THE MESSAGE chapter2

THE MESSAGE

Chapter2

Chapter7

REJOINING THE FAMILY

The Almighty has destined every human being for some particular job. If one has been created to acquire knowledge and wisdom another has been endowed with capability for discovery and invention and a third one for labour and effort. If some are suited to play a role in government and politics others have been entrusted the task of teaching and training their fellow-men and so on.

The compassionate leaders who are interested in the prevalence of good order and comfort in their environments and desire the advancement of the individuals as well as the society test the taste and talent of a person before entrusting him a job and give him only that work which accords with his aptitude and capacity. In case this is not done the society is exposed to two disadvantages. Firstly the man concerned does not do what he can and secondly whatever he does proves to he futile. It is said "In every head there is an aptitude. Lucky is he who recognizes his aptitude".

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A teacher was advising an indolent student. He was telling him about the evils of sluggishness and the fate of those who do not learn but spend their lives in idle pursuits. Suddenly he saw that the student while hearing his words was also drawing a picture on the ground with a piece of coal. He at once realized that the boy had not been created to study and the hand of nature had meant him to be a painter. He therefore summoned his parents and said to them: "Although your child is careless and dull in studies he has a good taste for painting. It will therefore be better if you arrange for his instruction in painting". The parents of the boy accepted the advice of the teacher. He soon began to learn that art and eventually became a great painter of his time.

The early period of the life of the children provides the best opportunity to their parents and guardians to test their inclinations and aptitudes and to gain knowledge about their talents from their acts manners ideas and conceptions. This is so because the thoughts actions and sweet and gentle words of a child are a mirror of his future and if proper guidance suited to his faculties is provided the best possible benefit can be derived from his aptitude.

The study of the ways and manner; of the Holy Prophet right from his childhood till the commencement of his prophetic mission draws in our eyes the picture of the background of his life and his sublime thoughts and the scrutiny of the history of his childhood tells us about his brilliant future. Rather his brief biography upto the day he was appointed to the prophetic mission when he declared himself to be the guide of the society informs us about his future and makes clear the purpose for which he had been created and also tells us whether or not his claim to prophethood and leadership accorded with the events of his life. It tells us whether or not his forty years' life and his behaviour character speech and the conduct of his long association with the people support his prophethood. Keeping this in view therefore we place before the readers a part of the early life of the Holy Prophet.

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The kind foster-mother of Muhammad looked after him for five years and did her best to nurse and cherish him. During this period the Holy Prophet learnt eloquent Arabic language and prided himself upon it afterwards. Later Halimah brought him to Makkah and he spent some time under the loving care of his mother and the guardianship of his magnanimous grandfather. This child was the only souvenir left by Abdullah to his bereaved family. [1]

[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 167.

JOURNEY TO YATHRIB

From the day the newly-wedded daughter-in-law of Abdul Muttalib (viz. Aminah) had lost her young and dignified husband she had been waiting for an opportunity to go to Yathrib and to see with her own eyes his last resting-place and in the meanwhile also to see her relatives in that city.

Eventually she decided that the proper time for her journey had arrived and her dear child had sufficiently grown up to accompany her. They made preparations for the journey and left for Yathrib along with Umme Aiman. They stayed there for one month. For the young child of Quraysh this journey was very severe and caused him spiritual pain because he saw for the first time the house in which his father had breathed his last as well as the place where he was Iying buried and naturally till that time his mother had already told him many things about his father.

The pangs of grief were still fresh in his soul when another tragedy took place and gave him a new current of sorrow and sadness because while on his way back to Makka he lost his mother also at a place called Abwa'. [1] This unfortunate happening made Muhammad all the more dear in the eyes of the members of his family and the only rose which had survived this rose-garden became all the more the object of affection and love of Abdul Muttalib. He loved him more than his own sons and gave him preference over everyone else.

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A carpet used to be spread for the ruler of Quraysh (Abdul Muttalib) by the side of the Ka'bah. The chiefs of Quraysh as well as his own sons used to sit in a circle around the carpet. However as and when his eyes fell on the souvenir of Abdullah he ordered that way might be made for him so that he might accommodate him on the carpet. [2]

The Holy Qur'an mentions the Holy Prophet's period of orphanhood in Surah al-Zuha and says: Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? (Surah al- Zuha 93 6)

The philosophy underlying the orphanhood of the newborn child of Quraysh is not very clear to us. We know only this much that the roaring torrent of accidents indicate a good purpose. In view of this we can guess that Allah willed that before the leader of mankind assumed the reins of affairs and commenced his leadership he should taste the weal and woe and experience the ups and downs of life so that he should develop a great forbearing and courageous spirit and with those sufferings should prepare himself to encounter in his later life a chain of hardships and deprivations as well as homelessness.

Allah had willed it that he should not be educated by any person and should not be under obligation to submit to anyone. From the very early days of his life he should be free and independent and procure the means of his advancement and elevation like a self-made man so that the people may realise that the inspiration in his case is not a human inspiration and his parents have had no part to play in moulding his character way of thinking and bright future and his greatness and excellence have emanated from the fountain of revelation.

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[1] Seerah-i Halabi vol. I page 125.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 168.

DEATH OF ABDUL MUTTALIB

Heart-rending wordly accidents make appearance during the course of human life one after the other like huge waves of the sea and hurt the human soul.

The waves of grief still reigned over the heart of the Prophet of Allah when he had to encounter another great mishap. He was not yet more than eight years of age when he lost his grandfather. The death of Abdul Muttalib had so deep an impression on him that he kept weeping upto the very edge of his grave and never forgot him.

GUARDIANSHIP BY ABU TALIB

We shall speak about the personality and greatness of Abu Talib in a specific chapter and shall prove his Islam and faith in the Holy Prophet with authentic evidence. However for the present it is only appropriate that we should narrate the events related to the guardianship of the Holy Prophet by Abu Talib.

There were a number of reasons which made it appropriate that Abu Talib should undertake the responsibility and the honour of looking after the Holy Prophet. He and Abdullah father of Muhammad were born of the same mother[1] and he was also well-known for his generosity and goodness. For this reason Abdul Muttalib selected him for the guardianship of his worthy grandson. The services rendered by him in this capacity are recorded in history in golden words and shall be narrated later.

When the Holy Prophet was fifteen years old he took part in a battle along with his uncle. As this battle was fought in the months during which fighting is prohibited it is called the Battle of Fujjar. Detailed accounts of Fujjar Battles are given in history books.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham Vol. I page 179.

A JOURNEY TO SYRIA

It was customary for the Quraysh who were engaged in trade to visit Syria once every year. Abu Talib had determined to participate in the annual journey of Quraysh. As regards his nephew whom he did not usually leave alone even for a while he had decided to leave him behind in Makkah and to appoint some persons to look after him. However when the caravan was about to move tears trickled down the eyes of Muhammad and he extremely felt the separation from his guardian. The sad face of Muhammad aroused the sentiments of Abu Talib to such an extent that he felt compelled to bear the hardship involved and to take Muhammad along with himself.

This journey undertaken by Muhammad at the age of twelve years is considered to be one of the most pleasant journeys performed by him because during this journey he passed through Madyan the Qura valley and the country of Samud and witnessed the beautiful natural sceneries of Syria. The caravan had not yet reached Syria when an incident occurred enroute at a place called Busra which upset the programme of Abu Talib's journey to some extent. The details of this incident are as follows:

For very many years a monk named 'Bahira' had been engaged in worship in his particular monastery situated at Busra. He possessed very deep knowledge of the Christian faith and was held in much respect by the Christians of that area. At times the trade caravans broke their journey at that place and the members of the caravans visited him to seek blessings. Fortunately Bahira happened to meet the trade caravan of Quraysh. His eyes fell on the nephew of Abu Talib who attracted his attention. His mysterious and deep look indicated the secret which was hidden in his heart. He stared on for a few moments and then suddenly broke the silence and asked "To whom is this boy related from amongst you? " Some of those present looked towards his uncle. Abu Talib said He is my nephew. Then Bahira said This boy has a brilliant future. He is the same promised Prophet whose universal prophethood, conquests and rule have been foretold in the Heavenly Books and the signs which I have read in the Books apply to him. He is the same Prophet, about whose name and about the name of whose father and regarding whose family, I have read in the religious books, and I know from where he is to rise and in what manner his religion will spread in the world. However, you must keep him hidden from the eyes of the Jews, for, if they learn about him, they will kill him. [1]

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Most of the historians say that the nephew of Abu Talib did not proceed beyond that place (Busra). However it is not clear whether Muhammad's uncle sent him back to Makkah along with someone else (and this appears to be quite improbable after Abu Talib having heard from the monk that he should not separate his nephew from himself) or himself returned to Makkah along with him and discontinued his further journey. And sometimes it is said that he took Muhammad to Syria along with him exercising much care about him.

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[1] Tabari vol. I pp. 33 - 34; Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I pp. 180 - 183.

FALSEHOOD OF THE ORIENTALISTS

In the chapters of this book we shall point out the mistakes and occasionally the lies and unjust calumnies of the orientalists so that the basis of their information may become known and it may also become clear to what an extent they try intentionally to confuse the minds of the credulous people.

The Prophet's meeting with the monk is quite a simple matter. However now many centuries have passed since this incident occurred the orientalists have made it a pretext and insist to prove that Prophet Muhammad learnt from Bahira during this journey his own sublime teachings which he introduced twenty eight years later and which enlivened anew like the elixir of life the dead body of the human society of that age. They say: "On account of the greatness of spirit purity of mind retentive faculty and profoundness of thought which nature had endowed upon Muhammad in abundance he learnt from that very monk the stories of the Prophets and of the perished communities like Ad and Samud and also acquired most of his vital teachings from him during the same meeting".

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It goes without saying that the above view is nothing more than mere fantasy and does not at all conform with the events of the life of the Prophet. It is also not supported but stands rejected by the scientific and normal standards. Here are some proofs of what we have said:

1. The historians are unanimous that Muhammad was illiterate and had not learnt reading and writing. Moreover at the time of this journeys his age did not exceed twelve years. Now is it possible to believe that a boy who was not more than twelve years old should learn the realities of the Taurat and the Injeel and later at the age of forty years give them the shape of revelation and introduce a new religion? Such an eventuality is beyond usual standards and keeping in view the extent of human capability it may be said that it is not possible intellectually.

2. The period of this journey was too short to enable Multammad to acquire even a smattering of the Taurat and the Injeel because it was a trade journey and did not last for more than four months including the period of stay. The reason for this is that Quraysh journeyed twice in a year - to Yemen during winter and to Syria during summer - and in view of this it cannot be imagined that the period of the journey in question exceeded four months. And it is not possible even for the greatest sage of the world to master these two voluminous Books in such a short period not to speak of an illiterate boy especially when he was not with the monk for full four months and this meeting had materialised at a halting place during the journey and did not last for more than a few hours.

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3. History provides testimony to the fact that Abu Talib wanted to take his nephew to Syria and Busra was not their real destination. Moreover Busra was a place which lay on the route and at times the caravans stopped there to take rest. In that event how can it be possible that the Holy Prophet should stay on there and busy himself in the study of the Taurat and the Injeel. It matters little if we say that Abu Talib took him to Syria along with himself or that he returned from there (Busra) to Makkah or sent his nephew back to Makkah alongwith someone - in any of these cases the destination of the caravan and also of Abu Talib was not Busra so that the caravan might have become busy in commerce and the Holy prophet might have simultaneously engaged himself in receiving instruction.

4. If the nephew of Abu Talib had received instruction from the monk the matter would certainly have gained publicity among the Quraysh and all would have spoken about it on their return. Moreover even the Holy Prophet himself would not have been able to claim before his people that he was illiterate and had not pursued any studies whereas we find that the Holy Prophet commenced his prophetic mission with this very assertion but none said to him "O Muhammad! you did receive instruction from the monk at Busra when you were twelve years of age and learned these glowing truths from him! "

As is well known the idolaters of Makkah accused the Holy Prophet in different ways and studied the Holy Qur'an very minutely to find a pretext for their accusation. So much so that when they saw at one time that the Holy Prophet associated on certain occasions with a Christian slave in Marwah they seized he opportunity and said that Muhammad learnt what he said from the Christian slave. The Holy Qur 'an mentions this accusation of theirs in these words. We know that they say: 'A mortal taught him'. But the man to whom they allude (the Christian slave) speaks a foreign language while this is eloquent Arabic speech. (Surah al-Nahl 16: 103)

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However as regards this accusation (i. e. the Prophet received instruction from Bahira) it has neither been objected to by the Holy Qur'an nor did the quarrelsome and objectors Quraysh make it a pretext. And this thing is in itself a clear proof of the fact that this accusation is the outcome of the brains of modern orientalists.

5. The stories of Prophets. which have been narrated in detail in the Holy Qur'an are totally at variance with those narrated in the Taurat and the Injeel and the matters ascribed to the Prophets have been narrated in these two Books in such an indecent and repulsive manner that they do not accord at all with rational standards. A comparison of these two Books with the Holy Qur'an shows that the contents of the Holy Qur'an have not been taken from them. And if it is supposed that Muhammad obtained information about the history of the nations from the two Testaments it should have been necessary that his narrative should also have been mixed with extravagant talks and myths.

6. If the monk stationed on the route to Syria possessed so extensive theoretical and religious knowledge that he could provide it to a Prophet like Muhammad why did he not acquire any fame himself? And why did he not give instruction to anyone other than Muhammad when he was always visited by the people at large?

A GLANCE AT THE EXISTING TAURAT

This Heavenly Book! It is extremely incoherent in the matter of narratives about the Prophets. We mention briefly here some instances in this regard so that it may become clear that if the Holy Prophet had obtained the glowing realities of the Holy Qur'an from the monk there was no reason why even the smallest repulsive remark should not have appeared in what he said. For example:

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1. The Taurat says in the book of Genesis (chapter 32 verses 28 - 30) 'One night God wrestled with Jacob till dawn'.

2. God lied to Adam by telling him that if he ate the fruit of the particular tree he would die whereas the fact was that if he ate the fruit of that tree he would have become aware of good and bad like God. And when he did eat it he acquired that knowledge. [1]

3. The Taurat narrates in this manner the descent of two angels to meet Ibrahim: God descended along with two angels to know whether the information which he was receiving about the people was correct or false. For this reason He appeared before Ibrahim who said "Let me bring water so that you may wash your feet". thereafter God and the two angels who had become tired took rest and ate food. (Vide Genesis. chapter 18 verses 1- 9)

Dear reader! Please also go through the stories narrated in the Holy Qur'an and then decide whether it is possible to say ' I he Holy Qur'an which has narrated everything in so sublime a manner has borrowed the narratives relating to the Prophets from this very TI aural? " And if it has borrowed the-m from the Taurat why is not even an iota ot this extravagant talk reflected in them?

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[1] Taurat has narrated in detail the story of Adam and Eve in the book on Genesis chapters 2 and 3.

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A GLANCE AT THE INJEEL

We mention three instances of "glowing realities" of the Injeel to show whether or not this very Injeel is the source of the Qur'an of the Muslims:

PROPHET 'ISA SHOWS A MIRACLE

'Isa went to a marriage party along with his mother and his disciples. It so happened that the wine got finished. He miraculously converted seven jars full of water into wine. (St. John chapter 2 verses 1 - 11).

Prophet 'Isa took a cup (of wine) and handed it over to them and said "Drink for it is my blood". (St. Matthew chapter 26. verse 27)

However dear readers you will find the logic of the Holy Qur'an about drinking of wine which is absolutely opposed to the above view. It says: Believers! Wine and games of chance idols and divining arrows are abominations devised by Satan. Avoid then so that you may prosper (Surah al-Mai'da 5: 9)

In these circumstances is it possible that Muhammad should have collected material for the Holy Qur'an from the monk at Busra?

The present Injeel introduces 'Isa as a vicious person who was very unkind to his mother (vide St. Matthew chapter 12 St. Mark chapter 13 St. Luke chapter 8). whereas the Holy Qur'an depicts him to be quite the reverse of it: He has exhorted me to honour my mother and purged me of vanity and wickedness. (Surah Maryam 19: 32)

Unprejudiced persons while comparing the stories and commands of the Qur'an with the Bible can understand that the latter cannot serve as the source of the Qur'an.

Chapter 8

PERIOD OF YOUTH

Leaders of society should be forbearing and patient strong and powerful brave and valiant fearless and bold and should possess a great soul.

How can it be possible for persons who are timid and chicken-hearted weak and cowardly feeble-minded and lazy to lead the society through intricate paths? How can they take a stand before the enemies and protect their entity and personality from the attacks of the people at large?

The greatness and magnificence of the soul of a leader and his corporeal and spiritual power and ability have wonderful impact on his followers. When Ali the Commander of the Faithful selected one of his sincere companions for the Governorship of Egypt he wrote a letter to the afflicted people of Egypt who had been greatly put out on account of the tyranny of the government which was then in position in that land. In that letter he praised his governor-designate for his bravery and spiritual purity. We reproduce here an extract from that letter wherein the real attributes of a ruler have been narrated

"..... I have sent to you a servant of Allah who does not go to sleep in dreadful days and does not show cowardice while facing the enemy during an emergency. For the wicked he is more harsh than the burning fire. He is Malik bin Harith from the clan of Mazhaj. Listen to his words and enforce his orders because he is one of the swords of Allah which does not become blunt and whose stroke does not remain ineffective'. [1]

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[1] Nahjul Balaghah vol. III page 92.

SPIRITUAL POWER OF THE HOLY PROPHET

During his boyhood as well as manhood the signs of strength bravery firmness and forcefulness were patent in the forehead of the darling of Quraysh. When he was fifteen years of age he took part in a battle which has fought by Quraysh against the tribe of Hawazan and which is called the Fujjar Battle. In the battle-front his duty was to ward off the arrows aimed at his uncles. In his Seerah-i Ibn Hisham[1] quotes this sentence from the Prophet: "I warded off the arrows from my uncles".

Participation in this battle and that too at such a young age tells us about the unparalleled valour of the Holy Prophet and we understand as to why Imam Ali the most valiant of the valiant the Commander of the Faithful says "Whenever matters became difficult for us (the Muslim Soldiers) on the battle front we took refuge with the Prophet of Allah and none of us was nearer to the enemy than the Prophet himself. [2]

We shall mention the principles of Islamic military training in the chapter relating to the battles of the Muslims with the polytheists and shall study the manner of their fighting which always took shape according to the directions of the Holy Prophet. And this in itself is one of the fascinating discussions of the history of Islam.

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[1] Volume I page 186. He interprets it in the same manner as explained by us.

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[2] Nahjul Balaghah vol. III page 314.

HlLFUL FUZUL (THE COVENANT OF THE YOUTHS)

In the past an agreement called the 'Fuzul Covenant' existed amongst the Jarhamis and it was meant for safeguarding the rights of the oppressed. The parties to this agreement according to the renowned historian Imaduddin Ibn Kathir were Fazal bin Fazalah Fazal bin Harith and Fazal bin Wida'ah. [1]

As the mutual agreement which a number of Quraysh had made later was identical with Hilful Fuzul from the point of view of its object (viz. protection of the rights of the oppressed) it was also given the name of 'Fuzul covenant'.

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[1] Al-Bidayah wal Nihiyah vol. II page 292.

THE PROPHET PARTICIPATES IN THE AGREEMENT

Twenty years before the commencement of the prophetic mission of the Prophet a man arrived in Makkah in the month of Zi Qa'dah along with some goods. These goods were purchased by 'As bin Wa'il but he failed to pay the price settled between them. That man saw Quraysh sitting near the Ka'bah. He began to complain loudly and also recited some verses which roused the sentiments of men possessing a sense of honour. Zubayr bin Abdul Muttalib stood up and some others also joined him. They held a meeting in the house of Abdullah bin Jad'an and made a covenant and vowed that they would observe unity and as far as possible in the prevailing circumstances would make the oppressor surrender the rights of the oppressed to them. When the ceremonies of the agreement were over they got up and went to 'As bin Wa'il. They took back from him the goods which he had purchased but had not paid its price and returned the same to the owner.

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The Prophet participated in this agreement which ensured the welfare of the oppressed. He has himself spoken about the greatness of this agreement and two of his remarks in this behalf are reproduced below:

"In the house of Abdullah bin Jad'an I became a witness to such an agreement. If even now (i. e. after the commencement of the prophetic mission) I am invited to a similar agreement I shall accept it (viz. I am still faithful to the covenant made by me) "

Ibn Hisham quotes that the Prophet used to speak thus about the said agreement. ''l am not prepared to break my covenant even though I am offered the most precious gift".

The 'Fuzul agreement' was so firm and established that even the later generations considered themselves bound to abide by it. An instance of it is the event which took place during the Governorship of Walid bin 'Utbah bin Abu Sufyan the nephew of Mu'awiyah who had been appointed by him as Governor of Madina. The Chief of the Martyrs Husayn bin Ali who never submitted to tyranny throughout his life developed some differences regarding financial matters with the said Governor of Madina who always depended on local and central (Syrian) power and used to overcharge. To destroy the very foundation of injustice and to make others acquainted with their right to get justice administered Husayn turned to the Governor of Madina and said: "By Allah whenever you overcharge me I shall put my hand to the sword and shall stand in the Prophet's Masjid and shall invite the people to the agreement which was concluded by their ancestors. From amongst those present Abdullah bin Zubayr got up and repeated the same sentence and incidentally added: "We shall all rise and obtain his right or be killed in this path". The call of Husayn bin Ali gradually reached the ears of noble-minded persons like Masur bin Mukhramah and Abdur Rahman bin Uthman and all hurried to the sacred door of the Imam saying "Here we are! " The result was that the governor fearing a revolt refrained from overcharging. [1]

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[1] Seerah-i Halabi vol. I pp. 155 - 157.

Chapter 9

FROM SHEPHERD TO MERCHANT

The Divine guides are charged with a very important and great responsibility. It is a responsibility linked with embarrassment and deprivation torture and calamities murder and death; etc. in short with all sorts of hardships and sufferings. And the greater and more sublime their target is the severer and the graver are the hardships attached to it.

On this account fortitude and forbearance i. e. patience in the face of all calumnies accusations injuries and persecutions is a pre-condition for the success of Divine leaders because forbearance and patience are a real condition at all stages of a campaign for the attainment of their object.

In the history and the narratives relating to the Prophets we come across matters which it is very hard and difficult for us (ordinary human beings) to imagine. We read about Noah that he preached for 950 years and as a result of his campaign and prolonged efforts only eighty one persons expressed their belief in him. In other words in every twelve years he succeeded in bringing only one person to the right path.

The quality of forbearance and patience develops in man only gradually. It is necessary that he should face unpleasant events so that his soul should become fully acquainted with hardships and sufferings.

Before attaining the position of prophethood the Prophets used to spend a part of their lives as shepherds so that they might spend some time in the jungles in bringing up flocks and herds and thus become patient and forbearing for the education of human beings and might take it easy to bear all hardships and sufferings. This is so because when a man is able to bear hardships with reference to an animal which. from the point of view of intellect and wisdom holds no comparison with human beings he inevitably accepts responsibility for the guidance of the misguided people who are essentially prepared to have faith in Allah.

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What has been said above is based upon the contents of a tradition wherein it has been said. "Allah has not sent any Prophet who has not been made to tend the flocks as a shepherd so that he may learn how to guide the people. [1]

The Holy Prophet also spent a part of his life in this manner and most of the writers of 'Seerah' have quoted this sentence from him "All the Prophets have been shepherds for some time before attaining to the position of prophethood". The people asked the Prophet "Have you too been a shepherd? " He replied "Yes. For some time I grazed the sheep of the people of Makkah in Qarareet area".

No doubt it was necessary for the person who must fight with Abu Jahls and Abu Lahabs and one who wanted to mould out of degraded persons whose common sense and intelligence was at such a level that they bowed before every stone and stick a set of those who should not submit to the will of anyone except the Will of Allah that he should have rehearsed the lesson of forbearance and patience in different ways for quite some time.

We think that there was another reason also for the Holy Prophet choosing the pastoral occupation. It was that the sight of unreasonable ways of life of the powerful ones amongst the Quraysh and demonstration of viciousness by them weighed heavily on the mind of this brave and free man; who possessed a great sense of moral dignity. Besides this failure of the Makkan society to worship the Almighty and their going round the inanimate idols was something very unpleasant for an intelligent person. For these reasons the Holy Prophet dissociated himself from that society and spent a part of his life in the jungles and on the slope of the mountains which were naturally located at a distance from that polluted society so that for some time at least he might be relieved of the mental torture caused by the pitiable conditions prevailing in that age.

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By observing the beautiful sky and the positions and shape of stars and by reflecting on the plants of the jungle an enlightened person becomes acquainted with hundreds of signs of Divine order and strengthens his natural belief in monotheism with cogent scientific proofs. The great Prophets notwithstanding the fact that from the very time of their coming into existence their hearts were illuminated with the glowing torch of monotheism did not consider themselves independent of the need of studying the created beings and the Universe and through this very method they attained to the highest degrees of conviction and faith.

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[1] Safinatul Bihar root word nabi.

ABU TALIB'S PROPOSAL

The stringent financial conditions of his nephew prompted Abu Talib who was himself one of the chiefs of Makkah and noblemen of Quraysh and was famous for his generosity bravery and magnanimous disposition to arrange for a vocation for him. He therefore said to his nephew: "Khadijah daughter of Khuwaylad is one of the wealthy persons among Quraysh and her trade activities extend to Egypt and Ethiopia. She is on the look out for an honest man who should assume responsibility for her trade participate on her behalf in the trade caravan of Quraysh and take her merchandise to Syria for sale. O Muhammad! What a good thing it would be if you introduce yourself to her". [1]

The magnanimity and spiritual excellence of the Prophet did not permit him that he should go to Khadijah direct without any acquaintance and in the absence of any request from her and make such a proposal. He therefore replied to his uncle: "It is possible that Khadijah may herself send someone to me'. He said so because he knew that he was well-known amongst the people as an 'honest' person. And the same thing did happen. When Khadijah came to know about their conversation she at once sent someone to the Prophet saying: "The thing which has inspired my regard for you is your truthfulness honesty and good morals. I am prepared to give you double of what I give to others and shall also send along with you two slaves who will obey you in all circumstances''. [2]

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The Prophet related this thing to his uncle and the latter said "This offer is a source of your livelihood which Almighty Allah has bestowed upon you"

The caravan of Quraysh which included the merchandise of Khadijah got ready to move. Khadijah placed an easy-paced camel a quantity of costly goods and two slaves at the disposal of her agent and ordered the slaves to be very respectful to him at all stages never to object to what he did and to obey him in all circumstances.

Eventually the caravan reached its destination and all its members made profit. However the profit made by the Prophet was comparatively more than that made by others and he also purchased certain things for being sold in the market-place of Tahamah.

After making a successful trip to Syria the caravan of Quraysh returned to Makkah. During this journey the Prophet once again passed through the land of Ad and Samud. The silence of death which prevailed over the environments of that unruly nation invited his attention more and more to the other worlds. Moreover the memories of the previous journey were also revived. He recollected the days when he had traversed those very deserts along with his uncle. The caravan of Quraysh drew near Makkah. Addressing the Prophet the slave named Maysarah said It will be better if you enter Makkah before us and inform Khadijah about the affairs of trade and the extraordinary profit which we have made this year'. The Prophet entered Makkah at a time when Khadijah was sitting in her upper chamber. She ran down to receive him and took him into the chamber. The Prophet narrated, in a sweet manner, the matters relating to the merchandise. In the meantime Maysarah also arrived. [3]

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The slave of Khadijah (Maysarah) narrated to her exactly all that he had seen during the journey and all of which testified to the greatness and spirituality of Muhammad 'the honest one'. He

told her inter alia that during the journey 'the honest one' differed with a merchant about some matter. That man told him that he would accept his word if he swore by 'Lat' and 'Uzza' but the honest one said to him in reply. "I consider Lat and Uzza whom you worship to be the meanest and most despicable things on the face of the earth". [4]

Maysara also added that in Busra 'the honest one' sat under a tree to take rest. In the meantime a monk who was sitting in his monastery chanced to see him. He came and enquired about his name and then said "This man who is sitting under the shade of the tree is the very Prophet about whom I have read many good tidings in the Taurat and the Injeel". [5]

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[1] Biharul Anwar vol. XVI page 22

[2] Seerah Ibn Hisham vol. II page 24

[3] al-Khara'ij page 186 and Biharul Anwar vol. XVI page 4.

[4] Tabaqat-i Kubra page 140

[5] Biharul Anwar vol. XV page 18.

KHADIJAH - THE FIRST LADY OF ISLAM

Till that time the financial and economic conditions of the Prophet had not improved and he still needed financial help from his uncle Abu Talib. His business matters were apparently not so firm as yet that he should choose a wife and set up a family.

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His last journey to Syria and that too in the capacity of the agent and representative of a wealthy and well-known lady of Quraysh (Khadijah) stabilised his financial and economic condition to some extent. His courage and skill attracted the admiration of Khadijah and she expressed her willingness to pay him as a prize something over and above the settled amount. However the Prophet accepted only that remuneration which had been agreed upon originally. He then proceeded to the house of Abu Talib and handed over to him all that he had earned so as to ensure some relief for his uncle.

Abu Taiib had been waiting impatiently for his nephew who was the souvenir of his father (Abdul Muttalib) and his brother Abdullah. Tears trickled down his eyes as soon as he saw him. He was nevertheless very much pleased to learn about his business activities arid the profit that he had made and expressed his willingness to place two horses and two camels at his disposal so that he could continue his business. As regards the money which he had earned during the said journey and had handed over to his uncle he (Abu Talib) decided to utilize it for choosing a wife for his nephew.

In these conditions the Holy Prophet decided to choose a spouse for himself. The question however is as to how the lot fell upon Khadijah who had previously rejected the proposals of the most wealthy and influential men of Quraysh like Uqbah bin Abi Mu'it Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan. What were the causes which brought together these two persons who were absolutely different from each other from the point of view of their respective lives and which created such cordial relations love and spiritual cohesion between them that Khadijah put her entire wealth at the disposal of Muhammad and spent her wealth which she gained from her business which extended upto Egypt and Ethiopia in the path of monotheism and for the exaltation of truth? And how was it that the house which was full of chairs studded with ivory and pearls and decorated with Indian silks and Iranian brocade curtains eventually became an asylum for the Muslims?

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The causes of these events should be ascertained from the life history of Khadijah. However the thing which is indisputable is that services indulgence and self-sacrifice of this kind cannot certainly become permanent unless they have a firm pure and spiritual origin.

Pages of history testify that this marriage was the outcome of the faith of Khadijah in the piety chastity virtue and honesty of the Holy Prophet the dear one of Quraysh and the life history of Khadijah and narrations about her attainments make this fact abundantly clear.

As she was a chaste and virtuous woman she wished to marry a pious and virtuous husband and it was for this reason that the Holy Prophet said about her "Khadijah is one of the honourable ladies of Paradise". And the first woman who expressed faith in Muhammad was Khadijah. Imam Ali the Commander of the Faithful while describing in one of his sermons the pitiful condition of Islam in the early days of the prophetic mission of the Holy Prophet says "There was then no Muslim family except the family consisting of Muhammad and his wife Khadijah. and I was its third member".

Ibne Athir says that a merchant named Afif came in Masjidul Harem and was very much surprised to observe the gathering there and worship by a group consisting of three persons. He saw that the Holy Prophet was offering prayers along with Khadijah and Ali. On his return from the Masjid he met Abbas the uncle of the Prophet. He told him what he had seen and inquired about the factual position. Abbas said to him The leader amongst those three persons is claimant of Prophethood and the woman is his wife Khadijah and the third person is my nephew Ali. Then he added I am not aware of any person on the face of the earth who should be a follower of this religion except these three.

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It is beyond the scope of this book to explain and quote the narratives which have come down about the excellence of Khadijah. It would therefore be better that we should explain the causes which occasioned this historical event (i. e. marriage of Muhammad and Khadija).

THE PATENT AND LATENT CAUSES OF THE MARRIAGE

Materialists who study everything from the materialistic point of view imagine that as Khadijah was rich and a trades-woman she was very much in need of an honest person in connection with her commercial affairs and she therefore married Muhammad; and as Muhammad was also aware of her respectable position he consented to her request although there was disparity in their ages. However history tells us that Khadijah was prompted to marry Muhammad the 'honest man' of Quraysh owing to a series of spiritual causes and this union had no material aspect. Evidence in support of our claim is as follows:

1. When Khadijah enquired from Maysarah about the incidents related to the journey of the Prophet he narrated to her the miracles which he had seen from him and also what he had heard from the monk of Syria. Khadijah felt excessive emotion within herself which had its origin in her interest in the spirituality of Muhammad and she said to Maysarah involuntarily "Maysarah! That will do. You have doubled my interest in Muhammad. I hereby set you and your wife free and also place at your disposal two hundred dirhams. two horses and a costly dress ".

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Thereafter she narrated what she had heard from Maysarah to Waraqah bin Nawfal who was a sage of Arabia and he said: "One who possesses these attributes is the Arabian Prophet". [1]

2. One day Khadijah was seated in her house while her bonds-women and slaves encircled her. One of the Jewish scholars was also present. By chance the Prophet passed that way and the Jewish scholar saw him. He at once requested Khadijah to insist upon Muhammad that he should postpone his task and join that party for a few moments. The Prophet accepted the request of the Jewish sage which was based on observation of the signs of prophethood in his person. Khadijah then turned to the Jewish sage and said "When his uncles will become aware of your investigation and inquisitiveness they will display an adverse reaction because they are afraid of the Jews about their nephew". The Jewish sage then replied: "How can it be possible that anyone should harm Muhammad when the hand of destiny has reared him up for the last prophethood and for the guidance of the people? " Khadijah said: "On what authority do you say that he will come to hold this position? " He replied: "I have read the signs of the last Prophet in the Taurat. His signs include three things that is his parents will die his grandfather and uncle will support him and he will choose for his spouse a woman who will be the lady of Quraysh". Then he pointed to Khadijah and said: "Blessed is she who has the honour of being his life-mate". [2]

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3. Waraqah uncle of Khadijah was one of the sages of Arabia. He had thorough knowledge of the Bible and used to say time and again: "A man will be raised by Allah from amongst Quraysh for the guidance of the people and he shall marry one of the richest ladies of Quraysh". And as Khadijah was the richest woman of Quraysh he occasionally said to her: "A day will come when you will marry the noblest man on earth! "

4. One night Khadijah dreamt that the sun revolved above Makkah and then descended slowly and landed in her house.

She related her dream to Waraqah bin Nawfal and he interpreted it thus: "You will marry a great man and he will become renowned throughout the world".

These are the incidents which have been quoted by some historians and by late Allamah Majlisi[1] and have also been recorded in many history books. When all of them are taken into account they make crystal clear the reasons for the inclination of Khadijah towards the Prophet. This inclination was mostly due to her belief in the spirituality of the Prophet and the fact that the 'honest one' was more suitable for her business than others had no bearing on the consummation of this union.

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[1] Seerah-i ibn Hisham vol. I page 26.

[2] Biharul Anwar vol. XVI page 19.

[3] Biharul Anwar vol. Vl page 124.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF KHADIJAH'S SUIT

This much is admitted that the proposal originated from the side of Khadijah herself; so much so that Ibn Hisham quotes[1] that Khadijah expressed her inclination personally and said: "Cousin! On account of the relationship which exists between us and the greatness and respect which you enjoy amongst your people and the honesty good manners and truthfulness which you evidently possess I am earnestly inclined to marry you". The 'honest man' of Quraysh replied "I must inform my uncles about this and this task should be accomplished with their approval".

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Most of the historians believe that Nafisah daughter of 'Alyah conveyed the proposal of Khadijah to the Prophet in the following manner:

She said O Muhammad! Why don't you illuminate the night-chamber of your life with the light of a spouse? Will you respond favourably if I invite you to beauty, wealth, gentleness and respect? The Prophet said "What do you mean? " She then mentioned Khadijah. The Prophet said Is Khadijah prepared for this, when there is a world of difference between the conditions of my life and of hers? Nafisah said I hold authority on her behalf and shall make her agree. You should fix a date for the purpose so that her agent ('Amr bin Asad) may sit along with you and your kinsfolk and the ceremonies of marriage and rejoicing may be accomplished. [2]

The Holy Prophet talked about the matter with his honourable uncle (Abu Talib). A grand party consisting of distinguished persons amongst Quraysh was organized. In the first instance Abu Talib delivered a sermon commencing it with praise for Allah. As regards his nephew he introduced him thus "My nephew Muhammad bin Abdullah is superior to any man of the tribe of Quraysh with whom he may be compared. Although he lacks every sort of wealth yet wealth is a passing shadow and origin and lineage is something permanent. [3]

As Abu. Talib had made in his sermon a mention of Quraysh and the family of Hashim Waraqah uncle of Khadijah said in reply "None amongst Quraysh denies your excellence. We earnestly wish to hold the string of your nobility. The marriage ceremony was then performed and the dowry was fixed at four hundred dinars. Some say that the dowry was twenty camels.

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Age of Khadijah: It is usually said that at the time of marriage with the Prophet Khadijah was forty years old and was born fifteen years before the 'Year of the Elephant'. However some writers have mentioned that her age at the time of marriage was lesser than this. Previously she had married twice. The names of her husbands were 'Ais bin Abid and Abu Halah and both of them had died.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 204.

[2] It is well-known that Khuwaylid the father of Khadijah was killed in a Fujjar Battle and for this reason her uncle authorized marriage on her behalf. Thus the view recorded by some historians that in the first instance Khuwaylid was not agreeable but later he agreed owing to the severe inclination of Khadijah is baseless.

[3] Manaqib vol. I page 30 and Biharul Anwar vol. XV page 6.

Chapter 10

FROM MARRIAGE UP TO PROPHETHOOD

The most sensitive period of the life of a person begins when he (or she) comes of age. It is so because at this time the sexual instincts attain perfection the sensual self inspires passions in one's head every moment the storm of lust darkens the atmosphere of human intellect the foundation of the rule of material instincts becomes more firm and as a result of all this the lamp of wisdom becomes dim. During day and night and time and again a grand palace of desires assumes a concrete form before the eyes of the grown up person.

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In case at such time someone also possesses wealth life for him becomes something very dangerous. When animal instincts and good health and material opportunities and enormous wealth of a man are united the result is that they make the program of his life full of lustful activities and he is saturated with concupiscible desires without any care for future.

This period is called the frontier of prosperity and adversity and one rarely succeeds in determining the other route for oneself and in selecting with the hope of acquiring good habits and pure mentality a path which may keep one safe from all dangers.

In such circumstances it is a very difficult task to take care of oneself and in case the person concerned has not been brought up and educated properly in family environments one should only wait for the collapse of the structure of life.

MANHOOD OF THE HOLY PROPHET

There is no doubt about the fact that the Prophet was brave strong and healthy because he had been brought up in taintless environments and all members of the family in which he was born possessed elements of heroism and bravery. The huge wealth of Khadijah was also at his disposal and all means of comfortable life were available to him. However it should be seen as to how he utilized these material resources. Did he choose a life of pleasure and did he resort to the satisfaction of his passions like other young men? Or that notwithstanding all these means and resources he selected another program which fully revealed the background of his sensitive life? History bears testimony to the fact that he led his life like wise and experienced men. He always avoided profligacy and recklessness and signs of prudence and reflection were ever apparent in his countenance. To remain away from the corruption of the society he spent a good deal of his time in caves situated at the feet of the mountains and studied the signs of Divine power and reflected upon the creation of the Universe.

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SENTIMENTS OF HIS MANHOOD

An incident which took place in the bazaar of Makkah wounded the human sentiments of the Prophet. He saw a person gambling. Unfortunately the man lost his camel as well as his residential house in the game. And not only this but he also staked and lost ten years of his life. The Prophet was so much moved by this incident that he did not stay in Makkah that day. He therefore went away to the nearby hills and returned home after a part of the night had passed. He was moved to observe such sad spectacles and reflected on and wondered at the lack of wisdom and intelligence of those misguided people.

Before Khadijah married the Prophet Muhammad her house was the center of the hopes of the needy people. And even after her marriage with the Prophet she did not allow even the slightest change to take place in the condition of her house or in the munificence and generosity of her spouse.

During the periods of famine and drought the Prophet's foster-mother Halimah came at times to see her son. The Prophet then used to spread his cloak under her feet recollected her kind sentiments and the simple life which he had spent with her and listened to what she said. At the time of her departure he helped her with as much as he could afford. [1]

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[1] Seerah-i Halabi vol. I page 123.

HIS CHILDREN FROM KHADIJAH

Birth of a child further cements the bond of matrimony and makes life bright and brilliant. The Prophet's wife bore him six children. Two of them were sons - the elder one being Qasim and the younger one Abdullah. They are also called Tayyib and Tahir. She also gave birth to four daughters. Ibne Hisham writes: 'Their eldest daughter was Ruqayyah and the other three were Zaynab Umme Kulsum and Fatimah'. The male children died before Muhammad was appointed to the prophetic mission but the daughters continued to live. '[1]

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Self-control of the Holy Prophet in the face of calamitous happenings was proverbial. However at the time of the death of his children the sentiments of his heart sometimes appeared from his eyes in the shape of tears which trickled down to his cheeks and this matter became more evident at the time of the death or Ibrahim whose mother was Mariyah. At that time while his heart was grief-stricken the Prophet was busy praising Allah with his tongue. So much so that an Arab owing to his ignorance and lack of knowledge about the fundamentals of Islam objected to the weeping of the Prophet. The Prophet however said: "Weeping of this kind is a blessing". [2]

UNFOUNDED GUESS

Dr Haikal writes: "There is no denying the fact that at the time of the death of each of her children Khadijah approached the idols and asked as to why the gods were not pleased to bless her". [1]

The above statement is not supported even by the most insignificant historical evidence and is nothing more than a mere guess. Its purpose is to give the impression that as during her time all were idolaters Khadijah too was certainly like them.

However Shi'ah belief is opposed to this statement and naturally the factual position too should be as believed by Shi'ah. The reason for this is that the Prophet undoubtedly hated worship from his very youth and the position became quite clear during his journey to Syria. For when he developed some differences with a merchant with regard to accounts and the opposite part swore by Lat and 'Uzza the Prophet said "These are the very things which are most despicable in my eyes! "

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In the circumstances how can it be said that a woman like Khadijah whose regard and love for her husband was unquestionable should run to the idols (who were the most despicable things in the eyes of her husband) at the time of the death of her children. Moreover the cause of her inclination towards Muhammad and of her entering into matrimonial alliance with him was that she admired his habits and spirituality as she had heard that he was the last of the Prophets. In these conditions how can it be possible that she should go and complain to the idols in the matter?

We have already narrated for the readers some of her conversations with Waraqah bin Nawfal (the Arab fortune-teller) as well as with other scholarly persons of that time.

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[1] Hayat-i Muhammad page 186.

ADOPTED SON OF THE PROPHET OF ISLAM

The Prophet of Islam called Zayd bin Harith as his son by the side of the Black Stone. Zayd was the person whom the Arab bandits had captured from the frontiers of Syria and had sold him in the market-place of Makkah to Hakim a relative of Khadijah. It is not however clear as to how it so happened that later he was purchased by Khadijah.

The author of 'Hayat-i Muhammad' says "The Prophet had felt the death of his sons very much and in order to console himself had asked Khadijah to purchase Zayd. Later the Prophet freed him and adopted him as his own son".

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Majority of the writers however say that at the time of Khadijah's marriage with the Prophet Hakim bin Hizam presented him (Zayd) to his aunt (Khadijah). As he (Zayd) was a virtuous and intelligent young man in all respects the Prophet developed a liking for him and Khadijah too made a gift of him to the Prophet. At last however Zayd's father located his whereabouts after continuous inquiries. At that time the Prophet permitted Zayd to go away with his father. However in view of the love and kindness of the Prophet for him Zayd preferred to stay on with him. It was on this account that the Prophet freed him adopted him as his son; and married him to Zaynab daughter of Jahash. [1]

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[1] al-lsaba vol. I page 545; Usudul Ghabah vol. II page 224.

BEGINNING OF DIFFERENCES AMONG THE IDOLATERS

With the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission deep differences appeared among the Quraysh though the foundation of these differences had been laid a long time ago and even before the appointment of the Prophet to prophethood a number of wise men had expressed their dislike and aversion for the religion of the Arabs. There was always a talk in every nook and cranny about the expected Arabian Prophet who was to revive the practice of worship of One Allah. The Jews used to say: "As the foundation of our religion as well as that of the Arabian Prophet is the same we shall follow him and with the help of his strength shall break the idols and destroy the edifice of idol-worship.

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Ibne Hisham says in his Seerah[1] "The Jews used to threaten the idolatrous Arabs saying that the time of the appearance of the Arabian Prophet was approaching fast and he would destroy the edifice of idol-worship. These words presented before the eyes of the Arabs the scene of the overthrow of the era of idol-worship. So much so that on account of the previous preachings of the Jews some tribes responded to the call of the Holy Prophet and embraced Islam. However for reasons which will be explained later the Jews continued to persist in their infidelity. The following verse of the Holy Qur'an points to the same position:

Now that a book (the Qur'an confirming their own Taurat) has come to them from Allah they deny it although they know it to be the truth and have long prayed for help against the believers (through the new religion and the new Book). May Allah's curse be upon the infidels! " (Surah aI-Baqarah verse 89).

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 231.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF IDOL-WORSHIP SHAKE

At the time of the celebration of one of the festivals of Quraysh there occurred a strange incident which in the eyes of the deep-sighted people tolIed the bell of danger of overthrow of the rule of idol-worshippers.

Once when the idolaters had gathered round an idol and were rubbing their foreheads on earth before it four of their distinguished persons who were famous for their learning and wisdom disapproved of their action and held discussions on the subject in a secluded place. One of the points discussed by them was that their nation had deviated from the path of Ibrahim; and the stones round which the people were going could neither hear nor see nor do any good or evil. [1] These four persons consisted of

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(1) Waraqah bin Nawfal who after deep study came within the circle of the Christians and gained extensive knowledge of the Bible

(2) Abdullah bin Johash who became a Muslim after the advent of Islam and migrated to Ethiopia along with other Muslims

(3) Uthman bin Huwayris who went to the Roman court and embraced Christianity and

(4) Zayd bin 'Amr bin Nafil who after extensive study chose the religion of Ibrahim for himself.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I pp. 222 - 223.

ANOTHER WEAKNESS OF QURAYSH

The Holy Prophet was not yet more than thirty five years of age when he had to witness a grave dispute among the Quraysh which was solved with his capable hand. The following incident shows the extent to which he was respected and admitted to be honest and truthful by Quraysh:

A terrible flood flowed down from the high mountains towards the House of Allah and consequent upon it none of the houses of Makkah not even the Holy Ka'bah remained safe from the damage caused by it. Many cracks appeared in the walls of the Ka'bah. Quraysh decided to reconstruct the Ka'bah but were afraid of demolishing it. Walid bin Mughayrah was the first person who took a pick in his hand and pulled down two pillars of the sanctuary. He was then feeling very much frightened and nervous. The people of Makkah were awaiting something to befall but when they saw that Walid had not been subjected to the wrath of the idols they became confident that his actions had the approval of the idols. As a result of this all of them joined in demolishing the building. By chance on that very day a boat which was coming from Egypt and belonged to a Roman merchant capsized near Makkah (Jeddah) following a violent storm. Quraysh came to know about this incident. They therefore sent some persons to Jeddah to purchase the planks of the boat for the construction of the Ka'bah. As regards masonry work they entrusted the same to a Copt mason who resided in Makkah.

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The walls of the Ka'bah became as high as the stature of a man. And now arrived the time for the installation of the Black Stone at its appropriate place. At this stage differences arose among the chiefs of the tribes and the tribes of Bani Abduddar and Bani Adi concluded an agreement that they would not allow anyone else to enjoy this honour. In order to strengthen the agreement they filled a container with blood and put their hands into it.

Owing to this development the construction work remained suspended for five days. The matters had reached a very critical stage. Different groups of Quraysh had gathered in the Masjidul Haram and a bloody encounter seemed imminent. At last however a respectable old gentleman from amongst Quraysh named Abu Umayyah bin Mughayrah Makhzumi made the chiefs of Quraysh assemble and said to them "Accept as arbitrator the person who first enters through the Gate of Safa (according to some history books Babus Salam) ". All agreed to this. Suddenly the Holy Prophet entered the Masjid from that gate. All said in unison; "It is Muhammad the honest one. We agree to his acting as the arbitrator! " In order to settle the dispute the Holy Prophet asked them to bring a piece of cloth.

He placed the Black Stone on the cloth with his own hands then suggested that every one of the four chiefs of Makkah should hold one corner of the cloth. When the Black Stone was brought near the pillar the Holy Prophet placed it at its proper place with his own auspicious hands. In this way he brought to an end the dispute of Quraysh which was at the verge of occasioning bloody accidents. [1]

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[1] Habirah bin Wahab Makhzumi has versified this incident in a panegyric written by him. Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I 213 Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II Furu'-i Kafi vol. I page 225 and Bihar vol. XV pp. 39 - 41.

It is worth noting that at the time of the reconstruction of the Ka'bah it was notified to all concerned as under:

In the reconstruction of the Ka'bah spend only lawfully acquired property. Money which you have earned by improper means or by usury or oppression should not be spent for this purpose. Undoubtedly this thinking was the very sediment of the teachings of the Prophets which had still survived among Quraysh.

Chapter 11

THE FIRST MANIFESTATION OF REALITY

In fact the history of Islam commences basically from the day the Holy Prophet was appointed to the prophetic mission and brings a chain of incidents in its wake. The day the Holy Prophet was entrusted the task of guiding the people and the words "You are the Messenger of Allah" were ringing in his ears he assumed an onerous responsibility -the same great responsibility which was shouldered by all previous Prophets. On that day the policy of the 'honest one' of Quraysh became clearly known and his aim became more obvious. Before narrating the first incidents of the Prophethood of Muhammad it is essential that we should explain the following two matters:

1. Necessity for the appointment of Prophets.

2. Influence of Prophets on the reformation of society.

NECESSITY FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF PROPHETS

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The Almighty Allah has infused means of development and perfection in the nature of every being and has equipped it with various facilities for traversing the path to perfection. Just cast a glance at a small plant. A large number of factors are active for its perfection. The roots of the plant operate to the maximum extent to provide it with the nutritious material and meet all its needs and the various vessels distribute equitably the alimentary juice among all its branches and leaves.

Look at a flower whose structure is more wonderful than that of other vegetables. The bowl of the flower performs the duty of covering the surface of the buds and of protecting the petals and corolla of the flower. Similar is the case with the remaining mechanisms of the flower all of which have been appointed for the nourishment of an animate being and perform their duty in the best possible manner. And if you take a step forward and cast a glance at the astonishing structure of the animal world you will see the factors which make them reach the bounds of perfection exist with them.

If we wish to state this matter in scientific terms we would say that intuition for existence which is a universal blessing of the mechanism of nature has been endowed upon all created things. The Holy Qur'an has explained this real guidance in theses words: "He created every being and taught it how to live". All creatures right from the atom upto the great galaxies of the universe have had their share of this common blessing. After taking complete measurement the Almighty has indicated the path of their gradual perfection and development and has specified factors for the training and evolution of everyone. And this is the very 'general guidance for existence' which rules the entire creation of the Universe without any exception.

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However the question arises whether this natural urge for existence is sufficient also for that creature which is the pick of the basket. Certainly not. The reason for this is that man also possesses besides his material life another life which is the very base of his existence. If a man had to live only a material and brainless life like the fauna and flora the material factor would have been sufficient for his speed advancement and perfection. As however he happens to have two kinds of life; the secret of his prosperity and exaltation lies in the perfection of both of them.

The first simple human being who lived in caves and possessed a pure nature and in whose natural disposition not the least deviation had taken place did not need as much training as is required by the social man. However when man takes a step forward and transforms his life into a collective one and the idea of co-operation is firmly rooted in his life and dominates it deviations which are incidental to social collisions and contacts appear in his soul and bad habits and wrong ideas replace the pivot of natural thinking and upset the equilibrium and balance of the society. These deviations make the Creator of the world send educators to adjust the society and to reduce the evils which are the direct result of men living collectively so that they may with luminous torches and just laws lead the society to the right path which ensures all-round prosperity of the people.

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It goes without saying that living collectively notwithstanding its being useful also carries some evils in its lap and brings about numerous deviations. For this reason the Almighty Allah has sent preceptors so that they may as far as possible diminish deviations and perverseness and put the wheels of the society on the right track by introducing clear laws. [1]

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[1] This matter can he understood very clearly from this Qur'anic verse: All people were once one nation. Then Allah sent forth Prophets to give them good news and to warn them and with them He sent down the Book with the Truth that it might judge the disputes of men (Surah al-Baqarah 2: 213).

ROLE OF PROPHETS IN THE REFORMATION OF SOCIETY

Usually it is imagined that the Prophets are divine teachers who are appointed to educate the people. People learn in the school of the Prophets and their social ways and manners are directed towards gradual perfection in a direction parallel with the teachings of those noble beings. It is just like a boy who learns a good deal during the course of his studies in the primary school the middle school the college and the university and moves forward day after day althoough on the first day he did not have the least impression of these teachings on his mind. Similarly the people receive knowledge from the school of the Prophets and side by side with their learning from the Prophets their manners and social ways gain perfection. We however feel that the Prophets are the instructors of the people. Their business and duty is to train them and not to educate them and that the basis of their religion and laws vis-a-vis natural perception is not something fresh or a new present. And if nature had not deviated and if ignorance and avarice had not overtaken it it would have perceived the essence of the Divine law.

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Of course what has been said above has been based on the words of the great leaders of Islam. Imam Ali the Commander of the Faithful says thus in Nahjul Balaghah about the aim of the Prophets: "He selected Prophets from amongst the descendants of Adam and obtained a promise from them to convey the revelations to the people and to spread the mission with which they had been entrusted. He sent them to demand from the people to fulfil their natural promise and recollect the forgotten blessings. Moreover by their preachings they (the Prophets) should present the people with an ultimatum and to ask them to extract the gems of wisdom which have remained hidden in the treasures of their nature".

A PATENT EXAMPLE

When we assert that the duty performed by the Prophets in the matter of training and reformation of the people is the same as performed by the gardener with regard to the rearing of a plant or when we say that for guiding the people and opening their natural perceptions the Prophets are like a minerologist who extracts precious minerals from the core of the mountains we do not say something extravagant.

It may be explained in this way: From the very first stage of the formation of its nucleus a plant possesses every kind of capacity for development growth and maturity. As soon as this plant begins to become active with the strengthening of its roots the operation of different pharmaceutical mechanisms in open air and the acquisition of sufficient light a movement appears in its entire being. At this stage the gardener is required to do two things. Firstly he has to make necessary conditions available for the strengthening of roots so that the latent vigour of the plant should develop. Secondly he has to restrain the deviations so that as and when the internal energy of the plant takes a step which prevents its thriving he should clip it. Hence it is not for the gardener to cause the plant to grow. On the contrary his duty is to provide and ensure necessary conditions so that the plant should divulge its latent perfection.

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The Creator or the Universe created man and endowed him with numerous innate energies and tendencies. He moulded his (man's) natural disposition with the light of monotheism and the worship of the Almighty as well as with the sense of equity justice and compassion and the instinct of work and effort. These seeds begin growing automatically in the heart of man. However his social life brings about deviations in him. The instinct of work and effort assumes the shape of greed and avarice the love for prosperity and life appears in the guise of selfishness and ambition and the light of monotheism and His worship assumes the garb of idolatry.

In such circumstances the Messengers of Allah provide man with the light of revelation and the programme containing true conditions for growth and development and balance the deviations and transgressions of instincts.

As you have observed the Commander of the Faithful has said "At the time of the commencement of creation the Creator obtained a promise which is called the 'promise of creation' or the 'testament of creation and nature'. What is the object of this promise of creation? Its object is that the Almighty Allah after giving the people hundreds of useful instincts and by mixing with their disposition scores of decent manners took a natural promise from them that they would follow good instincts and morals. For example His giving the eyes to man amounts to a sort of taking promise from him that he would not fall in a well. Similarly giving the sense of recognition of Allah and that of doing justice etc. amounts to obtaining a promise from him that he would be pious and just. The duty of the Prophets is that they should persuade the people to act according to the testament of existence and to tear asunder the inauspicious veil which is put over his nature. It is for this reason that it is said that the foundation of heavenly religions is shaped by natural matters.

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You might say that man is like a mountain which has precious stones and gold atoms hidden in it just as virtues knowledge and morals are hidden in human nature in different shapes. When the Prophets and the spiritualists look minutely into the mountain of our soul they find that it has been kneaded into a number of high qualities and pure mentality and sentiments. Then they turn it back to the exigencies of nature by means of their teachings and programmes. They remind it the commandments of nature and conscience. They invite the attention of man to the qualities and the personality which is hidden within himself.

THE 'HONEST ONE' OF QURAYSH IN THE HIRA MOUNTAIN

The Hira mountain is situated in the north of Makkah and one can reach its summit within half an hour. The surface at this mountain consists of slabs of black stone and no signs of life are found in it. In its northern point there is a cave which can be approached by man after crossing the stones. Its height is about as much as the stature of a man. Sunlight penetrates into a part of this cave and its remaining part is always dark.

However. this very cave is a witness to such incidents about its close friend that even today people hasten to it with an ardent desire to hear about these incidents from its mute language and to reach its threshold after undergoing many hardships so as to enquire from it about the incident of 'revelation' as well as about a part of the life history of that great benefactor of mankind. And the cave also replies in its mute language: "This is the place of worship by the honourable one of Quraish. Before he attained to the office of prophethood he spent here many days and many nights. He had selected this spot which was away from uproar for the purpose of prayers and worship. He spent the entire month of Ramadan here and at other times also he took asylum in this locality every now and then. So much so that his dear wife knew that as and when he did not come home he must be busy in prayers on the mountain of Hira. And when she sent people after him they found him meditating and praying at this place".

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Before he attained to the office of prophethood he used to reflect much upon two matters:

1. He studied thoroughly the book of existence and observed the luminositv power and workmanship of Allah in the features of every existing thing. By conducting deep study of the skies and the stars and prudently considering the creatures on earth he was approaching nearer to his target day after day.

2. He meditated upon the onerous responsibility which he knew he had to shoulder. With all the corruption and deterioration of the human society of the that day he did not consider its reformation to be something impossible. However the enforcement of reformatory programme too was not devoid of difficulties and hardship. Hence he observed the tumultuous life of the Makkans and the voluptuousness of Quraysh and reflected upon the ways and means of their reformation.

He wondered at the people worshipping the lifeless and ineffective idols and showing humility before them and signs of discomfort appeared in his face. However as he had not been ordained to mention the realities he refrained from pointing them out to those people.

COMMENCEMENT OF REVELATION

An angel was appointed by Allah to recite a few verses to the 'honest one' of Quraysh by way of prelude and introduction to the Book of guidance and welfare so as to bestow honour upon him by providing him with the garment of prophethood. The angel was the Archangel Jibreel himself and the particular day was the day of Muhammad's appointment to the office of prophethood. We shall speak about the determination of that day later.

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There is no doubt about the fact that to confront an angel requires special preparedness. Unless the soul of a person is great and strong he cannot bear the burden of prophethood nor can he endure a meeting with an angel. The 'honest one' of Quraysh had acquired such preparedness by means of prolonged prayers excessive meditations and the blessings of Allah and as stated by numerous writers of 'Seerah' the Prophet saw even before his appointment to the prophetic mission dreams and visions which were really as clear as daylight. After some time the most delightful hours for him were those during which he prayed in seclusion. His days were passing in this manner till on the particular day an angel paced a tablet by his side and said: 'Recite'. And the Prophet on account of the fact that he was unlettered and had not learnt to read and write replied that he was unable to read. The Archangel Jibreel pressed him severely and then asked him to recite. However he repeated the same reply. The angel again pressed him severely. This action was repeated thrice and after the third pressure he suddenly felt within himself that he could read the writing on the tablet held by the angel. He then read the following verses which are infact reckoned to be the introduction of the Book of human welfare:

Recite in the name of your Lord who created (all things).

He created man from a clot of blood! Recite your Lord is the Most Bountiful One Who by the pen taught man what he did not know. (Surah al-Alaq 96 1- 5)

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Archangel Jibreel accomplished his assignment and after the revelation the Prophet also descended the mountain of Hira and proceeded towards Khadijah's house. [1]

The above verses clearly indicate the programme of the Holy Prophet in a nutshell and tell in obvious terms that the foundation of his religion is provided by recitation and reading learning and wisdom and use of pen.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 236 and Sahih Bukhari vol. I page 3.

THE WORLD AS VIEWED BY A MATERIALIST

The ever-increasing development of natural sciences has taken away from many scholars the power of going deep into some spiritual matters which are beyond the limits of the pen and the natural sciences and has bounded the light of their thinking. They imagine that this material world is the only world and anything other than matter is nothing. According to them everything not linked with material laws is fictitious and false.

It goes without saying that these scholars do not possess the least evidence about the non-existence of the other work from which revelation and inspiration emanate. All that they say is this "Experimentation perception and natural science do not guide us to this (i. e. the other world) and do not provide us with information about its existence. For example while denying the existence of the abstract soul they say "Such a being is not seen under the knife of our own analysis and the trace of such beings is not found in our laboratories under the microscope and consequently as our present tools do not guide us to them they must not necessarily have an external existence "

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This way of thinking is very limited defective and mixed with vanity whereby 'non-existence' has been concluded or account of 'lack of consciousness' and as the tools available with the materialists do not extend to the realities in which those scholars believe who worship Allah they (materialists) infer that they are all baseless.

There is no doubt about the fact that the materialists have not been able to realise the truth of what the religious scholars hold even in regard to the existence of the Creator not to speak of other metaphysical matters. And it appears that if the two groups undertake discussions in a suitable atmosphere free from spite and prejudice the distance between materialism and Divinity will vanish quickly and the differences which have divided the scholars into two groups will disappear.

Those who worship Allah have adduced scores of proofs regarding the existence of the Almighty and have proved that these very natural sciences have guided them towards the Omnipotent and the wonderful system which governs the interior and the exterior of all beings is in itself a clear proof of the existence of its Creator. All things in the Universe right from the Milky Way upto an atom are advancing in accordance with a chain of regular laws and it is not at all possible that a blind and deaf nature should originate and establish such a wonderful system. And it is this very argument of the 'good order of the Universe' which is the basis of scores of books and pamphlets published by the religious scholars. And as this argument is understandable and utilisable by different classes most of the writings of a general nature have been based on it and everyone has relied on it in one way or the other. As regards other arguments which are not of a general nature the same have been discussed in detail in philosophical and scholastic treatises. These books contain arguments and narrations regarding the abstract soul and metaphysics. We should like to refer to them in the following lines.

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THE ABSTRACT SOUL

Belief in 'soul' is one of the complicated and difficult problems which have attracted the attention of scholars. Those who want to subject everything to analysis have denied its existence and believe only in that soul which has a material aspect and works under the control of physical laws.

Existence of incorporeal spirit is one of the problems which has been studied minutely by those who worship the Almighty and believe in spiritual matters and they have adduced many proofs about the existence of such a non-material being which if studied in a proper atmosphere linked with perfect acquaintance with the principles of Divine reasoning stand totally vindicated. And whatever the godly scholars say about the angels soul revelation and inspiration is based on cogent and convincing arguments. [1]

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[1] Details of these arguments may be studied in philosophical books under the title of 'discussion on soul'. Please refer in this connection to the book 'Asfar' by Sadrul Muta'allihin'.

MAGNETIC SLEEP (HYPNOTISM)

It is possible that those who wish to understand everything by means of practical testing and experimentation may refer to numerous writings published on the subject of hypnotism. One of the founders of this branch of knowledge was a German physician Mesmer by name. It was two centuries ago that he originated this art and with the passage of time his views are being confirmed by the scholars. He trained some such persons as were suited on account of their temperament and mind to be hypnotised (to go into a state resembling sleep). He was successful in hypnotising in the presence of many scholars the same persons on whom he had conducted experiments previously. He released their souls from their bodies and obtained through the souls information about past and future events. After two centuries this art is acquiring gradual perfection in different ways. After many experiments the scholars have concluded as under:

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1. Besides the external perception and intellect man has also an internal perception and intellect which is more extensive than the external one.

2. In the state of artificial sleep both the faculties can hear from afar see behind a curtain and briefly give information about future events - events of which there is not the slightest outward sign.

3. By applying the laws of hypnotism it is possible to separate the soul of a person from his body so that the soul can see the inanimate body.

4. The system of the soul possesses an independence of a special type.

5. The soul does not cease to exist because of the decomposition and dispersion of different parts of the body.

The scholars have also drawn similar other conclusions. Even it we are not in a position to accept all these verdicts in their entirety the compendium of these experiments which have been conducted during the last two centuries and witnessed by many oriental and occidental scholars confirms the existence genuineness and independence of soul - and that is the real object of this discussion. Those interested may study the details of these experiments in the relevant books.

INSPIRATION OR MYSTERIOUS SENSE

Belief in inspiration is the foundation of all prophethoods and heavenly religions and it (inspiration) rests on a powerful abstract soul which is capable of receiving Divine knowledge either without any intermediary or through an angel. The sages have spoken thus about inspiration: "Inspiration means that the Almighty shows the true path to one of his chosen servants and imparts to him instruction in different branches of learning. This is however done in a mysterious and an unusual manner.

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KINDS OF INSPIRATION

On account of the accomplishments possessed by soul it comes in touch with the spiritual world in different ways. Here we record a resume of what has been narrated on the subject by the leaders of Islam: [1]

1. Sometimes the person concerned is informed about the heavenly truths by means of inspiration and whatever is suggested to his mind is tantamount to self-evident sciences wherein no doubt or suspicion is admissible.

2. He hears sentences and words from a corporeal object (i. e. a mountain or a tree) just as Allah spoke to Prophet Musa.

3. Realities are disclosed to him clearly in a state of vision.

4. An angel is commissioned by Allah to convey a particular commandment to him. The Holy Qur'an was communicated to the Holy Prophet in this manner as it says clearly in chapter al-Shu'ara 26: 192 - 195: The faithful spirit (Jibreel) brought it (the Qur'an) down into your heart that you might warn mankind in plain Arabic speech.

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[1] Biharul Anwar vol. XVIII pp. 193 194 255 and 256.

MYTHS

In order that the future generations may become acquainted with the particulars of the world-wide personalities the writers as well as the friends and associates of those persons have recorded as far as they could the events of their lives. So much so that in order to complete their writings they also bear the hardships of journeys. History does not know of any personality whose events of life should have been recorded like those of the Holy Prophet of Islam and whose friends and disciples should have preserved all the minute details of his life.

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In the same way our attachment has assisted us in preserving the events and details of the life of the great Prophet of Islam and has been the cause of embellishment of the book of his life. Not to speak of wise enemies this thing is also done by foolish friends. Hence it is necessary for a person who writes the biography of a great man that he should observe care in analysing his life and should not ignore strict historical standards in weighing the events.

Now we come to the trail of the event of revelation.

TRAIL OF REVELATION

The great soul of the Holy Prophet was illumined with the light of revelation. He recorded in his heart what he had heard from the angel (Jibreel). After this incident the same angel addressed him saying: "O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Jibreel". At times it is said that the Holy Prophet heard these words when he had descended the Hira mountain. These two occurrences frightened and agitated him to some extent. The cause of fear and agitation was that a great responsibility had been entrusted to him and he had on that day discerned the reality which he had been seeking for a long time.

However this agitation of mind was natural to some extent and was not inconsistent with his faith about the truth which was communicated to him. Notwithstanding the fact that he was certain that what he had acquired was the message of Allah and he who had brought it was Jibreel all his agitation is so because however strong a person's soul may be and to whatever extent he may be related to the mechanism of the occult and the spiritual world when he faces in the first instance an angel whom he has never seen before and that too on the summit of a mountain he is liable to experience such agitation and that is why this agitation vanished later.

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Agitation of mind and unusual weariness made him proceed to the house of Khadijah. When he entered the house his dear wife observed signs of deep reflection and anxiety in his face and asked him what the matter was. The Holy Prophet related to Khadijah what had happened and also added the sentence 'I felt afraid of myself'. [1] Khadijah looked at him with respect prayed for him and comforted him by mentioning some of his good qualities. Amongst other things she said: 'You are kind to your kinsfolk show hospitality to your guests and you are not afraid of bearing hardships in the right path. Allah will assist you'.

By narrating these qualities of the Holy Prophet Khadijah certainly intended to make him more hopeful about his success and advancement for the achievement of the object for which he had been commissioned. This fact can very well be confirmed by what she said.

Then the Holy Prophet felt fatigued. He therefore turned to Khadijah and said Cover me. Khadijah covered him and soon afterwards he fell asleep.

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[1] Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II page 205; Tarikh-i Kamil Ibn Athir vol. II p. 31.

KHADIJAH GOES TO WARAQAH BIN NAWFAL

We have already referred to Waraqah in the foregoing pages and have mentioned that he was one of the sages of Arabia. It was a long time since he had embraced Christianity after studying the Injeel and was an eminent person in his own field. He was Khadijah's cousin. The Holy Prophet's dear wife related to Waraqah what she had heard from her honourable husband. Waraqah after hearing Khadijah replied to his cousin: "Your cousin (i. e. the Holy Prophet) is a truthful man and what he has met with is the commencement of prophethood and Jibreel has descended upon him".

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The events which we have so far mentioned are extracts from historical narratives. These are the facts which have been related by successive writers and are found in all to history books. In the course of these narrations however we come across things which do not conform with those standards about Prophets which we have in hand. Furthermore they are also not compatible with those events of the life of that great man which we have studied so far. And that which we are going to place before you now should either be treated to be a part of the fiction of history or it must be explained away.

We are most surprised at the writing of Dr Haikal the profound scholar of Egypt who inspite of the lengthy foreword penned by him in the introduction of his book wherein he has said that a group of persons have on account of enmity or attachment introduced falsehoods in the biography of the Holy Prophet has also himself recorded matters which are decidedly incorrect although some Shi'ah scholars like the late Tabarsi had given useful warnings in this regard. [1] We reproduce here some of these false stories (though it would not at all have been necessary to mention them if the ignorant friends or the cunning enemies had not published them in their books):

1. When the Holy Prophet entered Khadijah's house he was thinking that possibly his eyes had made a mistake or that he had become a soothsayer! Khadijah however dispelled his misgivings by saying that he was helpful to the orphans and kind to his kinsfolk! Then the Holy Prophet glanced at her gratefully and asked her to bring a blanket and cover him. [2]

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2. Tabari and other historians have written: "When he heard the words You are the Messenger of Allah his entire frame began to tremble and he decided to throw himself down the mountain. In the meantime however the angel appeared and dissuaded him from doing so. [3]

3. Afterwards Muhammad went for the circumambulation of the Ka'bah. There he met Waraqah bin Nawfal and narrated his story to him. Waraqah said: "By Allah! You are the Prophet of these people and the Archangel who used to come to Musa has descended upon you. Some of your people will refuse to admit your claim and will do you harm. They will turn you out of your city and will be at war with you". Muhammad felt that what Waraqah had said was correct! [4]

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[1] Majma'ul Bayan vol. X page 384.

[2] Tabaqat-i Ibn Sa'd vol. I p. 289 Hayat Muhammad vol. I p. 195.

[3] Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II page 205.

[4] Tafsir-i Tabari vol. XXX page 161; commentary on Surah al-Alaq and Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 238.

BASELESSNESS OF THESE STATEMENTS

We feel that all these stories are a part of the Israelite programme and have been coined by the Jews and introduced into history and Tafsir (exegesis).

Firstly in order to evaluate these statements we should look into the biographies of the previous Prophets. The Holy Qur'an has mentioned their activities and detailed narratives have also come down regarding the events of their lives. We do not however come across a similar repulsive event in the life of anyone of them. The Holy Qur'an has narrated fully the story of the commencement of revelation to Prophet Musa and has clearly stated all the particulars of that event. Nevertheless it has not attributed such a fear trembling and agitation of mind to him that on hearing the Voice he should become inclined to flinging himself down the mountain although the possibility for Musa becoming afraid was more plausible because he had heard a voice from a tree in the desert during a dark night and was thereby informed about his appointment to the office of Prophet.

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As explained by the Holy Qur'an Musa remained quite calm at that moment. And when the Almighty asked him to throw away his rod and he did so at once his fear was only on account of the rod which had turned into a dangerous animal. Can it be said that Musa was peaceful and calm at the time of the commencement of revelation whereas the greatest of the Prophets became so much aghast at hearing the words of the angel that he wished to throw himself down the summit of the mountain? Would it be wise to say so?

It is an admitted fact that so long as the soul of a person is not ready in all respects to receive the Divine secrets (i. e. Prophethood) the Wise Lord does not elevate him to the office of Prophet because the object of raising Prophets is that they should guide mankind.

How can a person impress the people when his sense of security and serenity is so limited that he should be ready to commit suicide on hearing the revelation or when it is broken or ceases. The scholars of 'Kalam' (scholastic theology) are unanimous that a Prophet should be free from all those things which become the cause of people remaining at a distance from him. In the circumstances can we accept these statements which are by no means applicable to the greatest leader of mankind?

Secondly how did it happen that on hearing the Divine voice Musa became fully satisfied that it was from Allah and at once prayed to Allah that Harun might be appointed as his companion and helper as he could speak more eloquently but the chief of the Prophets remained in doubt for quite some time till Waraqah removed the doubt and indecision from his mind?

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Thirdly it is an admitted fact that Waraqah was a Christian. However when he wished to remove the agitation of mind and hesitation of the Holy Prophet he mentioned the name of Musa son of Imran only: "It is the very office to which Musa son of Imran was appointed''. [1]

Does this fact not itself testify that the hand of the Israelite story-tellers has been at work and they have concocted this story without paying any heed to the religion of its hero (Waraqah).

Besides all this it may be said that such matters are not at all in conformity with the greatness and excellence of the Holy Prophet of Islam of which we are aware. The writer of the book 'Hayat-i Muhammad' has been aware to some extent about the concoction of these stories. For this reason therefore he has at times quoted the above-mentioned matters with the preceding words: 'As it is said'.

The late Tabarsi the great Shi 'ah scholar had done justice to these matters in his Tafsir. [2] For further information therefore reference may be made to that book.

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[1] Seerah Ibn Hisham vol. I page 238. The late Allamah Majlisi has also quoted in Biharul Anwar vol. XVIII page 228 and 'Isa from the book 'al-Muntaqi'. However these words do not appear in Sahih Bukhari and Seerah-i Ibn Hisham on which this discussion is based.

[2] Majma'ul Bayan vol. I page 384.

Chapter 12

THE FIRST REVELATION

Just like the dates of birth and death of the Holy Prophet the date of his appointment to the prophetic mission is also not known definitely from the historical point of view; the Shi'ah scholars are almost unanimous that he was appointed to the prophetic mission on the 27th of Rajab and his prophethood commenced from the same day. However the Sunni scholars usually claim that he was appointed to this mission during the holy month of Ramadan.

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As Shi'ahs claim to be the followers of the progeny of the Prophet and consider their reports to be true and final in the light of 'Hadith Thaqalayn' they have accepted the report of the progeny of the Prophet's Household about the date of this appointment to the prophetic mission to be correct. The descendants of the Prophet say: "The chief of the family was appointed to the prophetic mission on the 27th of Rajab". In view of this Shi'ahs do not entertain any doubt about the correctness of this date.

The thing which can be treated to be the basis for the other view is the very statement of the Holy Qur'an wherein it has been stated that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed in Ramadan. And as the day of the commencement of the prophetic mission is the day of the beginning of revelation of the Holy Qur'an it may be said that the Prophet was appointed to prophethood in the very month of Ramadan. The verses of the Holy Qur'an which indicate that it was revealed in Ramadan are as follows:

1. In the month of Ramadan the Qur'an was revealed. (Surah al-Baqarah 2: 185).

2. We swear by the Glorious Book that We revealed the Qur'an on a blessed night. (Surah al-Dukhan 44: 2-3).

And that is the very night of Qadr (glory) which has been mentioned in Surah al-Qadr (verse 1) wherein it has been said: "We revealed the Qur'an in the Night of Glory. "

REPLY BY SHI'AH SCHOLARS

REPLY BY SHI'AH SCHOLARS

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And that is the very night of Qadr (glory) which has been mentioned in Surah al-Qadr (verse 1) wherein it has been said: "We revealed the Qur'an in the Night of Glory. "

THE FIRST REPLY

The above-mentioned verses show that the Holy Qur'an was revealed in one blessed night of the Holy month of Ramadan which is called the 'Night of Glory' but they do not mention the place of its revelation and do not also denote that they were revealed to the Prophet during the same night. It is quite possible that there may have been various revelations of the Qur'an and numerous Shi'ah and Sunni narrations confirm this possibility. One of those revelations is the gradual revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet and the other is its revelation in installments from the Lauhul Mehfuz [1] to Baytul Ma'mu'r. [2] Hence there should be nothing wrong in a few verses of Surah al-Alaq being revealed to the Holy Prophet on the 27th of Rajab and the entire Qur'an in one compact form being revealed in the month of Ramadan from a place named by the Qur'an as 'Lauhul Mehfuz' to another place 'Baytul Ma'mur. ' This view is confirmed by the very verse of Surah al-Dukhan which says: We swear by the glorious Book that We revealed the Qur'an on a blessed night. It is evident from this verse (on the strength of the pronoun which turns towards the word 'Book') that it was revealed in its entirety during the Glorious Night (falling in the month of Ramadan) and it is only proper that this revelation should be other than the revelation which took place at the time of the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission because at that time only a few verses were revealed.

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In short the verses which indicate that the Qur'an was revealed in the month of Ramadan during the 'Night of Glory' cannot be a proof of the fact that the day of the Holy Prophet's appointment to the prophetic mission on which only a few verses were revealed also coincided in the same month because the aforesaid verses show that the entire Book (the Qur'an) was revealed in that month whereas on the day of the Holy Prophet's appointment to the prophetic mission only five or six verses were revealed. Hence the two schools while explaining the meanings of the above-mentioned verses in their narrations say that the entire Qur'an was sent down from the 'Lahhul Mehfuz' to 'Baytul Ma'mur in that very month. The Shi'ah and Sunni scholars have quoted the said narrations and in particular Professor Muhammad Abdul Azim Zarqani of 'Al-Azhar' university has mentioned them in his book in detail. [3]

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[1] See: Allamah Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai Tafsirul Mizan.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Manahilul 'Irfan fi 'Ulumil Qur'an vol. I page 37.

THE SECOND REPLY

The most sound reply which has so far been given by the scholars is the second one. The learned scholar Tabatabai has explained it in detail in his precious book [1] and a gist of it is given below:

The real and actual purpose of the Holy Qur'an saying that: We revealed it in the month of Ramadan is that it was revealed to the Holy Prophet during that month because besides being revealed in parts the Holy Qur'an possesses a reality about which Almighty Allah informed His great Messenger in a particular night of the month of Ramadan.

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As the Holy Prophet possessed knowledge of the entire Holy Book he was directed not to make haste in divulging its contents and to wait till he received orders regarding its communication to the people gradually. The Holy Qur'an says: Do not make haste in narrating the contents of the Qur'an till you receive orders in this behalf through revelation.

This reply shows that the Holy Qur'an possesses a total existence which was revealed in its entirety at one time in the month of Ramadan and it also possesses a gradual existence which lasted from the day of the Holy Prophet's appointment to the prophetic mission up to the end of his life.

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[1] al-Mizan vol. II pp. 14-16

THE THIRD REPLY

As has been explained briefly regarding the different kinds of revelation it has evidently various stages. The first stage is that of true visions and dreams. The second stage is that of oracular and heavenly voices which are heard without facing an angel. And the last stage is that when the Prophet sees an angel and hears the words of Allah from him and learns through him about the realities of other worlds.

As the human soul does not possess the requisite strength to bear the different stages of revelation in the very first instance it is necessary that the capacity to bear them should develop gradually it may be said that: on the day of his appointment to the prophetic mission (27th of Rajab) and for some time thereafter the Holy Prophet heard only those Heavenly voices which informed him that he was the Messenger and Prophet of Allah and no verse was revealed during that period. And some time later gradual revelation of the Qur'an began in the month of Ramadan.

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By this we mean that the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission in the month of Rajab is not attached to the revelation of the Qur'an in that month. In view of this there should be no discrepancy between the Qur'an being revealed in the month of Ramadan and the Prophet being appointed to the prophetic mission in the month of Rajab.

Although what has been stated above does not conform to numerous texts (because many historians have said explicitly that the verses of Surah al-Alaq were revealed on the very day of the appointment of the Holy Prophet to the prophetic mission) still we possess some narratives which tell us that on the day of the Holy Prophet's appointment to the prophetic mission he heard oracular voice and which do not say anything about the revelation of the Holy Qur'an or its verses. They explain the matter by saying that on that day the Holy Prophet saw an angel who said to him "O Muhammad! you are the Messenger of Allah ". And in some of the narrations only hearing of the voice by the Prophet has been mentioned and nothing has been said about his seeing the angel. [1]

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[1] Biharul Anwar vol. XVIll pp. 184 190 and 193.

THE FAITH OF THE PROPHET BEFORE THE PROPHETIC MISSION

For quite some time the question of the religion of the Holy Prophet before his appointment to the prophetic mission has been a matter of discussion between the Shi'ah and Sunni scholars. They have raised the following issues and given reply to each one of them:

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1. Did the Holy Prophet profess any religion before his appointment to the prophetic mission?

2. Supposing that he was the follower of a religion was it his own religion?

3. If he was the follower of any other religion was that religion revealed to him independently and he followed it independently or he was reckoned to be one of the followers of that religion?

4. If he acted on that religion independently or as a follower to which of the former Prophets did that religion belong?

These are the four questions which one comes across in various books of Seerah (the Prophet's biography) history and exegesis. However is it necessary that we should give definite replies to these questions? Is it basically necessary that we should study various books on history exegesis and the Holy Prophet's biography and collect the requisite answers?

We feel that discussion of these particular points is not at all necessary. [1] Rather what is important is that we should conclusively prove that before his appointment to the prophetic mission the Holy Prophet believed in and worshipped only Allah the One and was pious and chaste.

This can be proved by the following two methods:

Firstly by studying his forty years' life preceding his appointment to the prophetic mission and secondly by scrutinizing what has been said on the subject by the leaders of Islam.

1. To sum up his forty years' life was a life of modesty and chastity honesty and truthfulness uprightness and righteousness goodness and kindness to the oppressed and the needy and hatred for the idols and the idol-worshippers. So much so that once when he performed a journey to Syria in connection with trade and the other party to a transaction swore by idols he said "The most obnoxious things which always arouse my wrath are these very 'Lat' and 'Manat' by which you are swearing".

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Besides this he prayed continuously in the cave of Hira during the month of Ramadan and performed Haj time and again for as the sixth Imam says he (the Holy Prophet) performed Haj secretly ten times and according to another narration twenty times. And as we know all Haj ceremonies are the performance of rites to which Prophet Ibrahim invited people and wished that by this means those who believe in Allah the One should assemble at one particular place during a fixed period.

Similarly the Prophet always remembered Allah while taking his meals and refrained from eating meat of the animals which had been slaughtered in an unlawful manner and was very much disturbed to see obscene scenes wine-drinking and gambling; so much so that at times he sought asylum in the mountains and returned home when a part of the night had passed. Now what demands our consideration is this:

Is it possible to doubt the faith of a man who has passed his life in the manner stated above and who does not possess even the smallest weak point from the very beginning of his life and who passes a part of his life in hills and in secluded places to meditate upon the beautiful phenomena of the world. We consider an ordinary man to be pious dutiful and righteous if we observe one tenth of these qualities in him what to speak of the Holy Prophet?

2. The second method of finding out the real position is the study of numerous documents and narratives which have reached us from the leaders of Islam. One of them is the discourse of Imam Ali the chief of the monotheists in 'Khutbah-i Qasi'ah':

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"From the time the Holy Prophet had been weaned the Almighty Allah had associated the most distinguished angel with him so that he might show him the path of magnanimity and goodness during day as well as night" [2]

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[1] Biharul Anwar vol. XVIII pp. 271 - 281.

[2] Nahjul Balaghah vol. II page 182.

COMPARISON OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD WITH PROPHET 'ISA

There is no doubt about the fact that the Holy Prophet of Islam enjoys superiority over all previous Prophets. And it has been stated explicitly in the Holy Qur'an about some Prophets that they were elevated to the position of prophethood during their very childhood and Books were also sent to them. For example the Holy Qur'an says about Prophet Yahya: To Yahya we said: Observe the Scripture with a firm resolve. We bestowed on him wisdom grace and purity while he was yet a child. (Surah Maryam 19: 12)

When Prophet 'Isa was in his cradle the elders of Bani Israel pressed his mother to let them know the father of the child. Maryam pointed towards the cradle so that people should get the reply to their question from the child himself. 'Isa replied to them in these words with great eloquence and firmness: I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Injeel and ordained me a Prophet. His blessing is upon me wherever I go and He has commanded me to be steadfast in prayer and to give alms to the poor as long as I shall live. (Surah Maryam 19: 31)

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The son of Maryam clarifies for us the principles and regulations of his religion during his very infancy and declares that he follows the law of the worship of Allah the One. Now we call your conscience to witness and ask you: "When Prophet Yahya and Prophet 'Isa are true believers and pronounce the realities of nature can it be said that the unique leader of mankind and the noblest of men did not possess an extraordinary faith till the age of forty years although even at the time of the revelation in the cave of Hira he was already busy in meditation? "

Chapter 13

WHO WERE THE FIRST PERSONS TO EMBRACE ISLAM?

The advancement of Islam and its penetration into different peoples took place gradually. In the terminology of the Holy Qur'an those persons who preceded all others in embracing and propagating Islam are called as-Sabiqun (the preceding ones) and in the early days of Islam this precedence was in itself a criterion of virtue and superiority and even amongst these persons one who preceded another one enjoyed a more honourable position. Hence we should consult the authentic sources and decide without any bias as to who were the first amongst men and women who embraced Islam.

THE FIRST AMONGST WOMEN TO EMBRACE ISLAM WAS KHADIJAH

It is an admitted historical fact that from amongst women Khadijah was the first to embrace Islam and there is no contradictory report on this point. We briefly mention here an important historical authority which has been quoted by the historians from one of the wives of the Holy Prophet.

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A'isha says: "I was always sorry for not having seen the period of Khadijah and wondered at the kindness and love which the Holy Prophet expressed for her because her dear husband always remembered her more than anyone else and if he slaughtered a sheep he found out the friends of Khadijah and sent them a share of the meat. One day when the Holy Prophet was going out of the house he remembered Khadijah and praised her. Eventually I could not control myself and said very boldly: "She was nothing more than an old woman and Allah has given you a better one".

My words had a very unfavourable effect on the Holy Prophet of Allah. Signs of anger and wrath appeared on his forehead and he said: "It is not at all so... I have not acquired a better one. She believed in my Prophethood when all people were drowned in infidelity and polytheism. She placed her wealth at my disposal in the most trying circumstances. Allah gave me through her issues which I did not get through anyone else. [1]

Another evidence about Khadijah being the first woman in the world to embrace Islam is the very incident of the commencement of the revelation of the Holy Qur'an because when the Holy Prophet came down from the cave of Hira and related the incident to his wife she immediately confirmed her husband's statement and consoled him. Furthermore she had time and again heard from the fortune-tellers and sages of Arabia about the prophethood of her husband and it was on account of the truthfulness and righteousness of the Hashmite young man that she married him.

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[1] Biharul Anwar vol. XVI page 8.

THE FIRST AMONGST MEN TO ADOPT ISLAM WAS ALI

THE FIRST AMONGST MEN TO ADOPT ISLAM WAS ALI

Almost all the Shi'ah and Sunni historians are unanimous that the first amongst men to embrace Islam was Ali. As against this well-known statement there can also be found some rare statements in history. Their narrators have chosen to state the reverse of it. For example it is said that the first man to embrace Islam was either Zayd bin Harith or Abu Bakr. However most of the arguments bear evidence against these two statements. Some of these are as follows:

THE FIRST EVIDENCE

Ali had been brought up from his very childhood in the house of the Holy Prophet and the latter endeavoured to educate him like a kind father. Most of the biographers say unanimously: "Before the appointment of Muhammad to the prophetic mission a severe drought appeared in Makkah. Abu Talib the uncle of the Holy Prophet had a big family to support. He was the chief of Quraysh and his income was not at all in keeping with his expenditure and he was not as wealthy as his brother Abbas. The financial condition of Abu Talib prompted the Holy Prophet to discuss the matter with his uncle Abbas and they decided to take some of the children of Abu Talib to their own houses so as to alleviate his burden and to help him meet his requirements. Consequently the Prophet took Ali to his house and Abbas took Ja'far under his guardianship". [1]

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In the circumstances it can be said that when Ali went to the Holy Prophet's house his age was not less than eight or ten years. The reason for this presumption is that the object of the Holy Prophet in taking Ali under his patronage was to alleviate the burden of the chief of Makkah (Abu Talib) and besides the fact that separation of a child from his parents who is less than eight or ten years is a difficult matter; it could not also have any appreciable effect on the conditions of life of Abu Talib.

Hence it is necessary that we should presume the age of Ali at that time to be such that his being taken away from Abu Talib had an appreciable effect on the latter's conditions of life. In the circumstances how can it be said that strangers like Zayd bin Harith and others had become acquainted with the secrets of revelation whereas the cousin of the Holy Prophet who was nearest to him of all others and was always with him remained ignorant of them?

The purpose of the Prophet in fostering Ali was to compensate Abu Talib to some extent for the services rendered by him and so far as the Prophet was concerned there was nothing more dear to him than to guide a person directly. Keeping all these things in view how can it be said that the Holy Prophet kept his cousin deprived of this great blessing notwithstanding the fact that he (Ali) was an intelligent person with a highly enlightened mind? It would be better if we learn about this matter from the lips of Ali himself: In the sermon entitled Qasi'ah he explains his rank and esteem in the eyes of the Prophet thus: "You know the esteem in which the Holy Prophet held me on account of our near relationship and the high position and respect (which I enjoyed in his eyes). During my childhood he fostered me under his own care and stuck me to his bosom. He embraced me in his bed and I used to smell his sweet smell. I followed him just as the off-spring of a she-camel follows its mother. Every day he hoisted (showed) a sign of his moral virtues and ordered me to follow it. He stayed in Hira every year (before his appointment to the prophetic mission) and I used to go and see him there whereas none else saw him.

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At that time Islam had not reached any house except that of the Holy Prophet and Khadijah and I was the third amongst them. I used to see the light of revelation and messengership and smelt the fragrance of prophethood". [2]

[1] Seerah Ibn Hisham vol. I page 246.

[2] Nahjul Balaghah vol. II page 182.

THE SECOND EVIDENCE

Narrating the life history of Afif Kandi Ibne Hajar (in 'Al-lsabah) Ibne Abdul Bir (in Isti'ab) and many other scholars of history have quoted him to have said: "During the Age of Ignorance I once went to Makkah. My host was Abbas son of Abdul Muttalib and both of us arrived in the precincts of the Holy Ka'bah. Suddenly l saw that a man came and stood by the side of the Ka'bah. Then a boy arrived and stood on his right side. Soon after that I saw a woman came and stood behind them. I saw the boy and the woman performing ruku' and sujud (kneeling and prostration) in imitation of the man. This unprecedented scene inspired me to enquire from Abbas about it. He said: "That man is Muhammad son of Abdullah and that boy is his cousin and the woman standing behind them is the wife of Muhammad". Then he added: "My nephew says that a day will come when he will control the treasuries of 'Kisra' and 'Kaiser'. By Allah there is no follower of this religion on the face of the earth except these three". Then the narrator says: "I wish that I had been the fourth of them! "

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Since the above narrative is not directly concerned with Ali even those persons who fail to narrate his virtues have quoted it. Amongst the traditionalists only Bukhari has thought it proper to declare it 'weak' but his attitude towards the progeny of the Holy Prophet's household is quite well-known. The readers can study the said narrative in detail in the books mentioned below. [1]

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[1] Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II. p. 211; Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II pp. 31 - 38 and A'lamul Wara page 25.

THE THIRD EVIDENCE

In the sermons and dissertations of Ali we usually come across the following and other similar sentences:

"I am the servant of Allah and the brother of the Holy Prophet and the greatest truthful one and none will utter this sentence after me except one who is a liar. I offered prayers along with the Holy Prophet for seven years[1] before anyone else did so. "

The author of al-Ghadir (vol. III page 222) has quoted authorities for these narrations from the books of traditions and history and we dispense with quoting the same briefly:

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[1] In some of the narratives the period has been mentioned to be five years and on the basis of numerous indications it may be said that a part of this period preceded to the prophetic mission.

THE FOURTH EVIDENCE

The following traditions of the Holy Prophet narrated by successive witnesses with various explanations have been quoted to this effect:

"The first person who will meet me on the Pool of 'Kauthar' and the first person who embraced Islam is Ali son of Abu Talib".

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You may also study the authorities for these traditions in the third volume of 'al-Ghadir' page 320. The evidences for both the parts have reached the stage of consecutiveness and when a person studies these ahadith without any bias he becomes definite about Ali being the foremost among the believers. He does not therefore prefer at all the other two statements which are in a minority from the point of view of narration. The number of the supporters of the first statement (viz. Ali was the first person to embrace Islam) who consist of distinguished companions of the Prophet and tabe'in (companions of the companions of the Prophet) exceeds sixty. So much so that even Tabari [1] who has left the matter open and has contented himself only with quoting the statement says that Ibn Sa'id asked his father: "Was Abu Bakr the first person to embrace Islam? " His father replied: "No. Before he embraced Islam more than fifty persons had come round to the Prophet's way. However his Islam was superior to the Islam of others. "

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[1] 2Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II page 215.

MAMUN'S DISCUSSION WITH ISHAQ

Ibn Abd Rabbih quotes an interesting incident in 'Aqdul Farid' which may be summarized as under:

Mamun arranged a debating assembly and the famous scholar Ishaq occupied the foremost position in it. When Ali's precedence over others in the matter of acceptance of Islam was established Ishaq said "When Ali embraced Islam he was only a boy but Abu Bakr was a mature man (at the time he became a Muslim). Hence his faith enjoys superiority over that of Ali".

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Mamun suddenly intervened and said: "Did the Prophet invite Ali in his boyhood to adopt the faith or his faith was due to divine inspiration? It cannot at all be said that his faith was inspired because not to speak of Ali even the faith of the Prophet was not inspired but was the result of guidance and messages brought by Jibreel from Allah. Hence when the Holy Prophet invited him to accept Islam did he do so on his own account or had he been ordered by Allah to accomplish the deed? We cannot imagine that the Prophet should subject himself or anyone else to hardship and responsibility without an order from Allah. Hence there is no alternative except that we should say that the Prophet's call is supported by divine order. And does the Omniscient Lord order His Prophet to invite an untalented boy (for whom 'faith' or 'no faith' are alike) to adopt Islam? Certainly such an act is not possible from the All-Wise and All-Knowing Allah.

Hence it should be concluded that the faith of Ali was a true and firm faith which was not at all inferior to the faith of others and it is Ali son of Abu Talib to whom the verses of Qur'an "and the foremost are the foremost these are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah) " most appropriately applies.

Chapter 14

CESSATION OF REVELATION

The soul of the Holy Prophet had been illuminated with the light of revelation and he continuously meditated and reflected upon the onerous duty which the Almighty Lord had entrusted to him by saying: "O you who are wrapped up in your vestment arise and give warning. Magnify your Lord... " (Surah al- Muddaththir (74: 1-3)

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He was also expecting another message from his Lord so that by hearing the verses and the word of Allah his mind might become more illuminated and his resolution and determination more firm. However days and months passed but the Divine angel who had met him in the Cave of Hira did not re-appear and the invisible voice which had inspired his soul was no longer heard. We are not aware of its reason. Possibly the purpose of pausing in the revelation was to afford rest to the Prophet because history tells us that the revelation is always accompanied by unusual spiritual pressure especially in the early days of the appointment of a Prophet to the prophetic mission because till that time his soul is not accustomed to such mysterious perception. The date of cessation of revelation is also not very clear but after studying the texts of history and traditions it can be concluded that the revelation was cut off before general invitation to the public and special invitation to the Prophet's kinsmen had taken place. It was at the time when the Prophet had not extended his call to the public and special contacts with the individuals had also not yet been established. However as quoted by the late Allamah Majlisi [1] from Manaqib Ibn Shahr Ashob the time of cessation of relevation was after the extension of invitation by the Prophet to his kinsmen to embrace Islam. Hence it may be said that this incident took place in the fourth year of the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission as the invitation to his kinsmen was extended exactly after three years of the commencement of his prophethood.

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There are some historians [2] who have different views in this regard which does not conform to the established facts of the biographies of the Holy Prophet and his dear wife. They say: "When the trail of revelation was cut off the disturbance of mind and doubt to which the Prophet had become subjected at the time of the commencement of his prophetic mission was revived his wife also became agitated and said to him "I think Allah has cut off His contact with you. " After hearing these words he resorted to his permanent place (Mount Hira). In the meantime the heavenly revelation came twice and addressed him in the following verses:

By the light of day and by the fall of night your Lord has not forsaken you nor does He abhor you The life to come holds a richer prize for you than this present life. You will be gratified with what your Lord will give you. Did he not find you an orphan and give you shelter? Did he not find you perplexed and guide you? Did he not find you poor and enrich you? Therefore do not wrong the orphan nor chide away the beggar. But proclaim the kindness of your Lord. (Surah al-Dhuha 93: 1-11)

The revelation of these verses gave him extraordinary happiness and he realized that whatever was being said about him by the people was baseless.

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[1] Biharul Anwar vol. XVIll page 197.

[2] Tarikh-i Tabari vol. I pp. 48-52.

OUR OPINION ON THIS SUBJECT

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We cannot accept this narrative in its entirety. The biography of Khadijah and her conversation with her husband as well as her recollections are still recorded in history. It was the same Khadijah who endeavoured at the time of the commencement of revelation to remove the agitation of her husband. Then how could she now become the cause of his agitation when she could still perceive the noble character and morals of Muhammad and knew that Allah in whom she believed was just and righteous. Yes! In spite of all this how could she develop in her mind a strange misgiving about Allah and His Prophet?

Besides this the scholars have remarked in the books on 'Kalam' (scholastic theology) that: "After the acquisition of a chain of prominent habits which distinguish their holder from others the status of prophethood is given to that person who possesses sublime habits and praiseworthy qualities and so long as the Prophet does not possess a number of prominent qualities and does not fulfil some special conditions this status is never accorded to him. At the top of these qualities are chastity peace of mind faith and trust in Allah and because a Prophet possesses such qualities his thoughts cannot go astray. " The scholars have said: "The gradual development of a Prophet begins from his very childhood and gradually his knowledge reaches a stage of perfection. Even the slightest doubt does not cross his mind about the things which he sees or hears. Furthermore the remarks of anyone do not create any doubt in the mind of a person who occupies this position. "

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The above quoted Qur'anic verses and especially the verse "Your Lord has not forsaken you nor does He abhor you" show only this that someone said these words to the Holy Prophet but do not indicate as to who said them and what effect they had on his soul. However some exegetes say that these words were uttered by some polytheists and in view of this probability all these verses cannot relate to the commencement of revelation because none knew about the commencement of prophethood with the descent of revelation except Khadijah and Ali so that he might resort to criticism. So much so that as we shall mention later the fact of the Holy Prophet's prophethood was unknown to the polytheists for full three years and he had not been ordered to proclaim his prophethood to the general public till the verse: "Manifest that which you have been ordered to do" was revealed. Hence the story of the cessation of revelation has only historical and no Qur'anic evidence and that too is not in a repulsive shape but in the manner as described in the beginning of this chapter.

THE HOLY PROPHET COMMENCED REFORMATION FROM A LIMITED CIRCLE

The wise men and leaders of a society chalk out a very extensive programme but start their work from a limited circle and as and when they achieve success they immediately make efforts for its extension and expand the sphere of their activities in proportion to their success and make endeavours for its gradual advancement.

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A wise person [1]enquired from the head of one of the big states of modern times: "What is the secret of your success in public matters "He replied: The way of thinking of westerners like us is different from that of you orientals. We always start a work with an extensive and well-calculated programme but commence it from a small place and make an attempt for its expansion after acquiring success. And if in the meantime we realize that the programme is not correct we immediately leave it and begin another business. On the other hand you orientals enter into a business with an extensive programme and begin the work from a big place and put the entire programme into action all at once. And if in the meantime you encounter a deadlock you have no way of return left except bearing heavy losses. Besides this your spirit has been such that you always make hurry and haste and you always wish to harvest your crop on the very first day. You desire to obtain the final result during the early days and this in itself is the most dangerous way of social thinking which makes man to come to a very strange deadlock.

We feel that this way of thinking is not related to either East or West. Mature wise and knowledgeable persons always achieve their objects in this manner. The great Prophet of Islam also acted according to this admitted principle and propagated his religion for full three years without making any haste. He presented his religion to those whom he found to be deserving and ready from the point of view of thinking and capacity. Although his target was to set up a great world-wide State so that he might bring all people under the influence of one standard (the standard of monotheism) but during these three years he did not at all resort to general invitation. He made only special contacts with certain persons and invited to his faith those persons whom he found to be deserving fit and ready for embracing his religion. Consequently during this period of three years he succeeded in guiding only a few persons.

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During these three years the chiefs of Quraysh were intoxicated with the guardianship of the Ka'bah. As and when the Pharoah of Makkah (Abu Sufyan) and his gang came to know about the nature of his call and claim they displayed a mocking smile on their lips and said to themselves: "The flame of his call too will die away soon like the call of Waraqah and Umayyah (who had become Christians as a consequence of the study of the Taurat and the Injeel and pretended to advocate Christianity in the Arab assemblies) and it will not be long before he will also join the caravan of those who have been forgotten! "

During these three years the chiefs of Quraysh did not take the slightest liberty with the Holy Prophet and always respected him. He too did not openly criticize their idols and gods during this period and remained busy in maintaining special contacts with clear-sighted persons.

However Quraysh also woke up on the very first instance when the special invitation to the Prophet's near relatives and general invitation to the public commenced and his criticism of the idols and of the anti-human ways and manners of Quraysh began to be talked about. They realized on that very day that there was a vast difference between his call and those of Waraqah and Umayyah. Secret and open opposition and strife therefore started. In the first instance he broke his silence before his relatives and thereafter pronounced his general call.

There is no doubt about the fact that deep-rooted reforms which influence all spheres of human life and change the course of society mostly stand in need of two strong forces - the force of speech and the force of defence:

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1. The force of speech so that the speaker may be able to state facts in an attractive manner and should convey to the general public his own personal ideas or those which he receives from the world of revelation.

2. The force of defence so that in the event of danger he may be able to organize a defence line against the rush of the enemies. In the absence of this ability the flame of his invitation extinguishes in the very beginning.

The force of speech of the Holy Prophet was extraordinarily perfect and there is no denying the fact that he was a forceful speaker who could explain his religion with great eloquence. However during the early days of his call he was devoid of the second force because during these three years he had been able to convert only about forty persons to his faith and it is evident that such a small group could not undertake his defence.

Hence in order to acquire a defence line and to organize a central nucleus the Prophet of Islam invited his own kinsmen to his faith before making a general call.

In this way he removed the deficiency of the second force and was able to construct an important an important fortification against the possible dangers. This invitation was at least useful in the sense that even if his relatives were not inclined to his faith they stood up to defend him on account of their fraternal and tribal sentiments till the time arrived when his invitation impressed some of the chiefs of the nation and made another group inclined to him.

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He also believed that the foundation of reforms rests on internal reform. Until a man attempts to restrain his own children and relatives from evil deeds invitation extended by him to others can never be effective because in that event the opponents will indulge in criticism and point out to him the conduct of his own relatives.

In view of these considerations Allah addressed the Prophet about inviting his relatives with the words:

"Admonish your nearest kinsfolk" (Surah al-Shu'ara 26: 214) whereas with regard to the general call He said: "Manifest that for which you have been made responsible and remain away from the polytheists for we will protect you from the enemies. (Surah al-Hijr 15: 94)

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[1] One of the Qajar Monarchs when he visited London.

THE MANNER OF INVITING THE KINSFOLK

The manner of the Prophet's invitation to his kinsfolk was very attractive and the secrets of this manner of invitation become more clear later when the reality became manifest. While commenting on the verse "Admonish your nearest kinsfolk" almost all the exegetes and historians write that the Almighty Allah ordered him to invite his nearest kinsfolk to his faith. After necessary circumspection the Prophet ordered Ali son of Abu Talib whose age did not then exceed fifteen years to procure food and also to arrange for milk along with it. Then he invited forty five elders from amongst Bani Hashim and also decided to divulge the hidden secret on that occasion.

Unfortunately however when the meal was over one of his uncles (Abu Lahab) said some privolous and baseless things and made the atmosphere uncongenial for the presentation of the subject of prophetic mission. The Holy Prophet therefore considered it expedient to defer the matter till the following day. On the next day he again arranged a feast. After the meal was over he turned to the elders of his family and began his talk by praising Allah and announcing His Oneness. Thereafter he said: "Indeed the guide of a community never lies to his people I swear by Allah besides whom there is no god that I have been sent by Him as His Messenger especially towards you and generally towards all the inhabitants of the world.

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Yes! O my kinsmen! You will die as if you were going to sleep and sometime thereafter you will be brought to life again and will receive a recompense according to your deeds. This recompense is the eternal Paradise of Allah (for the righteous) and His perpetual Hell (for the evil-doers) ".

Then he added: "No human being has ever brought a better thing for his people than that which I have brought for you. I have brought for you the blessings of this world as well as of the Hereafter. My Lord has ordered me to invite you towards Him. Which one of you will be my supporter so that he may become my brother wasi (vicegerent) and successor amongst you? "

When the speech of the Prophet reached this point perfect silence had prevailed over the whole gathering and every one of those present was reflecting upon the greatness of the target and of his own fate in the long run. All of a sudden Ali who was then a fifteen year old young man broke the silence prevailing in the assembly. He stood up and said in a forceful tone: "O Prophet of Allah! I am prepared to support you. " The Prophet ordered him to sit down. He repeated the aforesaid words thrice but none except the same fifteen year old young man gave him the same reply. He then turned to his kinsmen and said "People! This young man is my brother vicegerent and successor amongst you. Listen to his words and follow him".

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At this stage the meeting came to an end and those present turned to Abu Talib with smiling faces and said: "Muhammad has directed you to follow your son and to take orders from him and has declared him to be your elder". [1]

What has been written above is the gist of the detailed version quoted by most of the exegetes and historians in different words except for Ibn Taymiyah who holds specific views about the members of the Prophet's family none has doubted the authenticity of this tradition and all consider it to be admittedly a historical fact.

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[1] Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II pp. 62-63; Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II pp. 40-41; Musnad Ahmad vol. I page 111 and Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah by Ibn Abil Hadid vol. XIII pp. 210-221.

CRIMES AND BREACH OF TRUST

Distortion and misrepresentation of facts and concealment of realities is a clear case of crime and breach of trust; and during the course of Islamic history there has been a group of biased writers who have treaded this path and reduced the worth of their treatises on account of misrepresentations. The course of history and evolution of knowledge has however exposed them. Here is a specimen of misrepresentation of this type:

1. As has been observed by the readers Muhammad bin Jarir Tabari (died 310 A. H. ) has narrated the incident of invitation to the kinsfolk in detail in his history. In his Tafsir [1] however while commenting on the verse "Admonish your nearest kinsfolk" he mentions what he has written in his history along with the text and authority but when he reaches the sentence: "Ali is my brother vicegerent and successor" he alters the sentence and says: "Ali is my brother and this and that". And there is no doubt about the fact that to omit the words "my vicegerent and successor" and to substitute for them the word "etc. '' is nothing short of breach of trust.

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He has not contented himself with this alone and has not only altered the interrogative remark of the Holy Prophet but has also altered the sentence which the Prophet himself uttered about Ali (This is my brother and vicegerent and successor) and has again used the very word "etc. ".

A historian should be free and unbiased in recording facts and should write that which he has assessed and found correct with unmatched bravery and candour. It goes without saying that the thing which prompted Tabari to omit these two words and to substitute two allusive words for them is the very religious bias of his because he did not consider Ali to be the vicegerent and immediate successor of the Prophet. And as these two words clearly indicated that Ali was the wasi and the immediate successor Tabari considered it necessary to defend his own religious attitude also while commenting on the occasion of the revelation of the verse.

2. Ibn Kathir Shami who died in the year 732 A. H. has also treaded the same path in his history [2] which was treaded earlier by Tabari in his Tafsir. We cannot excuse Ibn Kathir on any account because Tarikh-i Tabari itself forms the foundation of his history and he has clearly referred to Tarikh-i Tabari in arranging this portion of his book but in spite of this he has failed to quote this matter from the said history and has contrary to expectations mentioned the event according to Tafsir-i Tabari.

3. And then we come across the crime which has been committed by Dr Haykal the former Education Minister of Egypt and the writer of "Hayat-i Muhammad" who has opened the path for the new generation for resorting to distortion of facts. It is rather strange that whereas in the preface of his book he has used very harsh words for the orientalists and accused them of distortion of facts and forgery he himself commits the same thing rather goes a step forward because:

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Firstly: In the first edition of the said book he quoted the incident in a mutilated manner and out of the two essential sentences recorded only one (viz. the Prophet turned to the elders and said: "Who amongst you will be my supporter in this task so that he may be my brother wasi and successor) but totally omitted the other sentence which the Prophet uttered about Ali after expression of support by him and did not at all mention that the Holy Prophet said about him: "This young man is my brother vicegerent and successor. "

Secondly: In the second and third editions he went one step forward and omitted both the sentences from the two places and thus struck an irreparable blow to his own position as well as to that of his book.

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[1] Tafsir-i Tabari vol. XIX page 74.

[2] al-Bidayah wan Nihayah vol. III page 40.

PROPHETHOOD AND IMAMATE ARE LINKED TOGETHER

The proclamation of the successorship (imamate) of Ali in the early days of the Prophethood of Muhammad goes to show that these two offices are not separated from each other and when the Prophet of Allah was introduced to the people his successor was also appointed and introduced on the same day and this shows by itself that prophethood and imamate are linked together and there is no distance between them.

This event clearly proves the spiritual heroism and bravery of Imam Ali the Commander of the Faithful. For in an assembly in which experienced and aged persons were drowned in reflection and astonishment he pronounced his support and devotion with perfect boldness and expressed his enmity with the enemies of the Holy Prophet without treading the path of self-seeking politicians. Although at that time he was the youngest amongst those present so far as age was concerned but this association with the Holy Prophet for a long time in the past had prepared his mind for the acceptance of the realities which the elders of the nation were reluctant to accept.

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Abu Ja'far Askafi has been very eloquent about this event. Readers may refer in this connection to Sharh-i Nahjul Balaghah. [1]

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[1] Ibn Abil Hadid (Egyptian edition vol. XIII pp. 215 onward).

Chapter 15

GENERAL INVITATION

Three years had passed since the commencement of the prophetic mission of the Prophet. After inviting his nearest kinsfolk the Prophet resorted to general invitation. During these three years he had guided some persons by special contacts to accept the Islamic faith but this time he invited the general public openly to the religion of worshipping Allah the One and the Unique One. One day he took his place on a high rock and said aloud: 'Ya Sabahah'! [1]

The Holy Prophet's call received attention. Some persons belonging to different families of Quraysh ran up to him. Then he turned to those assembled there and said: "O people! Will you believe me if I tell you that your enemies have taken positions on the other side of this hill (Safa) and intend attacking your lives and property? " All of them said We have never heard anything false from you throughout our lives. Then he said: "O people of Quraysh! Save yourselves from fire. I cannot do anything for you in the presence of Allah. I warn you of painful torture! " Then he added: "My position is like that of a watchman who observes an enemy at a far- off point and immediately runs to his people for their safety and warns them of the impending danger by saying 'Ya Sabahah' in the particular manner".

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These sentences indicate the basis of his invitation and religion. Quraysh were more or less aware of his religion but these sentences created such a fear in their hearts that one of the leaders of infidelity (Abu Lahab) broke the silence of the people and said: "Woe be to you! Did you call us for this thing? " Then the people dispersed.

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[1] Instead of ringing a bell of danger the Arabs use these words and generally begin alarming reports with them.

THE ROLE OF FAITH AND FORTITUDE

The secret of everyone's success lies in two things: Firstly faith in one's aim and secondly steadfastness and effort in the path of its attainment. Faith is the inner stimulant which perforce pushes man to his object and invites him day and night to attain his aim because he firmly believes that his welfare supremacy prosperity and good end are associated with it. And in view of the interest which man takes in himself whenever he develops faith and confidence the strength of his faith automatically directs and persuades him to overcome all difficulties and keeps him away from every doubt notwithstanding the fact that his prosperity may be dependent upon the attainment of a specific target. For example a sick man who knows that his remedy and welfare lies in taking a bitter medicine takes it easily and a diver who believes that there are precious gems beneath the tides of the sea throws himself into the mouth of the tides without any apprehension; and returns to surface after achieving his purpose.

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However if the ailing person or the diver are doubtful about the achievement of their objects or do not at all believe in the usefulness of their job they either do not take any steps in that direction or even if they do they are faced with hardship and anguish. Hence it is the very strength of belief and faith which solves all difficulties.

Nevertheless there is no doubt about the fact that achievement of one's target is associated with difficulties and obstacles. It is therefore necessary for us to combat against those hurdles and to make necessary efforts in that behalf so that all the obstacles may be removed with our full might. It has been said since olden times that wherever there is a flower (a prized object) there is also a thorn (difficulty) with it. The flower should therefore be plucked in such a way that the thorn does not prick one's hands or feet.

The Holy Qur'an has mentioned this subject (that the secret of success lies in faith in one's aim and steadfastness in its attainment) in a short sentence and has said: "As for those who say: 'Our Lord is Allah ' and take the right path.......... "

(Surah al-Fussilat 41: 30). (Viz. those who have faith in Allah and believe in a particular aim and then display steadfastness and fortitude will definitely achieve their object and are helped by the angels).

STEADFASTNESS AND FORTITUDE OF THE HOLY PROPHET

As a result of the special contacts of the Prophet before the 'general invitation' and his indefatigable efforts thereafter a selected and faithful team came into existence against the forces of infidelity and idolatry. The Muslims who had embraced Islam secretly before the 'general invitation' developed complete acquaintance with those who responded to the Prophet's call thereafter and the bells of danger rang in all the assemblies of infidelity and polytheism. No doubt it was quite easy for the strong and well-equipped Quraysh to crush a newly-born movement but the reason for their being afraid was that the members of the movement did not belong to only one family but persons belonging to various families had also embraced Islam. Hence it was not easy for Quraysh to take a decisive action.

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After mutual consultations the chiefs of Quraysh decided to remove the very foundation of this faith and the founder of the new religion by different means. They proposed to achieve this purpose by approaching him sometimes with allurements and at other times by extending to him various promises and occasionally by using threats and torture. For ten years Quraysh behaved in this manner and eventually they decided to kill the Holy Prophet. In order to save him therefore Allah ordered him to quit Makkah.

During the aforesaid period the chief of the family of Bani Hashim was Abu Talib. He was a man who possessed a noble nature and a magnanimous spirit and his house was an asylum for the needy and the orphans. Besides being the chief of Makkah and possessing some offices with regard to the Holy Ka'bah he enjoyed a very high position in the Arab society and as he had been the guardian of the Prophet after the demise of Abdul Muttalib the other chiefs of Quraysh approached him in the form of a group [1] and addressed him thus: "O Abu Talib!

Your nephew abuses our gods speaks ill of our religion laughs at our thoughts and beliefs and considers our forefathers misguided. Ask him to keep aloof from us or surrender him to us and refrain from supporting him". [2]

The elder of Quraysh and the head of the family of Bani Hashim replied to them in a tactful manner and in a soft tone and consequently they abandoned their activities. However Islam was penetrating and expanding day after day and the spiritual rapture of the religion of the Prophet and the attractive and eloquent words of the Heavenly Book (the Qur'an) were lending support to it. The Prophet especially presented his religion before the people in the months in which fighting was prohibited when a large number of pilgrims gathered in Makkah. His eloquent and sweet speeches and his attractive beliefs impressed many persons. In the meantime the Pharoah of Makkah also realized that the Holy Prophet had gained popularity amongst all the tribes and had acquired many followers amongst the settled and unsettled Arab tribes. They therefore decided to approach the Prophet's only supporter (Abu Talib) once again and to make known to him the dangers to which the liberty of the Makkans and of their religion had become subjected owing to the propagation and expansion of Islam. Hence they once again approached him jointly and referring to their former demands spoke to him thus:

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"O Abu Talib! You are superior to us in the matter of nobility and age. However we met you earlier and requested you to restrain your nephew from propagating the new religion but you did not pay any heed to our words. The position had now become unbearable for us. We cannot tolerate any longer that a person should abuse our gods and should consider us to be foolish and ignorant. It is necessary for you to restrain him from all these activities failing which we will fight against him as well as against you who are his supporter so that the duty of each group should become specific and one of them should be wiped out".

Abu Talib the distinguished supporter and defender of the Prophet realized through his sagacity and perfect wisdom that it was appropriate to show forbearance to the people whose entire dignity of existence was now open to danger. He therefore adopted a peaceful attitude and promised that he would convey the sentiments of the chiefs to his nephew. No doubt this reply was given primarily with the object of quenching the fire of their wrath so that an appropriate way of solving the difficulty could be adopted later. Hence after the departure of the chiefs he contacted his nephew and conveyed their message to him and incidentally in order to test his faith in his own object demanded a reply from him. However while replying the Holy Prophet uttered a sentence which is considered to be one of the outstanding and golden lines of history. Here is the text of his reply: "Dear uncle I swear by Allah that even if they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand (i. e. even if they provide me with rule over the entire world) I shall not desist from propagating my religion and pursuing my object and shall continue my efforts until I overcome the difficulties and achieve my final goal or lay down my life for its sake".

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Thereafter the Prophet's eyes were filled with tears on account of his love and enthusiasm for his object and he stood up and departed from his uncle's presence. His penetrating and attractive speech made such a wonderful impression on the chief of Makkah that notwithstanding all the dangers to which he was exposed he called back his nephew and said to him: "By Allah! I will not give up my support to you and you may very well pursue your object to its end". [3]

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[1] Ibn Hisham has mentioned the names and particulars of these person in his 'Seerah'.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. X page 265.

[3] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I pp. 265-266.

QURAYSH APPROACHED ABU TALIB FOR THE THIRD TIME

The ever-increasing expansion of Islam disturbed Quraysh very much and they were keen to find out a solution to this problem. They assembled once again and were of the view that Abu Talib's support to Muhammad was possibly due to the fact that he had adopted him as his son and if that were so it was possible that they might take the most handsome young man to him and ask him to adopt him as his son. They therefore took with them 'Ammarah bin Walid bin Mughayrah who was the most handsome of the Makkan young men and approaching Abu Talib for the third time began complaining and threatening in these words: "O Abu Talib! Walid's son is a young man who is a poet and is also handsome and intelligent. We are prepared to hand him over to you so that you may adopt him as your son and cease supporting your nephew". On hearing this Abu Talib was cut to the quick and shouted upon them with a burning face and said: "You are doing a great injustice to me. You wish that I should nurture your son and surrender my dearest child to you so that you may kill him. I swear by Allah that it will not be so". Mut'am son of Adi then stood up and said: "The offer made by Quraysh is quite fair but you are not going to accept it". Abu Talib replied: "You have not been just and I am sure that you want to humiliate me and to instigate Quraysh to fight against me. However you are free to do what you can".

QURAYSH TRY TO ALLURE THE HOLY PROPHET

Quraysh became sure that it was not at all possible to make Abu Talib agree to their suggestion and although he did not declare openly to be a follower of Islam he had a great faith in his nephew and dearly loved him. They therefore decided to refrain from entering into any discussion with him. They however thought of another plan and it was that they should allure Muhammad by offering him status wealth gifts and beautiful women so that he might abandon his call. They therefore went to the house of Abu Talib in the form of a group at a time when his nephew was also sitting with him. The spokesman of the group opening the talk said: "O Abu Talib! Muhammad has scattered our united ranks and has created dissension amongst us. He has laughed our intellect down and has ridiculed us and our idols. If he has been prompted to do so on account of his poverty and indigence we are prepared to place enormous wealth at his disposal. If he wants status we are ready to accept him as our ruler and will listen to him. And in case he is invalid and needs medical treatment we will bring an expert physician to attend upon him............. "

Abu Talib turned his face to the Prophet and said: "The elders of your tribe have come and request that you should refrain from criticizing the idols so that they too may leave you alone". The Holy Prophet replied to his uncle thus: "I don't desire anything from them. As against these four offers they should accept one word from me so that under its auspices they may rule the Arabs and make non-Arabs their camp followers". At this stage Abu Jahl stood up and said: "We are prepared to hear you ten times". The Prophet replied: "My only word is that you should admit Oneness of the Lord". The unexpected words of the Holy Prophet were like cold water thrown on a hot kettle. They were so much engulfed in amazement coupled with disappointment and despair that they said involuntarily all at once: "Should we forsake 360 gods and worship only one Allah? "

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Quraysh left the house while their faces and eyes were burning with anger and they were thinking about the means for achieving their object. In the following verses of the Holy Qur'an this very incident has been related: [1]

It seems strange to the pagans that a man from their own people should come to them as a Prophet. The unbelievers have said he is only a lying magician. They say Has he condemned all other gods but One? This is certainly strange. A group of the pagans walked out of a meeting with the Prophet and told others Let us walk away. Be steadfast in the worship of your gods. This man wants to dominate you. We have heard nothing like this in the latest religion. This is only his own false invention. (Surah Sa'd, 38: 4-7)

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[1] Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II pp. 66 67; Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I. pp. 295 296.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE TORTURES AND PERSECUTIONS BY QURAYSH

One of the most tragic periods of the life of the Holy Prophet began on the day on which he broke the seal of silence and the elders of Quraysh lost all hope of his accepting their offers in view of his well-known words: "By Allah! Even if you place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand so that I may abandon my call I will not rest until Allah makes my religion prevail or I lay down my life for its sake". Till that time Quraysh had during all their encounters with him preserved his respect but when they saw that all their conciliation offers had failed they were compelled to change the course of their thinking and to forestall the expansion of Islam at all costs and to utilize all means for this purpose. Hence the council of Quraysh decided unanimously to practice ridicule torture and intimidation to restrain the Prophet from pursuing his object.

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It is evident that a reformer who is anxious to guide the people of the whole world must observe patience and fortitude in the face of inconveniences intimidations dastardly attacks and corporal and mental blows so that by and by he should be able to overcome difficulties and this has been the policy of other reformers as well. We give below an account of some of the persecutions and tortures of Quraysh so that the extent of the Holy Prophet's patience and fortitude may become manifest.

Besides the mental and spiritual factor (faith steadfastness and fortitude) which helped him internally the Prophet also possessed an external factor which ensured safety and support for him and that was the support of Bani Hashim with Abu Talib at their head because when Abu Talib came to know that Quraysh had taken a final and irrevocable decision to persecute his nephew he called all the members of Bani Hashim and asked them to protect Muhammad. Some of them undertook to support and protect him on account of their faith and others agreed to do so in view of the bond of kinship. Out of them only three (namely Abu Lahab and two others whose names will be mentioned later along with other enemies of the Prophet refrained from endorsing his decision. However in spite of this these defensive measures could not protect him from some unpleasant incidents and as and when the enemies found him alone they did not desist from doing him all sorts of harm. Here is an example of the tortures inflicted by Quraysh:

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1. One day Abu Jahl saw the Prophet in Safa and abused and grieved him. The Prophet did not speak to him at all and went away to his house. Abu Jahl also went to join Quraysh who had assembled by the side of the Ka'bah. Hamzah who was the uncle and foster-brother of the Prophet also returned on that day from hunting and was carrying his bow on his shoulder. It was customary with him that after returning to Makkah and before seeing his children and relatives he went to the Ka'bah and performed 'tawaf' (circumambulation) and then went over to the different groups of Quraysh who gathered round the Ka'bah and exchanged greetings with them.

On that day after performing these ceremonies he went to his house. By chance a slave-girl of Abdullah Jad'an who had witnessed the aforesaid incident came forward and said "O Abu 'Ammarah (the patronymic of Hamzah) I wish that you had been here a few minutes earlier and had seen the incident which I have seen! Then you would have learnt how Abu Jahl has abused and persecuted your nephew". The words of the slave-girl made a strange impression on Hamzah and he decided to avenge his nephew's insult upon Abu Jahl before doing anything else. He therefore returned and saw Abu Jahl sitting amongst a group of Quraysh. Without speaking to anyone he raised his hunting bow and struck it on the head of Abu Jahl and his skull was injured. Then he said to him: "You abuse him (the Prophet) and I have embraced his religion and am treading the same path which he treads. If you possess any strength come on and fight with me".

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A group of persons belonging to the family of Makhzum then stood up to support Abu Jahl. However as he was a clever and diplomatic person he avoided every sort of quarrel and defence and said "I misbehaved with Muhammad and Hamzah is entitled to feel uneasy about it". [1]

This admitted historical fact shows that Hamzah who later became one of the greatest commanders of Islam was a highly influential and brave personality. He did all he could to protect and defend the Holy Prophet and strengthen the group of Muslims. As Ibn Athir says [2] Quraysh considered the Islam of Hamzah to be one of the greatest factors for the advancement and strength of the Muslims and they therefore resorted to other plans which will be mentioned later.

Some Sunni historians like Ibn Kathir Shami insist that: "The effect of the Islam of Abu Bakr and Umar was no lesser than the effect of the Islam of Hamzah and the Islam of these two great caliphs became the means of the glory strength and freedom of the Muslims''. [3] Of course there is no doubt about the fact that every person contributed to the strength and expansion of Islam but in spite of this it can never be said that the effect of the Islam of these two caliphs was at par with the effect of the Islam of Hamzah. The reason for this conclusion is that Hamzah was the man who on hearing that an elder of Quraysh had abused the Holy Prophet went in quest of the culprit without informing anybody of his intention and took a very hard revenge on him. And none had the courage to oppose him or to fight with him. On the other hand Ibn Hisham the great biographer of Islam narrates an incident with regard to Abu Bakr which shows that when he joined the circle of the Muslims he did not possess the requisite strength to defend either himself or the Holy Prophet. [4] The details of the incident are given below:

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One day the Prophet was passing by a group of Quraysh. Suddenly those people encircled him and everyone of them began repeating by way of ridicule his words about the idols and the Day of Judgement and said: "Do you say this? " The Prophet replied to them: "Yes. I am the person who says this".

As Quraysh saw that there was none to defend the Holy Prophet they decided to kill him. A man therefore came forward and held the ends of his dress. Abu Bakr happened to be there by the side of the Prophet. With tears in his eyes he stood up to support the Prophet and said: "Is it proper that you should kill a man who believes in monotheism? " Later (for some reasons) those people desisted from maltreating the Prophet and he went his own way whereas Abu Bakr proceeded to his own house with an injured head.

Although this incident may be an evidence of the Caliph's sentiments for and interest in the Prophet it is first of all a firm evidence of his weakness and fear. It shows that at that time he did not possess either strength or an appreciable social status. And as a practical step by Quraysh against the Prophet might have entailed evil consequences they left him alone and directed the severity of their action towards his companion and broke his head. If you place the incident of Hamzah which clearly shows his valour and bravery side by side with this episode you can very well decide as to whose Islam had a greater effect in the early days of Islam on the honour strength and fear of the unbelievers.

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You will soon read about the Islam of Umar. His Islam also like that of his old friend did not strengthen the defensive power of the Muslims. But for 'As bin Wai'l it was possible that the blood of the Caliph might have been shed on the day he embraced Islam because he ('As bin Wai'l) came and addressed the group who wanted to kill Umar in these words: "What do you want from a man who has adopted a faith for himself? Do you think that the family of Adi will surrender him easily? " This sentence shows that it was the fear of his family which made others spare him and defence by the families of those who belonged to them was something natural and usual and there was no difference in this regard between the low and the high.

Yes! The base of defence of the Muslims was the house of Bani Hashim and the heavy burden of the task lay on the shoulders of Abu Talib and his family for as regards other persons who joined the Muslims they did not possess the requisite strength even to defend themselves and the question of their Islam becoming the source of the dignity and exaltation of the Muslims did not therefore arise.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I p. 313 and Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II p. 72.

[2] Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II page 59.

[3] al-Bidayah wan Nihayah vol. III page 26.

[4] Seerah page 311. Tabari has quoted the entire incident in his history vol. II page 72 except that the head of the Caliph was injured.

ABU JAHL LIES IN AMBUSH FOR THE HOLY PROPHET

The ever-increasing advancement of Islam had made Quraysh very much uneasy. Every day a report regarding the inclination (to Islam) of one member or another of their tribe reached them. On this account therefore their anger was flaming out. One day the Pharaoh of Makkah Abu Jahl said in the assembly of Quraysh: "O people of Quraysh! You can see how Muhammad considers our religion to be worthless and abuses the faith of our forefathers and their gods and declares us to be ignorant. By God I will lie in ambush for him tomorrow and will place a stone by my side; and when Muhammad goes into sajdah (prostration) I will strike that stone on his head. On the following day the Holy Prophet arrived in Masjidul Haram to offer his prayers and stood between 'Rukn-i Yamani' and the 'Black Stone'. A group of Quraysh who were aware of the intention of Abu Jahl were wondering whether or not he would succeed in his campaign. The Holy Prophet went into sajdah and his old enemy came out of the ambush and approached him. However it was not long before he was struck with awe and he returned to Quraysh trembling and aghast with a countenance distracted. All of them ran forward and said "O Aba Hakam! what has happened? " He said with a very weak voice which betrayed his fear and disturbance of mind "There appeared before my eyes a scene which I had never seen before in my life. It was for this reason that I abandoned my plan".

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It goes without saying that an unseen force had arisen by the command of Allah and had created a spectacle which protected the Prophet of Islam from harm by the enemies in accordance with the Divine promise: "We shall protect you from the mischief of those who mock".

Numerous instances of torture by Quraysh are recorded in the pages of history. Ibn Athir has allocated a chapter to this subject and has mentioned the names of the foremost enemies of the Prophet in Makkah and the atrocities perpetrated by them. [1] Whatever has been said above is only a specimen. The Prophet found himself faced every day by a new persecution. For example one day 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'it saw the Prophet performing 'Tawaf' and abused him. He twisted his turban round his neck and dragged him out of the Masjid. Some persons freed the Prophet from his hands on account of fear of Bani Hashim. [2]

The torture and persecution to which the Holy Prophet was subjected by his uncle Abu Lahab and his wife Umme Jamil was unprecedented. He happened to be a next-door neighbour of theirs. They did not refrain from throwing any sort of dirt on him and one day they threw the entrails of a sheep on his head. Eventually Hamzah with a view to take revenge thrust the same on the head of Abu Lahab.

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[1] Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II page 47.

[2] Biharul Anwar vol. XVIII page 204.

PERSECUTION OF MUSLIMS BY QURAYSH

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In the early days of the prophetic mission the advancement of Islam was the result of a number of factors one of which was the steadfastness of the Prophet and his companions and supporters. Examples of the patience and fortitude of the leader of the Muslims have already been stated whereas the forbearance and perseverance of the Muslims who lived in Makkah (the centre of polytheism and idolatry) deserves attention. An account of their sacrifices and steadfastness will be given in the chapters relating to events after Hijrah (migration to Madina). For the present we mention the tragic events connected with the lives of some old devotees of the Prophet who lived in the shelterless environments of Makkah.

BILAL THE ETHIOPIAN

The parents of Bilal were amongst those persons who had been brought from Ethiopia to Arabia as captives. He himself (who later became the mu'azzin of the Prophet) was the slave of Umayyah bin Khalaf. Umayyah was one of the sworn enemies of the great leader of the Muslims. As the kinsmen of the Prophet had undertaken his own defence Umayyah with a view to take revenge used to torture openly his slave who had been newly converted to Islam. He made him lie naked on hot sand during the hottest days placed a big red-hot stone on his chest and addressed him in these words: "I will not release you until you die in this condition or abjure the faith of Muhammad and worship 'Lat' and 'Uzza'.

In spite of all this torture however Bilal replied him with only two words which are a clear proof of his firm faith. He said 'Ahad! Ahad! ' (viz. Allah is One and I will never revert to the religion of polytheism and idolatry). Others wondered at the steadfastness of this black slave who was a captive in the hands of a hard-hearted person. So much so that Waraqah bin Nawfal the Christian Arab scholar wept on the condition of Bilal and said to Umayyah: "By Allah! If you kill him in this manner I will make his grave a sacred place to be visited by pilgrims ". [1]

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At times Ummayah acted with still greater severity. He put a rope round the neck of Bilal and handed it over to the children so that they might drag him in the streets. [2]

Ummayah and his son were captured in the Battle of Badr the first battle of Islam. Some Muslims were not in favour of killing Umayyah but Bilal said: "He is the leader of infidelity and must be killed". On his insistence the father and the son were recompensed for their crimes and were put to death.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 318.

[2] Tabaqat-i Ibn S'ad vol. III page 233.

SELF-SACRIFICE OF AMMAR AND HIS PARENTS

Arnmar and his parents were amongst the early Muslims. They embraced Islam when the Prophet had selected the house of Arqam bin Abil Arqam as the rendezvous for the propagation of Islam. When the idolaters became aware of their having adopted the Divine religion they did not neglect torturing and persecuting them. Ibn Athir [1] says: "The idolaters compelled these three persons to quit their house in the hottest season and to spend their time in the heat and the scorching wind of the desert. This torture was repeated so many times that Yasir succumbed to his troubles. One day his widow Sumayyah quarrelled with Abu Jahl on this account. That hard-hearted and cruel person thrust a spear in her heart and killed her also. The Holy Prophet was very much moved on account of the persecution to which they were subjected. One day he saw them being tortured. He turned his face to them with tears in his eyes and said "O family of Yasir! Be patient for your place is in Paradise ".

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After the death of Yasir and his wife the idolaters tormented and tortured Ammar as well as they had tormented Bilal. To save his life he had no alternative left but to abjure Islam but he repented soon and ran to the Prophet with a palpitating heart. He related the incident to the Prophet who enquired of him: "Has any instability taken place in your inner faith? " He replied: "My heart is abounding with faith". The Prophet then said: "Do not entertain the least fear in your mind and keep your faith hidden to save yourself from their mischief".

The following verse was revealed with regard to the faith of Ammar: [2] (There shall be a grievous punishment for him) who disbelieves in Allah after believing in Him other than him who is compelled while his heart is firm in his faith. (Surah Nahl 16: 106)

It is said that Abu Jahl decided to take to task the family of Yasir who belonged to the class of the most unprotected persons in Makkah. He therefore ordered that fire end scourage might be made ready. Yasir Sumayyah and Ammar were then dragged to the appointed place and tormented with the point of the sword and with the flames of fire and whipping. This persecution was repeated so many times that Yasir and Sumayyah consequently breathed their last but they did not forsake the praise of the Prophet till their last moments.

The men of Quraysh who had witnessed this calamitous and tragic scene notwithstanding the fact that they had unity of interest in defeating Islam got the wounded and grief stricken Ammar released from the clutches of Abu Jahl so that he might bury his parents.

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[1] Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II page 45.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 320.

ABDULLAH BIN MAS'UD

The Muslims who had embraced Islam secretly were telling among themselves that Quraysh had not heard the Holy Qur'an and it would be quite appropriate if one of them went into Masjid ul-Haram and recited some verses of the Holy Book with a loud voice. Abdullah son of Mas'ud expressed his willingness to do so. He came into the Masjid when Quraysh had assembled by the side of the Holy Ka'bah and recited the following verses with a loud and melodious voice:

In the name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful. It is the Merciful who has taught the Qur'an...... (Surah al-Rahman 55: 1-2)

The eloquent verses of this surah struck Quraysh with a strange awe. And in order to forestall the effect of the heavenly call which was reaching their ears through a defenceless person they all stood up and beat him so much that blood began to flow from his entire body and he returned to the companions of the Holy Prophet in a pitiable condition. They were however happy that the invigorating voice had eventually reached the ears of the enemies. [1]

Whatever has been said above was by way of example for otherwise the number of self-sacrificing devotees of Islam who endured the gravest hardships during the early days of the Prophet's mission and showed steadfastness in the path of achievement of their aim is much larger However we refrain from mentioning their names and the events of their lives for the sake of brevity.

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[1] Seerah Ibn Hisham vol. I page 314.

RUTHLESS ENEMIES OF THE HOLY PROPHET

Recognition of some enemies of the Prophet is necessary in connection with some Islamic events which took place after migration and we give below briefly the names and particulars of some of them:

Abu Lahab: He was the neighbour of the Prophet. He did not miss any opportunity of contradicting and torturing him and the Muslims.

Aswad bin Abd Yaghus: He was a clown. As and when he saw the helpless and indigent Muslims he ridiculed them and said: "These poverty-stricken people consider themselves to be the kings of the world and think that they will soon possess the throne and the crown of the Emperor of Iran". However death did not allow him to see with his own eyes as to how the Muslims had acquired the lands thrones and crowns of Kaiser and Kisra.

Walid bin Mughayrah: He was an old man of Quraysh who possessed enormous wealth. We shall record his conversation with the Holy Prophet in the following chapter.

Umayyah and Abi sons of Khalaf: One day Abi brought the decayed and worn out bones of some dead persons to the Holy Prophet and asked: "Can your Allah restore these bones to life? " Right came the reply from the source of revelation: "Say the Lord who created them first will bring them to life again". These two brothers were killed in the Battle of Badr.

Abul Hakam bin Hisham: The Muslims used to call him Abu Jahl (father of ignorance) on account of his unwarranted enmity and fanaticism against Islam. He too was killed in the Battle of Badr.

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'As bin Wai'l: He was the father of Amr 'As. He was the person who had given the nickname of 'Abtar' (issueless) to the Holy Prophet.

'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'it: [1] He was one of the most fierce enemies of Islam and never missed an opportunity to do harm to the Holy Prophet and the Muslims.

There was also another group of the enemies of Islam including Abu Sufyan and others. The historians have recorded the particulars in detail and for the sake of brevity we refrain from reproducing them here.

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[1] Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II pp. 47-51; Usudul Ghabah; al-Asabah al-lst'iab etc.

UMAR IBN KHATTAB EMBRACES ISLAM

The acceptance of Islam by everyone of the early Muslims was the effect of one cause or another and at times a very small incident became the means of the conversion of an individual or a group. The stimulant for the adoption of Islam by the second caliph is interesting. Although from the point of view of the chronological order of the events it would have been appropriate to record this incident after describing the migration of Muslims to Ethiopia but we have considered it expedient to describe it here as we have here mentioned some of the companions of the Holy Prophet.

Ibn Hisham [1] says Out of the family of Khattab (father of Umar) only his daughter Fatimah and her husband Sa'id bin Zayd had embraced Islam. As in the early days of Islam Umar's relations with the Muslims were very inimical and he was considered to be one of the most obstinate enemies of the Prophet, therefore, his sister and her husband always kept their faith concealed from him. In spite of this Khubab bin Art used to come to their house at appointed hours and taught them the Holy Qur'an.

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The confused condition of the people of Makkah had made Umar very sentimental, for he saw that dissension and disorder prevailed amongst them and the bright day of Quraysh had been changed into a dark evening.

Umar, therefore, decided to go and cut off the root of dissension by killing the Holy Prophet. To achieve this purpose he was looking for the place where the Prophet could be found. He was informed that he was in a house situated by the side of the bazaar of Safa, and forty persons like Hamzah, Abu Bakr, Ali etc. had undertaken to protect and defend him.

Na'im bin Abdullah who was one of the close friends of Umar says: I saw Umar carrying his sword. I enquired about the purpose for which he was going. He replied thus: "I am going in search of Muhammad who has created dissension amongst Quraysh. He laughs at their wisdom and intellect declares their religion to be worthless and belittles their gods. I am going to kill him".

Na'im says: "I said to him: You are deceived. Do you think the descendants of Abd Munaf will spare your life? If you are a peaceable person you should first reform your own house. Your sister Fatimah and her husband have become Muslims and follow the religion of Muhammad".

Na'im's words created a storm of wrath in the mind of Umar. Consequently he abandoned his previous plan and went to the house of his brother-in-law. When he reached near the house he heard the humming of someone who was reciting the Holy Qur'an with an impressive voice. The manner of Umar's arrival in his sister's house was such that she and her husband also became aware that he was about to enter. They therefore concealed the teacher of the Holy Qur'an in the back part of the house so that he might remain hidden from Umar's eyes. Fatimah also concealed a leaf on which verses of the Holy Qur'an were written.

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Umar said without any salutation or greeting: "What was this humming that I have heard? " They replied 'We have heard nothing". Umar said: "I have been informed that you have become Muslims and follow the religion of Muhammad". He uttered this sentence with great fury and attacked his brother-in-law. His sister then stood up to protect her husband. Umar attacked her also and seriously injured her head with the point of his sword. While blood was flowing from her head the helpless woman said with great fervour of faith: "Yes. We have become Muslims and believe in Allah and His Holy Prophet. Do whatever you like".

The tragic plight of the sister who was standing by the side of her brother with her face and eyes besmeared with blood and was speaking to him made Umar tremble and he was sorry for what he had done. He therefore insisted that they should show him the relevant leaf so that he might ponder over the words of Muhammad. His sister fearing lest he should tear it up put him on oath that he would not do so and he also made a promise and confirmed it on oath that he would return the leaf after having gone through it. Then he took the sheet in his hand. A few verses were written on it. Their translation is given below:

Taha. It was not to distress you that We revealed the Qur'an. It is to admonish those who fear Allah. It is a revelation from Him who has created the earth and the lofty heavens. The Merciful who is firm in power. His is what the heavens and earth contain. He has knowledge of all that is secret and all that is yet more hidden. (Surah Taha 20: 1-6)

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These eloquent verses and the clear and firm words impressed Umar very much. The man who was the most ruthless enemy of the Qur'an and Islam a few minutes earlier decided to change his mind. He went to the house about which he had already learnt that the Holy Prophet could be found there and knocked at the door. One of the companions of the Prophet peeped through a hole and saw Umar standing with a sword in hand and waiting for the door to be opened. He returned at once and informed the Prophet about the matter. Hamzah son of Abdul Muttalib said: "Let him come in. If he has come with good intentions we shall welcome him but if his intentions are not good we shall kill him". Umar's attitude towards the Prophet reassured them and his open countenance and expression of sorrow and shame proved his real intentions. Eventually he embraced Islam at the hands of the Prophet in the presence of his companions and thus joined the ranks of the Muslims. [2]

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[1] Seerah Ibn Hisham vol. I page 365.

[2] Ibn Hisham has given another version of the embracement of Islam by Umar. (vol. I page 368).

Chapter 16

JUDGEMENT OF QURAYSH ABOUT THE HOLY QUR'AN

A discussion which is purely about the essence of a miracle and the miraculous nature of the Holy Qur'an is beyond the scope of this book. However historical discussions tell us that this Heavenly Book was the greatest and sharpest weapon of the Holy Prophet-so much so that the expert poets and the circles of prosody and oration were puzzled and astonished at the eloquence melody and attraction of its words sentences and verses and all of them admitted that the Holy Qur'an of Muhammad stood at the highest level of eloquence and clarity and its mastery over the words and its way of expression was unparalleled. The impression penetration rapture and attraction of the Holy Qur'an was such that even the most severe enemies of the Holy Prophet trembled within themselves when they heard some of its verses and at times they became so much ecstasized that for quite some time they could not move from their places owing to amazement. Here is an example.

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JUDGEMENT OF WALID

Walid was one of the judges of Arabia. Many difficulties of the Arabs were solved through him. He possessed enormous wealth. A group of Quraysh went to him for the solution of the problem of penetration of Islam in all houses and explained the matter to him and sought his opinion about the Qur'an of Muhammad. They said to him: "Is the Qur'an of Muhammad magic or divination or is it a sermon or a rhetoric which has been prepared by him". The sage of Arabia requested for time so that he might express his view after hearing the Qur'an. Then he rose from his place and came to the Prophet. He sat with him in 'Hajar-i Isma'il' and said "Read something from your poetry". The Holy Prophet replied: "What I say is not poetry. Rather it is the word of Allah which He has sent down for your guidance". Then Walid insisted that he should recite the Qur'an. The Prophet recited the first thirteen verses of Surah al-Fussilat and when he reached this verse: If they give no heed say "I have given you warning of the scourge which overtook Thamud and 'Ad' Walid trembled violently within himself. All his hair stood straight on his body and he got up in a state of astonishment and went home. He did not come out of his house for many days -so much so that Quraysh began ridiculing him and said: "Walid has given up the creed of his forefathers and has adopted the faith of Muhammad". [1]

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Tabarsi says: "When Surah al-Ghafir was revealed to the Holy Prophet he recited it in a very attractive voice in order to communicate the Divine verses to the people. By chance Walid was then sitting by his side and heard these verses without being attentive: This Book is revealed by Allah the Mighty One the All-Knowing Who forgives sin and accepts repentance; the Bountiful One Whose punishment is stern. There is no god but He. All shall return to Him. None but the unbelievers dispute the revelations of Allah. Don't be deceived by their activities in the land...........

These verses impressed the sage of Arabia very much. When Bani Makhzum came round him he commended the Holy Qur'an in these words: "Today I have heard from Muhammad a speech which does not belong to the category of the speeches of the human beings and the genii. It is very melodious and possesses a special beauty. Its branches are full of fruits and its roots abound with blessings. It is an outstanding narration and no other narration is as outstanding as this. "

He uttered these sentences and went his way and Quraysh thought that he had begun to believe in Muhammad's religion. [2]

According to a great scholar [3] this was the first commendation and praise of the Qur'an by a human being and a careful study of this speech makes the miraculous nature of the Holy Qur'an vis-a-vis Arab ignorance absolutely clear and it becomes evident that the reason of the Holy Qur'an being a miracle in their eyes was its unusual rapture attraction sweetness and melody because they did not find such deliciousness and elegance in any other thing except the Qur'an.

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[1] A'lamul Wara' pp. 27-28 and Biharul Anwar vol. XVII pp. 211-222.

[2] Majma'ul Bayan vol. X page 387.

[3] Kitabul Mu'jizatil Khalidah by Allamah Shahristani 

ANOTHER EXAMPLE

'Utbah bin Rabiyyah was one of the elders of Quraysh. At the time when Hamzah embraced Islam the entire assembly of Quraysh was stricken with sorrow and grief and their chiefs feared that the Islamic faith would expand further. At that stage 'Atbah said: "I shall go to Muhammad and shall make some offers to him. It is possible that he may accept one of them and abandon the new religion". The chiefs endorsed his view. He therefore got up and went to the Prophet who was then sitting in the Masjid. He offered to him wealth authority and medical treatment in very gentle words. When he stopped speaking the Prophet said to him: "Was it all that you wanted to say? " He replied: "Yes. " Then the Prophet said: "Just listen to these verses for this is the reply to all that you have said".

Ha Mim. A revelation from the Compassionate the Merciful. It is a Book the verses of which have been well expounded; an Arabic Qur'an for those who have understanding. Bearing good news and warning. But most of them ignore it and give no heed. (Surah Ha Mim 41: 1-4).

The Holy Prophet recited some verses of this Surah. When he reached the thirty seventh verse he performed 'sajdah'.

After this he turned to 'Utbah and said: 'O Aba Walid! Have you heard the Message of Allah? " 'Utbah had been somewhat enchanted by the Word of Allah. He had placed his hands behind his head which rested on them. In this very condition he kept gazing on the face of the Holy Prophet for quite some time as if he had been deprived of his power of speech. Then he got up from his place and went to the place where Quraysh had assembled. The chiefs of Quraysh had realized from his condition and countenance that he had been impressed by the words of Muhammad and had returned in a condition of humility coupled with distraction of mind. They were all watching intently to see 'Utbah's face. All of them asked him: "What has happened? " He said: "By Allah! I have heard from Muhammad a speech which I had never heard from anyone. By Allah! It is neither poetry nor magic nor divination. I consider it expedient that we should leave him alone so that he may propagate his religion amongst the different tribes. If he is successful and acquires a land and a kingdom it will be considered to be a matter of pride for you and you will also benefit from it. And if he is defeated others will kill him and you too will be at ease".

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Quraysh ridiculed 'Utbah for his remarks and views and said that he had been enchanted by the speech of Muhammad. [1]

These are two specimens of the views of two outstanding eloquent speakers of the Age of Ignorance and other specimens are also available.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I pp. 293 - 294.

STRANGE STRATAGEM OF QURAYSH

One day after sunset the chiefs of Quraysh like 'Utbah Shaybah Abu Sufyan Nazar bin Harith Abul Bakhtari Walid bin Mughayrah Abu Jahl 'As bin Wai'l etc. assembled by the side of the Ka'bah and decided to call the Prophet and discuss the matter with him directly. They therefore sent someone to ask the Prophet to participate in the meeting. On having been informed about the matter the Prophet came hurriedly and joined their assembly hoping to guide them to the right path. Conversation started from all sides and Quraysh repeated their grievances. They complained that dissension and discord had taken place amongst Quraysh and expressed readiness for every sacrifice. In the end they made requests to the Prophet which have been depicted in the following verses:

They say: " (O Muhammad! ) We will not believe in you until you make a spring gush from the earth before our very eyes or cause rivers to flow in a grove of palms and vines; until you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces as you have threatened to do or bring down Allah and the angels in our midst; until you build a house of gold or ascend to heaven; nor will we believe in your ascension until you have sent down for us a book which we can read (and which confirms your prophethood). " (Surah Bani Isra'il 17: 90-93)

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It is evident that all that they said was mere deceit because palm and vine groves have nothing to do with the prophethood of a person and causing the sky to be torn to pieces and to fall down on earth is quite incompatible with the prophetic mission whose object is to guide the people. Amongst their demands there was only one thing which had a miraculous aspect and that was the Prophet's ascension to heaven. And even if the Prophet had performed this miracle they would not have believed in him because they had made it clear that he must also send down a book which should confirm his prophethood!

If Quraysh had been really keen to verify the truth of the Prophet's claim his ascension -to heaven would have been a sufficient proof of it. However they said that they would not be satisfied with it because all demands of theirs were based on particular motives. The Holy Prophet replied to them: "Surely I am no more than a Messenger and cannot perform a miracle without the permission of Allah". [1]

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[1] Some of the Christian missionaries have argued on the basis of this and other verses that the Holy Prophet of Islam did not possess any miracle other than the Qur'an. The falsity of this argument has however been clearly proved and the object of such verses made manifest in the Persian book entitled 'Risalati Jahani Pyambaran'.

STIMULANT FOR THE OBSTINACY OF THE CHIEFS OF QURAYSH

STIMULANT FOR THE OBSTINACY OF THE CHIEFS OF QURAYSH

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This portion of the history of Islam is one of the points which deserves discussion because one ponders as to why Quraysh quarrelled with the Prophet to this extent notwithstanding the fact that all of them considered him to be truthful and honest and had not till that time observed even the smallest shortcoming in him and had heard fascinating and eloquent words from him and had often seen him perform unusual deeds which were beyond the ambits of the laws of nature.

A few things may be considered to be the cause or causes of this obstinacy:

1. QURAYSH WERE JEALOUS OF THE HOLY PROPHET

Some of them did not follow the Prophet because they were jealous of him and wished that they themselves should possess this divine office.

The Holy Qur'an says: They also say: 'Why was this Qur'an not revealed to some mighty man from the two towns'? (Surah al-Zukhruf 43: 31)

The exegetes while explaining the reason for the revelation of this verse (viz. the unbelievers objected as to why the Qur'an was not revealed to one of the chiefs of Makkah or Ta'if) write thus:

"Walid son of Mughayra once met the Prophet and told him that he (Walid) was more suited for the office of Prophet as he enjoyed precedence over him (the Prophet) in the matter of age wealth and children. [1]

Umayyah bin Abi Salt was a person who used to talk about a prophet before the advent of Islam and was anxious to assume this high office himself. He did not however follow the Holy Prophet till the end of his life and used to instigate the people to oppose him.

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Akhnas who was one of the enemies of the Prophet said to Abu Jahl: "What is your opinion about Muhammad? " He replied: "We and Abd-i Munaf quarrelled about nobility and greatness and we vied with them and adopted all possible ways and means to become their equals. Now that we have become their equals they say that revelation descends from heavens on a member of their family. By Allah! We will never believe in him. [2]

These are some specimens which clearly indicate the jealousy of the chiefs of Quraysh. There are also other such specimens which can be found in the pages of history.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 361.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 316.

2. FEAR OF THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

This was the most effective cause for the obstinacy of Quraysh because they were pleasure-seeking voluptuous and easy-going people. The call of the Holy Prophet was opposed to the old habits of these persons who had enjoyed absolute freedom for centuries; and to give up bad habits entails great suffering and toil.

Furthermore hearing of the verses regarding torture which threaten the pleasure-seeking unjust and ignorant persons with severe punishment created a strange fear in their hearts and made them very much disturbed and uneasy. When the Holy Prophet recited the verses mentioned below in the general gatherings of Quraysh with a pleasant voice there appeared a tumult which disturbed their merry-making. The Arabs who used to equip themselves for warding off all sorts of occurrences cast lots with arrows took omens with stones to procure safety and considered the coming and going of birds to be the signs of occurrences were not at all prepared to sit still unless they had acquired a guarantee against the torture of which Muhammad warned them. They therefore quarrelled with him so that they might not hear his good tidings and threats. Here are some of the verses which greatly disturbed the minds of the pleasure-seeking and ignorant Arabs:

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When the Day of Judgement comes man will avoid his brother mother father wife and children. On that day everyone will be concerned with himself (Surah 'Abasa 80: 34-37)

While sitting by the side of Ka'bah and drinking wine they suddenly heard these words:

No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other skins so that they may truly taste Our scourge. (Surah al-Nisa 4: 56). This made them so much disturbed and agitated that they involuntarily cast aside their cups and began trembling with fear.

There were other reasons also which made them refrain from admitting the truthfulness of Islam. For example one day Harith bin Nawfal son of Abd-i Munaf came to see the Holy Prophet and said: "We know that what you warn us of is true and correct. However if we express our belief in you the polytheist Arabs will turn us out of our land". The following verse was revealed in reply to such persons:

They say: 'If we accept your guidance we shall be driven from our land. ' But have We not given them a sanctuary of safety............ (Surah al-Qasas 28: 57)

SOME OBJECTIONS BY THE POLYTHEISTS

At times they said: "Syria is the land which fosters prophets in its lap and it has not been observed so far that a person should have been appointed to the prophetic mission in this desert (Makkah) ". In imitation of the Jews some polytheists said: "Why is the Qur'an revealed piecemeal? Why has it not been sent down as a whole like the Injeel and the Taurat? " The Holy Qur'an reproduces their objection in these words: "The unbelievers say: 'Why was the Qur'an not revealed to him in a single revelation? "

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Then it gives the following reply: We have revealed it thus so that We may strengthen your faith. (Surah al-Furqan 25: 32)

Undoubtedly unpleasant events and harsh occurrences have a great effect on human spirit and the only source of satisfaction for the Holy Prophet was the fresh words which he heard from his Lord who ordered him to practice forbearance and fortitude and by this means created a fresh spirit in his entire frame. It was for this purpose that the Holy Qur'an was revealed piecemeal.

Furthermore in the early days of Islam some rules were formally recognized but it was not appropriate to let them continue. It was not therefore possible that the Holy Qur'an should have been revealed in a single revelation.

Chapter 16

THE FIRST MIGRATION

Migration of a group of Muslims to Ethiopia is a clear proof of their faith and deep sincerity. With a view to get rid of the mischief and atrocities of Quraysh and to acquire a peaceful atmosphere for observing their religious ceremonies and worshipping Allah the One they decided to leave Makkah and to forsake their wealth business children and relatives. They however wondered what to do and where to go for they saw that idolatry prevailed throughout the Arabian Peninsula and there was not a single point where the name of Allah could be proclaimed aloud or the laws of Islam could be introduced. They therefore decided to place the matter before the Prophet -the foundation of whose religion was laid on: "Allah's land is spacious. Worship Me alone" (Choose that place for residence where you can worship Allah). (Surah al-Ankabut 29: 56).

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The Holy Prophet was fully aware of the pitiable condition of the Muslims. Although he himself enjoyed the support of Bani Hashim and they protected him from every harm his devotees mostly consisted of slave-girls and slave-boys and some unprotected free men. The chiefs of Quraysh persecuted these helpless persons incessantly and in order to forestall tribal wars the powerful chiefs of various tribes tortured those persons of their tribes who had embraced Islam. An account of the torture and persecutions to which Quraysh subjected the people has already been given in the foregoing pages.

It was on this account that when the companions of the Prophet sought advice from him regarding migration he replied: "If you travel to Ethiopia it will be very profitable for you because on account of the presence of a mighty and just ruler nobody is oppressed there and the land of that country is good and pure and you can live there till Almighty Allah provides you relief. "[1]

No doubt a pure environment where a worthy and just person is at the helm of affairs is a specimen of Paradise and the only object of the companions of the Holy Prophet in occupying such a land was that they might perform their religious duties with perfect security and peace of mind.

The penetrating words of the Holy Prophet had such a wholesome effect that soon after that those who were already quite ready packed their luggage and proceeded to Jeddah at night either mounted or on foot without their enemies (idolaters) becoming aware of their departure. The total number of those who migrated this time was ten and they included four Muslim women as well.

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It is worthy of note why the Holy Prophet did not mention other places. However when the conditions then prevailing in Arabia and other places are studied the secret of the selection of Ethiopia becomes quite clear. The reason for this was that migration to places inhabited by the Arabs who were usually idolaters was dangerous. The idolaters were reluctant to receive the Muslims either because they wished to please Quraysh or because they loved the religion of their forefathers. The places in Arabia inhabited by the Christians and the Jews were not at all fit for migration because they were fighting and quarrelling with each other for their spiritual penetration and there was no room for a third rival. Furthermore these two groups considered people of the Arab descent to be inferior and humble.

Yemen was under the influence of the King of Iran and the Iranian authorities were not prepared to accommodate Muslims in that land so much so that when Khusro Pervez received the letter from the Holy Prophet he at once wrote to the Governor of Yemen to arrest the new Prophet and send him to Iran. Hira too was under the domination of Iran like Yemen. Syria was far away from Makkah. Furthermore Yemen and Syria were the markets for Quraysh and they had close relations with the people of these areas. If the Muslims had taken shelter there those people would have expelled them on the request of Quraysh who had made a similar request to the King of Ethiopia who turned it down.

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During those days journey by sea particularly with women and children was an extraordinarily difficult job. Undertaking such a journey and abandoning means of livelihood was a sign of devotion and pure faith. Jeddah (and according to Jurji Zaydan the port of 'Shoaibiyah' of those days) was a developed trading port and by chance two trading vessels were then ready to sail from there for Ethiopia. The Muslims fearing pursuit by Quraysh made known their intention to perform the journey and boarded the vessel in much haste on payment of half a dinar. A report regarding the departure of the Muslims had also reached the ears of the chiefs of Makkah and they sent some persons to bring them back but by the time they reached there the vessel had left the coast of Jeddah and could not be seen.

Pursuit of those who had taken refuge in a foreign land only for the safety of their faith is a clear proof of the villainy of Quraysh. The migrants had forsaken their property children residences and business but the chiefs of Makkah were not prepared to leave them alone The elders of 'Darun Nadwah' feared the outcome of this journey and discussed amongst themselves the matters which will be mentioned later.

The members of this group did not belong to one family and according to Ibn Hisham [2] everyone of these ten persons belonged to a separate family. Another migration took place after this and the leader of these migrants was Ja'far son of Abu Talib. This migration was arranged with perfect freedom and some of the migrants were therefore successful in taking their women and children also with themselves.

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Consequently the number of the Muslims in Ethiopia reached eighty three and if we take into account the children who were taken there or were born in that land the number would exceed this figure.

As the Prophet had described the Muslims found Ethiopia to be a prosperous country with a calm and free atmosphere. Umm Salama the wife of Abi Salama who later had the honour of marrying the Prophet says thus about that country: "When we settled in Ethiopia we found ourselves under the protection of the best patron. We did not meet with any trouble or hear any bad word from anyone".

From the verses composed by some migrants it transpires that the atmosphere of Ethiopia was very pleasant. Details may be seen in the Seerah-i Ibn Hisham. [3]

[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 321 and Tarikh-i Tabari vol. II page 70.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 245.

[3] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 353.

QURAYSH SEND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES TO THE COURT OF ETHIOPIA

When the chiefs of Makkah learned about the freedom and peaceful life of the Muslims in Ethiopia the flames of rancour kindled in their hearts they were disturbed by the happy life being led by them there because that country had proved to be a haven for them. They were very much afraid lest the Muslims should have access to the Negus (ruler of Ethiopia) and they might be able to attract him to the religion of Islam and thus arrange the invasion of the Arabian Peninsula by a well-equipped army.

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The elders of 'Darun-Nadwah' conferred once again and unanimously decided to send representatives to the court of Ethiopia and to arrange for proper presents for the King and his ministers to earn their good will and then to accuse the migrant Muslims of stupidity and ignorance and of inventing a religion. In order that their plan might meet with an immediate success they selected from amongst themselves two persons known for their cunning and deceitful activities. One of whom Iater became a juggler in the field of politics. The lot fell upon 'Amr bin As and Abdullah bin Rabi'ah. The president of 'Darun Nadwah' instructed them that before meeting the ruler of Ethiopia they should present gifts to the ministers and have conversation with them in advance and should try to bring them round so that when they met the king they (the ministers) might support them. After having been briefed on these lines the said two persons proceeded to Ethiopia.

The ministers of Ethiopia met the representatives of Quraysh and the latter after presenting the gifts spoke to them thus: "A group of our young men have abjured the creed of their forefathers and have invented a religion which is opposed to our religion as well as yours. They are now residing in your country. The elders and chiefs of Quraysh earnestly request the King of Ethiopia to expel them as soon as possible. Incidentally we also desire that the council of ministers may support us in the presence of the King. And as we are fully aware of the shortcomings and ways and manners of these persons it will be expedient that the matter is not discussed with them at all and the head of the State should not also grant them an audience".

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The greedy and short-sighted persons (i. e. the ministers) assured them of their full support. On the following day the representatives of Quraysh were admitted in the royal court and after conveying their greetings and presenting the gifts they communicated the message of Quraysh to the King in the following words:

"O honourable ruler of Ethiopia! Some foolish young men of ours have taken steps to propagate a religion which does not conform either with the official religion of your country or with that of their ancestors. These people have recently taken refuge in your country and are taking undue advantage of the freedom available in this State. The elders of Quraysh earnestly request your Majesty that orders may be issued for their expulsion so that they may return to their own country............. "

As soon as the speech of the representatives of Quraysh ended the voices of the ministers who were sitting round the royal throne became loud. All of them supported the representatives of Quraysh and confirmed what they had said. However signs of anger appeared on the face of the wise and just Ruler of Ethiopia. Opposing his courtiers he thundered: "This cannot be. I can't hand over to these two persons without proper investigation the people who have taken refuge in my country. It is necessary that the condition and particulars of these refugees should be looked into. And I will return them to their country only after the statements of these two persons about them have been substantiated thorough scrutiny. On the other hand if what these persons have said about them is not based on reality I will not forsake them but will render them more assistance".

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Thereafter a special emissary of the royal court was sent to the emigrant Muslims and he brought them before the King without providing them any prior information. Ja'far bin Abu Talib was introduced as the representative of those persons. Some of the Muslims were worried as to how he would address the Christian monarch of Ethiopia. To alleviate their anxiety Ja'far told them that he would communicate to the King exactly what he had heard from the Holy Prophet.

The King of Ethiopia turned to Ja'far and said: "Why have you abjured the creed of your forefathers and adopted a faith which does not conform either to our religion or to that of your ancestors? "

Jatfar replied: "We were an ignorant and idolatrous people. We did not avoid eating the dead bodies. We always indulged in abominable deeds. We had no respect for our neighbours. The weak and the helpless were oppressed by the strong. We quarrelled and fought with our kinsmen. We spent quite a long time in this manner till a person from amongst us who has a very brilliant and pure past rose up and invited us under the commandment of Allah to worship the One and only Deity and declared the praise of idols to be despicable. He also ordered us to return the things entrusted to us by others; to avoid impurities to behave well with our kinsmen and neighbours and to shun bloodshed unlawful contacts false evidence usurpation of the property of orphans and imputing bad deeds to women.

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He has ordered us to offer prayers to fast and to pay taxes on our wealth. We have believed in him and occupied ourselves with the praise and worship of Allah the One. We consider that which He has declared lawful to be lawful. However Quraysh have behaved with us cruelly and have tortured us day and night so that we might abjure our faith revert to the worship of stones and idols and do all sorts of evil deeds. We resisted them for quite some time till our energy was exhausted. Despaired of our life and property we have taken refuge in Ethiopia to save our faith. The fame of the justice of the Ruler of Ethiopia attracted us like magnet and now also we have perfect faith in his justice. "[1]

The appealing and fascinating speech of Ja'far impressed the King so much that he with tears in his eyes said to him: "Read something from the Heavenly Book of your Prophet". Ja'far recited some verses from Surah Maryam. He continued reciting these verses and fully explained the view-point of Islam about the chastity of Maryam and the elevated position of Prophet 'Isa. He had not yet finished the Surah when the King and the bishops began to cry loudly and their beards and the pages of the books which were lying open before them became wet with their tears.

For some time after this silence prevailed in the assembly and the humming ceased. Then the King intervened and said: "The words of their Prophet and that which Prophet 'Isa brought have emanated from one and the same source of light. Be gone. I will never surrender them to you".

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Contrary to what the ministers and the representatives of Quraysh had expected this meeting ended to their disadvantage and no ray of hope was left for them.

'Amr As who was a diplomatic and cunning person had a conversation with his friend Abdullah bin Rabi'ah and said to him: "We had better adopt another method tomorrow and it is possible that that method may end in the annihilation of the emigrants. Tomorrow I shall tell the King of Ethiopia that the leader of these refugees has a particular belief about Prophet 'Isa which does not at all conform to the fundamentals of Christianity". Abdullah checked him from doing so and pointed out that amongst the refugees there were also persons who were related to them. His advise was not however effective. On the following day they went to the royal court along with all the ministers. This time they pretended sympathy and support for the official religion of Ethiopia and criticized the beliefs of the Muslims with regard to Prophet 'Isa and said: "These people have specific beliefs about 'Isa which do not at all conform to the fundamentals and beliefs of the Christian World and the presence of such persons is dangerous for the official religion of your country. It should be possible for Your Majesty to enquire about it from them".

This time also the wise Ruler of Ethiopia decided to investigate the matter and ordered that the immigrants should be brought before him. The Muslims pondered over the reason for their being called again. It appeared as if it had been revealed to them by inspiration that the purpose of their being called was to enquire about their beliefs with regard to the founder of Christianity. Once again Ja'far was introduced as their spokesman.

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He had already promised his friends that he would say only those things on the subject which he had heard from the Holy Prophet.

The Negus turned to the representative of the refugees and said: "What is your belief about Prophet 'Isa? "

Ja'far replied: "Our belief with regard to 'Isa is that which has been taught to us by our Holy Prophet. He was the servant and Prophet of Allah. He was the Spirit and Word of Allah with which He blessed Maryam".

The King of Ethiopia was very much pleased to hear the remarks of Ja'far and said: "By Allah! 'Isa did not enjoy a higher position than this". The ministers and the deviated persons did not like this observation of the King. However notwithstanding their views he praised the beliefs of the Muslims and allowed them full freedom. He threw the presents of Quraysh before their representatives and said: "God has not taken any bribe from me while giving me this authority. It is not therefore appropriate that I should accumulate wealth by such means''. [2]

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[1] Tarikh-i Kamil vol. II pp. 54-55.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 338.

RETURN FROM ETHIOPIA

Some persons who had migrated to Ethiopia left that country and returned to the Hijaz on account of false reports to the effect that Quraysh had embraced Islam. On their return they came to know that the reports received by them were false and the pressure and persecution of the Muslims by Quraysh had not yet abated. Most of them therefore returned to Ethiopia and only a small minority entered Makkah either secretly or under the protection of some mighty person of Quraysh.

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Uthman bin Maz'un entered Makkah under the protection of Walid bin Mughayrah [1] and became safe from the atrocities of the enemy. He could however see with his own eyes that other Muslims were being persecuted and tortured by Quraysh. Uthman was very much grieved to observe this discrimination.

He therefore requested Walid to declare publicly that the son of Maz'un was no longer under his protection so that he might also be in the same position in which other Muslims were and should share their grief and sorrow. Walid therefore declared in the mosque: "From this moment Ibn Maz'un is not under my protection". And Uthman also said aloud: "I confirm it".

Soon thereafter Labid the Arabian poet entered the mosque and began reading his well-known Qasidah (laudatory poem) in the big assembly of Quraysh.

He said: "Everything except Allah is unreal and illusory". Uthman said: "You are right". Labid then read the second hemistich:

"All the blessings of Allah are unstable". Uthman was disturbed and said: "You are mistaken. The blessings of the Hereafter are permanent and eternal". Labid took ill the objection of Uthman and said: "O Quraysh! Your circumstances have changed. In the past your assemblies were in good order and your companions did not feel any grief. Since when has this change occurred in your condition? Who is he? " One of those present said: "He is a foolish man who has abjured our creed and follows a man like himself. Don't pay heed to his words". Then the man rose and gave Uthman a strong slap in the face and blackened it. Walid bin Mughayrah said: "O Uthman! Had you remained under my protection you would not have suffered all this". Uthman replied: "I am under the protection of Almighty Allah". Walid said: "I am prepared to offer you protection once again". Uthman replied: "I shall not accept it at all''. [2]

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 369.

[2] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 371.

MISSION OF THE CHRISTIANS

Consequent upon the propagation of Islam by the Muslim immigrants an inquiry mission visited Makkah on behalf of the religious centre of the Christians of Ethiopia. They met the Prophet in the mosque and asked him certain questions. The Prophet gave replies to their questions and invited them to embrace Islam and recited some verses of the Holy Qur'an before them.

The Qur'anic verses changed their mentality in such a way that tears began to flow from their eyes involuntarily and they immediately expressed belief in his prophethood and confirmed all the signs of the promised Prophet about whom they had read in the Injeel.

Abu Jahl disliked this enthusiastic and well-concluded meeting. He said to those persons with much harshness: "The people of Ethiopia sent you on an inquiry mission and it was not the intention that you should abjure the religion of your ancestors. I don't think there are more stupid persons than yourselves on the face of the earth".

Those persons uttered conciliatory words in reply to the Pharaoh of Makkah who wanted to hide the invigorating rays of the sun like a dark cloud and thus put an end to the dispute. [1]

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I page 392.

THE MISSION OF QURAYSH

The mission of the people of Ethiopia became a means of the awakening of Quraysh and they also decided to make investigation. A group of persons including Harith bin Nasr and 'Uqbah bin Abi Mu'it left for Yathrib (Madina) as representatives of Quraysh with a view to place the question of the 'prophethood' and 'call' of Muhammad before the Jews. The Jewish scholars advised the mission to ask Muhammad the following questions:

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1. What is the reality of the soul?

2. Story of the persons who disappeared in bygone times (the people of the Cave).

3. The adventures of the man who travelled in the east and in the west of the world. (Dhulqarnayn).

They told them that if Muhammad was in a position to reply to these questions they should rest assured that he is the chosen one of Allah but if he failed to give the requisite replies they should consider him to be a liar who must be got rid of as early as possible.

The representatives returned to Makkah in a very happy mood and informed Quraysh of the above-mentioned questions.

A meeting was therefore arranged to which the Prophet was also invited. The Prophet told them that he was waiting for Divine revelation in connection with the three questions. [1] Heavenly revelation came. Reply to the first question (regarding 'soul') is contained in Surah Bani Isra'il 17: 85. As regards the other two questions they have been replied to in detail in Surah al-Kahf 9-28 and 83-98. Detailed replies of the Holy Prophet to these three questions are found in the books of exegeses and need not be repeated here.

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[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham vol. I pp. 300 - 301.