understanding its meanings and sciences and calling towards it.
• Being eager in studying it
• To have mildness and kindness in learning and teaching it.
• To give due place and importance to it.
• To display correct manners when reading it.
• To refrain from speaking about it without knowledge.
• Showing respect when it is mentioned because of their attachment to it.
• Mixing amongst the people of the Sunnah
• Behaving with the character taught by the Sunnah
• Showing love towards the members of the Prophet's* household, and his companions
• To avoid those who introduce bida’ (innovations) into his Sunnah, and to avoid those who attack even a single one of his Companions.

And as for the Naseehah to the leaders of the Muslims (refers to the Pious Muslim Leaders / Caliphs who implement Islam & the Shariah), then this involves:

• Helping them in the Truth
• Obeying them in it
• Ordering them with the Truth
• Reminding them of it with kindness and gentle words
• Notifying/advising them of that which they have neglected
• Informing them of the Rights of the Muslims that has not reached them yet
• Not rebelling against them with the sword
• Gathering the hearts of the people upon obeying them
• Praying behind them, and fighting in Jihad along with them
• Making supplication for their correction.

Imam al-Khattabi says, “From sincerity to them is Prayer behind them, Jihad along with them, to give the zakat (charity) to them, and not to rebel against them with the sword when injustice or bad treatment appears from them. And that they are not praised with false praises, and that du’a (supplication) is made for their righteousness.“

All of this is based upon the fact that what is meant by the leader of the Muslims is the Caliph, and other than him from the administrators who take charge of the affairs of the Muslims. Imam al-Khattabi also quotes it, then says, “And it has also been taken to refer to the Imams – who are the scholars of the Religion. And that sincerity to them includes accepting what they report, following them as regards rulings, and to have good thoughts about them.“

And as for the Naseehah to the general Muslims, and they are those who are other than the rulers and scholars, then it involves:

• Guiding them towards that which will correct their affairs of both this life and the next, and helping them in that.
• Protecting them from harm so that he teaches them that which they are ignorant of as regards the Religion
• To help them in this by words and actions.
• Helping them in times of need, and acquiring what is beneficial for them,
• Ordering them with al-ma'roof (good) and forbidding them from al-munkar (evil) with kindness and sincerity,
• Showing mercy towards them.
• To hide their faults and to fulfil their needs and wants.
• Honouring and respecting their elders,
• Showing kindness to their youngsters,
• Supporting them with good advice.
• Leaving cheating them or having jealousy of them,
• That one loves for them what one loves for oneself of goodness,
• That one hates for them what one hates for oneself of evil,
• Protecting their wealth and honour and reputation, and other than that from speech and action.
• Encouraging them upon all that we have mentioned above of the various types of naseehah, and allah knows best.

Summary

That one cannot worship Allah sincerely without being sincere to what He has revealed, and to the people according to their station in life. Also one has to respect and honour His Messenger*, which is to respect and honour what he said, did, approved of or recommended, and to love him for who he was and what he was. 

News Topic:

The Rescue of the miners in Chile

There are a few points about this topic and things related to being in a cave...

• They relied upon their belief to see them through
• Living in a cave for so long is quite difficult
• When we all die, the earth gives us a big hug & squeeze
• It was not their appointed time to die.
• In the past, other people have lived in mountains - the people of Thamud had Prophet Saleh sent to them
• Also, the Juj & Majooj are currently living underground somewhere...waiting...