21 October 2012

Summary

Seerah:
Negus the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) died.
The death of Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet*
The death of ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy - the head of hypocrites
Abu Bakr leads the Hajj delegation

Belief Pathway: Who authored the Qur'an?
The Qur’an can only the work of the following:
- Non-Arab
- Arab
- Companions
- Muhammad
- The Creator, Allah (swt)
The Qur’an challenges the world to produce anything like itself to disprove Islam
The Qur’anic style is unique
We accept it is a living miracle from Allah and are then obliged to follow everything in it

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

After the Battle some other events
During this year many events of great significance took place. They were:
Negus Ashama; the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), died so the Prophet* performed prayer in absentia for him.
The death of Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet*, the Prophet felt extremely sad at her death. “Had I got a third daughter, I would let you marry her.” He said to ‘Uthman.
 
The stoning of the adulteress
Buraidah, a companion of the Prophet*, reported that a man called  “Ma’ez bin Malek Al-Aslami came to the Prophet* and said: I have wronged myself; purge me of my sin.  The Prophet* turned him away saying, woe is you!  Go back and pray God to forgive you. The following day Ma’ez came to the Prophet* again and said: I have committed a carnal sin. Purge me, God’s Messenger.  Again the Prophet* turned him away.
The fourth time the man came and the Prophet* asked him: What shall I purge you of?  Of the sin of adultery, the man said.  Is he insane, the Prophet* asked his companions?  No, he was told.  Is he drunk, the Prophet* asked again?  A man sniffed at him and found no smell of alcohol.  The Prophet* asked: Did you fornicate?  Yes, the man answered. The Prophet then gave his orders and the man was stoned.  The people were divided among themselves, some said Ma’ez is ruined and damned for good with his sin; others said there is no better act of repentance than Ma’ez’s- he came of his own accord, put his hand in the Prophet*’s hand and told him fair and square:  Stone me, for I have sinned.
The two groups kept arguing for two, three days.  The Prophet* came to them while they were sitting debating the issue.  He greeted them and sat down.  Pray God to forgive Ma’ez bin Malek, the Prophet* said, so the people did.  The Prophet* added: He made such a staggering act of repentance that would have absolved a whole nation.
The narrator said: Then a Ghamedi woman from the Uzd tribe came to the Prophet*.  Godsend Messenger, she said, purge me of my sin.  The Prophet turned her away, saying: Woe is you! Go back, pray God to forgive you and repent.  The following day she came to the Prophet* again and said: Godsend Messenger, I see you are trying to turn me away like you turned Ma’ez bin Malek away.  Why, what’s it to you, he said?  She said she was pregnant.  Was it you (Mu’az committed adultery with), the Prophet* asked?  Yes, the woman said.  Wait till you deliver the child you carry, the Prophet* said.
An Ansari man vouchsafed to be responsible for her till she delivers the baby.  When she gave birth she came back to the Prophet* with the child in swaddles.  Here is the child I have delivered, she said.  We shall not stone her and let the baby starve with no one to feed him, the Prophet* said.  Go and suckle the baby until he is weaned.
When she weaned the baby, she came to the Prophet* with the child holding a piece of bread in his hand.  She said: Godsend Prophet, here he is.  I have weaned him and he can eat now.  The Prophet* entrusted the child to one of the Muslims then pronounced the punishment of stoning.”
 
The death of ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy - the head of hypocrites
As to the cousin of Abu 'Amir, Ibn Ubayy, in the month after Tabuk he fell seriously ill, and after a few weeks it was clear that he was dying. The traditional accounts differ as to the state of soul in which he died, but all are unanimous that the Prophet led the funeral prayer for him, and prayed beside his grave when he had been buried. According to one tradition, when the Prophet had already taken his stand for the prayer, Umer went to him and protested against the bestowal of such grace upon a hypocrite, but the Prophet answered him, saying with a smile: "Stand thou behind me, Umer. I have been given the choice, and I have chosen. It hath been said unto me: Ask forgiveness for them, or ask it not, though thou ask forgiveness for them seventy times, yet will not God forgive them. I And did I know that God would forgive him if I prayed more than seventy times, I would increase the number of my supplications.'" Then he led the prayer and walked beside the bier to the cemetery and stood beside his grave. Not long afterwards the verse was revealed, with reference to the hypocrites: “And never pray the funeral prayer over one of them who dieth, nor stand beside his grave, for verily they disbelieved in God and His Messenger, and died in their iniquity?”
Abu Bakr leads the Hajj delegation
In the month Dhul-Qa‘dah or in Dhul-Hijjah of the very year (the ninth of Al-Hijra), the Prophet* dispatched Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him), the truthful, as a deputy prince of Al-Hajj (pilgrimage), so that he would lead the Muslims in performing of the pilgrimage rituals.
Soon after the departure of the Muslims, there came a Revelation from Allah: the opening passages of the Chapter 9 entitled ‘Repentance’ (Surah Tauba or Bara’a) in which ‘freedom from obligation’ is proclaimed from Allah in regard to those idolatrous tribes who had shown no respect for the treaties which they had entered into with the Prophet*. Communication of this news went in line with the Arabian traditions of making public any change relating to declining conventions of blood and fortunes.
‘Ali bin Abi Talib was deputed to make this declaration. He overtook Abu Bakr at Al-‘Arj or Dajnan. Abu Bakr inquired whether the Prophet* had put him in command or he had just been commissioned to make the announcement. “I have been deputed to make the proclamation only” replied ‘Ali. The two Companions then proceeded with the pilgrimage process. Towards the close of the rituals, on the day of the ritual sacrifice, ‘Ali stood at Al-Jamrah (a spot at which stones are pelted) and read aloud to the multitudes that thronged around him and declared quittance from covenants with idolaters and giving them four months’ respite to reconsider their position. As for the other idolaters with whom the believers had a treaty and had abated nothing of the Muslims’ rights nor had supported anyone against them, then the terms of the treaty would run valid until the duration of which expired. Abu Bakr then sent some Muslims to declare publicly that no disbeliever would after that year perform pilgrimage, nor would anyone be allowed to make the Tawaf (going round) of the Sacred House unclothed. That proclamation in fact vetoed all aspects of paganism out of Arabia and stated quite unequivocally that those pre-Islam practices were no longer in operation.

Main Topic: Belief ~
Who authored the Qur’an
It follows that since the Creator, Allah (swt) has created man, life and the universe, there must have been a purpose for the creation and a means, i.e. systems, by which to achieve it. The obvious questions that proceed are:
- How does man receive the purpose, rules and regulations, given by the Creator, by which he is to govern and understand his life?
- In what form are these rules and regulations received by man?
 
Clearly, either man communicates with the Creator or that the Creator communicates with us to explain our existence. Man, however, is limited and unable to comprehend or perceive the unlimited and as such cannot communicate with the Creator. This obvious fact therefore, means that the communication had to come from the Creator.
Throughout history, there have been messengers and prophets, men sent from the Creator, bringing laws or revelation on how man should conduct his life. They were given miracles which proved to mankind that they were bringing revelation. A miracle is something which goes against the laws of nature. For example prophet Musa (Moses) had a stick which parted the Red Sea. Prophet Isa (Jesus) had the ability to cure the sick by just touching them.
But how do we know if these messengers existed? The miracles performed by the above prophets were only miracles for that specific period of time. But how do we know that they were not just legends or fables? They are not proof for us. So what miracle do we have right now to convince us and guide us through our lives?
There are many texts available today claiming divine status from God. But is the guidance contained in them in its original form and is it applicable to all situations at all times? Any text claiming to be divine must not contain contradictions, discrepancies or adulterations, since this would question the perfection of God and the validity of the text.
If we apply this acid test to these ‘divine texts’, we find that non except the Qur’an fulfill the above criteria. Many religions contain aspects of the same truth (since messengers have come to teach each nation) but this truth has been tampered with by man.
Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the Word of God. They believe it is complete, i.e. it provides answers for all of life’s affairs and it has kept its authenticity. i.e. nothing has been removed or added to it by any man since it was revealed, but as we could not believe in the Creator, God (Allah [swt]), until we became intellectually convinced, similarly the ‘divine’ message must be examined and proved. There needs to exist a rational proof for the validity of the text, not a blind emotional argument.
The Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad (saw - may be peace and blessings of Allah [swt] be upon him and his family). At the time it was revealed, the pagan Arabs were deeply into poetry. It was an indication of nobility in society. People used to go to the desert for days just to write poetry. The Arabic language has great fluidity and depth of expression, so it was held high in esteem by the Arabs.
So we need to consider the authorship of the Qur’an. The Qur’an can only the work of the following:
•    Non-Arab
•    Arab
•    Companions
•    Muhammad
•    The Creator, Allah (swt)
Firstly, it is important to point out here that the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic. Because of the high standard of the Arabic used by the Qur’an, indeed its very excellence and mastery of the language, it is not from a non-Arab. It is well known that, a non-Arab aged 16 called Jabr was charged with conspiring with Muhammad* in writing the Qur’an, but Allah (swt) replied to these allegations: "And we know well that they say: only a man teaches him. The speech of him at whom they falsely hint is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear." [T.M.Q 16:103]
Now one would turn to the Arabs for the authorship of the Qur’an, having dismissed the theory that a non-Arab could have written it as being ridiculous. One of the disbelieving Arab poets of the time, Walid ibn Al-Mughira said after hearing the Qur’an, "None of you is more conversant than I with poetry, melodious hymns and songs, and by God never did I hear anything similar to which he says. It is so sweet and so graceful that it remains at the summit with nothing to surpass it."
People who disbelieved the divine authenticity were sent revelation challenging them to bring forth any similar writing: "...They may say, ‘He forged it.’ Say, ‘Bring ye then ten surahs (chapters) forged, like unto it, and call (to your aid) whomsoever ye can other than God! If ye speak the truth.’ [T.M.Q 11:13] And when the Arabs failed to meet this, they were challenged once more. "And if ye are in doubt as to what we have revealed from time to time to our servant, then produce a chapter like there unto call to your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides God, if your doubts are true." [T.M.Q 2:23]
They tried to bring the like of the Qur’an but they failed. And this challenge has remained until this day for everyone, both Muslim and non-Muslim and both the Arab and the non-Arab. Clearly, it is not the speech of an Arab, let alone non-Arab. The Companions were also Arab so it means they couldn’t write it either.
The Qur’anic challenge is unique because the Creator, Allah (swt), pushes man to use his ability to undermine the authenticity of the Qur’an. Such a profound yet simple challenge. Imagine throughout the history of Islam, all her enemies needed to defeat this challenge to destroy the whole basis of Islam. Yet not one, non-Muslim Arab or non-Arab has been able to do this even though all the tools of the Arabic language are at their disposal.
It is also inconceivable that the Qur’an is the speech of Muhammad*. After all he is one of the Arabs. Also, whatever level of genius people may assign to him, he is still a human being and one of his tribe and nation. Since the Arabs failed to bring the like of the Qur’an, this equally applies to Muhammad*. He could not bring the like of it, thus it is not from him. It is important to point out that none of the Arabs, who despised Muhammad*, particularly at that time, that were the most acquainted with the styles of Arabic speech ever claimed that the Qur’an was Muhammad’s* speech, or even similar to his speech. Moreover, it is clearly documented that Muhammad* was illiterate i.e. he could not read not write. Infact illiteracy is a proof in itself.
Also the traditions (ahadith) of Muhammad* are completely unlike the linguistic style of the Qur’an. This is the case even though Muhammad* would utter the revealed Qur’anic verse and say the tradition at one sitting. How could a man maintain a completely different style for 23 years? Strangely, people could copy the style of his traditions but not that of the Qur’an! We have established that the Qur’an could not have originated from a non-Arab, Arab or Muhammad*. This leaves us with the only real source, the Creator, Allah (swt). He (swt) says: "Do they not ponder about the Qur’an? If it had come from God they would surely have found therein much contradictions." [T.M.Q:82]
To this day Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have not been able to find any contradiction or mistake in the Qur’an. Moreover, if one was to compare letter by letter a copy of the Qur’an published today to one of the first copies of the Qur’an available then one would find that not a single letter has been omitted or added. Copies of the Qur’an dating back to the first century of Islam can be found in Istanbul and Tashkent.
Thus it is clear that the basis of Islam, the Quran, could only have come from the one who created language in order to produce a book that surpasses the language of any human. And from the one who created science in order to put in the Quran knowledge that no human knew of, only until recently. Therefore, the Quran can only have come from the Creator, Allah (swt).
If the Qur'an is the word of God, and a miracle proving the Prophet-hood of Muhammad (pbuh) we must look carefully at this book and establish without doubt its authenticity. It is well known that the pagan Arabs of the time of Muhammad (pbuh) were great poets and writers of the Arabic language. It was common at the time for them to go into the desert to study Arabic and write poetry and prose with which to entertain each other. They held the Arabic language with all its fluidity and depth of expression in great esteem. When the revelation started to come to Muhammad in his fortieth year it was the style of language which set the revelation apart from anything that had been before or indeed since.
The unshakable proof of the authenticity of the Qur'an as the word of God is in its style of language. The Qur'an remains completely at the height of eloquence, rhetoric, and coherent expression. It acts as one complete piece, with the style the same as if it is one sentence, with perfect arrangements and strong plain text. The expressions brought were not known to the Arabs at the time or before that time, and matters cannot be expressed that have not been previously felt. One of the disbelieving Arab poets of the time Walid ibn Al Mughirah said after hearing the Qur'an: "By God: None of you is more conversant than I with poetry, melodious hymns, and songs, and by God never did I hear anything similar to which he says. It is so sweet, and so graceful that it remains at the summit with nothing to surpass it."
The Qur'an is in a literary style that no human can approach or match. Its style the Arabs cannot match, and it is this challenge which God has set forth within the Qur'an. "Or they say: He has invented it? Say: then bring a Surah like unto it and call (for help) on all ye can besides Allah if you are truthful"[10:38]
It is this challenge to all that doubt that has remained unanswered in over 1400 years since this revelation. Not one scholar of the Arabic language either Muslim or Non-Muslim has been able to write even one small chapter or paragraph in the same style of Arabic to that of the Qur'an. The Arabs are either able to imitate the style of the Qur'an or not, if they could then the book is clearly the work of men like them. If not then there are only two other possible sources Muhammad, or God.
Muhammad (pbuh) was of Arabic blood and tongue but never claimed to be the author of the Qur'an. In fact he was never challenged as its author, it can be seen clearly from Hadith Mutawatir (definitely confirmed sayings of Muhammad - narrated word for word) of which there are many hundreds that the style of language in Muhammad's speech and the Qur'an are very different. And no matter how hard one tries, one's style of speech cannot be completely altered consistently, and certainly not over a period of 23 years in which the Qur'an was revealed. The only accusation ever leveled at Muhammad (pbuh) was that he received it from a Christian youth called Jaber. As a response to this allegation God revealed: "We know indeed that they say, 'It is a man that teaches him.' The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear."[16:103]
Since it is proved that the Qur'an is neither the speech of the Arabs nor the speech of Muhammad*, it is definitely the speech of Allah as this is the only rational possibility we are left with.
The Qur’anic challenge is unique because the Creator, Allah (swt), pushes man to use his ability to undermine the authenticity of the Qur’an. It is such a profound yet simple challenge. Imagine throughout the history of Islam, all her enemies needed to defeat this challenge to destroy the whole basis of Islam. Yet not one, non-Muslim Arab or non-Arab has been able to do this even though all the tools of the Arabic language are at their disposal. The Western government’s hatred of Islam is well known. All they have to do in order to defeat Islam and to make over one billion Muslims apostatise from it, is not to spend billions of dollars in invading Afghanistan, Iraq and launching a mythical ‘war on terror’. They simply have to produce one chapter similar to the Qur’an.
There are many texts available today claiming divine status from God, like the Bible of the Christians and the Torah of the Jews etc. However, they have no proof that they have been revealed by God, if they are not miraculous in nature then there is no reason to believe in them. As Muslims we believe that Allah (swt) revealed different books through history such as the original Injeel (Bible) and Torah, Allah (swt) informed us of this in the Qur’an this is why we believe these. However, we have also been informed that these books have been altered and therefore the versions that exist today are not that which was revealed by Allah (swt). Besides this, the Qur’an is the final revelation from Allah (swt) which abrogates all others.
Allah (swt) says, "Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)." [TMQ Al-Baqarah:136]
Once we have established through rational proof that Allah (Swt) exists and that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah, we must believe in everything that the Qur’an informs us of and commands us with, whether we can perceive them or not. Therefore, we must have Iman (belief) in the Day of Resurrection, in paradise (jannah) and hell, in reckoning and punishment, in angels, in jinn, in Shayaateen and all others that the Qur'an or hadeeth mutawaatir (definitive narrations) have mentioned. To believe in these things is therefore not irrational just because we cannot see them or sense them physically as we have conclusively proved the Qur’an being from Allah (swt) which informs us about all of these.
"O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger, and the Book which He sent to His Messenger and the Book which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement, has gone far, far astray." [An-Nisa: 136]
Once the Iman in Allah, His Messenger and the Qur’an has been proven, every Muslim is obliged to believe in the Islamic Shari’ah as a whole. We cannot pick and choose as we like. As the Shariah was revealed in the glorious Qur'an, and the Messenger* conveyed it. If someone disbelieves in this he would be a (disbeliever) Kafir. Therefore, it is disbelief (Kufr) to deny the shariah rules as a whole, or any definite detailed rule amongst them. This is the case whether these ahkam (rules) are connected with worships (ibadaat), transactions (mu'amalaat), punishments (uqoobat), food, etc. So the rejection of the verse: "So establish regular prayer" [Al-Baqarah: 43]
Is the same as rejecting the following verses: "But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury," [Al-Baqarah: 275] "As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands," [Al-Ma’idah: 38] "Forbidden to you (for food) are dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of any other than Allah." [Al-Ma’idah: 3]
We must completely surrender to all the rules revealed by Allah (swt) whether we see rational reasons for them or not. "But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) faith, until they make you judge in all the disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest submission." [An-Nisa: 65].



Children's feedback:
- Virtues of the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah
- Choosing between right and wrong decisions

News Topic:
- Car crash in a boys bedroom

Homework:
Qur'an: How was the Qur'an protected after the death of the Prophet* ?

18 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

The Reaction to the Dawa

There were many different ways in which the Quraish responded to the Dawa (spreading of the message of Islam) of the Prophet*. Some of these are listed below. These are not in any order and neither are they comprehensive, just some examples…

• Mockery, jealousy and hatred
• Insults, bullying and harassment
• Slander (character assassination)
• Corrupting the message
• Bargaining, negotiations and Temptations
• Setting challenges
• Pressurising
• Persecution and torture
• Attempted Assassination

Mockery, jealousy and hatred

Some of the people of Mecca used to mock the Prophet* and question if he was the best person among them to be the Messenger of Allah, despite being well respected & truthful, he was not wealthy or powerful. Al Walid bin Mughira had said that if Allah wanted to choose a prophet why didn’t he choose me? I am more wealthy, wise and older. Even outside Mecca people used to say this: In Ta’if the 3 men mocked him saying didn’t Allah find anyone better to send than you?

Allah says in response: “Why wasn’t this Qur’an revealed to a great man from one of the two towns?” [TMQ]

Allah says: “when they see you they ridicule you and say ‘is this the one Allah has sent as a messenger’?” [TMQ]

‘…Verily, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed; and whenever they passed them , used to wink one to another (in mockery); and when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting…’ [TMQ 83: 29-31]
“And they say, O you (Muhammed) to whom the Dhikr (Quran) has been sent down: ‘Verily you are a mad man’. [TMQ 15:6]
‘….a sorcerer & a liar’ [TMQ 38:4]

Abu Jahl mocked the Prophet* that his sons died and he was ‘a man cut off with offspring.’

Al Mughira bin Shuyba was visiting Mecca and walking with Abu Jahl and the Prophet* came up to Abu Jahl and said ‘why don’t you follow me and believe in Allah, & Islam..?’. O Muhammed, when are you going to stop cursing our gods? If you want us to testify you have delivered your message we can; and if I knew you were telling the truth I would have already followed you!’
The Prophet* left. Then Abu Jahl looked at Al Mughira and said: I know he is telling the truth, but there is something holding me back. The descendants of Qusay said they wanted to have hijaba (guardianship Kaaba) and we gave it to them, then they wanted saikaya & nifahda (providing pilgrims food & water) and we gave it to them, then they asked for an-nadwah (council) and we gave it to them, and then the lu’ah (banner of war) we gave it to them…and now when we started picking up and competing with them and running neck to neck, they now have a prophet – how can we compete with that? By God, we will never accept it!

Insults, bullying and harassment

Usually the Prophets appointed by Allah are noble and dignified people – but they are also sensitive and easily hurt by the reaction of their people. Allah said the to Prophet* to ‘ignore the ignorant’ and get on with the message because the people are against the message not him personally, especially those people in power (the Malla).

Abu Jahl asked Quraish: are you allowing the Prophet* to rub his face in the dirt? If I see him do that I will trample his neck and rub his face in the dirt! Then Prophet* was praying in front of Kaaba and Abu Jahl went to Prophet* when he was in sujjod, then Abu Jahl falling back and waving his hands.
What happened? Asked the Quraish leaders when he returned
Didn’t you see it?
No?
There was a trench in front of me with fire, wind and terror
The Prophet later mentioned that these were the angels & if he had come any closer they would have tore him to pieces.

Utbah bin Abi Muaith come to the Prophet* next Kaaba and grabbed his clothes trying to choke him. Abu Bakr pushed him away saying ‘do you want to kill a man just because he says my Lord is Allah?’

Abu Jahl came to the leaders of the Quraish after someone had slaughtered some camels and asked if there was anyone who would take the intestines and dump them on Prophet* when he is praying. Uqbah bin Abi Muaith went and did it in sujood. The Prophet* carried with his prayer and Fatima saw this and rushed to clear all the mess off her father. Then the Prophet* made a public du’a (to punish) against 7 of the leaders – who were all killed in the battle of Badr.

Umaiyah bin Khalaf would follow the Prophet* and slander him
‘Woe to every sanderer and backbiter’ [TMQ 104:1]

Slander (character assassination)

There was an organised campaign to discredit and slander the Prophet* in order to discredit his message. Some of the main accusations were that he was:

• insane / mad
• a magician
• a liar
• a soothsayer

Allah says: “They do not disbelieve you, but they are rejecting the signs of Allah” [TMQ]

The Quraish would place people on the entrance to Mecca to warn people about the Prophet, especially at times of pilgrimage or when there were prominent trade fairs and camps, such as: Dhul Majaz, Ukaz and Majannah.

The Prophet* would go to the market place (town centre) where they would trade and have competitions in poetry (cultural centre) where renowned speakers visit Souk Ahkaaf, and the best poems are pinned up on the wall of Kaaba and known as al-Mualakaat (hanged poems).

Rabia bin Abbad saw the Prophet* in Dhul Majaz saying to all foreigners: o you people, say there is no God but Allah and you would prosper. But Abu Lahab would follow each group and say don’t listen to him he is a liar & don’t let this man entice you away from the religion of your forefathers – I am his Uncle.

Al-Walid bin Mughira convened a special emergency council before the Hajj season (an-Nadwa) saying thta the Arabs will visit soon so they need to have a unified position about the Prophet* and should not contradict each other as this would undermine the slander. They asked for each others opinion in this specially convened emergency meeting (like a security council or emergency debate/assembly). Some of the opinions were that the Prophet* is:
- Kahin ~ Soothsayer (rejected as there isno rhymed mumbling)
- Majnun ~ Insane (rejected as he is not erratic nor mumbles like a crazy person)
- Poet – they were the experts in poetry and the Quran is not poetry
- Sorcerer/Witchcraft – he doesn’t do their habits of tying & blowing
Eventually settled on sorcerer that divides families, religion & tribes
Allah said in response to al-Walid’s deliberations: ‘Verily he plot & plotted, and let him be cursed how he plotted, and once more let him be cursed how he plotted. Then he thought, then he frowned and looked in a bad tempered way; then he turned back and was proud then he said this is nothing but magic from that of old, this is nothing but the word of a human being’. [TMQ 74: 18-25]

Corrupting the message

An-Nadr bin Harith went to Persia to learn stories and bring them back to Mecca to call the people saying: come to me, I have better stories to tell, and I provide dancing girls!
“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (music singing etc) to mislead men from the path of Allah! [TMQ 31:6]

‘This (Quran) is nothing but a lie that he (Muhammed) has invented and others have helped him at it. Tales of the ancients, which he (Muhammed) has written down, and they are dictated to him morning & afternoon.’ [TMQ 25:4-5]

Bargaining, negotiations and temptations

Quraish came to the Prophet and wanted to make a deal: let’s worship Allah for a day & you worship our gods for a day then decide; Prophet* said he would never agree to that
Later, a better offer: one week for 1 day
Later, a better offer: month for 1 day
Allah said: ‘They wish that you would compromise so that they can compromise with you’ [TMQ]
And then later: Surah Kaforoon was revealed.

They became upset because they were always compromising and the Prophet would refuse to compromise any part of the message of Islam. They thought this was very unreasonable! They would set up meetings to discuss how to deal with the Prophet and the Muslims and even get specific (think-tank) groups to come up with ways of tackling the 'problems' of the Muslims.

Setting challenges

The following long narration / story incorporates the above section (Bargaining, negotiations & temptations) together with the setting of challenges for the Prophet* to prove he is a prophet:

Leaders of Quraish sent for Prophet* to speak with him and wanted to exhaust all avenues of reason and negotiation. The Prophet* came rushing eagerly and was hopeful before this special meeting.
Then Utbah started: O Muhammed we sent for you to reconcile with you. By God, we know of no Arab man who has ever brought his people as much trouble as you have done. You have reviled the forefathers, criticised the religion, ridiculed our values, cursed the gods and divided our community. Every unpleasant thing you have done to make a rift between you and us. Never has a person brought on so much evil on his people like you have.
O Muhammed, if you are presenting this message because you are in need of money we will collect all our money and make you the richest amongst us;
If you are seeking power then we will appoint you king over us;
If you are desiring women we will chose the best 10 women in Quraish and marry them to you;
If you are possessed by demons then we will spend all our money to find you a cure even if we go broke
The Prophet replied: what you have said does not apply to me, I do not want money, or sovereignty…Allah has sent me as a Messenger and has ordered me to bring this message to you from my Lord. If you accept it you will benefit in this life and the next. If you reject it I will await Allah’s decision until he decides between me and you.

If you are turning down our offers, you know how narrow our land is – why don’t you ask Allah to level the mountains and give us more space & land, and make some rivers flow live Iraq & Syria; and bring back to life some of our forefathers like Qusay bin Kalab as he was very wise, and we want to ask him if you are true – if you agree to all that and our forefathers agree to it them we will follow you…
The Prophet replied: this is not why I have been sent and I have only brought you what Allah ahs sent me with. Accept or reject it

Then ask your Lord to send down an angel who will witness to the truth; and build us castles, treasures of gold & silver. And why don’t you ask him to fulfil your needs as we see you struggling every day. If you are so close to Allah then ask him to give you wealth so we can see how prestigious you are – if you are claiming to be a messenger.
The Prophet replied: I am not going to do so, I am not one to ask such things of his Lord. I have been sent to announce & warn: accept it or reject it

Ask your Lord to bring down this punishment you have been promising then on our heads now!
The Prophet replied: that is up to Allah, if He wishes He will do that

Oh Muhammed, doesn’t your Lord know we are going to ask you these questions? We know who is teaching you all this, you are being taught by a man in Yamama call Ar-Rahman and we are never going to believe in that man!

There were further insults before they all left and one man returned who was the cousin of the Prophet*.
Abdullah ibn Ummaiya said: O Muhammed, your people have offered you the best offers and you have turned them down, then they asked you to perform miracles and you refused, then they asked you to bring punishment on them and you didn’t. I tell you what – I’m not going to believe in you bring a ladder that goes all the way to heaven and then you climb it whilst I am watching you and you ask Allah for a letter saying you are a prophet, have Him sign it and that letter should be sent down with four angels to witness it. Even then I think I will not believe in you!
The Prophet* returned home dejected.


The Quraish would also sent ‘experts’ to deal with the Prophet* about how to tackle him and his ideas, for example they sent a delegation to Yathrib to discuss with the Jews and came back with trick questions.

On another occasion, Utbah bin Rabiah (an expert in magic & negotiations) asked the Prophet* who is better, Muhammed or Abdul Muttalib? What about Muhammed’s father? If you (Muhammed) claim they are better than you they worshipped the gods you criticise, and if you are better than them speak! By Allah, we have never seen any fool more harmful to his people than you, caused division & dissention between us, criticised our religion, and disgraced us in the eyes of the Arabs that they say there is a sorcerer amongst Quraish. We are just waiting for the cry of a pregnant woman and we will be at each others necks. What do you want – wealth, stature, kingship?
When Utbah returned he told the Quraish that he didn’t understand the Prophet’s response and recitation, and what he way saying other than the Quraish would be punished.
The leaders of the Quraish scalded him and said Muhammed was speaking in Arabic and you didn’t understand? Woe to you, you have fallen under his spell!

Pressurising

The Quraish also tried to put external pressure on the Prophet* by talking with those who had influence over him. The other leaders (like community leaders) who were protecting him.

Quraish tried to pressure Abu Talib to get Prophet* to stop, saying he was disturbing their meetings and worships, so tell him to stay away from them. Abu Talib asked Aqil to bring the Prophet* to him and he found the Prophet* and went to Abu Talib. ‘Your people are complaining so why don’t you stop?’
The Prophet* looked at the sun and said that I am no more capable of stopping the message than you are from getting a flame from the sun. With this Abu Talib gave the Prophet permission to carry on his Dawa as he believed he was telling the truth about his preaching.

Later the Quraish would boycott and isolate the Prophet* was when Banu Hashim refused to hand over the Prophet.

Persecution and torture

Initially the Prophet* was protected through Abu Talib and provided for by Khadija. The followers were viciously persecuted and this would hurt the Prophet* a lot.

Some of the persecutions and tortures were:

• Wrapping up the Muslims in shields of iron and leaving them in the desert sun
• Bilal would be placed in the hot desert and rocks put oon him but he would say ‘Ahad’. Later when asked why he would say Ahad he replied that this statement would anger (his master) Umaiya bin Khalaf the most! Bilal was also dragged by a rope through the streets
• Even the nobility were tortured: Uthman bin Affan was wrapped in a carpet & jumped upon, or wrapped in palm leaves and fire set underneath
• Abu Bakr sought to emigrate
• Umer was harassed
• Mus’ab ibn Umair: was rich but then starved and thrown out of his house
• Sumaiya (the first martyr in Islam) and her husband Yasir were killed by Abu Jahl, and Ammar recanted some beliefs but then went to the Prophet* and Allah revealed: ‘Whoever disbelieved in Allah after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Iman’ [TMQ 16:106].

Abu Jahl was the spearhead and would threaten or torture all newcomers to Islam. The Quraish would spy on all the Muslims and who they would meet and talk to (outsiders would try to visit Prophet* secretly)

Khabab bin Arrat asked the Prophet* to make du’a for victory when by the Kaaba. The Prophet* got angry stating that there was a people before them who were combed in iron combs getting the flesh off from their bones, others sawn in half for their deen. Khabab needed to have patience. Later Umer asked all to talk about their experiences in Mecca, and Khabab lifted his shirt showing deep black holes in his back. These were due to hot red rocks placed on sand and he was thrown on it & he could smell the grease & flesh burn.

Attempted Assassination

These occurred after the death of Abu Talib. Allah mentions in the Qur’an: ‘They attempted to drive you out of your land, to imprison you and to kill you.’ [TMQ]


News

This Saturday's The Guardian contained many articles about Muslims and Islam. Many of them showed how similar many Muslims are now to the earlier times in Islam. There are parallels between the Meccan period of Dawa and today:

On the front page there is the main article (Government anti-terrorism strategy 'spies' on innocent) that talks about how the UK government is spying on Muslims of all ages, gathering information about their beliefs, ideas, people they meet with and what they do. Compare with the Seerah section on ‘Insults, bullying & harassment’ and ‘Persecution and torture’ where they would spy on Muslims.

On page 4, there was an article on torture of Muslims (Judges overrule attempt to suppress torture evidence) and on page 5 an attempt to justify the torture of Muslims (MI5 chief defends links with foreign agencies accused of torture).

Also on these pages, an article about putting pressure on Muslims in the UK through spying, slander, changing the message of Islam and pressurising the leaders of Muslims to change their ideas and setting them challenges tpo prove they are loyal (through the Preventing Violent Extremism government project): ‘Communities fear project to counter extremism is not what it seems’. Some Muslims have accepted money and succumbed to temptations through bargaining and justify these actions (Spying morally right, says thinktank).

Far-right MP basks in limelight after overturning ban to enter Britain was the headline on page 10, about an elected politician who says “the Qur'an should be banned”. This article highlights the slander of the Prophet*, corrupting the message of Islam and trying to pressurise the Muslims.

Page 17 had an article about the recent Gaza War (Israel rejects UN council backing for Gaza war crimes report) that highlights how Muslims are still being boycotted, pressurised and persecuted.