13 March 2011

13 March 2011

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

The Muslims are winning and the Quraish flee

Ibn Ishaq said: "Then Allah sent down His Help unto the Muslims and verified His Promise to them. They chased the idolaters and evacuated them from their camp. No doubt it was a certain defeat." In a version by ‘Abdullah bin Az- Zubair that his father had said: "By Allah, I was watching the servants of Hind bint ‘Utbah and her women friends fleeing with their garments gathered up. No one was there to prevent us from capturing them." Al- Bara’ bin ‘Azib said: "When we fought them, they fled, and their women could be seen fleeing in the mountains with their anklets and legs revealed." The Muslims pursued the enemies putting them to sword and collecting the spoils.

War activities went on and on fiercely with the Muslims in full command of the whole

military developments until the idolaters finally staggered and retreated, leaving all motives of alleged pride, and affected dignity in oblivion, and their standard trodden by the feet of the fighters with none ever courageous enough to approach it.

The Archers’ Fatal Mistake

While the small army of Islam were recording the second absolute and clear victory over the Meccans the majority of the archers on the mountainside committed a fatal mistake that turned the whole situation upside down, and constituted a source of heavy losses amongst the Muslims. Previously, the archers had received positive orders to their position whatever the course of the main engagement. In spite of those strict orders, and their leader’s — ‘Abdullah bin Jubair — warning, forty archers deserted their posts, enticed by the too soon roar of victory as well as worldly avarice for the spoils of war. The others, however, nine in number and ‘Abdullah, their leader, decided to abide by the Prophet’s* order and stay where they were until they were given leave or killed to the last. Consequently the cleft was left inadequately defended .

The shrewd Khalid bin Al-Waleed seized this golden opportunity to turn swiftly round to the rear of the Muslim army and encompass them. Exterminating Ibn Jubair and his group, they fell promptly upon the rear of the Muslims and his horsemen uttered a shout that signalled the new military developments. The polytheists returned once again to counterattack the Muslims. An idolist woman — called ‘Umra bint ‘Alqama Al-Harithiyah — rushed to the lying-on-earth standard, picked it up and hoisted it. The idolaters gathered together around the standard and called out unto one another till they encircled the Muslims and stoodfast to fight again.

Tide turns against the Muslims

The Muslims got entrapped between two parts of the enemy. The Messenger of Allah* was then among a small group of fighters — nine in number at the rear of the army, watching the engagement and braving the Muslim fighters. Khalid and his men took him by utter surprise, and obliged him to follow either of two options:

a. To flee for his life and abandon his army to its doomed end, or

b. To take action at the risk of his life, rally the ranks of the Muslims again and work their way through the hills of Uhud towards the encompassed army.

The genius of the Messenger of Allah*, his peerless and matchless courage made him opt for the second course. He raised his voice calling out unto his Companions: "Slaves of Allah." He did that though he knew that his loud voice would be heard by the idolaters before it was heard by the Muslims. He called out unto them risking his life in this delicate situation. The idolaters, indeed, recognized him and reached his position even before the other Muslims could do so.

The encompassment of the Muslims revealed three categories of people: The first group were those who were only interested in themselves and they went so mad that they fled. They left the battlefield and did not know what happened to the others.

Some of this group fled as far as Medina. Some others went up the mountain. The second Muslim group were those who returned to the battle, but mixed with the idolaters in such a way that they could not recognize one another. Consequently some of them were killed by mistake. ‘Aishah [R] said: "When it was Uhud Battle, the idolaters were utterly defeated. Satan then called out: ‘O slaves of Allah. Beware the rear (i.e. the enemy is approaching from behind)’. So those who were at the front turned back and fought the ones who were behind." Then Hudhaifah caught sight of his father ‘Al-Yaman’ about to be killed by other Muslims. So he said: "O servants of Allah! Beware! This is my father. This is my father." ‘Aishah [R] said: "But they did not part with him till he was killed." Hudhaifah then said: "May Allah forgive you." And ‘Urwa said: "By Allah, from that time on Hudhaifah has always been blessed and wealthy till he died."

At this awkward time they heard someone calling: "Muhammad is killed." This news made them even more bewildered and almost out of sense. Their morale broke down, or almost did in a great number of individuals. Some of them stopped fighting, slackened, and cast down their weapons. Others thought of getting in touch with ‘Abdullah bin Ubai — the head of the hypocrites — and seeking his assistance to fetch them a security pledge from Abu Sufyan.

An Emigrant passed by a Helper who was besmeared by blood. He said: "O fellow! Have you heard of Muhammad*’s murder?" The Helper answered: "If Muhammad* were killed, then he must have completed the delivery of the Message. So fight in defence of your religion!"

Ansar Defend the Prophet

As those groups of Muslims were receiving the blows of the idolaters and resisting instantly, the fight flared up around the Messenger of Allah*, who had only nine people around him. We have already mentioned that when the idolaters started their encompassment there were only nine persons around the Messenger of Allah*; and that as soon as he called out unto the Muslims: "Come on! I am the Messenger of Allah*," the idolaters heard his voice and recognized him. So they turned back and attacked him with all their power before any of his Companions ran to his aid.

A violent raging struggle broke out between the nine Muslims and the idolaters during which peerless sort of love, self-sacrifice, bravery and heroism were revealed. Muslim, on the authority of Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah* along with seven Helpers and two Emigrants, was confined to a trap when the idolaters attacked him. The Messenger of Allah* then said: " He who pushes back those idolaters, will be housed in Paradise." or "He will be my Companion in Paradise." One of the Helpers stepped forward and fought the idolaters in defence of the Prophet* till he was killed. Then they attacked the Messenger* again. The same process was repeated again and again till all the seven Helpers were killed. Then the Messenger of Allah* said to his two Quraishite Companions: "We have not done justice to our Companions." The last of those seven Helpers was ‘Amara bin Yazeed bin As-Sakan, who kept on fighting till his wounds neutralized him and he fell dead.

Thabit bin Ad-Dahdah called unto his people saying: "O kinfolk of Helpers, if Muhammad* were killed, Allah is Everlasting and He never dies. Fight in defence of your Faith. Allah will help you and so you will be victorious." A group of Helpers joined him and all set out and attacked a battalion of Khalid’s horsemen. He kept on fighting till he and his friends were killed. With such boldness and encouragement, the Muslims soon recovered their spirits, came round to senses and desisted the idea of surrender or contacting the hypocrite ‘Abdullah bin Ubai. They took up arms and resumed the fight attempting to make way to the headquarters, particularly after the news of the Prophet*’s death had been falsified. The glad tidings nerved them, and helped them to manage quite successfully the break of the military blockade, and concentrate their forces in an immune place to resume a relentless and fierce fight against the polytheists. The third group of Muslims were those who cared for nothing except the Prophet*. At the head of them were notable Companions like Abu Bakr, ‘Umar bin Al- Khattab, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib and others, who hastened to protect the Prophet* through unrivalled devotion.

The Prophet* is injured

After the fall of Ibn Sakan, the Messenger of Allah* remained alone with only those two Quraishites. Abu ‘Uthman said: "At that time, there were none with the Prophet* except Talha bin ‘Ubaidullah and Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas. That was a most awkward and dangerous hour for the Prophet*, but it was a golden opportunity for the idolaters who promptly took advantage of it. They concentrated their attack on the Prophet* and looked forward to killing him.

‘Utbah bin Abi Waqqas pelted him with stones. One of the stones fell on his face. His lower right incisor Ruba‘iya (i.e. the tooth that is between a canine and a front tooth) was injured. His lower lip was wounded. He was also attacked by ‘Abdullah bin Shihab Az-Zuhri who cleaved his forehead. ‘Abdullah bin Qami’a (Qami’a means ‘a humiliated woman’), who was an obstinate strong horseman, struck him violently on his shoulder with his sword; and that stroke hurt the Messenger of Allah* for over a month — though it was not strong enough to break his two armours. He dealt a heavy blow on his cheek. It was so strong that two rings of his iron-ringed helmet penetrated into his holy cheek. "Take this stroke from me, I am Ibn Qami’a." He said while striking the Messenger with his sword. The Messenger of Allah* replied — while he was wiping the blood flowing on his face: "I implore Allah to humiliate you." In Al-Bukhari it is stated his incisor broke, his head was cleaved, and that he started wiping the blood off it and saying: "(I wonder) how can people who cut the face of their Prophet* and break the incisor of his — he who calls them to worship Allah. How can such people thrive or be successful?"

It is quite certain that killing the Prophet* was their primary aim, but the two Mohajir — Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas and Talha bin ‘Ubaidullah, who showed great and rare courage and fought so fiercely and boldly that — though they were only two — were able to stop the idolaters short of realizing their aim. They were of the best skillful Arab archers and kept on militating in defence of the Messenger of Allah* till the whole squad of idolaters was driven off him*.

The Messenger of Allah* emptied his quiver of arrows and said to Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas: "Shoot, an arrow Sa‘d. May my father and mother be sacrified for you." The Prophet* had never gathered his parents except in the case of Sa‘d — a privilege granted to him for his efficiency.  Jabir said: "When the idolaters reached him, the Messenger of Allah* said: ‘Who will suffice us their evils (i.e. fight them back)?’ Talha said: ‘I will.’" Then Jabir mentioned the advance of the Helpers to fight and how they were killed one after the other. "When all the Helpers were killed, Talha proceeded forward to fight as much as the other eleven ones did till his hand was hurt and his fingers were cut off. So he said: ‘Be they cut off!’ The Prophet* said: ‘If you had said: In the Name of Allah, the angels would have raised you up before the people’s very eyes.’" Then he said: "Allah drove the idolaters off them." It is stated that Talha had sustained thirty- nine or thirty-five wounds, and his fingers (i.e. the forefinger and the one next to it — got paralyzed. The Prophet* then said about Talha: "He who desires to see a martyr walking on the ground, let him look at Talha bin ‘Ubaidullah."

All those events happened in no time. If the Prophet*’s elite Companions had realized the grave situation immediately, they would have rushed on the spot and would not have left him sustain these wounds. Unfortunately, they got there after the Messenger of Allah* had been wounded and six of the Helpers killed, the seventh was staggering under the brunt of wounds and desperately militating in defence of the Prophet*. However as soon as they arrived they encircled the Messenger with their bodies and weapons and were alert enough to prevent the enemies from reaching him. The first one who returned to give help, was his cavemate Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.

Abu Bakr had said: "When it was Uhud Day and at the time that the Prophet* was left behind, I was the first to go back and see him. Before him I saw a man fighting to shield him from the enemies. I said to myself: ‘I wish he were Talha. Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. (O Allah) Let him be Talha! Let my parents be sacrificed for you!’ On the way, I was overtaken by Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, who was then moving as swiftly as a bird. We both rushed to dress the Prophet*’s wounds. There we found Talha suffering from serious wounds before the Messenger of Allah*. The Prophet* said: ‘See to your brother. His deed entitled him for an abode in Paradise.’ I noticed that two rings of the iron-ringed helmet had penetrated his cheek. So I set out to take them out; but Abu ‘Ubaidah demanded: ‘By Allah, O Abu Bakr — I beseech you, let me do it myself.’ Fearing to hurt the Prophet* he started pulling one of the two rings out very slowly and carefully with his mouth.

At those awkward moments of that day, a group of Muslim heroes gathered around the Prophet* forming a shield to protect him from the idolaters. Some of them were Abu Dujana, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, Sahl bin Haneef, Malik bin — Sinan the father of Abu Sa‘îd Al-Khudri, Umm‘Amara, Nusaiba bint Ka‘b Al-Maziniya, Qatada bin An-Nu‘man, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab, Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a and Abu Talha. The number of idolaters was steadily increasing; and their attacks, naturally, got severer. Their press had increased to an extent that the Messenger of Allah* fell into one of the holes dug and designed by Abu ‘Amir Al-Fasiq to be used as traps.

Hadith
Hadith 24 of Nawawi's 40 Hadith: (Hadith Qudsi)

It was relayed on the authority of Abu Dhar al-Ghifari that the Prophet* said, of what he related from his Lord, magnified and exhalted be He, Who said: "O My servants, I have made oppression unlawful for Me and unlawful for you, so do not commit oppression against one another. O My servants, all of you are liable to err except for those whom I guide on the right path, therefore seek guidance from Me so that I should direct you to the right path. O My servants, all of you are hungry (needy) except for those whom I feed, therefore seek food from Me so that I may feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked (need clothes) except for those whom I provide garments, therefore seek clothing from Me so that I should clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day and I am there to pardon your sins, therefore seek forgiveness from Me so that I should grant you pardon. O My servants, you can neither do Me any harm nor can you do Me any good. O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of Jinns become as pious as the most pious heart of any one amongst you, it will not add anything to My Power or Kingdom. O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of Jinns become as wicked as the most wicked heart of anyone amongst you, it will not decrease anything from My Power or Kingdom. O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of Jinns gather together on a sector of land and all ask of Me and if I were to give everyone of them what they asked, that will not in any way decrease what I have anymore than a needle decreases what is in the ocean when it is put into it. O My servants, these deeds of yours which I am recording for you I shall reward you for them, so he who finds good should praise Allah and he who finds other than that should not blame anyone but himself." [Muslim]

As also mentioned in many verses of the Qur'an, Allah affirms His absolute justice (fairness) and negates that He has never committed any kind of injustice towards anyone. Some verses of the holy Qur'an in this regards are: "Your Lord is not at all unjust to His slaves" [41:46]; "No wise shall We be unjust to them but it is they who have been unjust to themselves" [43:76]; "And Allah wills no injustice for His slaves" [40:31]; and "...and Allah wills no injustice to the world" [3:108].

The forbidden injustices include all forms.

- The first, the highest level and the most extreme form of injustice is al-shirk or associating partners with Allah. Allah says in the Qur'an: "Verily joining others in worship with Allah is a great form of injustice indeed" [31:13]

- The second form is unjust towards one ownself such as committing sins.

- The third form is dhulm or unjust towards others whether human beings or other creatures.

The hadith shows us that humans are always in great need for Allah. We need Allah for everything because we are poor and needy. Allah is the only One Who does not need anybody. He does not need anything from us. He is the Almighty and the Most Powerful. So a Muslim should show his or her need to Allah all the time and should seek Allah's support and Tawfiq in whatever he or she does. That is why we are ordered to do a lot of dhikr all the time because it expresses our needs to Allah. It is by the help of Allah that we are able to do things. We are able to move and walk. We are able to sleep and wake up and do all our activities. All our internal bodily systems such as breathing, blood circulation and digestion and so on depend and work on Allah's Will. If any of these functions stop working, no one can bring it back to normal except Allah. So we should always be grateful to Allah.

Guidance is a great mercy and ni'mah from Allah the Almighty. It is very important for every Muslim to know that the most valuable thing that we have in our life is this guidance. Allah has guided us to the right path or iman and we have to be grateful to Him. This guidance in the form of the Qur'an was revealed to us by Allah through His Messenger, Muhammad*. So we should stick to its guidance and follow its teachings as a guide for us in everything we do in our lives. Our efforts alone cannot guide us. Even though we have our own will and choice, they are not independent. They are under Allah's will and choice and belong to Him. We have aql (mind) but again it is created by Allah. We also have fitrah or the natural deposition but it is also created by Allah and belongs to Him. All these things are created by Allah. Allah showed us the right way to follow and be guided and warn us against Shaitan who is our greatest enemy and cause of our wrongdoings and misguidance. Allah also showed us how to deal with our own desires which He created in us. He told us that we should not be misled by these desires. We have to use them in the right ways.

When it comes to the issue of misguidance, we must know that it is not from the choice of Allah because He does not want us to be misguided. It is from our own will and choice. When someone is misguided it is his or her own attitude and behaviour and it is he or she who chooses it to be like that. For example, takabur (arrogance) is one source of misguidance but it is a person's character and attitude which affect the heart and cause misguidance. So when a person chooses to be misguided he or she will be so by his or her own will and not by Allah's misguidance. Allah's misguidance comes later as punishment for the person who chooses to be misguided. But if the person is misguided because of external factors which is out of his hands, he will be excused.

At the end of the hadith it is mentioned and stressed that whoever finds good record he should be thankful to Allah and praise Him for that, and anyone who finds other than that, which means bad record, he should not blame anyone except himself. This is a clear statement that shows the personal responsibility of one's actions. It is the person's own will and choice and not Allah's. Allah is al-A'dil or Just. He never does injustice to His servants. In the Qur'an, we can find many verses that explain how people blame themselves during the Day of Judgment for not following the right path. It is the people themselves who chose to be misguided and hence they cannot blame any one else but themselves. This is also an important aspect of al-qadar that should be understood.

The door of Taubah or repentance is open for all. The acceptance of our repentance is always available. Islam is a practical religion. It acknowledges our weaknesses. People are always subject to wrongdoings. They may neglect or delay performing obligations (wajib) or they may even indulge in sins (ma'asi') but Allah is Oft-Forgiving and His door is open to all wrongdoers. We are given the chance to repent and come back to Allah. This is a mercy from Allah. If we truly repent to Allah, our sins will be forgiven and even the bad records will be changed into good ones. Allah is telling us that He is Forgiving, Merciful and Compassionate. He requires us to come to Him and seek His forgiveness. We should know that the door of Allah is open to us all the time. If we do something wrong at night, we should come back to Him in the morning and if we do something wrong in the morning, we should come to seek His forgiveness during the night. We are always encouraged to do istighfar, which means to remember Allah and praise Him by reciting His Dhikr. We should maintain this istighfar regularly, for example, during the morning and evening times. It is also recommended to recite these adhkar after the salah and in some other specific times. We are encouraged to read these dhikr in our hearts.

The hadith shows the generosity of Almighty Allah. Allah gives His servants a lot of bounties and favours. The more they ask Him, the more He gives them His Ni'mah and countless Bounties. He wants us to ask Him more and seek His help and support. This is different from human beings because humans do not like to be asked frequently. The more you ask a human, the more they hate you and eventually will turn away from you. But the more we ask Allah the more He gives us. He wants us to come closer to Him and show Him our needs and humbleness. He will be pleased by our frequent taubah and repentance. This is also a kind of ibadah which is required to be practiced.

The hadith shows us the proper relationship between mankind and Allah. It shows us the many attributes of Allah such as being Merciful, Forgiving, Powerful and Compassionate. In contrast, we as human beings are poor, needy and weak. We are in continuous need for Allah, our creator and sustainer. We need His Guidance, Help and Support. That is why in every raka'ah of our salah we are required to recite Umu al-Kitab or Surah al-Fatihah. We recite it at least 17 times everyday. It reminds us of our extreme need for our Lord and His Guidance and Support. Also this will strengthen our faith and iman.

Tsunami and Earthquake

31 October 2010

31 October 2010

Seerah of Muhammed*

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

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

The Day before Badr

The Caravan Escapes

Abu Sufyan was very alert scouting the area near the wells of Badr and he asked the people there if they saw somebody here who seemed foreign. Abu Sufyan went to where their camels were and he then held some of the camel manure in his hand and he crushed it and this was the food of the camels in Medina. He rushed towards the coast changing his course thus was able to evade the Muslims and sends a letter back to Mecca saying: You came out to do battle in order to protect your caravan, people and wealth. Allah has now saved these, so go back.

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

Allah says: And do not be like those who came forth from their homes insolently and to be seen by people and avert [them] from the way of Allah. And Allah is encompassing of what they do. TMQ (Sural Al-Anfal) 8:47

A Second Shura about fighting

The Prophet* realised that the caravan is trying to get away and instead of facing around 40 men with the caravan they might have to face an army of a thousand men. The Prophet* held a shura and asked the companions what they think. Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) stood and spoke, Umar (ra) did the same, then Maqdad said something and in response: ‘O Messenger of Allah go forth to what Allah has commanded you to do and we are not going to say like the children of Israel told Musa (as): Go and fight with your Lord we are going to stay here. But we will fight in front of you, behind you, on your right, and to your left. And we will say ‘go forth and fight with your Lord, we will fight with you’. On hearing this the face of The Prophet* lit up, shined and then he stood up.

Some of the troops were not prepared to fight a war because they had left Medina with the intention to raid a caravan, though they were armed, they were not mentally prepared to face an army. That is why some were reluctant and inside their heart they wished they could just raid the caravan. Allah knows what is in the hearts of people: (A historian can only write what he observes he can never know about the thoughts or feelings of people).

[It is] just as when your Lord brought you out of your home [for the battle of Badr] in truth, while indeed, a party among the believers were unwilling (TMQ 8:5)

This was because fighting is something disliked and this was their first time, some of them may not have had to face an enemy before.

Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. (TMQ 2:216)

Arguing with you concerning the truth after it had become clear, as if they were being driven toward death while they were looking on. Remember, O believers], when Allah promised you one of the two groups - that it would be yours - and you wished that the unarmed one would be yours. But Allah intended to establish the truth by His words and to eliminate the disbelievers That He should establish the truth and abolish falsehood, even if the criminals disliked it. (TMQ 8: 6-7)

Preparing for the battle

The Prophet* stopped near Badr by an old man and inquired about, Quraish and about Muhammad and his Companions and what he had heard about them. The old man said, “I won't tell you before you tell me which party you belong to”. The Prophet* said, "If you tell us we will tell you." The man said, "Should this be for that?" Yes, he replied. The man said, “I have heard that Muhammad and his Companions went out on such-and-such a day. If that is true, today they are in such-and-such a place; and I heard that Quraish went out in such-and-such a day, and if this is true, today they are in such-and-such a place.” Meaning the one in which they actually were. “When he had finished he said, ‘Of whom are you?’ the Prophet* said, “We are from Mar."

The Prophet* returned to his Companions and he sent Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Az-zubair and Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas with a number of his Companions in quest for news. They arrested a servant belonging to the army of the Quraish. They asked him who he belongs to; he responded that he belonged to the army of Quraish, so they then beat him up and asked him about the location of Abu Sufyan, but the servant did not know where Abu Sufyan was. The sahabah then asked asked him who he knows about. He said that he knows the whereabouts of Abu Jahl, Abu Ummayya bin Khalaf, Utba bin Rabi’a and some other prominent members of the army of Quraish. They then would start beating him up to know about Abu Sufyan, so the man would agree to give information about Abu Sufyan, when the beating stopped he would then say that he doesn’t know. Having completed his Prayer, the Prophet* said, "When he told you the truth, you beat him: and when he lied, you leave him alone.” The Prophet* interrogated himself because the sahabah were not asking the right questions. The Messenger of Allah (saw) asked him how many are they, and he said, "Many," The Prophet* wanted then asked them how many camels do they slaughter every day, so the man said one day they would slaughter 10 camels and the next day they would slaughter nine, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, 'The people are between nine hundred and a thousand.”

Just over 300

The muhajirun were 86 in number, Al-Aus were 61, and Al-Khazraj were a 170. In Bukhari Al-Baraa bin Aazib (ra) said: We the companions of The Prophet*, when we would talk about the battle of Badr, we would say that ‘the number of people who participated in the Battle of Badr is equal to the number of people who participated with Talut, after they passed the trial of the river. And the only ones who passed were the believers; we were al little over 310.’”

The Prophet* had banners, flags, slogans, and battle cries; this was all to encourage the soldiers to fight. The banner for the army during the Battle of Badr was white and it was handed to Musab ibn Umair. The Prophet* also had two black flags; one of them was called Al-Uqab, this was standard it was carried by Ali ibn abi Talib and the other black flag was given to one of the Ansar.

The entire army had only two horses one was with Zaubair and the other with Al-Maqdad bin Amr (ra). The Muslims had 70 camels; each camel as shared by three people. The Prophet* shared his camel with Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Marthad Ibn Abi Marthab.

Is this Wahy or Tactics?

When The Prophet* chose the location of the army Al-Habbab bin Al-Mundhir (ra) (one of the ansar) said: O Messenger of Allah! Is this the place about which Allah revealed to you, that; we should not advance beyond or stop before, or is this a question of opinion in warfare tactics?

The Prophet* told him that it is a matter of warfare tactics. Al-Mundhir suggested that the army should go ahead till they get to the well of Badr and stop there, stop up the wells beyond it, and construct a cistern so that they would have plenty of water; then they could fight their enemy who would have nothing to drink. The Prophet* agreed that this was an excellent plan and they acted accordingly.

The night before battle

The night before the battle started The Prophet* saw a dream that the army of Quraish very few in number than what it really was.

Remember, O Muhammad], when Allah showed them to you in your dream as few; and if He had shown them to you as many, you [believers] would have lost courage and would have disputed in the matter [of whether to fight], but Allah saved [you from that]. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts. (TMQ 8:43)

The following morning it rained, though it was not a rainy season. Ibn Ishaq said that the valley was soft brown; the water from the sky dampened the earth for The Prophet* and his force but did not impede their progress but the Quraish had such rain fall upon them that they could not move ahead.

Also some of the Muslims woke up in a state of impurity. So to spare the Muslims of this uncomfortable feeling, Allah sent down water to cleanse them. This was spiritual cleaning in addition to the Earth becoming firm for them to march over.

 [Remember] when He overwhelmed you with drowsiness [giving] security from Him and sent down upon you from the sky, rain by which to purify you and remove from you the evil [suggestions] of Satan and to make steadfast your hearts and plant firmly thereby your feet. (TMQ 8:11)

Ali ibn abi Talib said about the night before the battle that all of the Muslim army was asleep; this sleep was a blessing from Allah as mentioned in the ayat ‘He overwhelmed you with drowsiness’. Hence, some scholars say that sleeping before a battle is a sign of Iman, while sleeping during salah is a sign of hypocrisy

Ali ibn abi Talib said that the only one who was awake that night was The Prophet*.

[Remember] when you were on the near side of the valley, and they were on the farther side, and the caravan was lower [in position] than you. If you had made an appointment [to meet], you would have missed the appointment. But [it was] so that Allah might accomplish a matter already destined - that those who perished [through disbelief] would perish upon evidence and those who lived [in faith] would live upon evidence; and indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (TMQ 8:42)


Dhikr (Zikr) of Allah
Autumn is a special time of year and very beautiful - especially with all the leaves turning different colours. In ancient Britain the pre-Christian religions (pagans) believed it to be a special time of year too and had major festivals (such as Samhain) marking the transition into the colder winter. The Christians adopted this festival and remodelled it for a celebration of their saints - All Saints Day (hallows) and the night before was the Eve of Hallows. Hence, we find today people celebrating this event still - unaware of its pagan origins. Even some Muslims partake in the same celebrations.

Just over month after Ramadhan we should still be focussing on how best to worship Allah - in a consistent manner. And the richness of Autumn provides lots of opportunities for Muslims to Praise & Glorify Allah. We do it formally in our Salat (prayers) like in Sajood, Rukuh or standing up from Rukuh - but we should also do it outside of prayer time.

The other creation of Allah (mountains, trees, ocean, birds etc) all glorify and praise Allah continuously. How this happens we cannot always understand or comprehend. Just as we may work out the mechanism of what creates thunder & lightning - we may not understand the language of the clouds and how they communicate and praise Allah. Just as an alien or other creature studying Muslims as they say 'Alhamdulillah' may work out the mechanism of how the sound is produced but fail to undestand what is being said.

We should remember Allah often and be thankful to Allah for all His Bounties and Mercies. We should be praising & glorifying Allah morning and evening. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungreateful to Me" TMQ 2:152

The Prophet* said: "Two words/phrases are light for the tongue but heavy in the scale and are dear to Ar-Rahman: Glorified & Praised be Allah [SubhanAllah Wa-bi Hamdi] and Glorified be Allah, The Almighty [SubhanAllah-il Azeem]". He also asked: "Are any of you capable of gaining a thousand good deeds everyday?" nad the companions asked how this could be done. The Prophet* replied "If one glorifies Allah a hundred times (saying SubhanAllah) - then one thousand good deeds will be registered to him."

Part of this glorification is the realisation that not a single leaf falls from a tree without the permission and knowledge of Allah. Indeed, Allah is worthy of All Praise. And we should remember Him as often as we can.

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Indonesian Events ~ Earthquake, Tsumani & Volcano 

The Muslims of Indonesia, the modern country with the most Muslims living there, are being tested very much at the moment. As Muslims living far away - we should not be ignorant or uncaring of the plight of fellow Muslims. Indeed, we should be aware of all the less fortunate or oppressed people in earth. There are many things we can do - and the least of them is to remember them in our prayers and to ask Allah to make their lives easier. Also, we should not forget their plight even if it is not being mentioned on the news - because it take many years for communities to recover.