22 April, 2012

Hudaibiyah Treaty broken, Hadith 42 Allah's Mercy

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

Banu Bakr and Quraish break the Treaty of Hudaibiyah
In the jays of Jahilliyah, some men from the tribe of Khuza’ah killed men from the tribe of Banu Bakr. The latter tribe sought revenge and the tit-for-tat cycle started.  According to the terms of the treaty of Hudaibiyah, the Arab tribes were given the option to join either of the parties, the Muslims or Quraish, with which they desired to enter into treaty alliance. Should any of these tribes suffer aggression, then the party to which it was allied would have the right to retaliate. As a consequence, Banu Bakr joined Quraish, and Khuza’ah joined the Prophet*. Khuza’ah were allies of Abu Talib and were already favouring the Prophet*, although not many of them were Muslims. They thus lived in peace for sometime but ulterior motives stretching back to pre-Islamic period ignited by unabated fire of revenge triggered fresh hostilities. Banu Bakr, without caring a bit for the provisions of the treaty, attacked Banu Khuza’ah in a place called Al-Watir in Sha'ban, 8 A.H. Quraish helped Banu Bakr with men and arms taking advantage of the dark night. Pressed by their enemies, the tribesmen of Khuza’ah sought the Holy Sanctuary, but here too, their lives were not spared, and, contrary to all accepted traditions, Nawfal, the chief of Banu Bakr, chasing them in the sanctified area - where no blood should be shed - massacred his adversaries.

The Bani Ka'b of Khuza’ah immediately sent a deputation to Medina to inform the Prophet* of what had happened and to ask for his help. When the aggrieved party sought justice from their Muslim allies, the Prophet*, as their leader, demanded an immediate redress for not only violating the treaty but also slaying men allied to him in the sanctified area. Three demands were made, the acceptance of any one of them was imperative:
a) to pay blood money for the victims of Khuza’ah,
b) to terminate their alliance with Banu Bakr; or
c) to consider the truce to have been nullified.

The Prophet reassures the Khuza’ah
This behaviour on the part of Quraish was clearly a breach of the treaty of Al-Hudaibiyah and was obviously an act of hostility against the allies of the Muslims, i.e. Banu Khuza’ah.
The Prophet* told them they could rely on him, and sent them back to their territory. He did not refer to and Security Council or Committee but gave an unequivocal response that most modern Muslim leaders wouldn’t even dream of! When they had gone, he went to A'ishah, who could see from his face that he was in great anger. He asked for some water to perform his ablution, and she heard him say as he poured it over himself: "May I not be helped if I help not the sons of Ka'b." On the morning of the third day Amr bin Salim Al-Khuza'i arrived in the company of forty horsemen to brief the Prophet* on the plight of his people and seeking the Muslims' help for retaliation. People of Medina then got to know that Quraish had breached the covenant.

Abu Sufyan humiliates himself in Medina
Quraish immediately realized the grave situation and feared the horrible consequences looming on the horizon. They immediately called for an emergency meeting and decided to delegate their chief Abu Sufyan to Medina for a renewal of the truce. On his way, he met the men of Khuza’ah returning home and he feared he was too late as he knew they had been to Medina by crushing the camel dung to find ground date feed – that only camels in Medina get. His fears were increased by the inscrutable demeanour of the Prophet. "O Muhammad," he said, "I was' absent at the time of the truce of Hudaibiyah, so let us now strengthen the pact and prolong its duration." The Prophet* parried his request with the query: "Has anything happened to break it on your side?" "God forbid!" said Abu Sufyan uneasily. "We likewise," said the Prophet, "are keeping to the truce for the period agreed upon at Hudaibiyah. We will not modify it, neither will we accept another in its place." He was clearly not prepared to say more, so Abu Sufyan went to see his daughter, Umm Habibah, hoping she might agree to intervene on his behalf. They had not met for fifteen years. The best place to sit was the Prophet's rug, but as he was about to take his seat she hastily folded it up from beneath him. "Little daughter," he said, "Do you think this rug too good for me, or am I too good for it?" "It is the Prophet's rug," she said, "and you are an idolater, a man unpurified and unclean." Then she added: "My father, thou art lord of Quraish and their chief. How is it that thou hast failed to enter Islam, and that you worship stones which neither hear nor see?" "Wonder of wonders," he said, "am I to forsake what my fathers worshipped to follow the religion of Muhammad? Evil has befallen you!"
 
Abu Sufyan tries the Companions
And, feeling that no help was to be expected from her, he went to Abu Bakr and others of the Companions to ask them to intercede on his behalf for a renewal of the pact, for he was now sure, although the Prophet* had not said so, that he considered the pact to have been abrogated by the recent fighting. But it would serve the same purpose as a renewal of the pact, that is, it would prevent bloodshed, if some man of influence would grant a general protection between man and man. Abu Sufyan suggested this alternative to Abu Bakr but he merely answered: "I grant protection only within the scope of protection granted by the Messenger of God."
Umer’s reply was that if he only had an army of ants he would wage war on Abu Sufyan! Finally Abu Sufyan went to the house of Ali, making much of their kinship, for they were both great-grandsons of the two brothers Hashim and Abdu Shams. But Ali said: "Alas for thee, Abu Sufyan! The Messenger of God hath resolved not to grant thy request; and none can speak to him in favour of a thing when he is averse to it." For the Companions knew well that the Revelation had said to the Prophet: Consult them about affairs; and when thou art resolved, then trust in God;' and they had come to know by experience that when the Prophet* had reached the degree of resolution he had clearly reached on this occasion it was useless to seek to deter him
 Abu Sufyan now turned to Fatimah, who was present, with Hasan sitting on the floor in front of her. "O daughter of Muhammad," he said, "bid your little son grant protection between man and man, that he may become forever the lord of the Arabs." But Fatimah replied that boys do not grant protection, and Abu Sufyan turned again to Ali in desperation and begged him to suggest some course of action. "I see nothing for it", said Ali, "but that thou thyself shouldst rise and grant protection between man and man. Thou art lord of Kinanah." "Will that help me?" said Abu Sufyan. "By God, I think not so," said Ali, "but I find nothing else for you to do." So Abu Sufyan went to the Mosque and said in a loud voice: "Behold, I grant protection between man and man, and I do not think that Muhammad will fail to uphold me." Then he went to the Prophet* and said: "O Muhammad, I do not think thou wilt disavow my protection." But the Prophet* merely answered: "That is what thou thinkest, O Abu Sufyan;"
Abu Sufyan turned his steps back to Mecca in a state of bitter disappointment and utter horror. There he submitted a report of his meeting with his daughter, Abu Bakr, 'Umer and Ali's reaction and the meaningful silence of the Prophet. The Meccans were dismayed and said that Ali had made a fool of him, but did not expect imminent danger.

Hadith 42 (of Nawawi's Forty Hadith)
Hadith 42: Allah's Mercy

From Anas who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah*, say: "Allah the Almighty has said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds in the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins and were you then to face Me, without having associated anything with Me, I shall grant you an earthful of pardon.'" [Al-Tirmidhi] 

There are three means or ways which enable a Muslim to be forgiven by Allah.

1. The first one is al-du'a which means to supplicate Allah.
Allah says in Surah Ghafir Ayah 60: And your Lord said: Call upon me, I will respond to you. The Prophet* said: "Supplication is the essence of worship" [Al-Tirmidhi]. The Prophet* also said: "Supplicate to Allah as if you are certain about His response." Supplication is guaranteed that Allah will attend to or respond to it when certain conditions are fulfilled. At the same time there are other things that a Muslim should avoid doing in order for his supplication to be answered. The conditions of supplication have been discussed in previous hadiths. The most important thing is the full concentration and attention of the heart and to have full hope that Allah will respond to that du'a and not to rush it. Muslims have to practice supplication frequently because it is a continuous process. Among the things that a Muslim asks Allah in his supplication are to forgive his sins, to be saved from the Hell-Fire and to be among those who enter Paradise. Muslims have to make du'a with full hope that there is a response. Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi: "I am as My servant expects of Me." [Muslim]. The Prophet* says in another hadith: "No Muslim who supplicates a supplication, that does not contain any sin or cutting of relations, Allah will grant him one of three things: either Allah will immediately respond to his supplication, or He may keep or store the answer for the Hereafter, or He will turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil or harm." The Companions asked what if they keep requesting Allah. The Prophet* replied: "Then Allah shall give you even both." [Imam Ahmad]. Supplication is the one-on-one quality time people have with their Creator – don’t rush it!

2. The second means that leads us to receive Allah's forgiveness is istighfar (seeking forgiveness) 
Even if someone has committed many sins. What is meant by seeking forgiveness is the istighfar that is linked to repentance which in turn also necessitates that the Muslim gives up committing sins and does not persist on doing them. Istighfar is a form of worship. The Muslim has to do and perform a lot of istighfar every day. Allah commanded us to make istighfar and praised those who perform istighfar. Allah says in Surah al-Zumar Ayah 53: O My servants, who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. There are many forms of istighfar. There is what the Prophet* taught his Companions to say. It is also narrated that the Prophet* used to seek forgiveness from Allah more than seventy times a day, and in some narration more than one hundred times a day. Consequently, Muslims are recommended and required to do istighfar and seek the forgiveness of Allah at least one hundred times a day. The best statement of forgiveness is the statement that is narrated by the Prophet* when he said: "O Allah: You are my Lord. There is no God but You. You created me and I am Your servant. I am following Your covenant and promise to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evils that I have done. I profess to You Your bounties upon me and I confess my sins. Forgive me for no one forgives sins except You." The Prophet* says: "Whoever says this statement with certainty concerning it in the daytime and dies that day before the evening, he is one of the inhabitants of Paradise; and whoever says this statement with certainty concerning it during the night and dies that night before the morning, he is one of the inhabitants of Paradise." [Al-Bukhari]
As for His statement: "O Son of Aadam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me" then this is in agreement with His statement: "I [treat My Slave] in accordance to what he supposes of Me, so let him deem of Me whatever he wishes". And it has been narrated that when a Slave commits a sin and then feels remorse, and says "O My Lord! I have committed a sin, so forgive me, for surely none can forgive sins except you!"; so Allah says "My slave knows that he has a Lord, Who forgives sins and [also] punishes for them. So I testify to you that I have forgiven him". Then [the slave] does the same a second time, and a third, and so Allah replies the same way each time. Then after that He says: "Do as you please, for I have forgiven you!", meaning when he commits a sin and then repents for it.

Know, that for the acceptance of Repentance there are three conditions:
- cessation from the sin,
- remorse for what has preceeded,
- and firm resolve not to return to performing the sin.
And if the sin involved taking the right of another person, then he must hasten to return his right and absolve himself from this transgression. And if the sin was between him and Allah , and a kaffaarah (expiation) is required for this sin, then it is also necessary that he fulfills this kaffaarah, and thus this becomes the fourth condition [for the acceptance of repentance]. And so, even if a person were to commit a sin many times in a single day, and then repent each time with its conditions, Allah would still forgive him. Istighfar is recommended to be practiced by true and close servants of Allah and every Muslim. They are recommended to do so in the morning, preferably after the Fajr prayers, and in the evening until the sunset. This should be part of the supplications that they perform day and night. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 110: And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's Forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

3. The third cause or means of seeking Allah's forgiveness is Tawhid.  
Tawhid means that a Muslim should worship Allah alone. Allah should be worshiped without associating or ascribing any partners with Him. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 116: Verily! Allah forgives not the setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah has indeed strayed far away. Tawhid, as the scholars say, melts away sins. Through fulfilling all the obligations of Tawhid, Muslims are going to be forgiven and rewarded. In a previous hadith in this collection of Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith, we discussed the importance of the realisation of of the idea of Tawhid where Muslims have to love, fear, and glorify Allah the most. By Tawhid, Muslims seek refuge only in Allah and ask support and help from only Him. All of these great actions of Tawhid, which means that the heart becomes fully devoted to Allah, enable the Muslims to be true believers and Muwahideen. Only then Muslims will become enlightened, inspired, and their iman or faith will be strengthened and their sins will be forgiven. By realising the idea of Tawhid, the Muslim also minimises the chances of committing sins because his heart is fully devoted to Allah. Tawhid is the greatest essence of the Message of every Prophet. All the Prophets, peace be upon them, were sent with the Message of Tawhid - that is Allah is the only One Who deserves to be worshipped and to be totally obeyed. Unfortunately, many Muslims today do not observe the realisation of Tawhid. Many Muslims violate Tawhid, for example, there are some groups of Muslims that supplicate and slaughter for dead Muslims. By doing these acts of shirk (associating someone with Allah), they are violating the most important messages of Islam and that is the realisation of Tawhid. If we want to be good Muslims to Allah, we should follow the way that awliya' Allah (closer servants of Allah) followed. We should follow their ways and practices as mentioned in Hadith 38. They had good morals, they loved Allah, feared Him, had total belief or faith in Allah and his Messengers, and they were obedient to Allah and followed His instructions - this included performing good deeds. This obedience was based on fear of Allah, repenting to Allah and submission to His will. Moreover, they were characterised with devotion, honesty, and sincerity.

The realisation of Tawhid is very important for all Muslims. This is the last portion of the hadith. Moreover, it is the last hadith in Imam Nawawi's collection. This is very significant for us as Muslims since this last portion summarises the most important thing in Islam and that is Tawhid. It is a message from Allah to all Muslims to make sure that their Tawhid is sincere and pure. It is important to realise that they should not ascribe any partners with Allah. By doing so, they are assured that they will receive the forgiveness of Allah even if they have committed other sins. To realise Tawhid Muslims should fulfill all obligations towards Allah by fully submitting to His will, worshiping Him, obeying Him and following His guidance and revelation.

Virtues of Relating 40 (or more) Hadith

Taken From the Introduction to the Collection of Forty Hadith by Imâm an-Nawawî (d. 676 AH / 1299 CE)

All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the [One Who] Sustains the Heavens and Earths, Director of all that is created, who sent the Messengers (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them) to rational beings, to guide them and explain the religious laws to them with clear proofs and undeniable arguments. I praise Him for all of His bounties. I ask Him to increase His grace and generosity. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, who has no partner, the One, Who Subdues, the Generous, the Forgiving. I bear witness that our leader Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, His beloved and dear one, the best of all creation. He was honoured with the Glorious Qur'aan that has been an enduring miracle throughout the years. He was also sent with his guiding Sunnah that shows the way for those who seek guidance. Our leader Muhammad has been particularized with the characteristic of eloquent and pithy speech, and simplicity and ease in the religion. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the other Prophets and Messengers, all of their families and the rest of the righteous.

To proceed : We have narrated, through many chains (isnaad, pl. asaaneed) and various narrations, from Ali ibn Abee Taalib, Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, Abu ad-Dardaa, [Abdullaah] ibn 'Umar, [Abdullaah] ibn 'Abbaas, Anas ibn Maalik, Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree - May Allah be pleased with all of them - that the Messenger of Allah* said : "Whoever preserves for my Ummah forty hadith related to the religion, Allah will then resurrect him in the company of the pious and the scholars." Another narration states : "Allah will raise him as an erudite and learned scholar". In the narration from Abu ad-Dardaa, it is stated : "On the Day of Resurrection, I will be an intercessor and witness for him". In the narration from Ibn Mas'ood it is stated that the Prophet* said : "It will be said to him 'Enter Paradise through any door you wish'".

The scholars (may Allah be pleased with them) have compiled innumerable works of this nature [ie. collections of forty hadith]. The first one that I know of who compiled such a work was Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak [a taabi'ee, rahimahu Allah]. After him came ibn Aslam at-Toosee, a pious scholar. Then came al-Hasan ibn Sufyaan an-Nasaa'ee, Abu Bakr al-Aajurree, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Asfahaanee, ad-Daaraqutnee, al-Haakim, Abu Nu'aim, Abu Abd-ir-Rahmaan as-Sulamee, Abu Sa'eed al-Maleenee, Abu 'Uthmaan as-Saaboonee, Abdullaah ibn Muhammad al-Ansaaree, Abu Bakr al-Baihaqee and countless others both from the earlier and later times. I have turned to Allah for guidance and prayed to Him while compiling these forty hadith, following the example of those Imaams and guardians of Islam. The scholars have agreed that it is permissible to act in accordance with weak hadith that deal with the virtues of good deeds [ie not weak hadith that deal with rulings - ahkaam - or acts of worship]. Nonetheless, given that fact, I have not simply relied upon that [weak] hadith [mentioned above], in compiling this work. Instead, I am following the statement of the Prophet* found in an authentic hadith : "Let him who was present among you inform those who are absent". The Prophet* also said : "May Allah make radiant the man who has heard what I said, preserved it in his memory and conveyed it in the way that he heard it".

Scholars have compiled forty hadith on faith and belief (usool), on practical matters (furoo'), on jihaad, on austerity (zuhd), on etiquette (adaab), and even on sermons (khutbahs). All of these [collections] were concerning righteous aims. May Allah be pleased with those who sought them. However I have found it best to collect together forty hadith which are more important than all of those. These forty hadith incorporate all of those separate topics. In fact, each hadith is by itself a great general precept from the foundations of the Religion. Some scholars state that all of Islam revolves around these hadith. Some have said, about a particular hadith, that they are one-half of Islam, one-third of Islam and so forth.

I have committed myself to including only authentic hadith (saheeh or hasan) in these forty hadith. The majority of them are from Saheeh al-Bukhaaree or Saheeh Muslim. I have mentioned them without their chain of narrators in order for it to be easier to memorize them and thus more [people] will be able to benefit from them, Allah willing. After the hadith, I included a section on the meanings of the obscure expressions found in the hadith. Everyone who desires and looks forward to the Hereafter must be familiar with these hadith because they cover the most important aspects of the religion and offer direction to all forms of obedience of Allah. This is clear to anyone who ponders these hadith. I rely only upon Allah and I entrust my affair only to Him. To Him is all Praise and Grace, from Him is Guidance and protection from error.

Children's feedback:
Hadith 7: 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"

Hadith 23: The Messenger of Allah*, said: "Purification is half of iman (faith). Saying 'Al-Hamdulillah' (Praise be to Allah) fills the scales. Saying 'Subhanallah wa al-Hamdulillahi' (Exhalted be Allah and Praise be to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth. Salah (prayer) is a light. Sadaqah (charity) is a proof. Sabr (patience) is a shining glory. The Qur'an is an argument either for you or against you. Everybody goes out in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves."

News Topic:

Decline of seagulls around the British Coast

30 October 2011
10 days Dhul-Hijjah; Ibrahim & a few battles

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

Some other Expeditions and Battles
After the Battle of the Trench, the Messenger* was in a position to confidently declare that thenceforth he would take the initiative in war and would not wait for the land of Islam to be invaded. Hence, shortly after the conclusion of the battle with the Coalition and Quraiza, the Prophet* began to despatch punitive expeditions to force the aggressive tribes and rebellious Arabians to come to peaceful terms with the rising state of Islam.

Bani Bakr Expedition
A platoon of thirty believers under the leadership of Muhammad bin Maslamah was despatched on a military mission in Muharram, the sixth year Hijri. It headed for the habitation of Bani Bakr sept. The Muslims attacked and dispersed them in all directions. Plenty of spoils fell to the lot of the Muslims who returned home with a terrible disbeliever, Thumamah bin Uthal Al-Hanafi, chief of Bani Hanifa, who had gone out by order of Musailama, the Liar, to assassinate the Prophet*. The Prophet’s Companions tied him to a pole of the Prophetic Mosque. To a question posed by the Prophet*, Thumamah used to say: "If you were to kill someone, then you would have to choose one of noble descent, if you were to be gracious, then let it be to a grateful man and if you were to ask for money, you would have to ask for it from a generous man." He repeated that three times on three different occasions. On the third time, the Prophet* ordered that he should be released. He soon went nearby, washed and then came back to profess the new faith addressing the Prophet*: "No face had been more awful to me than yours but now it is the closest to my heart, no religion had ever been more repugnant to me than yours, now it is the dearest in my heart. Now I want to perform the ‘Umrah (lesser pilgrimage)." The Prophet* gave him good tidings and asked him to do that. On his arrival in Mecca, the Quraishites accused him of apostasy. He denied it and affirmed that he had embraced Islam, and then swore that they would never get a grain from Yamama, a suburban area around Mecca, unless the Prophet* would allow it. In fact, he did it and refused to send food supplies to Mecca until the Prophet* interceded at the Makkans’ earnest plea.
Bani Lihyan Invasion
Bani Lihyan had acted treacherously towards ten of the Prophet’s Companions and had them hanged. Their habitation being situated deep in the heart of Hijaz on the borders of Mecca, and due to deep-seated blood-revenge between the Muslims on the one hand, and Quraish and the Arabians on the other, the Prophet* deemed it unwise to penetrate deep and come close to the greatest enemy, Quraish. However, when the power of the allied Coaltion collapsed and they began to slacken and resign to the current unfavourable balance of power, the Messenger of Allah* seized this rare opportunity and decided that it was time to take revenge on Bani Lihyan. He set out in Rabi‘ Al-Awwal or Jumada Al- Ula in the year six Hijri at the head of two hundred Muslim fighters and made a feint of heading for Syria, then soon changed route towards Batn Gharran, the scene of his Companions’ tragedy, and invoked Allah’s mercy on them. News of his march reached Bani Lihyan, who immediately fled to the mountain tops nearby and thus remained out of his reach. On his way back, the Prophet* despatched a group of ten horsemen to a place called Kura‘ Al-Ghamim, in the vicinity of the habitation of Quraish in order to indirectly confirm his growing military power. All these skirmishes took fourteen days, after which he left back for home.

Expeditions and Delegations continued
1. A platoon led by ‘Ukasha bin Al-Mihsan was despatched to a place called Al- Ghamir inhabited by Bani Asad in the year six Hijri. The enemy immediately fled leaving behind them two hundred camels which were taken to Medina.
2. A platoon led by Muhammad bin Maslamah set out towards the habitation of Bani Tha‘labah in Dhil Qassa. But a hundred men of the enemies ambushed and killed all of them except Muhammad bin Maslamah who managed to escape but badly wounded.
3. In retaliation against Bani Tha‘labah, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, at the head of forty men, was despatched to Dhil Qassa. They walked that night and took the enemy by surprise in the morning. Again, they fled to the mountains except one who was injured, and later embraced Islam. A lot of booty fell to their lot in that particular incident.
4. A platoon, under the leadership of Zaid bin Haritha, was sent to Al-Jumum, the habitation of Bani Saleem, in the same year. A woman from Bani Muzaina showed them the way to the enemy’s camp. There the Muslims took some captives and gained a lot of booty. Later on, the Messenger of Allah* granted the woman her freedom and married her to one of his followers.
5. Zaid bin Haritha, in Jumada Al-Ula 6 Hijri, at the head of a hundred and seventy horsemen, set out to a place called Al-‘Ais, intercepted a caravan of Quraish led by Abul-Aas, the Prophet’s relative and looted their camels. Abul-Aas escaped and took refuge in Zainab’s (his wife and the Prophet’s daughter) house. He begged her to ask the Prophet* for the restitution of his wealth. The Prophet* recommended, but without coercion, that the people do that. They immediately gave the man back all his wealth. He went back to Mecca, gave over the trusts to those entitled to them, embraced Islam and emigrated to Medina where the Prophet* reunited him with his wife, Zainab, after three and a half years of their first marriage contract. The verse relating to prohibition of marriage between women Muslims and disbelievers had not been revealed then.
6. In Jumada Ath-Thania, the same year, Zaid at the head of fifteen men raided Bani Tha‘labah and captured twenty of their camels but the people had fled.
7. In Rajab of the same year, Zaid, at the head of twelve men, set out to a place called Wadi Al-Qura in a reconnaissance mission to explore the movements of the enemy. The people there attacked the Muslims, killed nine of them, while the rest including Zaid bin Haritha managed to escape.

Main Topic: The Greatness of first 10 days Dhul-Hijjah
 
Praise be to Allah Who has created Time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a mercy towards His slaves. This encourages them to do more righteous deeds and makes them more eager to worship Him, so that the Muslim renews his efforts to gain a greater share of reward, prepare himself for death and supply himself in readiness for the Day of Judgement. This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity to correct one’s faults and make up for any shortcomings or anything that one might have missed. Every one of these special occasions involves some kind of worship through which the slaves may draw closer to Allah, and some kind of blessing though which Allah bestows His favour and mercy upon whomsoever He will.  The intelligent person is the one who makes the most of these special months, days and hours and draws nearer to his Lord during these times through acts of worship Alhamdulillah, the blessed days of the Hijri month of "Dhul Hijjah" are upon us. "By the ten nights." [TMQ Al-Fajr 89:2]
The "ten nights" which Allah is swearing by here, are the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah. Allah swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that Prophet* said: "There is no deed more precious in the sight of Allah, or greater in reward, than a good deed done during the ten days of Sacrifice." He was asked: "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said: "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." [Bukhari]
It is a great chance to collect uncountable hasanat . It is a great chance to renew your relation with Allah. Prepare now so you can start from the first night/day of the month [i.e. as soon as Dhul-Hijjah is announced]. You don't want to miss a moment of the best days in the sight of Allah.
Since the Prophet* referred to the 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah as: "...no days better than these days in the sight of Allah." [Ahmad], the scholars have said that these are better than Ramadan.
These texts and others indicate that these ten days are better than all the other days of the year, with no exceptions, not even the last ten days of Ramadaan. But the last ten nights of Ramadan are better, because they include Laylat al-Qadr ("the Night of Power"), which is better than a thousand months. Thus the various reports may be reconciled. Therefore, be very vigilant and don't waste these precious moments. Ask Allah to help you to benefit from this period of His special Grace.
•    Ask yourself these questions [non-rhetorical]:
•    Did you intend to benefit from these days?
•    What have you done to prepare for these 10 days?
•    Did you prepare a program?
•    What is your plan of action?
A brief guide to help you to prepare for the best days of the year:

1. Read the Qur'an:
Plan to complete the reading of the Qur'an within this period. If you read three juz a day, it can be accomplished. It is not difficult. Ask Allah to make it easy for you. We know reciting one letter is equal to ten hasanat . If you read three juz everyday, it translates to thousands of millions of hasanat. And this calculation is just based on the 1=10 ratio. These are special days of His Grace. Therefore, don't even think about how much Allah can/will increase and add it for you. You cannot fathom it. He is Kareem. He knows that you have ikhlas ; He will not count it as 1=10. He could raise it to 1=700 or even more. And this is what you can earn every day of these special days. Keep in mind that reciting the Qur'an is a good deed and Allah specially loves the good deeds done in these days: "And if He loves the good deeds, He will love the doer of those good deeds." If Allah loves someone, He will not punish them. Remember this concept so that the deeds you do come from your heart [don't be like a machine]. Honour the rights of the Qur'an when reciting it.

2. Increase in Nawafil Prayers:
Increase your supererogatory prayers. Do you really want to be closer to Allah? Do you really love Allah and seek His closeness? If, you want this, then know that Allah teaches you the means to gaining His qurb. Allah says: "Fall prostrate and draw near to Allah!" [TMQ Al-Alaq 96:19]
This is the way! Prostrate in sujud to Him and you will be closer to Him. The Prophet* said: "The closest that a person is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so say a great deal of du'a then." He* is commanding us to make a lot of du'a while in sujud. We need to do more. For he* said to: "...make lots of du'a." Remember, the Prophet* loved us and he knew that we have a lot of needs from Allah. This is why he taught us the way to get those needs fulfilled. Therefore, if you have needs, then you cannot leave sujud. Any sajdah without khushu' and without du'a is a big khasara . When the Prophet* instructed us to do a lot of sujud, it means to perform a lot of salah . "With each sajdah for Allah, He will raise you a level with it. And cancel a sin with it." So, the more you increase in your sujud, the closer you are to being a winner.
Examples for increasing nawafil salah:

• Salat Dhuha: Also known as al-Awwabeen, may be offered as 2, 4, 6 or 8 rak'at, prayed after the sun has risen and before the time for Dhuhr approaches. [Muslim] "Al-Awwab' means one who is obedient, or one who turns to obedience.
• 4 rak'at before and 4 after Dhuhr: "Whoever regularly performs four rak'at before Dhuhr and four after it, Allah will forbid him to the Fire." [Tirmidhi]
• 4 rak'at before ‘Asr - The Prophet* said: "May Allah have mercy on those who pray four rak'at before ‘Asr prayer." [Tirmidhi] You stand to gain the mercy of Allah because of the du'a of Prophet*.
• Tahhiyatul masjid: Greet the masjid with two rak'at: "If any one of you enters a mosque, he should pray two rak'at before sitting." [Bukhari and Muslim]
• Salat at-Tawbah: It could be any bad deed, any sin, you hear something bad , you see something bad, you feel your heart constricted because of something you have done and you didn't mean it, etc, you can erase it immediately with your prayer of repentance. Make a good wudhu' and offer two sincere rak'at of repentance. Ask Allah to forgive you. If it's from your heart, then know that Allah will cancel your sin.
• Qiyam al-Layl: With this prayer, we hope that Allah will illuminate our graves; will bestow nur on our faces; will cancel our bad deeds. Pray at least 2 rak'at. If you are able to follow the Sunnah, then pray all 11 rak'at.

Remember that in these special days and nights, Allah is sending His special mercy. Do you think that this special mercy will reach everybody? Do you think that it will reach the one who is in front of the TV watching a movie? Or playing on their compute / video games? Or do you think it will reach the one who is making sujud, ruku', tilawah, making istighfar, etc.? We have to show Allah that we want this special mercy. We need to make ourselves eligible for it.
Allah swears by the night [Surah Fajr]. Therefore, take care of the nights. Don't be among the losers. Write this in bold and make it your motivational factor for the special days: "We won't be among the losers!" Remember: "Our Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, comes down to the lowest heaven every night when the last third of the night is left, and He says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?'." [Bukhari and Muslim] And, now that it is winter, we get really long nights. So it's a good chance to maximise our hasanat. Don't forget while you are praying qiyam that Allah Loves this deed. Therefore, He loves the doer of this deed also.
If we were lazy before, we will be active and good from now on. We will not be among the losers. If these days and nights are we were to distributing gifts (£10 or £50) during the study circles and ask people to "Come take this money", you will find people standing in long queues and hordes to collect them. Subhana'Allah, Allah is spreading mercy during these days. He is accepting supplications. He is offering unimaginably wonderful blessings that we don't even know of. So will we not work to get in those lines to gather Allah's gifts?

3. Makes lots of Dhikr:
Do a lot of dhikr, especially in these days. "There are no days greater in the sight of Allah..." [Ahmed] So what did the Prophet* tell us to do in these days? The Prophet* commanded us to oft recite Tasbeeh ("Subhan-Allah"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillah") and Takbeer ("Allahu Akbar") during this time. As soon as the announcement of Dhul-Hijjah is made, start your dhikr: "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha ill-Allah, Wallahu Akbar. Walilahilhamd."
Many people mistakenly believe that you chant this only on the day of Eid. But, it is meant to be recited from the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah. Bukhari related that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah said that they used to go out in the streets making loud takbir. They did not think that this was riya. They were busy with declaring the signs of Allah. This practice has now become a forgotten Sunnah. Why do people feel shy to follow this Sunnah? These are the days of takbir, tahlil and tahmid with raised voices. Therefore revive this Sunnah by doing audible tasbih during all of the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. For women, when you are in your homes, raise your voices. You will remind your children, husbands, brothers, etc. Make it like a habit so that you will find yourself doing dhikr automatically. While walking, reclining, working, eating, just keep doing dhikr.
Send a lot of blessings and salam upon the Prophet* consistently. Just one hadith should be enough for the believer who loves Prophet*. It is enough honour that when you send your salam to Prophet*, Allah returns his soul to him in order to answer you: "There is no one who sends salam upon me but Allah will restore to me my soul so that I may return his salam." [Abu Dawud] Men are encouraged to recite these phrases out loud and women quietly. Therefore, send your darud and salam from your heart. Feel that special honour in doing that deed.

4. Seeking Forgiveness (Istighfar):
Repentance is obligatory at all times, but when the Muslim combines sincere repentance with good deeds during the days of most virtue, this is a sign of success, in shaAllah. Allah says:
"But as for him who repented, believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are successful." [28:67]
All kinds of dhikr will make your relation with Allah stronger and stronger. How many Muslim's are there today? 1.5 billion? In one minute it is possible to gain 1.5 billion hasanat. Allahu Akbar! How generous is Allah. No one will give you like Allah gives. So how can you gain 1.5 million hasanat? By making istighfar for all Muslim's. The Prophet* is reported to have said that when a person seeks forgiveness for all believers, Allah will write for him a hasanat for every one of those believers. Just say ‘Astaghfirullah' for yourself and for all the believers, from your heart. Allah is forgiving and generous. On the Day of Judgement, when you will see your book, you will find the record of your sins in it and you will feel regret. But, Subhana'Allah, you will find between these sins, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah. InshaAllah, Allah, the Karim will cancel those sins that have istighfar beside them, around them, after them.
Luqman taught his sons to make istighfar. He said: "Oh my sons, istighfirullaha qaidun, istighfirullah qaimum, istghfirullaha raqibun [make istighfar when you are standing, sitting, reclining]. For the mercy of Allah is descending."
Indeed, rahamat are falling down like rain. So try to be under those rahamat. Look at it this way - there are seasons of mercy during which Allah sends down abundant mercy [like during Ramadan, like the days of Dhul-Hijjah, etc.]. Allah is always generous because that is one of His Attributes, but He says that He gives more during certain periods. Allah is Rahim always, but He says He has more mercy during a certain period. These days are like those special-rate promotions or sale season. Therefore, don't leave or ignore this sale. Go and ask for more. Keep saying ‘astaghfirullah', ‘astaghfirullah', astaghfirullah', keep insisting on it till Allah forgives you. Start from the beginning of Dhul-Hijjah. "...nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) forgiveness." [TMQ Al-Anfal 8:33]
We are informed that there is no punishment from Allah on the yastaghfirun. Allah relieves all problems with istighfar. Those who are persistent in istighfar in their lives, disasters and calamities will be repelled from them. Mercy is like a cloud on the head of the mustaghfirin . How do we know this? "Why seek you not the forgiveness of Allah, that you may receive mercy?" [TMQ An-Naml 27:46] Allah is telling us to make istighfar to gain His mercy. Let your istighfar ascend to Him and His mercy will descend upon you.

5. Fasting:
Fast as much as you can during these blessed days. If you can fast all of these days, then do so. Even in any regular day, Allah has promised a great reward for the one who fasts: "Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allah, Allah will keep his face seventy years distance away from the Fire because of it." [Muslim] So what about these special days for which it is said: "There is no deed more precious in the sight of Allah, or greater in reward, than a good deed done during the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah." The Prophet* has said, "One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship in the "Lailatul-Qadr" [Tirmidhi]. Allah loves the good deeds in these days. Allah loves siyam. Put these two beloved things together. You are the doer of the things Allah loves. He will Love you, bi-idhnillah. Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet (SA) mentioned that, ‘the Prophet (SA) would never leave the fasting of Ashoora (the 10th of Muharram), Al-Ashr (the first 10 days of this month, excluding Eid) and three days of every month.
Any ‘ibadah, be it salah, dhikr, Qur'an, that is done during some periods of time and with them, are also periods of non action. Also don't forget you have if Allah wills, at least one du'a guaranteed with each siyam - at the time of breaking the fast. So that is nine opportune moments during this period.
These ten days include Yawm ‘Arafaah (the Day of ‘Arafaah), on which Allah perfected His Religion, the greatest day of the entire year and the greatest day of Hajj, which combines acts of worship in a way unlike any other day. Regarding fasting on the day of ‘Arafah, the Prophet* said: "Fasting the day of ‘Arafah, I hope, will expiate the sins of the year before it and the year to come..." [Muslim] So how does this happen? Does this mean that we can fast on that day and for the rest of the year we can do whatever we want of bad deeds? No! It implies that Allah will help us to abstain from sins. And, if you commit a sin by mistake, He will cancel it due to His promise.

6. Charity:
Spending for the sake of Allah! Only Allah knows how many trials and calamities have been pushed away from us, our family and loved ones as a result of our sadaqah. Allah knows how many times relief and ease has come to us due to the sadaqah we gave. Therefore, give in the way of Allah, as much as you can. Don't leave any raised hands return empty. Show Allah that you love Him by spending from that which you love. Show Allah that all these things mean nothing besides gaining His ridha. Don't look and remind yourself of what you have already spent in the past. If Allah wills, He has accepted and written it for you. Now, think of how you can outdo that sadaqah during these days. Spend from what you love and Allah will love you.

7. Preserve the Ties of Kinship:
Preserve the ties of kinship for: "No one who severs the ties of kinship will enter Paradise." [Muslim] If it is difficult for you to call or meet every relative, then send them a message. But write with your heart and with the right intention. There is a man who connects with all of his near and far relatives. It is almost like a mission for him for the sake of Allah. He loves this ‘ibadah. Even those who are far away, he calls and connects them to the rest of the family and brings them all together. And subhana'Allah, Allah has given him a lot of wealth and with such ease and has made his life easy, and as a result of his deeds. The Prophet* promised this reward for the one who connects and maintains kinship: "Whoever would like his rizq to be increased and his life to be extended, should uphold the ties of kinship." [Bukhari and Muslim]
These were just a few of the wonderful things we can do during the forthcoming best days of Dhul-Hijjah. Therefore, if we want Allah's help with these deeds and our schedule for them, we need to do a lot of tawbah. The Salaf as-Salih used to say that they would feel prevented from qiyam al-layl due to their sins. They knew that when they want to do ‘ibadah and they are unable to do it, it is due sins. So, what do we need to do? A lot of istighfar with tawbah, real Tawbah! Ask Allah for help. Make the du'a: "O Allah, help me to remember You, to give You thanks, and to perform Your worship in the best manner." [Abu Dawud]

8. Offering Sacrifice
Zayd lbne Arqam relates that the Companions asked, "O Rasoolullah*, what is Qurbani?" He replied, "It is the sunnah of your father lbraheem." They asked again, "What benefit do we get from it?" He answered, "A reward for every hair (of the sacrificed animal)." "And (what reward is there for animals with) wool, O Rasoolullah*?" they asked. "A reward", he said, "for every fibre of the wool." [Ibn Majah]
There is nothing dearer to Allah during the days of Qurbani than the sacrificing of animals. The sacrificed animal shall come on the Day of judgment with its horns, hair, and hooves (to be weighed). The sacrifice is accepted by Allah before the blood reaches the ground. Therefore sacrifice with an open and happy heart. [Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah].  When a person slaughters a Qurbani animal, he is forgiven at the fall of the first drop of blood, and verily, the animal shall be brought forward on the Day of Judgment with its blood, meat etc, and shall be increased in weight seventy times more than its own weight, and thereafter it will be placed on the scale of deeds.

“And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers” [51:55]

Highlights from the Life of Ibrahim [Abraham]
Ibrahim was mentioned in 73 places in the Qur’aan, in 25 surahs of Qur’an. He was born in Babylon/Babil. He was from the Caldanians from modern day Iraq.
Dawa to his father: Ibrahim started his da’wah to his father and was very young when he did this; he was less than 16 years old. The father said: ‘Do you reject my gods, O Ibrahim (Abraham)? If you stop not (this), I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely before I punish you.’ (19:46)
The Big One Did It: Ibrahim made da’wah to his people also. When he said to his father and his people: ‘What are these images, to which you are devoted?’ (21:52) “Indeed you and your fathers have been in manifest error.” (21:54) He took his axe, went to the temple and destroyed all of their idols except for the biggest one. He hung the axe on the shoulder of the largest.
Allah is Sufficient for Me: They said, “Burn him and help your aliha (gods), if you will be doing.” (21:68 ) So they put Ibrahim in this catapult and threw him in the fire. “O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrahim (Abraham)!” (21:69)
Allah Gives Life and Death: The king of Babylon (Namrud) was a powerful dictator and he debated with Ibrahim. “Allah is the One who gives life and takes it away. Can you do that?” ‘Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west.’
Ayn-ul Yaqeen (Certainty in Faith): “Take four birds, then cause them to incline towards you, and then put a portion of them on every hill, and call them, they will come to you in haste. And know that Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.”
Lut Believed: Ibrahim made da’wah to his people but nobody believed in Ibrahim except his nephew. They had to flee from the persecution and oppression of their land. Ibrahim said: “I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord. Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” (29:26)
Place Called Harraan: Dawa to the people of Harraan looking at the stars, moon, sun then Allah! He said: ‘O my people! I am indeed free from all that you join as partners in worship with Allah. Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth Hanifa (worshipping none but Allah Alone) and I am not of Al-Mushrikun.” (6:77-79)
Hijrah to Egypt: With his beautiful wife Sarah. The king wanted to place his hand on her, so she made a du’aa` to Allah and said, “Allah, take care of him.” His hand was paralyzed. “You have not presented me with a human woman; you have presented me with a devil.” He let her go. But to ward off her “evil” he gave her a gift – Hajar – as a slave. Sarah went back to Ibrahim with Hajar.
Glad Tidings of Children: Ibrahim received the commandment to circumcise himself from Allah and he did it when he was over 80 years old. Ibrahim married Hajar with the hope that they would have a child. Then Ibrahim was given the glad tidings of ghulaam haleem. Allah has described Ismail [Ishmael] with haleem, which is mild, gentle and forbearing.
Our Mother Hajar: Ismail was about two years of age. Ibrahim commanded his wife Hajar to accompany him in a long trip. Then suddenly in the middle of no where – dry desert, no settlements, no people – Ibrahim stopped. He left with them a sack filled with dates and he left with them some water. When these had finished, she climbed onto a mountain (As-Safa) looking for help then ran in the valley and then she climbed another mountain (Marwa). Then water was coming out of the sand through divine will of Allah (Zam Zam)
Ismail Grows Up: He married into the local tribe. Then Ibrahim would make some visits. One day he knocked on the door. Ismail’s wife opened the door and Ibrahim said, “Where is your husband?” She said, “He’s not here.” He asked, “How is your living?” She said, “We have a miserable life.” She complained – the food is not good; water is not good, etc. Ibrahim said to her, “Deliver my salaam to him and tell him to change his doorstep.” Ismail came home and and he felt something so he asked his wife, “Did somebody visit us?” She said, “Yes. An old man came. He asked about you. And he told me to deliver salaam to you and change your doorstep.” Ismail said, “That was my father and he is ordering me to separate from you. You are the doorstep. So go back home.” And he divorced her. The people of Jurhum loved Ismail so much that they married him another wife. Ibrahim made another trip a while later and he knocked on the door and asked his wife the same questions. She said, “Alhamdulillah! The best living.” She praised the simple lifestyle that they were leading. She was a righteous woman. Ibrahim asked, “What do you eat and drink?” She said, “Meat and water.” Ibrahim made du’aa` for them and said, “Make blessing in their food.” Ibrahim told her, “When your husband comes back, deliver my salaam to him and tell him to keep the doorstep.” So Ismail came back, and asked, “Did anyone visit us?” She conveyed Ibrahim’s message. Ismail told her, That was my father; you are the doorstep; and my father is telling me to keep you.
The Dream and Sacrifice: Ibrahim saw a dream when Ismail was older that he was was slaughtering his own son. Ismail said: “O my father, do what you are commanded to do. If Allah wills, you shall find me patient.” Ibrahim had the knife on the neck of Ismail, and he started to pass the knife over his  neck. Allah said, “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream!” Allah told him, “Verily, indeed, that was a manifest trial.” It was a test for Ibrahim, and he passed it. Now, we sacrifice on ‘Eid, following the Sunnah of Ibrahim. Ibrahim was told by Allah: “And We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times.” (37:108 ) The tashahud in every salah – we make salaam on Ibrahim in every prayer. We ask Allah to grant Ibrahim peace in every prayer. Millions of believers, throughout the generations, prayed for Allah to grant Ibrahim peace.
Building Al-Ka’bah: Allah says: “And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Mecca), (saying), ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allah answered their invocation by sending Muhammad Peace be upon him ), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Quran) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom [Sunnah] or Prophethood, etc.), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.’” (2:127-129)

Selected Qualities of Ibrahim

• He is from the 5 greatest Prophets: Muhammad, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Nuh. And Ibn Katheer says that the second greatest after them after Muhammad is Ibrahim.
• Ibrahim was mentioned in the Qur’an about 73 times, in 25 places.
• Ibrahim is the one who Allah has called in the Qur’an Khaleel Allah – the friend of Allah.
• Allah gave Ibrahim a name that was not given to anyone else in the Qur’an: Kaana Ummah. He was a nation by himself. He didn’t have anyone with him, but he counts as a nation.
• Allah says that he had khushoo’ of Allah.
• Allah says that he stayed away from all shirk. He had sincerity and understanding.
• Allah says about Ibrahim: “I will make you an imam (a leader / role model) for mankind.”
• Allah says all prophets and messengers that came afterwards came from Ibrahim’s descendants.

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25 October 2009

Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings & Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Migration of the Early Muslims to Abyssinia

In total there were two migrations, the first as a group in the 5th year of Prophethood. This consisted of 12 men + 4 women; whereas the second migration totalled 83 men and 19 women over a period of time. The second migration was after a rumour that Mecca (& the Quraish) had become Muslims following their sujjood. The Prophet* had recited Surah an-Najm and ayah of Sujjod caused all Muslims & non-Muslims to prostate.

The Prophet* had asked the Muslims to go to Habasha (Abyssinia) ‘because there is a king that does not oppress anyone’. He knew of his justice.

Even though there were only a few Muslims the Quraish plotted to get them back to Mecca: they selected Amr bin Aas and Abdullah bin Rabiyyah. Amr was well connected and career diplomat and good at scheming & making conspiracies. So Amr went and gave gifts to all the kings courtiers & officials to get them on his side and they would agree with any request from him. He preferred the Muslims to be handed over without them meeting the an-Najashi (Negus). After presenting their gifts to him Amr said: ‘Mighty King, some of our foolish people have abandoned their ancestral religion and have adopted a new faith which is opposed to your religion also. These people have created great disorder in our country, and now some of them have fled from our country and have taken refuge here. We request that you may be pleased to direct that they should be sent back to us.’ Some of the officials supported their request, but Najashi, refused and said: ‘These people have sought my protection. I will not decide anything without hearing them.’

The Muslims were summoned. After a Shura’a (consultation amongst themselves) they appointed Jafar bin Abi Talib as spokesman and decided to only tell the truth. An-Najashi asked them what they had to say and what was the religion they had adopted. (Umm Salamah narrates this Hadith) Jafar bin Abi Talib replied:

‘Gracious King, we were an ignorant people, given to idol-worship, the eating of meat from dead animals, and to all manner of vices such as bloodshed. We had no regard for ties of kinship, we misbehaved towards our neighbours, and the strong among us suppressed the weak and ignored matters of right & wrong. In this situation, God raised among us His Messenger whose noble descent; truth, honesty and integrity were well known to all of us. He called us to the worship of the One True God without associate, forbade idol-worship, He ordered us to be truthful in our speech, honesty and beneficence towards kindred and honour right s of hospitality and to fast for our God. He urged us to behave well towards neighbours, and abandon things forbidden, forbade vice and do anything immoral, to tell lies, to kill or shed blood, and devouring the substance of the orphan, or to make accusations against women of virtue. He ordered us to pray to the One God and turn away from the false stones our forefathers worshipped, give alms and fast. We believed in him and followed him, on account of which our people turned against us, persecuted us, afflicted us and tormented us in diverse ways. They tried to wean us away from our faith by force and turn us back to the worship of idols instead of God and to again consider permissible the abominations we had forsaken. Thus, they treated us with violence& persecution, beseeched us and prevented us from performing our religion we were compelled to leave our home and to seek asylum in your country and chose you above others. We desired your hospitality and hoped that under you we shall be safeguarded against tyranny in your domain.’

Then, An-Najjashi asked Ja'far," Would you tell me something of the revelation that came upon your Prophet?" Ja'far recited segments of Surat Maryam. He went on reciting until An-Najjashi's beard was wet with tears and his officials had wet their bibles. Then An-Najjashi said to Ja'far "Go in peace, for I will never let them harm you".

Amr was in a rage. He decided to try once more after vowing to put an end to the Muslims. He went to An-Najjashi on the second day telling him that the Qur'an insults Isa by calling him a slave. An-Najjashi then called for the Muslims again asking them if that was true – and this was a troubling time. Ja'far said, “Isa is a servant and messenger of Allah. He is a Word that Allah cast forth to Maryam the virgin". An-Najjashi then drew a line on the ground and said, "I swear that Isa has never said anything more than what you have just said. "Nobody would ever harm you in my land, and I swear that I would rather lose a mountain of gold than having you harmed in any way". Then he turned to Amr and said, "Go Amr and take your gifts back. I would never accept such a bribe, while Allah Is He Who Granted me this reign"

Reasons for Migration

These Muslims were leaving the best place (Mecca) for elsewhere, where there would not be the Prophet*. Some of the reasons were:

• Flee from persecution and harm
• Safeguard their Iman (Belief) as not everyone can resist torture
• Embarrass the Quraish - Both the weak Muslims and strong & noble families went, including some who had given protection to the Prophet*, and Abu Sufyan’s daughter (Umm Habibah). There may have been a need to shake the foundations of the beliefs & practices of the noblest Quraishi families with their people escaping for conscientious & religious reasons
• A secondary base outside Mecca – in case of devastating attack on the Muslims in Mecca or later in Medina. The Muslims only returned 7 years after the Prophet* established the Islamic State in Medina.

Why Abyssinia and not other Empires chosen

• For reasons of receiving justice in that kingdom
• Arabs familiar with Habasha (trade routes & customs)
• An-Najashi knew Arabic
• Abyssinians were Christian (not polytheists)

Hadith (Riyadh as-Salihin): On Repentance (seeking Forgiveness)

Abu Sa'id ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn Sinan al-Khudri reported that the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. He asked who was the most knowledgeable man in the world and was directed to a monk. He went to him and said that he had killed ninety-nine people and was repentance possible for him? The monk said, 'No,' so he killed him and made it a hundred. Then he again asked who was the most knowledgeable man on earth and was directed to a man of knowledge. He said that he had killed a hundred people, so was repentance possible for him? The man said, 'Yes, who can come between you and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, where there are some people worshipping Allah Almighty. Worship Allah with them and do not return to your own country. It is an evil place.' So he went and then, when he was half way there, he died. The angels of mercy and angels of punishment started to argue about him. The angels of mercy said, 'He came in repentance, turning with his heart to Allah Almighty.' The angels of punishment said, 'He has not done a single good action.' An angel came in a human form and they appointed him arbitrator between them. He said, 'Measure the distance between the two countries and whichever one he is nearer to, that is the one he belongs to.' They measured and found he was nearer to the land to which he was going, so the angels of mercy took him." [Bukhari & Muslim]

In the variant in the Sahih, "He was a hand-span nearer to the virtuous land, so he was put among their people." In the variant in the Sahih, "Allah revealed to this country to distance itself and that one to come nearer. He said, 'Measure the distance between them,' and they found that he was nearer to the good one by a hand-span and he forgave him." In one variant, "He was nearer it by a short neck."

Abu Nujayd 'Imran ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i reported that a woman from Juhayna came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who was pregnant as a result of fornication. She said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have broken a hadd, so carry out the punishment on me. The Prophet of Allah summoned her guardian and said, "Treat her well. When she gives birth, bring her back to me." He did that and the Prophet of Allah commanded that her garment be tied tightly about her and then he commanded that she be stoned. Then he prayed over her. 'Umar said to him, "Do you pray over her, Messenger of Allah, when she committed fornication? He said, "She repented with such a repentance that if it were to be divided out among seventy of the people of Madina, it would be enough for all of them. Can you think of anything better than her offering herself to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic?" [Muslim]

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If the son of Adam possessed a valley full of gold he would want to have two valleys, yet his mouth will only be filled by earth. Allah turns towards those who turn in repentance." [Bukhari & Muslim]



Parents in Islam

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, "my Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." [TMQ 17: 23,24]

When Allah made forbidden the tribalism of Jahiliyah (time before islam) He only forbade that tribalism should be the bond between the people of the Muslim Ummah, and He forbade that it is the main relationships amongst the Muslims. Islam came with a new brotherhood of belief. However, He ordered people to maintain contact with relatives and show kindness to them. It has been reported that a man asked the Prophet*: “who shall I show kindness to?” He said: “Your mother, father, sister and brother.” In another version: “And your (Mawla) relation who is closer to you, as a right and duty and a tie of relationship (Rahm) which you should be kind to.”

All religions and all societies have given parents a high status. From a purely material viewpoint, we find ourselves indebted to our parents, particularly our mother. She not only nourished us in her womb, but went through pain and suffering. She loved us even before we were born. She toiled when we were totally helpless infants. She spent sleepless nights caring for us. Our parents as a team provided for all our needs: physical, educational, psychological, and in many instances, religious, moral, and spiritual. Our indebtedness to our parents is so immense that it is not possible to repay it fully. Hence, it becomes obligatory for us to show the utmost kindness, respect, and obedience to our parents. The position of parents, and the mutual obligations and responsibilities, have been addressed in Islam in great detail. The Qur'anic commandments, as well as the sayings of Prophet Muhammad guide us in this matter. The parent-child code of behaviour in Islam is unique, since rules were laid down by divine command. In addition, Muslims do not stick their elderly parents in an 'old people's home' when they are old but have a duty to look after them. Muslim society respects the elderly and refers to them for wisdom and guidance if they are knowledgeable. This contrasts with the lack of respect that many older people face in Western countries such as the UK.

The mother is the first and most important teacher of every human being in every society. If the mother plays her role and is dutiful to Allah concerning her child in the light of Islamic teachings then the children adopt the way of Jannah (paradise), which is the way towards peace and tranquillity of our life in this world and in the world here after.

"And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents. In hardship upon hardship did his mother bear him, and in two years was his weaning. Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents; to Me is thy final goal. But if they strive to compel thee to associate with Me that of which thou hast no knowledge, do not obey them; but keep company with them in this life in a kind manner and follow the way of those who turn to Me. Then to Me will be your return and I will inform you (of the meaning of) all that you did." [TMQ 31:14-15]

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth." [TMQ 46:15]

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; but if they strive (to force) thee to join with Me anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not." [TMQ 29:8]

“People ask you (O Prophet) how they should spend. Say, ‘whatever you spend should be spent on Allah (in good cause), on parents, near relatives, on orphans, destitutes and travelers” [TMQ]


Some of the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad* are:

"Paradise lies under the feet of the mother."

"God's pleasure is in the pleasure of the father, and God's displeasure is in the displeasure of the father."

"He who wishes to enter Paradise through its best door must please his parents."

"It is a pity that some people may not attain Paradise, on account of not serving their old parents."

"If a person looks with love at his parents, God writes in his favour the reward equal to the performance of one Hajj. Someone asked, "will this promise be good if one looks at his parents one hundred times a day?" The Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied, "even if one does so a hundred thousand times a day, God gives the reward accordingly."

"A man or woman is bound to be good to his or her parents, even though they may have injured him or her."

Once a man came to the Prophet (peace be on him) and asked, 'Who is most deserving of my good companionship?' 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet*. 'Who next?' the man asked. 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet*. 'Who next?' he asked. 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet*. 'Who next?' asked the man. 'Your father,' replied the Prophet. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Asmaa bint Abu Bakr said: “My mother who was a pagan, came to see me during the period of the treaty between the Muslims and Quraish. I went to seek the advice of the Prophet saying: ‘My mother has arrived and she is hoping (for my favour).” The Prophet said: “Yes, be good to your mother”.

'Shall I not inform you about the three major sins?' Those who were present replied, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said 'Associating partners with Allah and disobedience to parents,' and sitting up from the reclining position, he continued, 'and telling lies and false testimony; beware of it.' (Bukhari & Muslim)

"Allah defers (the punishment of) all sins to the Day of Resurrection excepting disobedience to parents, for which Allah punishes the sinner in this life before his death."

'Among the major sins is a man's cursing his parents.' The people who were present wondered how a sane and believing individual could curse his own parents, and enquired, 'How is it possible for a man to curse his own parents?' The Prophet (peace be on him) replied, 'He insults another man's father, and then the other insults his father, and he insults the other's mother, and the other returns the insult to his mother.' (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Umamah reported that a man asked: "O messenger of Allah! What are the rights of parents over their children?" He* replied: "They (mum and dad) are your paradise and your hell" (Ibn Maja)

A man of Banu Salma came to the Prophet* and asked: "Ya RasulAllah! Is there any obedience to parents left that I can show to them after their demise?" He* said: “Yes! by praying for them, to seek forgiveness for them by fulfilling their instructions after their death, by keeping affinity to those who are not connected with you but through them and to honour their friends" (Abu Dawud and Ibn Maja)

“If any one of you is poor let him start with himself and if any one of you has surplus (wealth) let him spend on his family, and if any of you has further surplus let him spend it on his relatives.”

“The one who severes ties with the relations will not enter Paradise”.

“The Al-wasil (the one who keeps good ties with kith and kin) is not the one who recompenses the good done to him by his relatives, but Al-Wasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him.”

The Silat ar-Rahm (keeping good relations) indicates the importance of what Allah has said regarding the keeping of good and friendly relations within one's relatives and the Islamic community., In the maintaining of good relations and co-operation between relatives, and the extent of the Shari’ah concern to organise the meeting of men and women and organise what results from this meeting in terms of the relationships. Hence the Islamic Shar’a, through the rules which it legislated for the social aspect in the society, provides the best social system for mankind protecting the children and parents, thus the famliy and the society.