29 April 2012

Preparing to Conquer Mecca; Fiqh and Nawawi’s 40 Hadith 

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

Preparing for the Conquest - News Blackout

The Messenger of Allah* asked ‘Aisha, his wife to make preparations peculiar to marching out for war. Abu Bakr, meanwhile, came in and asked ‘Aisha what the matter was, showing surprise at the preparations being made as it was not, as he said, the usual time for war. She replied that she had no idea.
With view of securing a complete news black-out concerning his military intentions, the Prophet* despatched an eight-men platoon under the leadership of Qatadah bin Rab‘i in the direction of Edam, a short distance from Medina, in Ramadan 8 A.H., in order to divert the attention of people and screen off the main target with which he was preoccupied.

The Prophet* began to prepare for a campaign, and Abu Bakr asked if he also should make ready. The Prophet* said he should and told him that they were going out against Quraish. "Must we not wait for the time of the truce to run out?" said Abu Bakr. "They have betrayed us and broken the pact," said the Prophet, "and I shall attack them. But keep secret what I have told thee. Let one thinker think that God's Messenger is for Syria, and let another think he is for Thaqif, and another for Hawazin, O God, take from Quraish all sight of us, and all tidings of us, what we are about, that we may come suddenly upon them in their land."

Hatib's letter to the Quraish

In answer to this prayer word came to him from Heaven that one of the Emigrants, Hatib by name, had somehow learned the secret and had sent a letter to Quraish to warn them of the impending attack. He had given it to a woman of Muzaynah who was travelling to Mecca, and she had hidden it in her hair. The Prophet* sent 'All and Zubayr after her, and having failed to find the letter in her baggage they threatened to search her if she did not produce it and it was discovered the letter was carefully hidden in her locks of hair. So she gave them the letter and they took it to the Prophet, who sent for the writer of it. The Prophet* was very much perturbed to find that such a thing had been done by a Muslim, who had a long record of service and was eager to assist Islam even in very critical times.
He, therefore, called Hatib and asked him to explain his position. "What made thee do this, O Hatib?" he said. He replied, "O Messenger of Allah*! I have no affinity of blood with Quraish; there is only a kind of friendly relationship between them and myself. My family is at Mecca and there is no one to look after it or to offer protection to it. My position stands in striking contrast to that of the refugees whose families are secure due to their blood ties with Quraish. I felt that since I am not related to them, I should, for the safety of my children, earn their gratitude by doing good to them. I swear by Allah that I have not done this act as an apostate, forsaking Islam. I was prompted only by the considerations I have just explained." ‘Umar wanted to cut his head off as a hypocrite, but the Prophet* accepted his excuse and granted him pardon, then addressed ‘Umar saying: "Hatib is one of those who fought in the battle of Badr. How do you know that he is a hypocrite? Allah is likely to look favourably on those who participated in that battle. Turning then, to Hatib, he said: "Do as you please, for I have forgiven you."

“Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists, etc.) as friends”

However, to ensure that such an incident might not be repeated, the first nine verses of Surah al-Mumtahinah were revealed:

1. O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists, etc.) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth, and have driven out the Messenger and yourselves (from your homeland) because you believe in Allah your Lord! If you have come forth to strive in My Cause and to seek My Good Pleasure, (then take not these disbelievers and polytheists, etc., as your friends). You show friendship to them in secret, while I am All-Aware of what you conceal and what you reveal. And whosoever of you (Muslims) does that, then indeed he has gone (far) astray, (away) from the Straight Path .
2. Should they gain the upper hand over you, they would behave to you as enemies, and stretch forth their hands and their tongues against you with evil, and they desire that you should disbelieve.
3. Neither your relatives nor your children will benefit you on the Day of Resurrection (against Allah). He will judge between you. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.
4. Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: "Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever, until you believe in Allah Alone," except the saying of Ibrahim (Abraham) to his father: "Verily, I will ask for forgiveness (from Allah) for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah ." Our Lord! In You (Alone) we put our trust, and to You (Alone) we turn in repentance, and to You (Alone) is (our) final Return,
5. "Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the disbelievers, and forgive us, Our Lord! Verily, You, only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise."
6. Certainly, there has been in them an excellent example for you to follow, for those who look forward to (the Meeting with) Allah (for the reward from Him) and the Last Day. And whosoever turn away, then verily, Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Worthy of all Praise.
7. Perhaps Allah will make friendship between you and those whom you hold as enemies. And Allah has power (over all things), and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
8. Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.
9. It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allah forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the Zalimun (wrong-doers those who disobey Allah).

Being a Shepherd

The Prophet* now sent messengers to those of the tribes whom he felt he could now rely on for help, with a general summons to be present in Medina at the beginning of the next month, which was Ramadan, The Bedouin faithfully responded; and when the appointed day came the army was the largest that had ever set out from Medina. No able-bodied Muslim stayed behind. The Emigrants were seven hundred, with three hundred horse; the Helpers were four thousand, with five hundred horse; and the tribes, including those who joined them on the way, brought the total numbers up to nearly ten thousand men. The cavalry rode on camelback, leading their horses; and except for a few of the closest Companions none of them knew who the enemy were. After making full preparation, the Prophet* proceeded to Mecca at the head of ten thousand soldiers on the 10th of Ramadan, 8 A.H. He mandated Abu Ruhm Al- Ghifari to dispose the affairs of Medina during his absence. Outside Mecca they came across a tree and started eating its fruit and the Prophet* advised them to eat the (ripe) black ones. The Companions said that he* must have been a shepherd as only they would know these things. The Prophet* acknowledged that he was and that Allah made all his Prophet’s as shepherds – because it gives good training to the Muslim.

Abu Sufyan gets caught by the Muslim army

When they were about half-way they were met by 'Abbas and Umm al-Fadl and their sons. 'Abbas had decided that it was now time for them to leave Mecca and to live in Medina. The Prophet* invited them to join his expedition, which they did, to the joy of Maymunah, who had come with the Prophet.
The Quraish were quite unaware of the development of affairs, but the Prophet* did not like to take them by surprise. He, therefore, ordered his men to kindle fire on all sides for cooking purposes. The idea behind this was that Quraish should be afforded full opportunity to assess the situation in which they were pitchforked correctly, and should not endanger their lives by leaping blindly in the battlefield. ‘Umar bin Al- Khattab was entrusted with the guard duty.

In the meanwhile, Abu Sufyan along with Hakim bin Hizam and Budail bin Warqua’, went out to reconnoiter. From a distance, however, he heard the following conversation between Abu Sufyan and Budayl Warqa': Abu Sufyan: I have not so far seen such a great fire and such a big army. Budayl bin Warqa': They are the people of the tribe of Khuza'ah, who have prepared for war. Abu Sufyan: "Khuza'ah are too few to kindle such a great fire or to make such a big army." Before they got near the camp, they were arrested and then met ‘Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle. He apprised Abu Sufyan of the situation and advised him to accept Islam and persuade his people to surrender before Muhammad*; otherwise, his head would be struck off. Under the prevailing compelling circumstances, Abu Sufyan went in the company of ‘Abbas seeking the Prophet’s* audience. The Muslims were furious to see Abu Sufyan and wanted to kill him on the spot.

The Prophet's uncle was mounted on the particular mule of the Prophet* and Abu Sufyan was accompanying him. He made him pass from between the masses of fires and the large army consisting of infantrymen and mounted soldiers. The sentries recognized Abbas as well as the particular mule belonging to the Prophet* and, therefore, made way for him. While they were still on their way Umar's eyes fell on Abu Sufyan sitting on the pillion of Abbas, and he wanted to kill him (Abu Sufyan) at once. As, however, the Prophet's uncle had provided him protection, he (Umar) desisted from doing so. 'Abbas took them to the tent of the Prophet, and Abu Sufyan said: "O Muhammad, thou hast come with a strange assortment of men -some known and some unknown -against thy kindred." But the Prophet* cut him short. "It is thou who art the transgressor," he said. "Ye broke the pact of Hudaybiyah, and abetted the attack on the Bani Ka'b, thereby sinfully violating the holy precinct of God and His Sanctuary. Abu Sufyan sought to change the subject somewhat. "Alas," he said, "hadst thou but turned thine anger and thy strategy against Hawazin! For they are further from thee in kinship, and fiercer in enmity against thee." "I hope", said the Prophet, "that my Lord will grant me all of that -by victory over Mecca, by the triumph therein of Islam, and by the rout of Hawazin -and that He will enrich me with their goods as plunder and their families as captives." Then he said to the three men: "Bear witness that there is no god but God, and that I am the Messenger of God." Hakim and Budayl thereupon made their professions of faith, but Abu Sufyan testified "there is no god but God" and then was silent. When told to pronounce the second testification he said: "O Muhammad, there is still in my soul a scruple about this; give her a respite." So the Prophet* told his uncle to take them to his tent for the night.

Main Topic: Introduction to Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence and Law)

Types of Hukm Shara’i

Many Muslims are too quick to conclude that something is either Haram (prohibited) or Fard (compulsory) after a quick reading of an Ayah or a Hadith. Not all commands in the legislative sources are Fard or Haram. The rules, which are used to differentiate the types of Hukm Shar’i, are again related to Usul al-Fiqh. In reality, the Hukm Shar’i can be understood in five general ways.

A. Fard (Compulsory):
If the request to do an action is decisive (Talab Jazim) then it is a Fard or Wajib; both have the same meaning. A person who complies with a Fard will be rewarded, while one who disobeys will be punished.
Example: Performing and establishing Salah, paying Zakah, participating in the Jihad, being ruled by Islam, Muslim women wearing Hijab etc.

B. Haram (Prohibited)
If the instruction is connected with a decisive command of refraining from an action then it is Haram or Mahdhur. If the Haram is committed, then the person will be punished, but if the Haram action is avoided, the person will be rewarded.
Example: dealing with Riba (interest), gambling, promoting nationalism, etc.

C. Mandoub, Mustahab, Sunnah or Nafilah (Recommended)
If the instruction to do an action is not firm, then it is considered Mandub. The one who performs it is praised and rewarded; however, the one who did not perform it is neither blamed nor punished.
Example: Attending to the sick, giving alms to the poor, fasting Mondays and Thursdays.

D. Makruh (Disliked)
If the instruction of refraining from an action is not firm, then it is considered Makruh. The one who abstains is praised and rewarded while the one who does it is neither punished nor blamed.
Example: performing Salah between Fajr Salah and sunrise, eating garlic before going to the masjid for Salah, dropping litter on the road etc.

E. Mubah (Permissible)
If the choice to do or not to do an action is left up to the person, then the action is called Mubah. One will neither be rewarded nor punished for an action falling under this category.
Example: Eating lamb or chicken, marrying up to four wives, driving a car etc.

Some of the Hukm Shar’i such as Fard are divided into sub-categories. For example, Fard is divided into Fard al Ayn and Fard al Kifaya. Fard al Ayn is obligatory on every Muslim, such as praying five times a day; fasting Ramadhan, fulfilling duties to husband/wife whereas, Fard al Kifaya is obligatory on the whole Ummah until part of the Ummah fulfils the Fard, such as the burial of a deceased Muslim. If a portion of the Ummah fulfilled this task, then this relieves the duty from the rest of the Muslims. Some of the other types of Hukm Shar’i are also further sub-divided.

Sources of Islamic Law

The rulings of Allah are derived from certain sources. They are not plucked out of the air! The sources, which are used to make laws, have to be based on something tangible and accessible.
The four definitive sources of Hukm Shar’i are;
•    the Qur’an (the Word of Allah),
•    the Sunnah (example of the Prophet*),
•    Ijma’ as-Sahabah (consensus of the Companions),
•    Qiyas (Divine Analogy).
We will go into more detail about these in the coming weeks – but is is important that all Muslims have supreme confidence that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah.

How do we get this confidence in Allah and the Qur’an - that is more than simply blind faith?

Children's Nawawi's 40 Hadith feedback:

Hadith 18 ~ On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junaadah, and Abu 'Abd-ir-Rahmaan Mu'aadh bin Jabal that the Messenger of Allah* said : Have Taqwaa (Fear) of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people. [at-Tirmidhi]

Hadith 9 ~ On the authority of Abu Hurairah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah* say: "What I have forbidden to you, avoid; what I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. It was only their excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their prophets that destroyed those who were before you." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Hadith 40 ~ On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, ma, who said: The Messenger of Allah*, took me by the shoulder and said: "Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler/wayfarer."
Ibn 'Umar used to say: "When evening comes, do not expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live till) evening. Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness, and from your life for your death." [Al-Bukhari]

Hadith 3 ~ On the authority of Abu Abdur-Rahman `Abdullah, the son of Umar ibn al-Khattab, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah* say: Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakah (obligatory charity), making the Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadan. [Bukhari and Muslim]

Hadith 34 ~ On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah*, say: "When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by Allah), let him change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest (kind of) faith." [Muslim]

Hadith 1 ~ On the authority of Umar ibn al-Khattab, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah* say: "Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended. Thus he whose migration (Hijrah to Madina from Mecca) was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Hadith 7 ~ On the authority of Tamim Al-Dari that the prophet said: "Religion is sincerity". We said: "To whom?" He said: "To Allah and His Book, and His messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk". [Muslim]

Hadith 29 ~ From Mu'adh bin Jabal who said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hell-fire." He said: "You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is, indeed, an easy matter for him to whom Allah Almighty makes it easy. (It is ) that you worship Allah without associating anything with Him, that you perform the prayers, that you pay the zakat, that you fast during Ramadan, and that you make the pilgrimage to the House."
Then he said: "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire; and a man's prayer in the middle of the night." Then he recited: "Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them. No soul knoweth what is kept hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do". [Qu'ran, Surah al-Sajdah (32): Ayah 16-17]
Then he said: "Shall I not also tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar, and its topmost part?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "The peak of the matter is Islam (submission to Allah), the pillar is prayer; and its topmost part is jihad." Then he said: "And shall I not tell you of the controlling of all that ?" I said:" Yes, O Messenger of Allah". So he took hold of his tongue and said: "Restrain this." I said: "O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?" He said: "May your mother be bereft of you! Is there anything that topples people on their faces (or he said, on their noses) into the Hell-fire other than the jests of their tongues?" [Al-Tirmidhi]

Hadith 11 ~ On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah*, and the one much loved by him, who said: I memorised from the Messenger of Allah*: Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt. [at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasai]

No News topic this week

18 December 2011

Hudaibiyah Envoys

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

The Treaty of Hudaibiyah: part 2: The Envoys
Budayl ibn Warqa' of Khuza’ah
Two Bedouin chiefs approached, whose tribe, the Bani Khuza'ah, one-time guardians of the Sanctuary, included the clans of Aslam, Ka'b and Mustaliq, to a man, these were now all well disposed towards the Prophet. For such of them as had not yet entered Islam, there was a political advantage in this alliance, which was needed to counterbalance the pact that their great enemies, the Bani Bakr, had long had with Quraish. One of their leading men, Budayl ibn Warqa', was in Mecca when news came that the pilgrims were encamped at Hudaybiyah. He now went with some of his clansmen to the Prophet* to inform him of the attitude of Quraish. "They swear by God," he said, "that they will not leave the way open between thee and the House until the last of their fighting men hath perished." The Prophet* said: "We came not here for battle; we came only to make our pilgrimal rounds about the House. He that stands in our way, him we shall fight; but I will grant them time, if they so desire it, to take their precautions and to leave the way clear for us."
Budayl and his fellows returned to Mecca, and Quraish received them in sullen silence. When they offered to tell them what Muhammad had said to them, 'Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl, said they did not wish to hear it, whereupon Urwah, one of their allies of Thaqif -his mother was a Meccan -protested that this attitude was absurd. So Safwan said to Budayl: "Tell us what ye have seen and what ye have heard." And he told them of the peaceful intent of the pilgrims, and also that the Prophet* had said he was ready to give Quraish time to prepare for their coming. Then Urwah said: "Budayl hath brought you a goodly concession such as no man can refuse except to his own hurt. So accept his hearsay of it, but send me to bring confirmation direct from Muhammad; and I will look on those who are with him, and I will be for you a scout, to bring you tidings of him."
Hulays of the Bani l-Harith (Ahabish)
Quraish accepted his offer, but they had already sent, as scout and possible envoy, the man who commanded all their allies of the Bedouin tribes, known collectively as the Ahabish. This was Hulays of the Bani l-Harith, one of the clans of Kinanah, It was he who had rebuked Abu Sufyan for the mutilations at Uhud. When the Prophet* saw him coming, he knew -either from his gait and demeanour or from what he had heard of him -that he was a man of piety, with a great reverence for sacred things, so he gave orders that the animals they intended to sacrifice should be sent to meet him; and when the seventy camels solemnly filed past Hulays with their marks of consecration and their festive ornaments he was so impressed that without going to speak to the Prophet* he went straight back to Quraish and assured them that the pilgrims intentions were entirely peaceful.
Exasperated, the Meccans told him that he was merely a man of the desert and that he had no knowledge of the situation. This was a great tactical error, as they soon realised, but too late. "Men of Quraish," he said sternly, "not for this, by God, did we consent to be your allies, and not for this pledged we our pact with you. Shall one who cometh to honour the House of God be banned from it? By Him in whose hand is my soul, either ye let Muhammad do what he hath come to do, or I lead away the Ahabish, every man of them." "Bear with us, Hulays," they said, "until we reach terms that we can accept."
Mikraz bin Hafs
The Quraish sent another one called Mikraz bin Hafs. On seeing him, the Prophet* said that that he was a treacherous man. He was given the same message to communicate to his people.
Urwah bin Masud of Taif
Meantime Urwah of Thaqif had arrived at the pilgrim's camp, and was already in converse with the Prophet. Seated in front of him, he began by treating him as an equal and took him by the beard when he addressed him; but Mughirah, one of the Emigrants who was standing by, rapped his hand with the flat of his sword, and he took it away. A few moments later, when he ventured to take the Prophet's beard again, Mughirah gave him a harder rap, saying: "From the beard of God's Messenger take thy hand while it is yet thine to take." Al-Mugheerah bin Shu‘bah forbade him from touching the Prophet’s beard. Here, Quraish’s envoy remarked indignantly and alluded to the latter’s treacherous act of killing his companions and looting them before he embraced Islam.
In the course of discussion he said to the Prophet*: “Muhammad! Have you gathered around yourself mixed people and then brought them against your kith and kin in order to destroy them. By Allah I think I see you deserted by these people tomorrow.” At this point Abu Bakr stood up and expressed his resentment at this imputation.
Meanwhile, Urwah, during his stay in the Muslim camp, had been closely watching the unfathomable love and profound respect that the followers of Muhammad* showed him. Urwah refrained from any further familiarities with the Prophet; but after talking with him at some length, he stayed in the camp for several hours. He had promised Quraish to be their scout as well as their envoy, and he was bent on taking note of everything. But what impressed him most were things which he had not come to see, things of which he had never seen the like; and when he returned to Mecca he said to Quraish: "O people, I have been sent as envoy unto kings -unto Caesar and Chosroes and the Negus -and I have not seen a king whose men so honour him as the companions of Muhammad honour Muhammad, If he cornmandeth aught, they almost outstrip his word in fulfilling it; when he performeth his ablution, they wellnigh fight for the water thereof; when he speaketh, their voices are hushed in his presence; nor will they look him full in the face, but lower their eyes in reverence for him. He hath offered you a goodly concession; therefore accept it from him.'"
The Prophtet* sends Uthman to Mecca
While Urwah was still in the camp, the Prophet* had mounted a man of Ka'b named Khirash on one of his camels and sent him as envoy to Quraish. When he arrived, 'Ikrimah hamstrung the camel; but Hulays and his men intervened and saved the envoy's life, compelling Quraish to let him go back to the Prophet. "O Messenger of God," he said on his return, "send a man who is better protected than I am." The Prophet* called Umer to him, but Umer said that Quraish knew well of his great hostility to them, and that none of his own clan, the Bani 'Adl, were strong enough to defend him. "But I will show you," he said, "a man who is more powerful in Mecca than I am, richer in kinsmen and better protected -Uthman ibn 'Affan." So the Prophet* sent Uthman and he was well received by his kinsmen of'Abdu Shams and by others; and though they reiterated to him their refusal to allow any of those now in Hudaybiyah to approach the Ka'bah, they invited him personally to make his pilgrimal rounds, which he refused to do.
Uthman went to Abu Sufyan and other chiefs and told them that the Muslims had come only to visit and pay their homage to the Sacred House, to do worship there, and that they had no intention to fight. He was also asked to call them to Islam, and give glad tidings to the believers in Mecca, women and men, that the conquest was approaching and Islam was surely to prevail because Allah would verily establish His religion in Mecca. Uthman also assured them that after the performance of ceremonies they would soon depart peacefully, but the Quraishites were adamant and not prepared to grant them the permission to visit Al-Ka‘bah. They, however, offered Uthman the permission to perform the pilgrimage, if he so desired in his individual capacity, but Uthman declined the offer saying: “How is it possible that I avail myself of this opportunity, when the Prophet* is denied of it?”
War averted
Seeing an overwhelming tendency towards reconciliation among their chiefs, some reckless, fight-prone youngsters of Quraish devised a wicked plan that could hinder the peace treaty. They decided to infiltrate into the camp of the Muslims and produce intentional skirmishes that might trigger the fuse of war. Muhammad bin Maslamah, chief of the Muslim guards, took them captives, but in view of the far-reaching imminent results about to be achieved, the Prophet* set them free. In this context Allah says: “And He it is Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Mecca, after He had made you victors over them.” [48:24]

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21 August 2011

21 August 2011

Seerah of Muhammed*

*: May the Peace, Blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him

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

Seerah: Battle of the Trench / Confederates (Coalition) [part1]

The Jews make alliance with the Quraish

The exiled Jews of Bani Nadir who had settled in Khaybar were determined to recover the land they had lost. Their hopes were centred on the preparations of Quraish for a final attack on the Prophet*; and towards the end of the fifth year of Islam -it was about the New Year of AD 627 -these preparations were brought to a head by a secret visit to Mecca of Huyay and other Jewish leaders from Khaybar. "We are one with you," they said to Abu Sufyan, "that we may eradicate Muhammad*." "The dearest of men to us", he replied, "are those who help us against Muhammad*." So he and Safwan and other chiefs of Quraish took the Jews inside the Ka'bah, and together they swore a solemn oath to God that they would not fail one another until they had achieved their end and aim. Then it occurred to Quraish that they should take this opportunity of asking the opinion of the Jews about the rights of their conflict with the founder of the new religion. "Men of the Jews," said Abu Sufyan, "ye are the people of the first scripture, and ye have knowledge. Tell us how we stand with regard unto Muhammad*, Is our religion the better or his?" They answered: "Your religion is better than his, and ye are nearer the truth than he is."

Gathering the Coalition (Confederacy)

On this harmonious basis the two allies laid their plans. The Jews undertook to rouse up all the nomads in the plain of Najd who had grievances against Medina; and where desire for revenge was not sufficient the matter was to be clinched by bribery. The Bani Asad readily agreed to help them; as to the Bani Ghatafan, they were promised half the date harvest of Khaybar if they would join the confederacy, and their agreement to do so increased the army by nearly six thousand men, from the Ghatafanite clans of Fazarah, Murrah and Ashja', The Jews also succeeded in securing a contingent from the Bani Sulaym seven hundred strong, which would no doubt have been larger but for the fact that ever since the massacre at the well of Ma'unah a small but increasing party within this tribe had been favourable to Islam. As to the southerly neighbour of Sulaym, the Bani'Amir, they remained altogether faithful to their pact with the Prophet*.

Quraish themselves and their closest allies were four thousand strong. Together with one or two other contingents from the south, they were to march out from Mecca along the west coastal route to Medina, the same route which they had taken to Uhud. The second army, which was considerably less of a unity, was to close in on Medina from the east, that is, from the plain of Najd. Together the two armies were estimated at a total of more than three times the strength of Quraish at Uhud. There the Muslims had been defeated by a force of three thousand. What could they now hope to do against ten thousand? Moreover, instead of a troop of only two hundred horse, Quraish had this time three hundred and could rely on Ghatafan for another troop of the same strength.

They marched forth from Mecca-according to plan; and about the same time, possibly with the connivance of 'Abbas, a number of horsemen from the Bani Khuza'ah set out with all speed for Medina to warn the Prophet* of the impending attack and to give him details of its strength. They reached him in four days, thus giving him only a week to make preparations. He at once alerted the whole oasis and spoke words of encouragement to his followers, promising them the victory if only they would have patience and fear God and obey orders.

The Prophet Plans the Defence of Medina

Then, as he had done at Uhud, he summoned them to a consultation (Shura) at which many opinions were expressed as to what would be the best plan of action; but finally Salman rose to his feet and said: "O Messenger of God, in Persia when we feared an attack of horse, we would surround ourselves with a trench, so let us dig a trench about us now." Everyone agreed to this plan with enthusiasm, the more so as they were averse to repeating the strategy of Uhud.

Time was short and all efforts would have to be strained to the utmost if no dangerous gap was to be left in the defences. But the trench did not need to be continuous; at many places a long stretch of fortress-like houses at the edge of the city was adequate protection; and to the north-west there were some masses of rock which in themselves were impregnable and merely needed to be connected to each other. The nearest of these, known as Mount Sal', was to be brought within the entrenchments, for the ground in front of it was an excellent site for the camp. The trench itself would bound the camp to the north in a wide sweep from one of the rocky eminences to a point on the eastern wall of the town. This was to be the longest single stretch of trench and also the most important.

As well as being the originator of the strategy, Salman knew exactly how wide and how deep the trench would have to be; and having worked with the Bani Qurayzah, he knew that they possessed all the implements that were needed. Nor were they averse to lending them in the face of the common danger; for although they had no love for the Prophet* the majority of opinion amongst them had been that their pact with him was a political advantage, not to be thrown away. So mattocks, pickaxes and shovels were borrowed from them. They also supplied date-baskets which were strongly woven of palm-fibre and could thus be used for carrying the excavated earth. The Prophet* made each section of his community responsible for a part of the trench and he himself worked with them (10 men to forty feet of Trench).

The Prophet* worked now with the Emigrants, and now with the Helpers, sometimes with a pickaxe, sometimes with a shovel and sometimes as a carrier. But wherever he might be, it was understood that he must be informed of any unusual difficulty. Most of the diggers at the trench had not normally enough to eat, and the hard work increased the pangs of hunger. Anas relates that the food they had was rotten animal fat mixed with barley that stuck in their throats.

The Meccan army and their allies pitched separate camps not far from Uhud. Quraish were dismayed to find that the crops of the oasis had already been harvested. Their camels would have to subsist on the acacias of the valley of 'Aqiq. Meantime the camels of Ghatafan were living on the two kinds of tamarisk which grow in the thicketed parts of the plain near Uhud. But there was nothing for the horses of either army except the fodder they had brought with them. It was therefore imperative to make an end of the enemy as quickly as possible, and with this intention the two armies joined together and advanced in the direction of the city. Abu Sufyan was commander-in-chief, but by turns each of the various leaders was to have his day of honour in which he would direct the actual fighting. Khalid and 'Ikrimah were again in command of the Meccan cavalry, and 'Amr was in Khalid's troop. As they approached they were heartened to see the enemy camp in front of them outside the town. They had been afraid that they would find them garrisoned behind their battlements; but out in the open they should be able to overwhelm them by sheer weight of numbers. When they drew nearer, however, they were amazed to see that a broad trench lay between them and the archers who were lined the whole way along it on its further side. Their horse would only be able to reach it with difficulty, and then would come the greater difficulty of crossing it. Even now a shower of arrows told them that they were already within range of the enemy, so they drew back to a safer distance.

Meantime Khalid and 'Ikrimah were examining the trench, albeit from a distance, to see where it might most easily be crossed. "This piece of trickery!" they exclaimed in exasperation. "Never have Arabs resorted to such a device. There must surely be with him a man of Persia." To their disappointment they saw that the work had been all too well done, except for a short section which was slightly narrower than the rest, and this was closely guarded. One or two attempts to storm it were a total failure. Their horses had never seen anything like the trench and manifested a strong aversion for it. This might change, but for the moment the fighting could be no more than an interchange of archery.

News topic:

Funeral of 3 Birmingham Muslims killed in riots

We talked about how dignified the Muslims were in the funeral prayer – over 20,000 people attended this sad event. Nevertheless, the Muslims showed what the community in Britain is really like – not how it is portrayed in the media. Special mention was made of the parents and brothers of the dead young men and what a wonderful example they have been showing to the Muslims and Non-Muslims in their time of grief.

Hadith:

No time to complete the Hadith

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Why we are created differently

Looking at the different features of the many ‘tribes’ and ‘races’ Allah created in the world – ‘so that we may get to know each other’. Also we talked about the dangers of nationalism and how this contradicts Islamic principles of brotherhood and One Ummah.

Eid-ul Fitr and Eid-ul Adha

Looking at the reasons why we celebrate these days and what all Muslims should do on the auspicious days of Eid.

17 July 2011

17 July 2011

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

Banu Nadir Invasion (part 1)

Some of the Jews were trying to undermine the cause of Islam despite all the covenants and pledges they had given to the Prophet*. Their behaviour fluctuated between resignation and slackness after the Banu Qainuqa‘ event and the murder of Ka‘b bin Al-Ashraf, and rebellion coupled with treacherous clandestine contacts with Quraish and the hypocrites in order to establish an alliance against the Muslims after the battle of Uhud. Being inexperienced in war tactics, they resorted to conspiracy and intrigue hatching.
Once the Prophet* with some of his Companions set out to see Banu Nadir and seek their help in raising the blood-money he had to pay to Bani Kalb for the two men that ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari had killed by mistake. All of that was in accordance with the clauses of the treaty that both parties had already signed. On hearing his story they said they would share in paying the blood-money and asked him and his Companions Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Ali and others to sit under a wall of their houses and wait. The Jews held a short private meeting and conspired to kill the Prophet*. The most wicked among them, ‘Amr bin Jahsh, volunteered to climb up the wall and drop a large millstone on his head. One of them, Salam bin Mashkam, cautioned them against perpetrating such a crime, predicting that Allah would divulge their plot to him, and added that such an act would constitute a manifest violation of the pact concluded with the Muslims.
In fact, Gabriel did come down to reveal to the Prophet* their wicked criminal intention, so he, with his Companions, hurried off back to Madinah. On their way, he told his Companions of the Divine Revelation.
Soon after, the Prophet* delegated Muhammad bin Maslamah to communicate an ultimatum to Bani Nadir to the effect that they should evacuate Madinah within ten days, otherwise, their heads would be cut off. The chief of the hypocrites, ‘Abdullah bin Ubai, urged the Jews not to pay heed to the Prophet*’s words and to stay in their habitations, offering to run to their support with two thousands of his followers, and assuring them of help to come from Quraizah tribe and former allies Banu Ghatfan. In this regards, Allah says:
"If you are expelled, we (too) indeed will go out with you, and we shall never obey anyone against you, and if you are attacked (in fight), we shall indeed help you." [Al-Qur'an 59:11]
The Jews regained their confidence and were determined to fight. Their chief Huyai bin Akhtab relied hopefully on what the chief of the hypocrites said. So he sent to the Messenger of Allah* saying: "We will not leave our houses. Do whatever you like to do."
Undoubtedly the situation was awkward for the Muslims. Launching a war against their opponents at this critical stage could entail terrible far reaching ramifications in the light of the unfavourable conditions they were passing through, besides the hostile environment growing in power and hatred around them, the harbinger of which assumed the form of killing the Muslim missions, as it has been already introduced.
The Jews of Bani Nadir were also a power to count for, and the prospects of inflicting a military defeat on them was precarious; consequently forcing them into war engagement would be attended with unpredictable risks. On the other hand, the continual state of repeated assassinations and acts of treachery carried out against the Muslims individually and collectively brought about unbearable headache to Muhammad*’s followers. Having judged all the prevalent status quo in this perspective, and in the light of the disgraceful attempt on the life of the Prophet*, the Muslims made the decisive decisions of taking up arms whatever turn the consequences could assume.

Following on from the BBC2 documentary (Life of Muhammed) here is an issue that needs clearing up:

Sujud at-Tilawah
Verses of the Holy Quran on Which a Prostration (Sujud at-Tilawah (the Prostration of Quran Recitation)) is Mandatory After Recitation: There are 15 verses in the Holy Quran where prostrating after their recitation is obligatory

7:206 Surely those who are with your Lord are not too proud to serve Him, and they glorify Him and prostrate themselves before Him.
13:15 And whoever is in the heavens and the earth makes obeisance to Allah only, willingly and unwillingly, and their shadows, too, at morn and eve.
16:50 They fear their Lord above them and do what they are commanded.
17:109 And they fall down on their faces, weeping, and it adds to their humility.
19:58 These are they on whom Allah bestowed favours, from among the prophets, of the seed of Adam, and of those whom We carried with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the messages of the Beneficent were recited to them, they fell down in submission, weeping.
22:18 See you not that to Allah makes submission whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon and the stars, and the mountains and the trees, and the animals and many of the people? And many there are to whom chastisement is due. And he whom Allah abases, none can give him honour. Surely Allah does what He pleases.
22:77 O you who believe, bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed.
25:60 And when it is said to them: Make obeisance to the Beneficent, they say: And what is the Beneficent? Shall we make obeisance to what you bid us? And it adds to their aversion.
27:26 Allah, there is no God but He, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.
32:15 Only they believe in Our messages who, when they are reminded of them, fall down prostrate and celebrate the praise of their Lord, and they are not proud.
38:24 He said: Surely he has wronged you in demanding your ewe (to add) to his own ewes. And surely many partners wrong one another save those who believe and do good, and very few are they! And David knew that We had tried him, so he asked his Lord for protection, and he fell down bowing and turned (to God).
41:38 But if they are proud, yet those with your Lord glorify Him night and day, and they tire not.
53:62 So bow down in prostration before Allah and serve (Him).
84:21 And, when the Quran is recited to them, they adore (Him) not?.
96:19 Nay! Obey him not, but prostrate thyself, and draw nigh (to Allah).


Refutation to the “Satanic Verses” Incident

Many of you have read or heard about the satanic book, “Satanic Verses” written by Salman Rushdie (May Allah’s curse be upon him!). He based his satanic book on an incident known as, “The Incident of Satanic Verses”. When Prophet* gave consent to allow about 14 of companions to depart for Abyssinia since the mushrikin of Makkah were disturbing the Muslims a lot. Later on the number of Muslims in Abyssinia increased to 83 excluding the small children. King Negus was very kind to the Muslims. One day the Muslims, living in Abyssinia, heard that the whole Quraysh had accepted Islam. What actually happened was that when Surah an-Najm was revealed to Prophet*, he recited it to his blessed companions within the same room were the mushrikin. And when he* reached the last ayah, So fall you down in prostration to Allah, and worship Him (Alone). {Surah an-Najm, 62} Everyone in the room fell into prostration even the kuffar.
The Muslims did Sajdah because it’s an obligation that we have to do Sajdah when we either hear the ayah or when we recite it. As for the kuffar, they felt so compelled and overpowered in front of Allah’s words that they had to do Sajdah. Seeing this, the rumour spread to Abyssinia that the Quraysh accepted Islam.
What also was spread into our times is the “Satanic Verses” incident. It is falsely attributed to Prophet* that when he read the last ayah of Surah an-Najm, he prostrated because satan came to Prophet* and whispered some stuff about the Quraysh’s 3 so called gods Lat, ‘Uzza, Manat (verses19 and 20) that they were the true gods. Whilst the second narration goes to say that Prophet* was reciting, Have you then considered Al-Lat, and Al-Uzza (two idols of the pagan Arabs) And Manat (another idol of the pagan Arabs), the other third? {Surah an-Najm, 19-20} And satan came to him and whispered the glorification of these so called gods and he* then prostrated. These are 2 narrations reported to have taken place. Prominent scholars and interpreters of Qur’an have declared both of the narrations as complete FABRICATIONS.

There are many reasons:
1) It is impossible that satan comes to Prophet* and he* obeys him
2) No one can tamper with the Qur’an so satan can add/delete into the Qur’an by telling Prophet *
3) Prophet* was, as all the Prophets sinless (regarding the deen) and he was the best creation of Allah, i.e. can never commit sins let alone shirk. Allah saved him from all sins
4) If we believe that the Qur’an can not be tampered, then second narration is to be ignored. Therefore, it is impossible that satan would come to Prophet* telling him to do Sajdah on something haram
5) There is the ayah of Sajdah hearing which Prophet* did Sajdah not any other reason
6) Satan’s coming to whisper Prophet* doesn’t make sense if analyse the situation contextually, i.e. the context of the ayaat Prophet* was reciting. Allah was ridiculing the mushrikin by saying,Then which of the Graces of your Lord (O man!) will you doubt. This (Muhammad SAW) is a warner (Messenger) of the (series of) warners (Messengers) of old. The Day of Resurrection draws near; none besides Allah can avert it, (or advance it, or delay it). Do you then wonder at this recital (the Quran)? And you laugh at it and weep not, wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing, etc.). So fall you down in prostration to Allah, and worship Him (Alone). {Surah an-Najm, ayaat 55-62}
If Allah was question the mushrikin about their wonder regarding the Qur’an and telling them that they are wasting there lives, then how can this 3 false god issue occur? It doesn’t make sense to say the least.
7) Both narrations (as mentioned above) are fabrications, baseless, lies which were thoroughly checked by Scholars.

The sources for the satanic verses, at-Tabari and Ibn Sa'd, are reputable Muslim sources for early Quranic commentary and Islamic history. They have only transmitted the story as it was transmitted to them. Al-Tabari mentions the so-called 'Satanic verses' story in his Tarikh as well as an important set of statements in the introduction of his book, which states: “Let him who examines this book of mine know that I have relied, as regards everything I mention therein which I stipulate to be described by me, solely upon what has been transmitted to me by way of reports which I cite therein and traditions which I ascribe to their narrators, to the exclusion of what may be apprehended by rational argument or deduced by the human mind, except in very few cases”. Hence, Claiming that the issue of so-called 'Satanic verses' incident is true just because al-Tabari or Ibn Sa'd mentioned them amounts to a deliberate distortion of the facts.
 “These are the high-flying ones, whose intercession is to be hoped for!” The Prophet*, it is alleged, recited these along with other verses of Surah an-Najm in the prayer. The idolators of Makkah who were present in the Ka'bah at that time joined him in the prayer because he praised their deities and thus won their hearts. The story afterwards reached Abyssinia where the Muslims, persecuted by the Makkan infidels, had earlier migrated and many of them returned to Makkah under the impression that the disbelievers no longer opposed the Prophet* and the Islamic movement. The story also says that the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet* the same evening and told him about the mistake he had committed by reciting verses which were never revealed to him. This naturally worried the Prophet* and made him apprehensive. 'Admonishing' the Prophet*, God revealed the following verses of Surah al-Isra' which read: And their purpose was to tempt thee away from that which We had revealed unto thee, to substitute in our name something quite different; (in that case), behold! they would certainly have made thee (their) friend! And had We not given thee strength, thou wouldst nearly have inclined to them a little. In that case We should have made thee taste an equal portion (of punishment) in this life, and an equal portion in death: and moreover thou wouldst have found none to help thee against Us! [Qur'an 17:73-75]
This made the Prophet* feel very guilty until God revealed the following consoling verse of Surah al-Hajj: Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and Allah will confirm (and establish) His Signs: for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom. [Qur'an 22:52]. This is the gist of the story mentioned by al-Tabari.

However, the verses of Surah al-Isra' (17:73-5) which were revealed, according to the story, to 'admonish' the Prophet* for allegedly reciting the 'Satanic' verses, in fact were not revealed until after the event of the Mi'raj. The Mi'raj or the Ascent of the Prophet*, according to historical sources, occurred in the tenth or eleventh year of the Prophetic call, i.e., two or three years before the Hijrah to Madinah. If this is so, then it implies that the 'Satanic' verses were not detected or for some reason no mention was made about the alleged interpolation of the verses for five or six years and only afterwards was the Prophet* admonished for it. Can any sensible person believe that the interpolation occurs today, while the admonition takes place six years later and the abrogation of the interpolated verses is publicly announced after nine years. The relevant verse of Surah al-Hajj (22:52) according to the commentators of the Qur'an was revealed in the first year of Hijrah, i.e., about eight to nine years after the incident and about two and a half years after the so-called admonition of the Prophet* (17:73-5).
The first passage shows that it was the unbelievers who attempted to induce the Prophet to making a compromise with them, not that he ever wanted it. The passage further states that Allah made the Prophet’s heart firm against such attempts of the unbelievers. The emphasis here is on the intensity of the unbelievers’ attempts, and Allah’s special favor upon the Prophet making him immune against such efforts and because of such special favor, the Prophet*, did not incline towards the unbelievers even a little. Finally the above verse warns that, had the Prophet*, been guilty of slight inclination towards the unbelievers’ proposals, he would have been doubly punished by Allah.
Can anybody who knows about the Qur'an, its history and revelation, understand and explain how the incident of interpolation was allowed to be tolerated for six years and also why the offensive 'verses' were not abrogated until after nine years?
The implication of this argument is that since the abrogating verses were revealed nine years after the original event, that would mean that for nine years Muslims had been asking Lat, Manat and Uzza for intercession! In other words outright idolatry resulting from compromised monotheistic beliefs. It is therefore quite pretentious to suggest any historicity in the notion that Muslims had been asking Lat, Manat and Uzza for intercession over the span of almost a decade.

Conclusions
It is quite clear that the nature of the story is absurd and it cannot stand the external and internal criticism. It is even clearer from the Qur'an that it is not possible for the Prophet* to accept anything in the Qur'an from any external source. If this is so, then how can one take seriously, let alone believe in the so-called story of the 'Satanic' revelation? This is why the leading traditionalists and the exegetes in Islam have regarded this story as malicious and without foundation. It is unfortunate that an eminent historian like al-Tabari mentioned this story in his Tarikh al-Umam wal-Muluk and did not make any comment on its authenticity except to mention that he had faithfully transmitted whatever he received.
Yet, we are not aware of any Muslims that actually believe the aforementioned story, and this position is cogently justified on the grounds of rigorous historical criticism. However, episodes of fabulous rumors followed by a credulous following are quite common outside the history of Islam. For example, it was rumoured that Jesus* traveled to India. It was rumoured that St. Matthew actually wrote the Gospel According to St. Matthew. It was rumoured that Islamic fundamentalists were responsible for the Oklahoma bombing. It was rumoured that UFOs visited Roswell, New Mexico. However, just because we do not know the individuals responsible for these rumours, does this mean that the rumours are true? Is the absence of an identified source of these rumours supposed to be construed as some sort of threat? The naïve implications of this method of inquiry should bring shame upon anybody who entertains them.

The Qur’anic evidence against the genuineness of the story is of three kinds.
There are a number of statements in the Qur’an that show that neither Satan nor anyone else could interfere in the process of coming of the revelation. Nor did the Prophet*, ever entertain any intention of making compromise with the unbelieving leaders, nor did he ever interpolate in the text of the revelation. The passages cited as having been revealed as a sequel to the incident and for reassuring the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prove to the contrary, showing that he had not made even the slightest move towards making a compromise with the unbelieving leaders.

THE PASSAGES FROM THE QUR’AN THAT DIRECTLY BELIE THE STORY ARE AS FOLLOWS:
“If he (Messenger) were to invent any saying in Our Name, We should certainly have seized him by the right hand and We should then have surely cut off the artery of his heart" [Qur’an 60:44-46]
“Say; It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it (the revelation). I follow naught but what is revealed unto me"[Qur'an 10:15 ]
“No falsehood can approach it from the front, nor from the rear (i.e. neither directly nor indirectly). It is sent-down from Allah the All-Wise, the All-Praiseworthy.”[Qur'an 41:42]
“We indeed have sent down the recital (the Qur’an) and indeed are its Protectors (from any interference).”[Qur'an 15:9]
“In what way (We have revealed it), that We may make your heart firm thereby; and We have dictated it in stages.”[Qur'an 25:32]
It is seen from the above that the Qur’an repeatedly assures that Allah has protected it against any possibility of being tampered with directly or indirectly, that it is not for the Prophet to change it or add to it anything. If he had done so, Allah’s severe punishment would inevitably and irresistibly have befallen him. These clear and positive statements directly contradict the story, which says that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, of his own accord or being deceived by Satan introduced something into the text of revelation. Not only that. The alleged interpolation violated the fundamental teaching of the Qur’an – monotheism (Tauhid) and thus constituted the offence of shirk which Allah warns elsewhere in the Qur’an that He shall under no circumstances forgive.

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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.

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