07 October 2012
Summary
Seerah: Story of Ka’b ibn Malik and the Battle of Tabuk
The Prophet* set out to fight the Romans – but it was a test for the Muslims due to the season, harvest, enemy, journey
Ka’b was a leader of his people and one of the 12 Nuquba (people who pledged allegiance to the Prophet* in Aqabah) that helped to establish the Islamic State
Ka’b missed Badr but preferred Aqabah
The 30,000 Muslims needed to prepare for the long hard journey
Ka'b was able to go but kept delaying preparing
Ka'b's procrastination casued him to miss the army when it left
Only hypocrites and elderly/infirm left behind in Medina
Ka'b panics when he hears the Prophet is returning and is told to lie
Hypocrites give their excuses and the Prophet seeks their forgiveness but leaves their hearts to Allah
Ka'b, well-known poet, decides not to make up an excuse and to tell the truth: He has no excuse
Ka'b and 2 others are boycotted for a total of 50 days
Ka'b feels the city is alien and feels constricted in his repentance
The non-Muslims try to recruit Ka'b and divide the Muslims
Allah then accepts his repentance and Ka'b is overjoyed, and the other 2 men
Ka'b gives away most of his wealth and vows never to lie again
The hypocrites are condemned to Hellfire by Allah
Lying, delaying and putting things off is a bad thing
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Battle of Tabuk (4) – Story of Ka’b ibn Malik
Story of Ka’b ibn Malik and the Battle of Tabuk
After the Conquest of Makkah, Caeser - Ruler of Byzantium, which was considered the greatest military force on earth at the time - could no longer turn a blind eye to the activities of the Muslims. He was anxiously aware of the Arab tribes' expectations of independence, and their hopes of getting free from his reign and influence. They could not ignore the alliance of the Arab tribes on his borders to the Muslims. So he concluded that the demolition of the Muslims' power had grown an urgent necessity. This decision of his should, in his opinion, be achieved before the Muslims become too powerful to conquer, and raise troubles and unrest in the adjacent Arab territories. Thus, Caeser raised a huge army of Byzantine and pro-Roman Ghassanide tribes to launch a decisive bloody battle against the Muslims. News of this army reached the Muslims and much fear spread in their hearts. After much deliberating on the situation, the Prophet* made up his mind and ordered his companions to prepare for war. No sooner had the Muslims heard the voice of the Prophet calling them to fight the Byzantines, than they rushed to comply with his orders. Almost all the Muslims responded positively. Only those who had weakness in their hearts favoured to stay behind. They were only three people. Their story is told below:
Due to its particular circumstances, this invasion was a particularly severe trial provided by Allah only to try the believers' faith and sort them out from the others. This is Allah's permanent Will in such circumstances. In this respect He says: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are in now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good..." [Qur'an 3:179]
Lagging behind and hanging back from full participation in that invasion amounted to a degree of hypocrisy. Whenever the Prophet* was informed of a man's lingering, he would say: "Leave him alone! If Allah knows him to be good, He will enable him to follow you; but if he were not so, Allah would relieve us of him."
Nobody stayed behind except those who were either hindered by a serious excuse or the hypocrites who told lies to Allah and His Messenger. Some of those hypocrites' lingering was due to an excuse based on forgery and delusion. Some others tarried, but didn't ask for instant permission. But there were three believers who unjustifiably lingered. They were the ones whose faith Allah tried, but later He returned to them in Mercy and accepted their repentance. One of the believers' stories is recorded below:
The Hadith of Ka’b
It has been related by 'Abdullah bin Ka'b bin Malik, who became Ka'b's guide from amongst his children - when he became blind. He said: I heard Ka'b bin Malik speaking about the incident concerning his non-participation during the Battle of Tabuk.
Ka'b said: I was not absent from the Prophet* during any campaign that he fought in, except the Battle of Tabuk. Nevertheless, I was absent from the Battle of Badr. However, no individual was admonished for non-participation. Indeed, the Prophet* departed in search of a caravan of the Quraish, thereafter certain events took place until Allah assembled the two armies unexpectedly. Verily, I witnessed the night of Al-'Aqabah (the pledge) with the Prophet*, the night wherein we pledged our allegiance to Islam. Furthermore I would not exchange it for participation in the Battle of Badr, regardless of the fact that the Battle of Badr is deemed more noteworthy amongst the people. In relation to my news: I had never before been stronger nor wealthier than at the time I remained behind the Prophet during that campaign. By Allah - I had never before been in possession of two she-camels, until the time of the battle.
The Prophet* would conceal his intention to embark upon a military expedition by making reference to other campaigns, until the time for that expedition arrived.
The Prophet* conducted that expedition during a season of extreme heat, undertaking a lengthy journey through desert terrain. In addition, the enemy was great in number. Thus, the Prophet clarified the matter to the Muslims, in order that they prepare themselves adequately for their campaign, and he informed them of their intended destination. The Prophet* was accompanied by a considerable number of Muslims, whose names could not be recorded in a book. Ka'b continued: Any individual who wished to remain absent would assume that his absence would pass unnoticed, unless it was revealed by Allah by means of Divine Revelation. The Prophet* undertook that expedition during a season wherein the fruit had ripened and the shade had become pleasant.
The Prophet* and the Muslims equipped themselves with the necessary provisions. I too departed in order to prepare myself, however I returned without accomplishing anything. I would say to myself: I am able to prepare myself. Hence, I continued to postpone my preparations. However the people occupied themselves in earnest with the journey, until the day arrived wherein the Prophet* and the Muslims proceeded to depart. However I had not completed any part of my preparations. I said to myself: I shall prepare myself in one or two days after his departure, and then I will join them.
The morning after their departure, I set out in order to equip myself. However, I returned without completing anything. The following morning, I set out again, nevertheless, but I returned without accomplishing anything. This continued until they hastened towards the battle, and the campaign had passed by. Nevertheless, I intended to depart and reach them, would that I had done so! However, I was not destined to do that.
After the departure of the Prophet* I would enter amongst the people and it would become a cause of sadness for me. For I did not see except the one suspected of being a hypocrite, or the weak and infirm whom Allah had excused from participation.
The Prophet* did not remember me until he arrived in Tabuk. He was sitting amongst his people in Tabuk and asked "What happened to Ka'b?" A man from amongst the tribe of Bani Salimah responded: "O Messenger of Allah, he was hindered by his garments and pleasure for his clothes and his self."
Mua'adh bin Jabal said: "What a wretched statement you have uttered. O Messenger of Allah, we do not know of him save goodness."
Hence, the Prophet* became silent. Whilst he was in that position, he saw a man clothed in a white garment real in essence (not merely a desert mirage). The Prophet* said: "May it be Abu Khaythama al-Ansaaree, he was the one who donated a measure of dates when the Munaafiqeen (Hypocrites) defamed him."
Ka'b bin Malik continued: When I learned that he had turned in order to return, I was consumed by distress, and started therefore to invent lies. I started to question myself: With what can I avoid his anger tomorrow? I sought assistance from every individual of sound mind and judgment from amongst my family.
When it was mentioned that the Messenger of Allah's arrival is imminent, the false excuses vanished from my mind. I recognized that I could not liberate myself from this predicament by means of falsehood. I therefore resolved to speak the truth.
The Prophet* arrived the following morning. It was a practice of the Prophet that upon returning from a journey, he would proceed towards the Mosque and perform a two rak'ah prayer therein, and then sit amongst the people. After those matters had taken place, the absentees approached him. They started to present their excuses and take oaths to that effect. There were over eighty men in number. The Prophet* accepted their excuses, their oaths, and sought forgiveness on their behalf. In addition, he entrusted unto Allah their secret affairs. Thereafter I approached him, and conveyed the greeting upon him. He smiled - the smile of the one enraged. Then he said: "Come forward." I therefore approached him walking until I was sitting before him. Then he said: "What prevented you from accompanying us? Had you not purchased a riding animal?"
I responded: "Of course O Messenger of Allah. However, by Allah, if I was in the presence of any other man from amongst the inhabitants of this World, I would avoid His wrath by presenting an excuse for I have been granted the ability to speak in an eloquently persuasive manner. However, I am aware that if I utter a lie today in order to seek your pleasure, certainly Allah will cause you to become enraged with me in the future. Alternatively, if I inform you of the truth, thereby causing you to become angry, I may nevertheless hope for Allah's Pardon. No, By Allah I have no excuse to present. I had never before been stronger nor wealthier than during the time I neglected to accompany you."
The Prophet* replied: "In relation to this man - he has spoken the truth. Therefore, stand until Allah pronounces judgment in this matter." I therefore stood, a group of men from the tribe of Bani Salimah became disorderly and started following me. They addressed me: "By Allah - we have not known you to commit a misdeed. Verily you erred in not excusing yourself before the Prophet* in a similar manner to the other absentees who excused themselves. The Messenger of Allah's action of seeking forgiveness for your misdeed would have been sufficient for you." They continued to reprimand me until I desired to return to the Prophet and fabricate a lie against myself (contradict my story). However I questioned them: "Is there any other individual in a similar position?" They responded: "Yes, there are two men who uttered the same statement as you and both received the same directive as you did." I asked: "Who are these two men?" They answered: "Murarah bin al-Rabee' and Hilaal bin Umayyah al-Waaqifee."
By their statement, they had made reference to two virtuous men who had participated in the Battle of Badr, and were examples to be followed. After they had mentioned these two men I remained steadfast upon my original statement.
Thereafter, the Prophet* prohibited the Muslims from speaking to us -namely the three individuals from amongst us who had neglected to accompany him. As a consequence the people avoided us and altered their conduct towards us, until the land wherein I lived appeared foreign, not one which I was familiar with. We remained in that state for a period of fifty nights. In relation to my companions - they surrendered themselves to their houses and remained seated therein, weeping. However, I was the youngest and most forbearing of the three, I would therefore exit the house in order to perform the prayer with the other Muslims.
I would wander around the markets, yet no one would speak to me. I would approach the Prophet* and convey the greeting upon him whilst he was sitting amidst his gatherings, which took place upon completion of the prayer. I would question myself: Did his lips move in the act of reciprocating the greeting upon me or not? Thereafter, I would perform the prayer close by him, and look towards him in a surreptitious manner. When I occupied myself with the prayer, he would turn towards me. However, when I looked in his direction, he would avoid me. When this period of estrangement lengthened, I set out to walk until I climbed upon the wall of Abu Qatadah's garden. He was my cousin and amongst the most beloved of people to me. I conveyed the greeting upon him, and by Allah -he did not reciprocate the greeting upon me. Hence, I said: "O Abu Qatadah: I implore you by Allah, are you aware that I love Allah and His Messenger?" He remained silent. I appealed to him by Allah a second time, however he remained silent. Then he responded: "Allah and His Messenger are greater in knowledge." Thereupon tears flowed from my eyes, I turned away and climbed over the wall. He continued: Whilst I was walking in the market in Medina I saw a Christian farmer from amongst the farmers of Shaam, who had travelled to Medina in order to sell their produce. He said: "Who shall direct me to towards Ka'b bin Malik?" The people started to gesture towards me, until he approached me and presented me with a letter from the King of Ghassan, in which it was written:
'To proceed, it has come to our attention that your companion has dealt with you in a harsh manner. Allah has not rendered this world for you as a dwelling of disgrace and degradation, nor one of loss and ruin. So join us and we shall bestow upon you comfort and consolation.' Upon reading the letter I said to myself: This too is a trial placed before me. I therefore placed the letter in the oven and created a fire by burning it therein.
When a period of forty out of fifty nights had passed, the messenger of the Prophet* approached me and said: "The Prophet* commands you to distance yourself from your wife." I said: "Should I divorce her, or what must I do?" He responded: "No, distance yourself from her and do not approach her. The Prophet has issued a similar directive to your two companions." Hence, I said to my wife: "Go to your parents and remain with them until Allah passes judgment in this matter."
Ka'b said: The wife of Hilaal bin Umayyah came to the Apostle of Allah and said: "O Messenger of Allah, verily Hilaal bin Umayyah is an elderly man who is incapable of taking care of himself. Furthermore, he is not in possession of a servant, would you therefore object if I was to serve him?" He responded: "No, but he must not approach you." She said: "By Allah, he has no desire for any matter. By Allah, he has not ceased to weep from the day this matter started until this time now." Some of my family members questioned me: "Why don't you seek permission from the Prophet* concerning your wife, as he has granted permission for the wife of Hilaal bin Umayyah to serve him?" I responded: "By Allah, I shall not seek permission from the Prophet* concerning her. I am not aware of what the Prophet* would say if I sought his permission in relation to her whilst I am still a young man." I remained in that state for an additional ten nights, until fifty nights had been completed from the point that he had prohibited the people from speaking to us.
On the morning of the fiftieth night, I performed the Fajr prayer upon the roof of one of our houses. I was experiencing a condition which Allah had mentioned in the Book: 'My soul had become contracted, and the earth had contracted upon me despite its vastness.'
Suddenly I heard a clear voice emanating from the direction of Mount Sala. Somebody announced with his loudest voice: "O Ka'b bin Malik, I confer upon you glad tidings!" I prostrated myself upon the ground. I realized that relief from this tribulation had arrived and that the Prophet* had indicated that Allah had granted us penitence. After the Fajr prayer, the people thereupon proceeded forth to congratulate us, and bearers of glad tidings departed to my two companions. A horseman raced towards me in order to congratulate me and a messenger from the tribe of Aslam raced towards the mountain and scaled it in order to make the announcement. I heard his voice before that of the horseman. When the individual whose voice I had heard approached me to convey the glad tidings, I removed my garments and clothed him in them. By Allah, on that day I was not in possession of any other garments, I therefore borrowed two items, clothed myself and proceeded towards the Prophet*. People started receiving me in groups, congratulating me upon the acceptance of my penitence. They said: "We congratulate you upon Allah's acceptance of your repentance." When I entered the Mosque, the Prophet* was sitting, surrounded by people. Talha bin 'Ubaidullah hastened towards me. He shook my hand, and congratulated me. By Allah, no one from amongst the Muhaajireen (Emigrants) stood in order to greet me save him, and I shall never forget Talha's action in doing so Ka'b said: When I greeted the Prophet* , his face was radiant with happiness, and he said: "I give you the glad tidings of the best day you have witnessed since your mother gave birth to you." Ka'b continued: "Is this from you or from Allah?" He responded: "No, it is from Allah."
Whenever the Prophet* became delighted, his face became illuminated until it resembled a piece of the moon. We recognized that this matter was characteristic of him. When I sat before him, I said: "O Messenger of Allah, by virtue of the acceptance of my repentance, I shall donate the sum total of my wealth in charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet* responded: "Retain a portion of your wealth, for it is better for you to do so." I said: "I shall retain a portion of my wealth in Khaibar. O Messenger of Allah, verily Allah has delivered me from this tribulation because I spoke the truth. My penitence therefore dictates that I shall speak only the truth as long as I live."
By Allah, I am not aware of any individual from amongst the Muslims whom Allah has blessed for speaking the truth more than myself, from the time wherein I mentioned those words of truth to the Prophet* . In addition, I have never intended to utter a falsehood from the time wherein I mentioned those words of truth to the Prophet* to the present day. Furthermore, I hope that Allah will protect me from uttering falsehood during the remaining portion of my life. Allah revealed the Verse to His Messenger: "Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhaajireen, and the Ansaar...(to His statement)...Be with those who are truthful..." [Qur'an 9:117-119]
By Allah, after guiding me to Islam, Allah has not bestowed upon me a favour - greater in magnitude - than my statement of truth to the Apostle of Allah , and my action of not uttering a lie to him. For I would have destroyed myself, as those who uttered lies were destroyed. Allah ascribed to those who had uttered falsehood, a description more evil than he had ascribed to any other individual, when He revealed His Revelation. Allah, Blessed be He, the Most High stated: "They will swear by Allah to you when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are impure, and Hell is their dwelling place - a recompense for that which they used to earn. They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with people who are defiantly rebellious." [Qur'an 9:95-96]
Ka'b continued: We, the three who neglected to participate, differed from those whose excuses were accepted by the Prophet* when they swore to him to that effect. He accepted their pledge of allegiance and sought forgiveness for them. However, the Prophet* deferred our case until Allah passed judgment in relation to it. With reference to that, Allah said: "He also forgave the three who remained behind..." [Qur'an 9:118]
In this Verse Allah did not refer to our non-participation in the military expedition. However it refers to the postponement and deferment of the Messenger in the act of passing judgment. In contrast to the one who took an oath before him and excused himself: an action which was accepted by the Prophet*
As for those who were needy and poor, even they came to the Prophet out of a yearning desire to join the blessed Jihad. However, the Prophet* could find no mounts for them, and they turned away, grief stricken with their eyes full of tears that they could not accompany the expedition. Regarding them, Allah mentioned in the Qur'an: "Nor (is there blame) on those who came to you to be provided with mounts, and when you said: "I can find no mounts for you," they turned back, while their eyes overflowing with tears of grief that they could not find anything to spend (for Jihad)." [Qur'an 9:92]
And regarding them, the Prophet said to his companions as they returned to Medina: "Inside Medina, there are certain men, who though being left back due to serious excuses, they have, all the time, been with you. Lingerers as they are, they have been while you were passing valleys or walking along roads." "Do you mean that they have done that while they are still in Medina?" They wondered. "Yes though they are in Medina."
Children’s Feedback
The Importance of the Muslim Greeting – Assalamu Alaikum
News Topic
Hypocrisy of UK justice system in extraditing Muslims to America
Homework
Seerah ~ Read Surah at-Taubah (AKA al-Baraa – chapter 9 of Qur’an. Which is your favourite verse(s)?
Main topic (Qur'an) ~ Who could have possibly wrote (authored) the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet*?
Showing posts with label Battle of Tabuk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battle of Tabuk. Show all posts
Monday, 8 October 2012
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
30 September 2012
Summary
Seerah: Battle of Tabuk Return Journey
The Army of Islam at Tabuk and 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf leads the Prophet* in prayer
No-Show from the Romans at Tabuk so The Prophet* consolidates the Islamic State through treaties with the Christian Kings (agreeing to pay JIZYA)
Khalid bin Al-Waleed captures the King ‘Ukaidir who was hunting Bulls
Returning to Medina from Tabuk - Hadhaifa disrupts a plot to kill the Prophet*
The People Who lagged Behind made their excuses to the Prophet*
Destroying the Masjid of Dirar as Abu 'Amir al-Faasiq wanted to have a base to fight against Islam and the mosque provided a good cover for this. Allah revealed their plot.
Belief: The Miraculous Qur’an
Many claimed scientific miracles in the Qur’an
Qur’anic statements about the embryos
Limits of purely scientific interpretations as theory can change, unless established truth
Literary Miracle of the Qur’an (Qur’an’s Challenge)
Only the Qur’an has been able to synthesise these three elements Grammar (syntax), Poetry (Style) and Meaning in a written form
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 Army of Islam at Tabuk
During the northward march it happened one day at dawn that the Prophet was delayed in making his ablution. The men were in lines for the prayers and they waited for him until they feared that the sun would rise before they had prayed. Then it was agreed that 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf should lead them, and they had already prayed one of the two prayer cycles when the Prophet appeared. 'Abd ar-Rahman was about to draw back, but the Prophet motioned him to remain where he was, and he himself joined the congregation. When they had uttered the greeting of Peace which ends the prayer the Prophet rose and prayed the cycle he had missed. When he had finished he said: "Ye have done well, for verily a Prophet doesn’t die until he hath been led in prayer by a pious man of his people."
Arriving at Tabuk and camping there, the Muslim army was ready to face the enemy. There, the Prophet* delivered an eloquent speech that included the most inclusive words. In that speech he urged the Muslims to seek the welfare of this world and the world to come. He warned and cherished them and gave them good tidings. By doing that he cherished those who were broken in spirits, and blocked up the gap of shortage and mess they were suffering from due to lack of supplies, food and other substances.
No-Show from the Romans at Tabuk so The Prophet* consolidates the Islamic State through treaties with the Christian Kings (agreeing to pay JIZYA)
Upon learning of the Muslims’ march, the Byzantines and their allies were so terrified that none of them dared set out to fight. On the contrary they scattered inside their territory. It brought, in itself, a good credit to the Muslim forces. That had gained military reputation in the mid and remote lands of Arabian Peninsula. The great and serious political profits that the Muslim forces had obtained, were far better than the ones they could have acquired if the two armies had been engaged in military confrontation. The Head of Ailah, Yahna bin Rawbah came to the Prophet*, made peace with him and paid him the tribute (Al- Jizya). Both of Jarba’ and Adhruh peoples paid him tribute, as well. So the Prophet* gave each a guarantee letter, similar to Yahna’s, in which he says: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. This is a guarantee of protection from Allah and Muhammad the Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, to Yahna bin Rawbah and the people of Ailah; their ships, their caravans on land and sea shall have the custody of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, he and whosoever are with him of Ash-Sham people and those of the sea. Whosoever contravenes this treaty, his wealth shall not save him; it shall be the fair prize of him that takes it. Now it should not be lawful to hinder the men from any springs which they have been in the habit of frequenting, nor from any journeys they desire to make, whether by sea or by land."
The Prophet* dispatched Khalid bin Al-Waleed at the head of four hundred and fifty horsemen to ‘Ukaidir Dumat Al-Jandal and said to him: "You will see him hunting oryxes." So when Khalid drew near his castle and was as far as an eye-sight range, he saw the oryxes coming out rubbing their horns against the castle gate. As it was a moony night Khalid could see Ukaidir come out to hunt them, so he captured him — though he was surrounded by his men — and brought him back to the Prophet*, who spared his life and made peace with him for the payment of two thousand camels, eight hundred heads of cattle, four hundred armours and four hundred lances. He obliged him to recognize the duty of paying tribute and charged him with collecting it from Dumat, Tabuk, Ailah and Taima’.
The tribes, who used to ally the Byzantines, became quite certain that their dependence on their former masters came to an end. Therefore they turned into being pro-Muslims. The Islamic state had therefore enlarged its borders to an extent that it, touched the Byzantines’ and their agents’ borders. So we see that the Byzantine agents role was over.
Returning to Medina from Tabuk
The Muslim army returned from Tabuk victoriously, undeceived or wronged. That was because Allah had sufficed them the evils of fight. On the way back and at a mountain road, twelve hypocrites sought the Prophet’s life and that was while he was passing along that mountain road with only Ammar holding the rein of his she-camel and Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman driving it, at the time that people had already gone down into the bottom of the valley. The hypocrites seized that opportunity to seek the Prophet’s life. As the Prophet* and his two companions were moving along, they heard thrusts of people coming towards him from behind with their faces veiled. Hudhaifa, who was sent by the Prophet to see what was going on, saw them and stroke their mounts’ faces with a crook in his hand and Allah cast fear into their hearts. They fled away and overtook their people. However, Hudhaifa named them to the Prophet* and informed him of their intentions. So that was why Hudhaifa was called the "confidant" of the Prophet*. About this event Allah, the Exalted says: "And they resolved that (plot to murder Muhammad) which they were unable to carry out." [Al-Qur'an 9:74]
When his headquarters, Medina, began to loom at the horizon, the Prophet [pbuh] said: "This is a cheerful sight. This is Uhud, which is a mountain, we like it and it likes us." When the Medinese learnt of their arrival they set out to meet the army. Women, youths, youngsters and small children went out of town to celebrate their home-return wholeheartedly singing: "The full moon shone down upon us, through the traits of Al-Wada‘ Mountain. Thanks is due to us, as long as a supplicator invokes to Allah.."
The Prophet*’s march to Tabuk was in Rajab and his return in Ramadan. So we see that this Ghazwah took fifty days, twenty days of which were spent in Tabuk and the others on the way to and fro. Tabuk Invasion was the last one made by the Prophet*.
The People Who lagged Behind
Due to its particular circumstances, this invasion was a peculiar severe trial provided by Allah only to try the believers’ Faith and sort them out of others. This is Allah’s permanent Will in such circumstances. In this respect He says: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good." [Al-Qur'an 3:179] Lagging and hanging back from full participation in that invasion amounted to the degree of hypocrisy. Whenever the Prophet* was informed of a man’s lingering, he would say: "Leave him alone! If Allah knows him to be good He will enable him to follow you; but if he were not so, Allah would relieve us of him." Nobody stayed behind except those who were either hindered by a serious excuse or the hypocrites who told lies to Allah and His Messenger.
Some of those hypocrites’ lingering was due to an excuse based on forgery and delusion. Some others tarried but didn’t ask for an instant permission. But there were three believers who unjustifiably lingered. They were the ones whom Allah tried their Faith, but later on He turned to them in mercy and accepted their repentance. As soon as the Prophet* had entered Medina, he prayed two Rak‘a then he sat to receive his people. The hypocrites who were over eighty men [Fath Al- Bari 8/119] came and offered various kinds of excuses and started swearing. The Prophet acknowledged their excuses and invoked Allah’s forgiveness for them but he entrusted their inner thoughts and Faith to Allah.
Destroying the Masjid of Dirar
From that time on, hypocrites were no longer treated leniently or even gently by the Muslims. Allah not only bade Muslims to treat them severely but He also forbade them to take their gift charities or perform prayer on their dead, or ask Allah’s forgiveness for them or even visit their tombs. Allah bade the Muslims to demolish the mosque, which they verily appointed and used as a hiding place where they might practise their plots, conspiracy and deceit. Some Qur’anic verses were sent down disclosing them publicly and utterly so that everybody in Medina got to know their reality.
The demolition or burning of Masjid al-Dirar, also referred to as the Mosque of Opposition, the Mosque of Dissent, or the Mosque of Harm is mentioned in the Qur'an. Masjid al-Dirar was a Medinian mosque that was erected close to the Quba' Mosque and which the Prophet* initially approved of but subsequently had destroyed while he was returning from the Battle of Tabuk (which occurred in October 630 AD).
The mosque was built by twelve disaffected men from the Ansar on the commands of Abu `Amir Ar-Rahib (the Monk); a Christian monk who refused Muhammad's invitation to Islam and instead fought along with the Meccan non-Muslims against Islam in the Battle of Uhud.
This man embraced Christianity before Islam and read the Scriptures. During the time of Jahiliyyah, Abu `Amir was known for being a worshipper and being a notable person among Al-Khazraj. When the Prophet* arrived at Al-Medina after the Hijrah, the Muslims gathered around him and the word of Islam was triumphant on the day of Badr, causing Abu `Amir, the cursed one, to choke on his own saliva and announce his enmity to Islam. He fled from Al-Medina to the idolators of Quraysh in Makkah to support them in the war against the Prophet* . The Quraysh united their forces and the bedouins who joined them for the battle of Uhud, during which Allah tested the Muslims, but the good end is always for the pious and righteous people. The rebellious Abu `Amir dug many holes in the ground between the two camps, into one of which the Messenger fell, injuring his face and breaking one of his right lower teeth. He also sustained a head injury. Before the fighting started, Abu `Amir approached his people among the Ansar and tried to convince them to support and agree with him. When they recognized him, they said, "May Allah never burden an eye by seeing you, O Fasiq one, O enemy of Allah!'' They cursed him and he went back declaring, "By Allah! Evil has touched my people after I left.'' The Prophet* called Abu `Amir to Allah and recited the Qur'an to him before his flight to Makkah, but he refused to embrace Islam and rebelled. The Messenger invoked Allah that Abu `Amir die as an outcast in an alien land, and his invocation came true. After the battle of Uhud was finished, Abu `Amir realized that the Messenger's call was still rising and gaining momentum, so he went to Heraclius, the emperor of Rome, asking for his aid against the Prophet . Heraclius gave him promises and Abu `Amir remained with him. He also wrote to several of his people in Al-Medina, who embraced hypocrisy, promising and insinuating to them that he will lead an army to fight the Prophet* to defeat him and his call. He ordered them to establish a stronghold where he could send his emissaries and to serve as an outpost when he joins them later on. These hypocrites built a Masjid next to the Masjid in Quba', and they finished building it before the Messenger went to Tabuk. They went to the Messenger inviting him to pray in their Masjid so that it would be a proof that the Messenger approved of their Masjid. They told him that they built the Masjid for the weak and ill persons on rainy nights. However, Allah prevented His Messenger from praying in that Masjid.
Abu 'Amir urged his men to establish a stronghold and prepare whatever they can of power and weapons as he promised and insinuated to them that he will lead an army, backed by Heraclius, to fight the Prophet* and his companions, and defeat his message by expelling him from Medina. The Prophet* prepared himself to go to the Mosque, before he was prevented by a revelation about the hypocrisy and ill design of the builders of the Mosque. The Prophet* and the companions believed they were Hypocrites (munafiqs) and had ulterior motives for building the Al-Dirar mosque. Thus he ordered his men to burn it down upon their return and Abu 'Amir was given the name Abu 'Amir al-Faasiq. When the Prophet* came back from Tabuk and was approximately one or two days away from Al-Medina, Jibril came down to him with the news about Masjid Ad-Dirar and the disbelief and division between the believers, who were in Masjid Quba' (which was built on piety from the first day), that Masjid Ad-Dirar was meant to achieve. Therefore, the Prophet* sent some people to Masjid Ad-Dirar to bring it down before he reached Al-Medina.
Main Topic: Belief ~ The Miraculous Qur’an
Scientific Miracles of the Quran
Many people have studies the Qur’an and pointed to statements which are written in the Qur’an that modern-day science has verified as being true. They point out (correctly) that an unlettered person living in the desert 1400 years ago could not have known these scientific truths. The main elements mentioned are the verses relating to the formation of the human embryo in the womb, and other scientific statements. Some of these are listed below (taken from a website: http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_index.html).
The skies with 'woven' orbits
The tsunami effect in the prophet moses’s parting of the sea
The sun will eventually expire
Modern-day radar technology
The contraction motion that facilitates birth
The solidity of the atom and electron orbits
A red rose in the sky: the rosette nebula
Bone loss in old age
The helio-centric system
The ozone layer at the poles as the sun rises
Heart massage
The cloning of living things
The sun will expire after some time
The pulling motion that facilitates birth
The expanding earth
Quasars and the gravitational lens effect
Scientific facts in the story of the flood of nuh
The earth’s gravitational force
Aerodynamic forces and the flight programmed in birds
The miracle of fire and wood, that cannot be obtained artificially
Radio receivers on mountains
The wisdom behind the prohibition of blood in the qur’an
Fossilization and iron content
The mother’s womb with its secure protection
The sun’s hydrogen and helium content
Oxidation in the blood
The quivering and swelling of the earth
The coming of the universe into existence
The expansion of the universe
The end of the universe and the big crunch
Creation from hot smoke
The splitting asunder of "the heavens and the earth"
The creation of what lies between the heavens and the earth
The perfect equilibrium in the universe
The fine tuning in the universe
The structural differences between the sun, the moon and the stars
Orbits and the rotating universe
The sun's trajectory
The moon's orbit
Calculating the lunar year
The force of gravity and orbital movements
The roundness of the earth
The earth's direction of rotation
The earth's geoid shape
The diameters of the earth and space
The layers of the atmosphere
The protected roof
The sky made a dome
The returning sky
The layers of the earth
The earth disgorges its charges
The function of mountains
The movement of mountains
Different points in the rising and setting of the sun
Land loss at the extremities
The splitting earth
The miracle of iron
The formation of petrol
The relativity of time
Creation in six days
The truth of destiny
Duality in creation
Sub-atomic particles
Black holes
Pulsars: pulsating stars
The star sirius
Light and dark
Combustion without fire
The weight of clouds
The proportion of rain
The formation of rain
Rains which bring a dead land back to life
The formation of hail, thunder and lightning
The fecundating winds
The stages of wind formation
How the process of photosynthesis begins in the morning
The seas not mingling with one another
Darkness in the seas and internal waves
The region that controls our movements
Hearts find peace in the remembrance of allah
Forgiveness according to the morals of islam and its benefits on health
How prayer accelerates the treatment of the sick
Stress and depression: the results of not abiding by the religion
The birth of a human being
The creation of human beings from water
Creation from clay
The programming in genes
The menstrual period
Pregnancy and birth
The sequence in development of human organs
The formation of milk
Miraculous mixture: mother's milk
The identity in the fingerprint
The female honey bee
The miracle of honey
The date and its uses as described in the qur'an
The fig: a fruit whose perfection has only recently been revealed
Fish: a valuable source of nutrition
Pork and its harmful effects on health
The olive: a health-giving plant
Coronary by-pass surgery
Health benefits of movement, washing and drinking water
The existence of microscopic life
The existence of animal societies
Biomimetics: drawing inspiration from the design in living things
Locusts moving in swarms
Ant communication
The food cycle
The ears are active during sleep
The importance of movement in sleep
Reduced movement at night
Chest contraction with increasing height
Caution about scientific interpretations
However, a note of caution ~ many statements are vague and open to interpretation. Also, we know that scientific theory can change from age to age and will this invalidate the miraculous nature of the Qur’an? Theories are only theories, and the true miraculous nature of the Qur’an is its use of the Arabic language:
Literary Miracle of the Qur’an
“Read in the Name of your Lord” [TMQ]. These were the first few words of the Qur’an revealed to the Prophet Muhammad* over fourteen hundred years ago. Muhammad, who was known to have been in retreat and meditation in a cave outside Mecca, had received the first few words of a book that would have a tremendous impact on the world of Arabic literature. Not being known to have composed any piece of poetry and not having any special rhetorical gifts, Muhammad had just received the beginning of a book that would deal with matters of belief, law, politics, ritual, spirituality, and economics in an ‘entirely new literary form’. This unique literary form was the cause of the dramatic intellectual revival of desert Arabs, and after thirteen years of the first revelation, it became the only reference for a new state in Medina. This new form of speech, the Qur’an, became the sole source of the new civilisation’s political, philosophical, and spiritual outlook.
The Qur’an’s Challenge
The unique literary form forms the backdrop to the doctrine of I’jaz al-Quran, the inimitability of the Qur’an, which lies at the heart of the Qur’an’s claim to being of divine origin. The Qur’an states, “If you are in doubt of what We have revealed to Our messenger, then produce one chapter like it. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, if you are truthful”; and “Or do they say he fabricated the message? Nay, they have no faith. Let them produce a recital like it, if they speak the truth.”
According Qur’anic experts these verses issue a challenge to produce a chapter (surah) that imitates the Qur’an’s unique literary form. The tools needed to meet this challenge are the finite grammatical rules and the twenty eight letters that make-up the Arabic language; these are independent and objective measures available to all. The fact that it has not been matched since it emerged to this day does not surprise most scholars familiar with the Arabic language and that of the Qur’an.
The inability of any person to produce anything like the Qur’an, due to its unique literary form, is the essence of the Qur’anic miracle. A miracle is defined as “events which lie outside the productive capacity of nature”. The argument posed by Muslim Theologians and Philosophers is that if, with the finite set of Arabic linguistic tools at humanity’s disposal, there is no effective challenge; then providing a naturalistic explanation for the Qur’an’s uniqueness is incoherent and doesn’t explain its inimitability. This is because the natural capacity of the text producer, or author, is able to produce the known literary forms in the Arabic language. The development of an entirely unique literary form is beyond the scope of the productive nature any author, hence a supernatural entity, God, is the only sufficient comprehensive explanation.
The Arabic Qur’an
The uniqueness of the Qur’an lies in its use of the Arabic language – which was at its peak at the time of revelation – at the time of the Prophet*. The Arabs felt that they had reached the pinnacle of excellence for the language when Allah then sent the Qur’an – which dumbfounded the experts of Arabic language. We can get technical about the miracles (I’jaz) of the Qur’an but to put it in a simplistic way – the Arabic language has three main components: Grammar (syntax), Poetry (Style) and Meaning. These don’t all co-exist at their purest forms as only two can exist whilst sacrificing the third domain. Only the Qur’an has been able to synthesise these three elements Grammar (syntax), Poetry (Style) and Meaning in a written form. The challenge for any doubters is to study Arabic and disprove the rules of Arabic and the Qur’anic approach. It is possible to get more technical about this – but one needs to know Arabic to discuss these technical aspects of the miracle – outside the scope of our Study Circle! We will, however, touch on some aspects of this shortly, I/A.
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HomeworkSeerah ~ Read the story (Hadith) of Ka'b ibn Malik and his experience of the Battle of Tabuk. What can you learn from this?
Belief ~ Who could have possibly wrote (authored) the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet?
Summary
Seerah: Battle of Tabuk Return Journey
The Army of Islam at Tabuk and 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf leads the Prophet* in prayer
No-Show from the Romans at Tabuk so The Prophet* consolidates the Islamic State through treaties with the Christian Kings (agreeing to pay JIZYA)
Khalid bin Al-Waleed captures the King ‘Ukaidir who was hunting Bulls
Returning to Medina from Tabuk - Hadhaifa disrupts a plot to kill the Prophet*
The People Who lagged Behind made their excuses to the Prophet*
Destroying the Masjid of Dirar as Abu 'Amir al-Faasiq wanted to have a base to fight against Islam and the mosque provided a good cover for this. Allah revealed their plot.
Belief: The Miraculous Qur’an
Many claimed scientific miracles in the Qur’an
Qur’anic statements about the embryos
Limits of purely scientific interpretations as theory can change, unless established truth
Literary Miracle of the Qur’an (Qur’an’s Challenge)
Only the Qur’an has been able to synthesise these three elements Grammar (syntax), Poetry (Style) and Meaning in a written form
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 Army of Islam at Tabuk
During the northward march it happened one day at dawn that the Prophet was delayed in making his ablution. The men were in lines for the prayers and they waited for him until they feared that the sun would rise before they had prayed. Then it was agreed that 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf should lead them, and they had already prayed one of the two prayer cycles when the Prophet appeared. 'Abd ar-Rahman was about to draw back, but the Prophet motioned him to remain where he was, and he himself joined the congregation. When they had uttered the greeting of Peace which ends the prayer the Prophet rose and prayed the cycle he had missed. When he had finished he said: "Ye have done well, for verily a Prophet doesn’t die until he hath been led in prayer by a pious man of his people."
Arriving at Tabuk and camping there, the Muslim army was ready to face the enemy. There, the Prophet* delivered an eloquent speech that included the most inclusive words. In that speech he urged the Muslims to seek the welfare of this world and the world to come. He warned and cherished them and gave them good tidings. By doing that he cherished those who were broken in spirits, and blocked up the gap of shortage and mess they were suffering from due to lack of supplies, food and other substances.
No-Show from the Romans at Tabuk so The Prophet* consolidates the Islamic State through treaties with the Christian Kings (agreeing to pay JIZYA)
Upon learning of the Muslims’ march, the Byzantines and their allies were so terrified that none of them dared set out to fight. On the contrary they scattered inside their territory. It brought, in itself, a good credit to the Muslim forces. That had gained military reputation in the mid and remote lands of Arabian Peninsula. The great and serious political profits that the Muslim forces had obtained, were far better than the ones they could have acquired if the two armies had been engaged in military confrontation. The Head of Ailah, Yahna bin Rawbah came to the Prophet*, made peace with him and paid him the tribute (Al- Jizya). Both of Jarba’ and Adhruh peoples paid him tribute, as well. So the Prophet* gave each a guarantee letter, similar to Yahna’s, in which he says: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. This is a guarantee of protection from Allah and Muhammad the Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, to Yahna bin Rawbah and the people of Ailah; their ships, their caravans on land and sea shall have the custody of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, he and whosoever are with him of Ash-Sham people and those of the sea. Whosoever contravenes this treaty, his wealth shall not save him; it shall be the fair prize of him that takes it. Now it should not be lawful to hinder the men from any springs which they have been in the habit of frequenting, nor from any journeys they desire to make, whether by sea or by land."
The Prophet* dispatched Khalid bin Al-Waleed at the head of four hundred and fifty horsemen to ‘Ukaidir Dumat Al-Jandal and said to him: "You will see him hunting oryxes." So when Khalid drew near his castle and was as far as an eye-sight range, he saw the oryxes coming out rubbing their horns against the castle gate. As it was a moony night Khalid could see Ukaidir come out to hunt them, so he captured him — though he was surrounded by his men — and brought him back to the Prophet*, who spared his life and made peace with him for the payment of two thousand camels, eight hundred heads of cattle, four hundred armours and four hundred lances. He obliged him to recognize the duty of paying tribute and charged him with collecting it from Dumat, Tabuk, Ailah and Taima’.
The tribes, who used to ally the Byzantines, became quite certain that their dependence on their former masters came to an end. Therefore they turned into being pro-Muslims. The Islamic state had therefore enlarged its borders to an extent that it, touched the Byzantines’ and their agents’ borders. So we see that the Byzantine agents role was over.
Returning to Medina from Tabuk
The Muslim army returned from Tabuk victoriously, undeceived or wronged. That was because Allah had sufficed them the evils of fight. On the way back and at a mountain road, twelve hypocrites sought the Prophet’s life and that was while he was passing along that mountain road with only Ammar holding the rein of his she-camel and Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman driving it, at the time that people had already gone down into the bottom of the valley. The hypocrites seized that opportunity to seek the Prophet’s life. As the Prophet* and his two companions were moving along, they heard thrusts of people coming towards him from behind with their faces veiled. Hudhaifa, who was sent by the Prophet to see what was going on, saw them and stroke their mounts’ faces with a crook in his hand and Allah cast fear into their hearts. They fled away and overtook their people. However, Hudhaifa named them to the Prophet* and informed him of their intentions. So that was why Hudhaifa was called the "confidant" of the Prophet*. About this event Allah, the Exalted says: "And they resolved that (plot to murder Muhammad) which they were unable to carry out." [Al-Qur'an 9:74]
When his headquarters, Medina, began to loom at the horizon, the Prophet [pbuh] said: "This is a cheerful sight. This is Uhud, which is a mountain, we like it and it likes us." When the Medinese learnt of their arrival they set out to meet the army. Women, youths, youngsters and small children went out of town to celebrate their home-return wholeheartedly singing: "The full moon shone down upon us, through the traits of Al-Wada‘ Mountain. Thanks is due to us, as long as a supplicator invokes to Allah.."
The Prophet*’s march to Tabuk was in Rajab and his return in Ramadan. So we see that this Ghazwah took fifty days, twenty days of which were spent in Tabuk and the others on the way to and fro. Tabuk Invasion was the last one made by the Prophet*.
The People Who lagged Behind
Due to its particular circumstances, this invasion was a peculiar severe trial provided by Allah only to try the believers’ Faith and sort them out of others. This is Allah’s permanent Will in such circumstances. In this respect He says: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good." [Al-Qur'an 3:179] Lagging and hanging back from full participation in that invasion amounted to the degree of hypocrisy. Whenever the Prophet* was informed of a man’s lingering, he would say: "Leave him alone! If Allah knows him to be good He will enable him to follow you; but if he were not so, Allah would relieve us of him." Nobody stayed behind except those who were either hindered by a serious excuse or the hypocrites who told lies to Allah and His Messenger.
Some of those hypocrites’ lingering was due to an excuse based on forgery and delusion. Some others tarried but didn’t ask for an instant permission. But there were three believers who unjustifiably lingered. They were the ones whom Allah tried their Faith, but later on He turned to them in mercy and accepted their repentance. As soon as the Prophet* had entered Medina, he prayed two Rak‘a then he sat to receive his people. The hypocrites who were over eighty men [Fath Al- Bari 8/119] came and offered various kinds of excuses and started swearing. The Prophet acknowledged their excuses and invoked Allah’s forgiveness for them but he entrusted their inner thoughts and Faith to Allah.
Destroying the Masjid of Dirar
From that time on, hypocrites were no longer treated leniently or even gently by the Muslims. Allah not only bade Muslims to treat them severely but He also forbade them to take their gift charities or perform prayer on their dead, or ask Allah’s forgiveness for them or even visit their tombs. Allah bade the Muslims to demolish the mosque, which they verily appointed and used as a hiding place where they might practise their plots, conspiracy and deceit. Some Qur’anic verses were sent down disclosing them publicly and utterly so that everybody in Medina got to know their reality.
The demolition or burning of Masjid al-Dirar, also referred to as the Mosque of Opposition, the Mosque of Dissent, or the Mosque of Harm is mentioned in the Qur'an. Masjid al-Dirar was a Medinian mosque that was erected close to the Quba' Mosque and which the Prophet* initially approved of but subsequently had destroyed while he was returning from the Battle of Tabuk (which occurred in October 630 AD).
The mosque was built by twelve disaffected men from the Ansar on the commands of Abu `Amir Ar-Rahib (the Monk); a Christian monk who refused Muhammad's invitation to Islam and instead fought along with the Meccan non-Muslims against Islam in the Battle of Uhud.
This man embraced Christianity before Islam and read the Scriptures. During the time of Jahiliyyah, Abu `Amir was known for being a worshipper and being a notable person among Al-Khazraj. When the Prophet* arrived at Al-Medina after the Hijrah, the Muslims gathered around him and the word of Islam was triumphant on the day of Badr, causing Abu `Amir, the cursed one, to choke on his own saliva and announce his enmity to Islam. He fled from Al-Medina to the idolators of Quraysh in Makkah to support them in the war against the Prophet* . The Quraysh united their forces and the bedouins who joined them for the battle of Uhud, during which Allah tested the Muslims, but the good end is always for the pious and righteous people. The rebellious Abu `Amir dug many holes in the ground between the two camps, into one of which the Messenger fell, injuring his face and breaking one of his right lower teeth. He also sustained a head injury. Before the fighting started, Abu `Amir approached his people among the Ansar and tried to convince them to support and agree with him. When they recognized him, they said, "May Allah never burden an eye by seeing you, O Fasiq one, O enemy of Allah!'' They cursed him and he went back declaring, "By Allah! Evil has touched my people after I left.'' The Prophet* called Abu `Amir to Allah and recited the Qur'an to him before his flight to Makkah, but he refused to embrace Islam and rebelled. The Messenger invoked Allah that Abu `Amir die as an outcast in an alien land, and his invocation came true. After the battle of Uhud was finished, Abu `Amir realized that the Messenger's call was still rising and gaining momentum, so he went to Heraclius, the emperor of Rome, asking for his aid against the Prophet . Heraclius gave him promises and Abu `Amir remained with him. He also wrote to several of his people in Al-Medina, who embraced hypocrisy, promising and insinuating to them that he will lead an army to fight the Prophet* to defeat him and his call. He ordered them to establish a stronghold where he could send his emissaries and to serve as an outpost when he joins them later on. These hypocrites built a Masjid next to the Masjid in Quba', and they finished building it before the Messenger went to Tabuk. They went to the Messenger inviting him to pray in their Masjid so that it would be a proof that the Messenger approved of their Masjid. They told him that they built the Masjid for the weak and ill persons on rainy nights. However, Allah prevented His Messenger from praying in that Masjid.
Abu 'Amir urged his men to establish a stronghold and prepare whatever they can of power and weapons as he promised and insinuated to them that he will lead an army, backed by Heraclius, to fight the Prophet* and his companions, and defeat his message by expelling him from Medina. The Prophet* prepared himself to go to the Mosque, before he was prevented by a revelation about the hypocrisy and ill design of the builders of the Mosque. The Prophet* and the companions believed they were Hypocrites (munafiqs) and had ulterior motives for building the Al-Dirar mosque. Thus he ordered his men to burn it down upon their return and Abu 'Amir was given the name Abu 'Amir al-Faasiq. When the Prophet* came back from Tabuk and was approximately one or two days away from Al-Medina, Jibril came down to him with the news about Masjid Ad-Dirar and the disbelief and division between the believers, who were in Masjid Quba' (which was built on piety from the first day), that Masjid Ad-Dirar was meant to achieve. Therefore, the Prophet* sent some people to Masjid Ad-Dirar to bring it down before he reached Al-Medina.
Main Topic: Belief ~ The Miraculous Qur’an
Scientific Miracles of the Quran
Many people have studies the Qur’an and pointed to statements which are written in the Qur’an that modern-day science has verified as being true. They point out (correctly) that an unlettered person living in the desert 1400 years ago could not have known these scientific truths. The main elements mentioned are the verses relating to the formation of the human embryo in the womb, and other scientific statements. Some of these are listed below (taken from a website: http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_index.html).
The skies with 'woven' orbits
The tsunami effect in the prophet moses’s parting of the sea
The sun will eventually expire
Modern-day radar technology
The contraction motion that facilitates birth
The solidity of the atom and electron orbits
A red rose in the sky: the rosette nebula
Bone loss in old age
The helio-centric system
The ozone layer at the poles as the sun rises
Heart massage
The cloning of living things
The sun will expire after some time
The pulling motion that facilitates birth
The expanding earth
Quasars and the gravitational lens effect
Scientific facts in the story of the flood of nuh
The earth’s gravitational force
Aerodynamic forces and the flight programmed in birds
The miracle of fire and wood, that cannot be obtained artificially
Radio receivers on mountains
The wisdom behind the prohibition of blood in the qur’an
Fossilization and iron content
The mother’s womb with its secure protection
The sun’s hydrogen and helium content
Oxidation in the blood
The quivering and swelling of the earth
The coming of the universe into existence
The expansion of the universe
The end of the universe and the big crunch
Creation from hot smoke
The splitting asunder of "the heavens and the earth"
The creation of what lies between the heavens and the earth
The perfect equilibrium in the universe
The fine tuning in the universe
The structural differences between the sun, the moon and the stars
Orbits and the rotating universe
The sun's trajectory
The moon's orbit
Calculating the lunar year
The force of gravity and orbital movements
The roundness of the earth
The earth's direction of rotation
The earth's geoid shape
The diameters of the earth and space
The layers of the atmosphere
The protected roof
The sky made a dome
The returning sky
The layers of the earth
The earth disgorges its charges
The function of mountains
The movement of mountains
Different points in the rising and setting of the sun
Land loss at the extremities
The splitting earth
The miracle of iron
The formation of petrol
The relativity of time
Creation in six days
The truth of destiny
Duality in creation
Sub-atomic particles
Black holes
Pulsars: pulsating stars
The star sirius
Light and dark
Combustion without fire
The weight of clouds
The proportion of rain
The formation of rain
Rains which bring a dead land back to life
The formation of hail, thunder and lightning
The fecundating winds
The stages of wind formation
How the process of photosynthesis begins in the morning
The seas not mingling with one another
Darkness in the seas and internal waves
The region that controls our movements
Hearts find peace in the remembrance of allah
Forgiveness according to the morals of islam and its benefits on health
How prayer accelerates the treatment of the sick
Stress and depression: the results of not abiding by the religion
The birth of a human being
The creation of human beings from water
Creation from clay
The programming in genes
The menstrual period
Pregnancy and birth
The sequence in development of human organs
The formation of milk
Miraculous mixture: mother's milk
The identity in the fingerprint
The female honey bee
The miracle of honey
The date and its uses as described in the qur'an
The fig: a fruit whose perfection has only recently been revealed
Fish: a valuable source of nutrition
Pork and its harmful effects on health
The olive: a health-giving plant
Coronary by-pass surgery
Health benefits of movement, washing and drinking water
The existence of microscopic life
The existence of animal societies
Biomimetics: drawing inspiration from the design in living things
Locusts moving in swarms
Ant communication
The food cycle
The ears are active during sleep
The importance of movement in sleep
Reduced movement at night
Chest contraction with increasing height
Caution about scientific interpretations
However, a note of caution ~ many statements are vague and open to interpretation. Also, we know that scientific theory can change from age to age and will this invalidate the miraculous nature of the Qur’an? Theories are only theories, and the true miraculous nature of the Qur’an is its use of the Arabic language:
Literary Miracle of the Qur’an
“Read in the Name of your Lord” [TMQ]. These were the first few words of the Qur’an revealed to the Prophet Muhammad* over fourteen hundred years ago. Muhammad, who was known to have been in retreat and meditation in a cave outside Mecca, had received the first few words of a book that would have a tremendous impact on the world of Arabic literature. Not being known to have composed any piece of poetry and not having any special rhetorical gifts, Muhammad had just received the beginning of a book that would deal with matters of belief, law, politics, ritual, spirituality, and economics in an ‘entirely new literary form’. This unique literary form was the cause of the dramatic intellectual revival of desert Arabs, and after thirteen years of the first revelation, it became the only reference for a new state in Medina. This new form of speech, the Qur’an, became the sole source of the new civilisation’s political, philosophical, and spiritual outlook.
The Qur’an’s Challenge
The unique literary form forms the backdrop to the doctrine of I’jaz al-Quran, the inimitability of the Qur’an, which lies at the heart of the Qur’an’s claim to being of divine origin. The Qur’an states, “If you are in doubt of what We have revealed to Our messenger, then produce one chapter like it. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, if you are truthful”; and “Or do they say he fabricated the message? Nay, they have no faith. Let them produce a recital like it, if they speak the truth.”
According Qur’anic experts these verses issue a challenge to produce a chapter (surah) that imitates the Qur’an’s unique literary form. The tools needed to meet this challenge are the finite grammatical rules and the twenty eight letters that make-up the Arabic language; these are independent and objective measures available to all. The fact that it has not been matched since it emerged to this day does not surprise most scholars familiar with the Arabic language and that of the Qur’an.
The inability of any person to produce anything like the Qur’an, due to its unique literary form, is the essence of the Qur’anic miracle. A miracle is defined as “events which lie outside the productive capacity of nature”. The argument posed by Muslim Theologians and Philosophers is that if, with the finite set of Arabic linguistic tools at humanity’s disposal, there is no effective challenge; then providing a naturalistic explanation for the Qur’an’s uniqueness is incoherent and doesn’t explain its inimitability. This is because the natural capacity of the text producer, or author, is able to produce the known literary forms in the Arabic language. The development of an entirely unique literary form is beyond the scope of the productive nature any author, hence a supernatural entity, God, is the only sufficient comprehensive explanation.
The Arabic Qur’an
The uniqueness of the Qur’an lies in its use of the Arabic language – which was at its peak at the time of revelation – at the time of the Prophet*. The Arabs felt that they had reached the pinnacle of excellence for the language when Allah then sent the Qur’an – which dumbfounded the experts of Arabic language. We can get technical about the miracles (I’jaz) of the Qur’an but to put it in a simplistic way – the Arabic language has three main components: Grammar (syntax), Poetry (Style) and Meaning. These don’t all co-exist at their purest forms as only two can exist whilst sacrificing the third domain. Only the Qur’an has been able to synthesise these three elements Grammar (syntax), Poetry (Style) and Meaning in a written form. The challenge for any doubters is to study Arabic and disprove the rules of Arabic and the Qur’anic approach. It is possible to get more technical about this – but one needs to know Arabic to discuss these technical aspects of the miracle – outside the scope of our Study Circle! We will, however, touch on some aspects of this shortly, I/A.
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HomeworkSeerah ~ Read the story (Hadith) of Ka'b ibn Malik and his experience of the Battle of Tabuk. What can you learn from this?
Belief ~ Who could have possibly wrote (authored) the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet?
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
23 September 2012
Summary
Seerah: The Battle of Tabuk - Journey
Ali is upset about being left in Medina with the hypocrites but the Prophet* compares him to Haroon
It was a very difficult journey to Tabuk – Hence the other name of Jaysh al-Usrah (Army of Hardship)
The Muslims pass by the ruins of Thamud (Prophet Saleh)
Abu Khaythamah procrastinates but joins the Prophet* late
Abu Dharr joins the Prophet* on foot and his lonely death in the desert was prophesised by the Prophet*
Belief Pathway: Miracles
Allah sends Prophets and Messengers with Laws and Guidance; Proof of their message is through acts of miracles that set them aside from other humans
Miraculous claims of previous Prophets are all historical and can we know for sure these happened?
Islam came with a living miracle that we can test today
Miracles of the Prophets
Miracles of the Prophet*
Miracles in the Qur’an
Miracle of the Qur’an
Importance and Power of Thought
Thought is the most powerful tool known to mankind
Using the thought in Islam we can transform our situation, like the previous Muslims did
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Battle of Tabuk (2) – The Journey
Final Preparations for War
Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, on his side, paid two hundred silver ounces, whereas Abu Bakr paid the whole money he had and left nothing but Allah and His Messenger as a fortune for his family. ‘Umar paid half his fortune. Al-‘Abbas gifted a lot of money. Talhah, Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah and Muhammad bin Maslamah, gave money for the welfare of the invasion. ‘Asim bin ‘Adi, on his turn, offered ninety camel-burdens of dates. People raced to pay little and much charities alike. One of them gave the only half bushel (or the only bushel) he owned. Women shared in this competition by giving the things they owned; such as musk, armlets, anklets, ear-rings and rings. No one abstained from spending out money, or was too mean to grant money or anything except the hypocrites: “Those who defame such of the believers who give charity (in Allah’s cause) voluntarily, and those who could not find to give charity (in Allah’s cause) except what is available to them, so they mock at them (believers).” [9:79]
When all the Bedouin contingents had arrived the army was thirty thousand strong, with ten thousand horses. A camp was made outside the town, and Abu Bakr was put in charge of it until, when all was ready for the march, the Prophet* himself rode forth and took command.
The Muslim Army is leaving for Tabuk:
On Thursday, the Prophet* marched northwards to Tabuk. The army that numbered thirty thousand fighters was a great one, when compared with the previous armies of Islam. Muslims had never marched with such a great number before. Despite all the gifts of wealth and mounts the army was not perfectly equipped. The shortage of provisions and mounts was so serious that eighteen men mounted one camel alternatively. As for provisions, members of the army at times had to eat the leaves of trees till their lips got swollen. Some others had to slaughter camels — though they were so dear — so that they could drink the water of their stomach; that is why that army was called “The army of distress” (Jaysh al-Usrah)
He had left 'Ali to look after his family, but the hypocrites spread the rumour that the Prophet* found him a burden and was relieved to be rid of his presence. Hearing this, 'Ali was so distressed that he put on his armour, seized his arms and overtook the Prophet* at his first halt, intending to beg his permission to accompany him. He told him what the people were saying, and the Prophet* said: "They lie. I asked you to remain for the sake of what I had left behind me. So return and represent me in my family and in yours”. But the Prophet* made ‘Ali turn back to Madinah after saying: “Would it not suffice you to be my successor in the way that Aaron (Harun) was to Moses’?” Then he proceeded saying: “But no Prophet* succeeds me.”
The Muslims pass by the ruins of Thamud
On their way to Tabuk, the army of Islam passed by Al-Hijr — which was the native land of Thamud who cut out (huge) rocks in the valley; that is “Al-Qura Valley” of today. They watered from its well but later the Prophet* told them not to drink of that water, nor perform the ablution with it. The dough they made, he asked them to feed their camels with. He forbade them to eat anything whatsoever of it. As an alternative he told them to water from that well which Prophet Saleh’s she-camel used to water from. On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar: “Upon passing by Al-Hijr the Prophet* (peace be upon him) said: l “Do not enter the houses of those who erred themselves lest what had happened to them would afflict you, but if you had to do such a thing let it be associated with weeping.” Then he raised his head up and accelerated his strides till he passed the valley out.”
Abu Khaythamah leaves late to join the Prophet*
Meantime in Medina, about ten days after the army had marched out, one of the four believers who had stayed behind, Abu Khaythamah of Khazraj, went out into his garden amid the shade of the trees on a day of great heat. There were two huts there, and he found that his wives had sprinkled each one with water, and in each a meal was prepared for him, and water had been cooled in earthenware jars for him to drink. He stood at the threshold of one of the huts and said: "The Messenger of God is in the glare of the sun, blown on by hot winds, and Abu Khaythamah is in cool shade with food made ready for him, and two fair women, abiding at rest on his own estate!" Then he turned to his wives and said: "By God, I will not enter either of your huts until I have first overtaken the Messenger, so make ready provisions for me." They did so, and saddling his camel, he set off with all speed in the wake of the army. The Prophet* had been disappointed and saddened by the default of the four believers who had failed to march out with the army, not least as regards Abu Khaythamah, who overtook them a few days after they had reached Tabuk. When the lone rider was seen approaching, but before he was distinguishable, the Prophet* said, as it were in prayer: "Be Abu Khaythamah!" Then, when the man rode up and greeted him, he said: "Alas for thee, Abu Khaytharnah!"; but when told what had happened, he blessed him.
Shortage of water and the army’s need to it made them complain to the Prophet* about that. So he supplicated Allah, who sent a rainful cloud. It rained and so all people drank and supplied themselves with their need of water. About half-way between Medina and Jerusalem, the Prophet* said one night: When they drew near Tabuk, the Prophet* said: “If Allah will, tomorrow you will arrive at Tabuk spring. You will not get there before daytime. So whoever reaches it should not touch its water; but wait till I come.” Mu‘adh said: “When we reached the spring it used to gush forth some water. We found that two men had already preceded us to it. The Prophet* asked them: ‘Have you touched its water?’ They replied: ‘Yes’. He said what Allah inspired him to say, then he scooped up little water of that spring, thin stream which gathered together, he washed his face and hand with it and poured it back into it; consequently plenty of water spouted out of it so people watered. ‘Mu‘adh’, said the Messenger of Allah, ‘if you were doomed to live long life you will see in here fields full of vegetation.’
On the way to Tabuk, or as soon as they reached Tabuk, the Prophet* said: ‘Severe wind will blow tonight, so none of you should stand up. Whoever has a camel should tie it up.’ Later on when the strong wind blew, one of the men stood up and the wind carried him away to Tai’ Mountain. All the way long the Prophet* was intent on the performance of the combined prayer of noon and the afternoon; and so did he with sunset and evening prayers. His prayers for both were either pre-time or post-time prayers.
Abu Dharr joins the Prophet* on foot
A group of Muslims (mainly hypocrites) refrained from going to battle, justifying their position with different apologies. The Prophet* and his Companions went out anyway. The farther they went, the more exhausted and tired they became. Whenever a man stayed behind people said, "O Prophet! So-and-so stayed behind." He then said, "Let him! If he's any good, he will reach you. If he's something else, then Allah will save you his trouble." One day the people turned around. They could not find Abu Dharr. They told the Prophet* that Abu Dharr had stayed behind and his camel had slowed down. It is here that the Prophet* repeated his first statement. Abu Dharr's camel became weaker under the severe pressure of hunger, thirst, and hot weather. It stumbled due to weakness and fatigue. Abu Dharr tried by all means to force it to move forward, but the burden of the camel's exhaustion was too heavy. Finally, Abu Dharr felt that he would be left behind, losing the caravan's traces. Therefore, he dismounted from his camel, took his belongings, carried them on his back, and continued his route on foot over the burning desert sand, hurrying in order to rejoin the Prophet*.
In the early morning, while the Muslims were stopped for a while to rest, one of them saw a cloud of dust and sand behind which the shadow of a man could be seen. The one who saw that said to the Prophet*, "O Messenger of Allah, there is someone walking alone." The Prophet* said, "Be Abu Dharr." The Muslims continued their talk until the man crossed the remaining distance between them. Only then were they able to know. The respectful traveller approached little by little. Although he could only with great effort pull his feet out of the burning sand and with a lot of pain carry the heavy burden on his back, he was very delighted to have finally reached the blessed caravan without staying behind and abandoning the Prophet*. When he at last reached the caravan, someone shouted, "O Prophet, it's Abu Dharr." The Prophet* then said, "Allah will have mercy upon Abu Dharr. He walks alone, dies alone, and resurrects alone."
He is also remembered alone by history for his brave resistance and his great asceticism. Allah will also resurrect him alone, because the multitude of his various merits will not enable anyone else to find a place near him.
Abu Dharr dies alone as prophesised:
In the lonely village, Abu Dharr had only the company of his wife and a maidservant. When the end was in sight, Abu Dharr called his wife and the maid and said, "When I am dead, you two wash me up, wrap me in a shroud and place my dead body by the road-side. When the first body of riders passes this way, tell them: `This is the dead body of Abu Dharr, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah. Help us bury him'."
A slim dark-skinned woman sitting crying beside Abu Dharr was his wife. Abu Dharr asks her, "Why do you cry and death is true?" She answers crying, "You are dying and I don't have a gown which suffices to be a winding sheet!!" He smiles like a passing evening glow and says to her "Calm down. Don't cry. I heard the Prophet* once saying while I was sitting among a number of Companions, 'One of you will die in a desert land, and a group of the faithful will witness him." All those who were sitting with me at that assembly have died, whether in a village or among a congregation. No one is left except me, and now I am dying in a desert land. Watch out, a group of the faithful will soon show up. By Allah, I didn't lie in my life."
There is a caravan which sets off on a journey across the desert. It consists of a group of the faithful with Abdullah Ibn Masood, the Prophet's Companion, at their head. They saw this lady waving at them despite the fact that the pilgrim journeys had passed. She explained to them that she will need help to bury her dying husband. They asked who he is and she replied that it was Abu Dharr. “What – the beloved Companion of the Prophet* Abu Dharr?” – “Yes”. “May we sacrifice our fathers and mothers for his sake!” they replied and went in to see him. In his last breath he gave them glad tidings from the Prophet* as they were the true believers that he* promised. And soon he passed away and was buried there in the desert. Ibn Masood narrated the interpretation of the statement "The Messenger of Allah was right," he said, "when he remarked: you are walking alone, you will die in loneliness and you will be raised alone on the Day of Judgement."
Main Topic: The Miracles of The Prophet(s)*
We said last week: Clearly, either man communicates with the Creator or that the Creator communicates with us to explain our existence. Man, however, is limited and unable to comprehend or perceive the unlimited and as such cannot communicate with the Creator. This obvious fact therefore, means that the communication had to come from the Creator. Throughout history, there have been messengers and prophets, men sent from the Creator, bringing laws or revelation on how man should conduct his life. They were given miracles which proved to mankind that they were bringing revelation. A miracle is something which goes against the laws of nature. For example prophet Musa (Moses) had a stick which parted the Red Sea. Prophet Isa (Jesus) had the ability to cure the sick by just touching them. But how do we know if these messengers existed? The miracles performed by the above prophets were only miracles for that specific period of time. But how do we know that they were not just legends or fables? They are not proof for us. So what miracle do we have right now to convince us and guide us through our lives?
Allah has sent Prophet*s and Messengers (Prophet*s with the divine law) to mankind to give guidance in all of our affairs. The Prophet*s were each given miracles which proved to mankind the authenticity of their Prophethood. As only the Messengers of God are given the Divine Law of God (Ahkam Shar'iyah) then Muhammad must definitely be the Prophet* and Messenger of God. To prove this point comprehensively we must examine critically the Qur'an. We will do this in the Study Circle over the coming weeks, InshaAllah.
However, the miracles (outlined below) are all historical and we can not know (independently) if they actually occurred but have to take it on trust that they are true stories. How does this differ from the stories or fables about other mythical persons and any superpowers they may have had, or what their followers claim from their books? The only way we can be certain – without any doubt – is if the sources are proven to be true and accurate. Hence we need to study the authenticity of the books that claim this as there were no cameras, YouTube uploads or other triangulation of information. As stated, we will discuss this soon (I/A) but it is necessary to set the context of the discussion. Below are some stated miracles from Muslim sources concerning the Prophets and our Prophet* too:
Some Miracles of Some of the Prophets
• Prophet Saleh – the she-camel from the rock
• The miracle of Ibrahim (Abraham) – the fire not burning him, the knife not cutting
• Prophet Musa (Moses) – ‘Magic’, splitting the Sea
• Prophet Suleiman (Solomon) – talking to the animals and command over the Jinn
• Prophet Isa (Jesus) – Curing the sick, dead to life
Miracles of The Prophet*
• Splitting of the Moon
• Food Multiplication
• Water Multiplication
• Supplication for Rain
• Lights to guide Companions
• Crying of the stem of the Date-palm Tree
• Glorification of Allah by the Prophet's meals
• Spider's Web
• The Prophet's Night Journey to Jerusalem and Ascent to the Heavens
• The Quran: Prophet Mohammad's Greatest Miracle
Miracles in the Qur’an
We will cover this next week (I/A) as this is the homework…
Miracle of the Qur’an
We will cover this next week (I/A) as this is the homework…
However, just to mention that Muslims consider the Quran to be the greatest miracle of prophet Mohammad, even though, the Quran is authored by Allah, not prophet Mohammad. Unlike the miracles of other prophets before him, the miracle of the Qur'an is eternal.
Mankind’s Greatest Weapon: Thought
What is the most powerful weapon known to man? It isn’t the spears, bow & arrows, guns, tanks, grenades or bombs that we read about – or the imaginary virtual weapons from games consoles. The most powerful weapon or tool is obviously the human mind and when mixed with the Truth from Allah we find an explosive mix. This is one of the reasons that the rich & powerful non-Muslims are afraid of the return of Islam as we would seek to rule by the Justice in Islam an do our best to eradicate tyranny, oppression and poverty.
The Situation of the Arabian Peninsula before Islam
If we consider the situation of the Arabian Peninsula before the advent of Islam, it was characterised by a widespread decline in many areas of life. Internally, the societies were plagued by tribalism, petty feuding and social injustice. For example in Medina the two major tribes, the Aws and Khazraj were constantly engaged in futile wars, such as the Harb al-Jamal - a battle lasting for years over the killing of a camel. In Mecca, the practices of burying daughters alive, cheating in the markets, prostitution and oppression of the weak by the strong were rife. Externally, the Arabs had no influence on the rest of the world. The major powers at the time, the Romans and the Persians, while fighting against each other, troubled themselves little with the Arabs, seeing them as insignificant Bedouins not worth conquering.
The Impact of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula
However, with the arrival of Islam, things changed dramatically in the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad* and the Muslims struggled to bring an entirely new way of thinking on to the scene. This is clear from the description of Ja'far ibn Abu Talib to the Negus in Abyssinia made by him during the first Hijra from Mecca, when he said, "…we were an uncivilised people worshipping idols, eating corpses, committing abominations, breaking natural ties, treating guests badly, and our strong devoured the weak. Thus, we were until God sent us an apostle whose lineage, truth, trustworthiness and clemency we know. He summoned us to acknowledge God's unity and to worship Him and to renounce the stones and images we and our forefathers formerly worshipped. He commanded us to speak the truth, be faithful to our engagements, mindful of the ties of kinship and kindly hospitality, and to refrain from crimes and bloodshed…..We confessed his truth and believed in him, and we followed him in what he had brought from God, and we worshipped God alone without associating anything with Him."
A Productive Way of Thinking
So, with this new way of thinking, the Arabs ascended from the former depths of decline and jahiliyyah (ignorance). The Prophet* and the Muslims with him established a state in Medina, whose history contrasts starkly with what had come before it. Internally, it ruled with justice and security over those who lived under it, whether they were Muslims or not, freeing them from the shackles of slavery, poverty, ignorance and the obedience to other human beings. Externally, the Islamic State expanded to unite more than half of the known world under the banner of Islam, and was the leading nation in all areas of life, whether in technology, intellect, economic ability or societal security and justice.
The Power of Thought
The important fact is that this dramatic transformation came about not after any materialistic innovation, the discovery of wealth or for any other reason than the absorption of an entirely new way of thinking. This way of thinking was one that gave the people an objective in their life, and gave them a reference point for solving all of the problems which would face them.
Allah says, "Lo! We reveal unto you the scripture with the truth, that you may judge between mankind with that which Allah has shown you." [TMQ: 4:105] and He says, "It is He who sent the Messenger with the guidance and the deen of truth, that it may prevail over all other deens." [TMQ: 9:33]
That is part of what we are trying to do in this Study Circle and talk through the importance of thinking about these things – not to take everything in blind faith but to reason things through.
As we stated in the Study Circle, ‘Thoughts’ are the most powerful weapon we have and the mind is such a great tool that we should use it. What better way to use it than to prove the existence of Allah and that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah.
Seerah: The Battle of Tabuk - Journey
Ali is upset about being left in Medina with the hypocrites but the Prophet* compares him to Haroon
It was a very difficult journey to Tabuk – Hence the other name of Jaysh al-Usrah (Army of Hardship)
The Muslims pass by the ruins of Thamud (Prophet Saleh)
Abu Khaythamah procrastinates but joins the Prophet* late
Abu Dharr joins the Prophet* on foot and his lonely death in the desert was prophesised by the Prophet*
Belief Pathway: Miracles
Allah sends Prophets and Messengers with Laws and Guidance; Proof of their message is through acts of miracles that set them aside from other humans
Miraculous claims of previous Prophets are all historical and can we know for sure these happened?
Islam came with a living miracle that we can test today
Miracles of the Prophets
Miracles of the Prophet*
Miracles in the Qur’an
Miracle of the Qur’an
Importance and Power of Thought
Thought is the most powerful tool known to mankind
Using the thought in Islam we can transform our situation, like the previous Muslims did
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Battle of Tabuk (2) – The Journey
Final Preparations for War
Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, on his side, paid two hundred silver ounces, whereas Abu Bakr paid the whole money he had and left nothing but Allah and His Messenger as a fortune for his family. ‘Umar paid half his fortune. Al-‘Abbas gifted a lot of money. Talhah, Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah and Muhammad bin Maslamah, gave money for the welfare of the invasion. ‘Asim bin ‘Adi, on his turn, offered ninety camel-burdens of dates. People raced to pay little and much charities alike. One of them gave the only half bushel (or the only bushel) he owned. Women shared in this competition by giving the things they owned; such as musk, armlets, anklets, ear-rings and rings. No one abstained from spending out money, or was too mean to grant money or anything except the hypocrites: “Those who defame such of the believers who give charity (in Allah’s cause) voluntarily, and those who could not find to give charity (in Allah’s cause) except what is available to them, so they mock at them (believers).” [9:79]
When all the Bedouin contingents had arrived the army was thirty thousand strong, with ten thousand horses. A camp was made outside the town, and Abu Bakr was put in charge of it until, when all was ready for the march, the Prophet* himself rode forth and took command.
The Muslim Army is leaving for Tabuk:
On Thursday, the Prophet* marched northwards to Tabuk. The army that numbered thirty thousand fighters was a great one, when compared with the previous armies of Islam. Muslims had never marched with such a great number before. Despite all the gifts of wealth and mounts the army was not perfectly equipped. The shortage of provisions and mounts was so serious that eighteen men mounted one camel alternatively. As for provisions, members of the army at times had to eat the leaves of trees till their lips got swollen. Some others had to slaughter camels — though they were so dear — so that they could drink the water of their stomach; that is why that army was called “The army of distress” (Jaysh al-Usrah)
He had left 'Ali to look after his family, but the hypocrites spread the rumour that the Prophet* found him a burden and was relieved to be rid of his presence. Hearing this, 'Ali was so distressed that he put on his armour, seized his arms and overtook the Prophet* at his first halt, intending to beg his permission to accompany him. He told him what the people were saying, and the Prophet* said: "They lie. I asked you to remain for the sake of what I had left behind me. So return and represent me in my family and in yours”. But the Prophet* made ‘Ali turn back to Madinah after saying: “Would it not suffice you to be my successor in the way that Aaron (Harun) was to Moses’?” Then he proceeded saying: “But no Prophet* succeeds me.”
The Muslims pass by the ruins of Thamud
On their way to Tabuk, the army of Islam passed by Al-Hijr — which was the native land of Thamud who cut out (huge) rocks in the valley; that is “Al-Qura Valley” of today. They watered from its well but later the Prophet* told them not to drink of that water, nor perform the ablution with it. The dough they made, he asked them to feed their camels with. He forbade them to eat anything whatsoever of it. As an alternative he told them to water from that well which Prophet Saleh’s she-camel used to water from. On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar: “Upon passing by Al-Hijr the Prophet* (peace be upon him) said: l “Do not enter the houses of those who erred themselves lest what had happened to them would afflict you, but if you had to do such a thing let it be associated with weeping.” Then he raised his head up and accelerated his strides till he passed the valley out.”
Abu Khaythamah leaves late to join the Prophet*
Meantime in Medina, about ten days after the army had marched out, one of the four believers who had stayed behind, Abu Khaythamah of Khazraj, went out into his garden amid the shade of the trees on a day of great heat. There were two huts there, and he found that his wives had sprinkled each one with water, and in each a meal was prepared for him, and water had been cooled in earthenware jars for him to drink. He stood at the threshold of one of the huts and said: "The Messenger of God is in the glare of the sun, blown on by hot winds, and Abu Khaythamah is in cool shade with food made ready for him, and two fair women, abiding at rest on his own estate!" Then he turned to his wives and said: "By God, I will not enter either of your huts until I have first overtaken the Messenger, so make ready provisions for me." They did so, and saddling his camel, he set off with all speed in the wake of the army. The Prophet* had been disappointed and saddened by the default of the four believers who had failed to march out with the army, not least as regards Abu Khaythamah, who overtook them a few days after they had reached Tabuk. When the lone rider was seen approaching, but before he was distinguishable, the Prophet* said, as it were in prayer: "Be Abu Khaythamah!" Then, when the man rode up and greeted him, he said: "Alas for thee, Abu Khaytharnah!"; but when told what had happened, he blessed him.
Shortage of water and the army’s need to it made them complain to the Prophet* about that. So he supplicated Allah, who sent a rainful cloud. It rained and so all people drank and supplied themselves with their need of water. About half-way between Medina and Jerusalem, the Prophet* said one night: When they drew near Tabuk, the Prophet* said: “If Allah will, tomorrow you will arrive at Tabuk spring. You will not get there before daytime. So whoever reaches it should not touch its water; but wait till I come.” Mu‘adh said: “When we reached the spring it used to gush forth some water. We found that two men had already preceded us to it. The Prophet* asked them: ‘Have you touched its water?’ They replied: ‘Yes’. He said what Allah inspired him to say, then he scooped up little water of that spring, thin stream which gathered together, he washed his face and hand with it and poured it back into it; consequently plenty of water spouted out of it so people watered. ‘Mu‘adh’, said the Messenger of Allah, ‘if you were doomed to live long life you will see in here fields full of vegetation.’
On the way to Tabuk, or as soon as they reached Tabuk, the Prophet* said: ‘Severe wind will blow tonight, so none of you should stand up. Whoever has a camel should tie it up.’ Later on when the strong wind blew, one of the men stood up and the wind carried him away to Tai’ Mountain. All the way long the Prophet* was intent on the performance of the combined prayer of noon and the afternoon; and so did he with sunset and evening prayers. His prayers for both were either pre-time or post-time prayers.
Abu Dharr joins the Prophet* on foot
A group of Muslims (mainly hypocrites) refrained from going to battle, justifying their position with different apologies. The Prophet* and his Companions went out anyway. The farther they went, the more exhausted and tired they became. Whenever a man stayed behind people said, "O Prophet! So-and-so stayed behind." He then said, "Let him! If he's any good, he will reach you. If he's something else, then Allah will save you his trouble." One day the people turned around. They could not find Abu Dharr. They told the Prophet* that Abu Dharr had stayed behind and his camel had slowed down. It is here that the Prophet* repeated his first statement. Abu Dharr's camel became weaker under the severe pressure of hunger, thirst, and hot weather. It stumbled due to weakness and fatigue. Abu Dharr tried by all means to force it to move forward, but the burden of the camel's exhaustion was too heavy. Finally, Abu Dharr felt that he would be left behind, losing the caravan's traces. Therefore, he dismounted from his camel, took his belongings, carried them on his back, and continued his route on foot over the burning desert sand, hurrying in order to rejoin the Prophet*.
In the early morning, while the Muslims were stopped for a while to rest, one of them saw a cloud of dust and sand behind which the shadow of a man could be seen. The one who saw that said to the Prophet*, "O Messenger of Allah, there is someone walking alone." The Prophet* said, "Be Abu Dharr." The Muslims continued their talk until the man crossed the remaining distance between them. Only then were they able to know. The respectful traveller approached little by little. Although he could only with great effort pull his feet out of the burning sand and with a lot of pain carry the heavy burden on his back, he was very delighted to have finally reached the blessed caravan without staying behind and abandoning the Prophet*. When he at last reached the caravan, someone shouted, "O Prophet, it's Abu Dharr." The Prophet* then said, "Allah will have mercy upon Abu Dharr. He walks alone, dies alone, and resurrects alone."
He is also remembered alone by history for his brave resistance and his great asceticism. Allah will also resurrect him alone, because the multitude of his various merits will not enable anyone else to find a place near him.
Abu Dharr dies alone as prophesised:
In the lonely village, Abu Dharr had only the company of his wife and a maidservant. When the end was in sight, Abu Dharr called his wife and the maid and said, "When I am dead, you two wash me up, wrap me in a shroud and place my dead body by the road-side. When the first body of riders passes this way, tell them: `This is the dead body of Abu Dharr, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah. Help us bury him'."
A slim dark-skinned woman sitting crying beside Abu Dharr was his wife. Abu Dharr asks her, "Why do you cry and death is true?" She answers crying, "You are dying and I don't have a gown which suffices to be a winding sheet!!" He smiles like a passing evening glow and says to her "Calm down. Don't cry. I heard the Prophet* once saying while I was sitting among a number of Companions, 'One of you will die in a desert land, and a group of the faithful will witness him." All those who were sitting with me at that assembly have died, whether in a village or among a congregation. No one is left except me, and now I am dying in a desert land. Watch out, a group of the faithful will soon show up. By Allah, I didn't lie in my life."
There is a caravan which sets off on a journey across the desert. It consists of a group of the faithful with Abdullah Ibn Masood, the Prophet's Companion, at their head. They saw this lady waving at them despite the fact that the pilgrim journeys had passed. She explained to them that she will need help to bury her dying husband. They asked who he is and she replied that it was Abu Dharr. “What – the beloved Companion of the Prophet* Abu Dharr?” – “Yes”. “May we sacrifice our fathers and mothers for his sake!” they replied and went in to see him. In his last breath he gave them glad tidings from the Prophet* as they were the true believers that he* promised. And soon he passed away and was buried there in the desert. Ibn Masood narrated the interpretation of the statement "The Messenger of Allah was right," he said, "when he remarked: you are walking alone, you will die in loneliness and you will be raised alone on the Day of Judgement."
Main Topic: The Miracles of The Prophet(s)*
We said last week: Clearly, either man communicates with the Creator or that the Creator communicates with us to explain our existence. Man, however, is limited and unable to comprehend or perceive the unlimited and as such cannot communicate with the Creator. This obvious fact therefore, means that the communication had to come from the Creator. Throughout history, there have been messengers and prophets, men sent from the Creator, bringing laws or revelation on how man should conduct his life. They were given miracles which proved to mankind that they were bringing revelation. A miracle is something which goes against the laws of nature. For example prophet Musa (Moses) had a stick which parted the Red Sea. Prophet Isa (Jesus) had the ability to cure the sick by just touching them. But how do we know if these messengers existed? The miracles performed by the above prophets were only miracles for that specific period of time. But how do we know that they were not just legends or fables? They are not proof for us. So what miracle do we have right now to convince us and guide us through our lives?
Allah has sent Prophet*s and Messengers (Prophet*s with the divine law) to mankind to give guidance in all of our affairs. The Prophet*s were each given miracles which proved to mankind the authenticity of their Prophethood. As only the Messengers of God are given the Divine Law of God (Ahkam Shar'iyah) then Muhammad must definitely be the Prophet* and Messenger of God. To prove this point comprehensively we must examine critically the Qur'an. We will do this in the Study Circle over the coming weeks, InshaAllah.
However, the miracles (outlined below) are all historical and we can not know (independently) if they actually occurred but have to take it on trust that they are true stories. How does this differ from the stories or fables about other mythical persons and any superpowers they may have had, or what their followers claim from their books? The only way we can be certain – without any doubt – is if the sources are proven to be true and accurate. Hence we need to study the authenticity of the books that claim this as there were no cameras, YouTube uploads or other triangulation of information. As stated, we will discuss this soon (I/A) but it is necessary to set the context of the discussion. Below are some stated miracles from Muslim sources concerning the Prophets and our Prophet* too:
Some Miracles of Some of the Prophets
• Prophet Saleh – the she-camel from the rock
• The miracle of Ibrahim (Abraham) – the fire not burning him, the knife not cutting
• Prophet Musa (Moses) – ‘Magic’, splitting the Sea
• Prophet Suleiman (Solomon) – talking to the animals and command over the Jinn
• Prophet Isa (Jesus) – Curing the sick, dead to life
Miracles of The Prophet*
• Splitting of the Moon
• Food Multiplication
• Water Multiplication
• Supplication for Rain
• Lights to guide Companions
• Crying of the stem of the Date-palm Tree
• Glorification of Allah by the Prophet's meals
• Spider's Web
• The Prophet's Night Journey to Jerusalem and Ascent to the Heavens
• The Quran: Prophet Mohammad's Greatest Miracle
Miracles in the Qur’an
We will cover this next week (I/A) as this is the homework…
Miracle of the Qur’an
We will cover this next week (I/A) as this is the homework…
However, just to mention that Muslims consider the Quran to be the greatest miracle of prophet Mohammad, even though, the Quran is authored by Allah, not prophet Mohammad. Unlike the miracles of other prophets before him, the miracle of the Qur'an is eternal.
Mankind’s Greatest Weapon: Thought
What is the most powerful weapon known to man? It isn’t the spears, bow & arrows, guns, tanks, grenades or bombs that we read about – or the imaginary virtual weapons from games consoles. The most powerful weapon or tool is obviously the human mind and when mixed with the Truth from Allah we find an explosive mix. This is one of the reasons that the rich & powerful non-Muslims are afraid of the return of Islam as we would seek to rule by the Justice in Islam an do our best to eradicate tyranny, oppression and poverty.
The Situation of the Arabian Peninsula before Islam
If we consider the situation of the Arabian Peninsula before the advent of Islam, it was characterised by a widespread decline in many areas of life. Internally, the societies were plagued by tribalism, petty feuding and social injustice. For example in Medina the two major tribes, the Aws and Khazraj were constantly engaged in futile wars, such as the Harb al-Jamal - a battle lasting for years over the killing of a camel. In Mecca, the practices of burying daughters alive, cheating in the markets, prostitution and oppression of the weak by the strong were rife. Externally, the Arabs had no influence on the rest of the world. The major powers at the time, the Romans and the Persians, while fighting against each other, troubled themselves little with the Arabs, seeing them as insignificant Bedouins not worth conquering.
The Impact of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula
However, with the arrival of Islam, things changed dramatically in the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad* and the Muslims struggled to bring an entirely new way of thinking on to the scene. This is clear from the description of Ja'far ibn Abu Talib to the Negus in Abyssinia made by him during the first Hijra from Mecca, when he said, "…we were an uncivilised people worshipping idols, eating corpses, committing abominations, breaking natural ties, treating guests badly, and our strong devoured the weak. Thus, we were until God sent us an apostle whose lineage, truth, trustworthiness and clemency we know. He summoned us to acknowledge God's unity and to worship Him and to renounce the stones and images we and our forefathers formerly worshipped. He commanded us to speak the truth, be faithful to our engagements, mindful of the ties of kinship and kindly hospitality, and to refrain from crimes and bloodshed…..We confessed his truth and believed in him, and we followed him in what he had brought from God, and we worshipped God alone without associating anything with Him."
A Productive Way of Thinking
So, with this new way of thinking, the Arabs ascended from the former depths of decline and jahiliyyah (ignorance). The Prophet* and the Muslims with him established a state in Medina, whose history contrasts starkly with what had come before it. Internally, it ruled with justice and security over those who lived under it, whether they were Muslims or not, freeing them from the shackles of slavery, poverty, ignorance and the obedience to other human beings. Externally, the Islamic State expanded to unite more than half of the known world under the banner of Islam, and was the leading nation in all areas of life, whether in technology, intellect, economic ability or societal security and justice.
The Power of Thought
The important fact is that this dramatic transformation came about not after any materialistic innovation, the discovery of wealth or for any other reason than the absorption of an entirely new way of thinking. This way of thinking was one that gave the people an objective in their life, and gave them a reference point for solving all of the problems which would face them.
Allah says, "Lo! We reveal unto you the scripture with the truth, that you may judge between mankind with that which Allah has shown you." [TMQ: 4:105] and He says, "It is He who sent the Messenger with the guidance and the deen of truth, that it may prevail over all other deens." [TMQ: 9:33]
That is part of what we are trying to do in this Study Circle and talk through the importance of thinking about these things – not to take everything in blind faith but to reason things through.
As we stated in the Study Circle, ‘Thoughts’ are the most powerful weapon we have and the mind is such a great tool that we should use it. What better way to use it than to prove the existence of Allah and that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah.
Children’s Feedback and News Topic:
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Homework
Seerah ~
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Belief ~ What is the miracle of the Qur'an, and what are
the miracles in the Qur'an? AGAIN
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