The Life Of Muhammadﷺ, The Makkan Period,
by Imam Anwar Al_Awlaki,
اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَّ الشِّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ ۝ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيْمَ۝
اَلْحَمْدُ لله ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا محمد وَعَلَى اَلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْرا
Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبدالمطلب), he was a hunter.
He would go out and hunt, in the desert
and then he would come back and tell other stories about his hunting expeditions.
So, one day while, he was out hunting, Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) approached Rasool Allah ﷺ and started cursing Muhammadﷺ.
While the Messenger of Allah was silent,
Rasool Allah ﷺ would not respond to the ignorant words.
وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ
Allah سبحانه وتعالى told Muhammadﷺ, stay away from the ignorant.
The Muslim should not be sidetracked by trivial issues
and should not turn the Da'wah(دعوة) into a personal thing.
One should not take it personally, if the insults are directed towards a person,
because that person is calling to Islam, one should not take it personally.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says;
فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَٰكِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ۝
They are not rejecting you,
they're rejecting the message that you are presenting them with, that's what they are against.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was calm and he did not respond back to Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل).
Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل), then threw a stone, a rock at Muhammadﷺ and it hit him in his head and Rasool Allah ﷺ was bleeding.
A slave girl saw that and when Hamza(حمزه) came back from hunting, she went and told him the whole story.
Hamza(حمزه) obviously was very upset, when he heard that this happened to his nephew, Muhammadﷺ.
Even though Hamza(حمزه) was a Mushrik(مشرك), a non believer at that time
but because of the relationship between him and Muhammadﷺ
he felt that an attack on Muhammad صلوات الله وسلام عليه was attacked on himself.
So, he walked up to Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل)
and Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) was sitting with other leaders of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) right in front of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
And Hamza(حمزه) just came back from hunting and he was still carrying his bow with him.
And he walked up straight to Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) and he hit him on his head with his bow
and said take it and I am now following the religion of Muhammad(محمد).
When Hamza(حمزه) said that, he didn't say it out of conviction, he said it out of pride,
he said it to anger Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل).
And when that happened and blood was starting to flow out of the head of Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل),
Bannu Makhzoom(بنو مخزوم), the relatives of Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) stood up to fight Hamza(حمزه),
but then Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) stood up to protect Hamza(حمزه), and they were about to fight,
until Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) interfered and said, No, leave Abu Amarah(ابو عماره) alone, leave Hamza(حمزه) alone,
because I did shamelessly attack his nephew, Muhammadﷺ.
So, Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) calm things down.
When Hamza(حمزه) went back home,
there's a narration that states that Hamza(حمزه) went back home and he was surprised that the action he himself took.
And he went back and when his emotions calm down, he started to assess the situation.
I mean, did I do the right thing, what have I done?
And he felt that he was in trouble, because he didn't think it out properly.
And he was asking himself, should I become a Muslim or not?
Now, if I want to withdraw, I have already told Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل), that I am a Muslim and that's dishonoring.
I mean, in their culture, I mean, it's not right to change your opinion, just like that,
I mean, you say that you're a Muslim, and then the next day, you just change your mind and said, No, I was wrong.
So, it was difficult for him to back out.
But then the same thing, it's difficult for him to commit, because he never really thought about it.
So, Hamza(حمزه) said at night, I spent my whole night praying to Allah asking Him to guide me to the truth,
and to tell me, if I have done the right thing or not?
So, he's praying to Allah سبحانه وتعالى at night and saying; O Allah, if this is the right decision, then put the love of it, in my heart.
If it's the wrong decision, then please O Allah, find the way out for me.
Now, you can notice here that these people used to pray to Allah سبحانه وتعالى
when they would make Dua(دُعَا), they would make Dua(دُعَا) to Allah.
So, their religion was a religion of confusion.
They worshiped Allah, but then they still worshiped other gods, and when we would ask them, why are you worshiping the other gods.
They would say, because these gods are intermediaries between us and Allah.
And then they would say that Allah has daughters, the angels
so it was a big lump of confusion and mixed in, with culture and tradition.
But there was still some traces of the religion of Ismail(اِسْماعِيْل) in there, for example, they still did Hajj(حَجْ),
even though they did it, in wrong way.
They still gave sanctity to the house of Allahعَزّوجَلّ ,
even though they surrounded it with idols but some remnants of the religion of Ismail(اِسْماعِيْل) were retained.
Early in the morning Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبد المطلب) said: I woke up and I had my heart filled with love of Islam.
So, I went to Rasool Allah ﷺ, and I told him that I am a Muslim.
And that was one of the greatest moments for Rasool Allah ﷺ to now have his dear uncle Hamza(حمزه) on his side,
Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبد المطلب).
So, that's how Hamza رضي الله عنه became Muslim,
obviously, this must have caused agony to Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل).
I mean, Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) would have thought that I have done good by hurting Muhammadﷺ,
but then eventually that was the cause of the Islam of Hamza(حمزه).
And that is the Qadar(قدر) of Allah, you never know, what will be the cause of good,
عَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ
You might dislike something, but in it is a lots of good for you.
Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) thought that he was harming Islam by hurting Rasool Allah ﷺ.
He didn't know that his own action would be the cause of the Islam of Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبد المطلب).
And Ibn Is'haq(اِبْنِ اِسْحَاقْ) says,
وَكَانَ اِسْلَامُه’حَمِيَّهْ
The Islam of Hamza(حمزه) was out of pride, but then it turned into sincerity.
So, initially, it was done with the wrong intention.
He did it just to show Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) that I'm with my nephew,
but then Allah سبحانه وتعالى changed it, into becoming for the sake of Allah and sake of Allah alone.
And one scholar said that I started studying Islam, to show off and to argue and to debate.
But then after that, the knowledge of the religion of Allah humbled me and I became sincere.
So, I started out with the wrong intention, but then down the line, my intention was being rectified and corrected.
So, the religion of Allah, after it stays in the heart for a long time, it draws the person closer and closer to Ikhlaas(إخلاص), sincerity.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب), as we all know, from his early history, was a staunch enemy of Islam,
and we mentioned how ruthless he was in persecuting the Muslims.
One day, Layla(ليله), the wife of Amir Bin Rabiyah(عامر بن ربيعة), met Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) told her, Umm Abdallah(ام عبدالله), where are you heading?
She said that you have maltreated us, and oppressed us,
so I'm going to leave to one of God's countries, to worship My Lord.
She was leaving towards Abyssinia and Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) told her;
صَحِبَتْكِ سَلَامَهْ
May peace be with you, may you Have a safe journey.
That's a very strange statement to come from Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) showed no sympathy towards any Muslim, male or female.
So, for Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) to make Dua(دعا) for this woman
and to say, may peace be with you, may you Have a safe journey, shocked her.
That was the end of the conversation between her and Umar(عُمَر).
And then Umar(عُمَر) left.
When her husband came, she told him, do you know what happened. He said, What?
She said: I met Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب), and that was not good news.
And then she said: and he asked me where I was going, and, I told him,
and then he told me in a very sympathetic way, may you have a safe journey.
So, her husband laughed and said, Are you expecting that Umar(عُمَر) will become a Muslim.?
She said: Maybe, why not?
He laughed and said:
Umar(عُمَر) will not become a Muslim, until the donkey of his father does.
It's impossible!
HimarAl-Khattab(حِمَارْالخطاب), the donkey of his father will become a Muslim before this man does.
Take that idea out of your mind, forget about it.
This man can't, it's just impossible, he can't become a Muslim.
That was their impression of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) narrates and he's narrating his own story.
He's saying that I used to love drinking, I was in love with wine.
And I had some drinking partners whom I would meet every night.
And we used to meet in a place in Hazwara(حزورا).
So, I went late that evening to meet my friends he's going to the pub down the street.
And he didn't find anyone, there was no one there.
He said: So I decided to go to the wine dealer, but I found his shop closed.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: I went around looking for other options.
I didn't find anyone, and it's too late.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said:
Since the pub is closed and the liquor store is closed, then why not go and make Tawaf(طواف) around Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه)?
Do something better.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: I went to make Tawaf(طواف) around Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
And who do you expect, he found there?
Who else would be praying next to Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) at that late hour of the night?
Muhammadﷺ.
He said: There was no one there but me and Muhammad صلوات الله وسلام عليه, and Rasool Allah did not sense my presence.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: I wanted to sneak, in one narration to sneak and attack him,
and another narration to listen to what he was reciting.
So, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said;
Rasool Allah would pray with Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) in front of him towards the direction of Jerusalem.
Therefore Rasool would be praying towards the wall of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) that had Yemeni(يمني) corner and the Blackstone.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said:
I went from behind and I was hiding between the cloth of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) and the Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
So, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) had his back towards the Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه),
and he had the cloth of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) over him, so he cannot see him.
And he said: I was sneaking around the Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه), until I was right in front of Muhammadﷺ.
Nothing is between me and him except the cloth of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه), but he cannot see me.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said;
And I was able to hear his recitation, he was right in front of me and he was reciting from Surat-Al-Haaqah(سورةالحاقه).
He said, and I just froze in my tracks, listening to the wonderful words of Qur'an.
And then I told myself, these must be the words of a Poet.
The next Ayah(آية) that Rasool Allah ﷺ recited in Surat-Al-Haaqah(سورةالحاقه) was,
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ۝
These are not the words of a poet, little do you believe.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said, I was shocked and I said to myself these must be words of a soothsayer.
I mean, how did he know what was in my heart?
These must be words, of a soothsayer.
The next Ayah(آية) was
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ۝
These are not the words of a soothsayer, little do you remember.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: That was the first step in bringing me towards Islam.
I mean, now the foundation of Kuffr(كفر) in the heart of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) is cracked.
Nevertheless, His heart is still filled with hatred towards Muhammadﷺ and the Muslims.
I mean, he wasn't there yet, He was one step closer, but he's still inhibited
because of the hatred that he has in his heart towards the Muslims.
One day Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) decided that he's going to bring an end to this misery, to this disunity among Quraish(قُرَيْشْ)
once and for all I'm just gonna go and kill Muhammadﷺ, no matter what happens.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) had this dedication.
He believed that he needs to rid his people from these Sabieen(صابعين),
anyone who would become Muslim they would call them Saba'a(صباء), Sabieen(صابعين), Sabians.
In other words, they apostated from the religion.
So Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: I'm going to go and kill him.
He heard that Muhammadﷺ was with 40 of his followers in Dar-Ul-Arqam(دارلأرقم),
he picked up his sword walking down the streets of Makkah alone.
Now Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) knows that he would be killed, if he tries to kill Muhammadﷺ, but he was determined to do it.
Walking down the streets of Makkah who did he meet?
He met one of his relatives who was Muslim in secret, Nu'aim(نُعَيْم).
So, Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) saw Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) and he saw evil in his eyes
and anger, he told Umar(عُمَر): Where are you heading?
He said, I'm going towards Muhammad(محمد) to kill him
Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) now has to think on the spot.
What did he say?
Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) said: Why don't you take care of your household first.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: What's wrong with my household.
Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) said: Your sister has became Muslim,
by saying that Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) has put the sister of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) and her husband in danger.
Why didn't Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) do that?
Why would they put Fatima Bint-e-Khattab(فاطمه بنت الخطاب) and her husband in danger.?
He did it because he wanted to save Muhammadﷺ.
So, the Sahabah(صحابه) held Rasool Allah ﷺ in high esteem and they saw that
they could sacrifice their lives if it's going to protect his.
So, Nu'aim(نُعَيْم) told Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) and this was news to him, that your sister has became Muslim.
And Fatima(فاطمه) was the wife of Saeed Bin Zaid Bin Amr Bin Nufail(سعيد بن زيد بن عمرو بن نفيل),
Saeed(سعيد) is one of the 10 who are given the glad tidings of Jannah(جنة).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) changed course and now he was heading towards his sister's house.
Khabbab Bin Arat(خباب بن ارت) was teaching Fatima(فاطمه) and her husband Qur'an.
So, he had a scroll with him and he was reciting to them, Surah-Taha(سورة طه).
When they heard the footsteps of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب), Khabbab(خباب) went into hiding,
and Fatima(فاطمه) took the scroll and she hide it under her thigh.
And then Umar(عُمَر) came in and he said, What was that sound that I heard?
They said, we didn't hear anything.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: Yes, I did hear you recite something, tell me what it was?
And then he said, and I've heard that you are became Muslim and immediately attacked Saeed Bin Zaid(سعيد بن زيد).
And he started punching him.
Fatima(فاطمه) interfered and rose up to defend her husband.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) hit her in her face.
When Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) saw blood flowing out of the face of his sister, he became very sorry.
And he apologized.
She said, I have became Muslim, and my husband is Muslim and do whatever you want.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: Give me that scroll you were reading.
She said: No.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) swore in the name of his gods that I'm going to return it back to you.
Give it to me, she said;
اِنَّكَ مُشْرِكٌ نَجَسْ
You are polytheist, and you are impure.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) went and washed himself and he came back.
So, she gave him the scroll.
And Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) recited the first verses of Surah-Taha(سورة طه).
طه ۝
مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَىٰ۝
إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَىٰ۝
تَنْزِيلًا مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَى۝
الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىٰ۝
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَىٰ۝
وَإِنْ تَجْهَرْ بِالْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى۝
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ۝
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ۝طه۝
We have not sent down to you the Qur'an that you be distressed.
But only as a reminder for those who fear Allah,
a revelation from He, Who created the earth and the highest heavens,
the Most Merciful, Who is above the throne established.
To Him belongs what is in the heavens, and what is on the earth and what is between them, and what is under the soil.
If you speak aloud, then indeed He knows the secret and what is even more hidden.
Allah, There is no deity except Him.
To Him belong the best names.
And Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) went on reciting these words and when he finished he said these are wonderful words.
When Khabbab Bin Arat(خباب بن ارت) heard that he came out of hiding and said: O Umar(عُمَر), I hope that God will choose you,
because I heard the Messenger of Allah yesterday make a Dua(دُعَا) and say, he made a prayer.
Muhammadﷺ made a prayer and said: O Allah guide one of the two Umar(عُمَر)s
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمرابن الخطاب) or Amr Bin Hisham(عمرو بن هشام) and I hope that you are the one Allah will select.
Rasool Allah ﷺ just one day before, made a prayer.
And said: O Allah, the guide one of the two Umar(عُمَر)s.
and who are they?
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) and the other one is Amr Bin Hisham(عمرو بن هشام), who is Amr Bin Hisham(عمرو بن هشام)?
Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل)
Rasool Allah ﷺ asked Allah to strengthen Islam with one of these two men.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) told Khabbab Bin Arat(خباب بن ارت), I want to become Muslim.
Where can I meet Muhammadﷺ, Khabbab(خباب) told him go and meet him in Dar-el-Arqam(دار الارقم).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمرابن الخطاب), went to Dar-el-Arqam(دار الارقم) and he knocked on the door
That was a secret meeting Rasool Allah ﷺ would hold secret meetings with the Sahabah in Dar-el-Arqam(دار الارقم)
because the movement of Islam in Makkah was underground, it wasn't public.
So, one of the companions stood up and he peeked through the door.
And who would you see in front of him.?
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب),
he went to Rasool Allah ﷺ, it says in the narration that the Sahabi(صحابي) was frightened
and surprised and he told Muhammadﷺ, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمرابن الخطاب) is outside and he's carrying his sword too.
Because remember, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) has carried his sword, his intention was to go and kill Muhammadﷺ.
So he was carrying his sword with him.
This companion had all the right to be frightened, I mean, this is Umar(عُمَر).
Now who in that gathering offered to go and open the door.?
Who is the one who can stand up and face Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب),
Who would it be?
Well, Rasool Allah ﷺ did go later on but who was the one who first stood up and said I'm going to go.?
Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبدالمطلب),
the one who would stand up against Umar(عُمَر) was Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبدالمطلب),
he said: O Messenger of Allah,
If Umar(عُمَر) has came for a good reason, we will reciprocate.
But if he came with the wrong intentions, then I will kill him with his own sword.
Rasool Allah ﷺ told Hamza(حمزه), no I will open the door for him,
Rasool Allah ﷺ went and he opened the door.
Now Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) was one of the tallest men of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
when Umar(عُمَر) was Khalifah(خليفه), they received some pieces of cloth, from one of the Islamic States.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) distributed these clothes evenly, he gave everyone one piece.
When Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) stood to give Khutba(خطبه), he had two pieces on.
So, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said;
اِسْمَعُوْ وَاَطِيْعُوْ
Listen and obey,
Salman Farsi(سلمان فارسي) stood up and said we will not listen and we will not obey
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: How come,
Salman(سلمان) said: Because you have given each one of us one piece and you are wearing two pieces.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab did not respond, he told his son Abdullah(عبدالله) to stand up and respond to what Salman(سلمان) is saying.
Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) stood up and said,
اِنَّ اَبِيْ رَجُلٌ طَوِيْلُ الْقَامَةْ،عَرِيْضُ مُنْكَبَيْنْ فَلَمْ يَكْمِيْ ثَوْبٌ وَاحِدْ، فَعَطَيْتُ ثَوْبِيْ
My father is a very tall man, very well built one piece of cloth would not be nough for him, so I gave him mine.
Salman Farsi(سلمان فارسي) said;
فَلْعَانْ نَسْمَعُوْ وَ نُطِيْعْ
Now we will hear and obey.
So, this was the standard of justice that they had.
Even the Khalifah(خليفه) could not have preference over the masses.
There were people who are willing to stand up and fix the mistakes that they would see.
اِنْكَارْ اَلْمُنْكَرْ
Like Salman Farsi(سلمان فارسي).
So, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) was not only tall but he was very well built.
And for a while he was a wrestler, he used to wrestle in Makkah at his young age.
So, he was a huge well built man.
Rasool Allah ﷺ opened the door for Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب)
and Rasool Allah ﷺ was described as being of medium height and medium built.
Rasool Allah ﷺ was not short not too tall, and not very thin but in the same time not a heavyweight, he was medium.
So, you can imagine Rasool Allah ﷺ in front of this huge man,
Rasool Allah ﷺ grabbed Umar(عُمَر) by his clothes and dragged him in and put him down on his knees
and told him: O Umar(عُمَر) when are you going to stop.?
Are you waiting for Allah to strike you with a thunderbolt.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said: O Messenger of Allah I have came to become Muslim.
Now this happened between Rasool Allah ﷺ and Umar(عُمَر), right next to the gate and all of the other Sahabah were in a different room.
So, they didn't see what was happening.
When Umar(عُمَر) said that, Rasool Allah ﷺ said, Allah O Akbar(الله اكبر).
All of the Sahabah knew what has happened, they realized that Umar(عُمَر) became Muslim.
They were so happy with that news.
They made a Takbeer(تكبير) that was so loud, they immediately had to disperse
because it was heard by the people in Makkah.
The Islam of Umar(عُمَر), was a turning point in the history of Islam in Makkah.
Abdullah Bin Masood(عبدالله بن مسعود) says, "the Islam of Umar(عُمَر) was victory,
his immigration to Madina was helped to Islam, and his reign, his Khilafah(خلافه) was mercy.
Abdullah Bin Masood(عبدالله بن مسعود) says,
We were never able to pray in front of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) publicly, until Umar(عُمَر) became Muslim.
So, an Islam of one person, changed the situation of all of the Muslim community.
That was how valuable Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) was, such a great asset.
Abdullah Bin Masood(عبدالله بن مسعود) also says that we used to conceal our Islam, until Umar(عُمَر) became Muslim,
then we would proudly proclaim our Islam.
It is mentioned in one of the narrations of Seerah(سيرة) that when Umar(عُمَر) became Muslim,
Rasool Allah ﷺ lined up the Muslims in two ranks.
One rank was headed by Hamza(حمزه), the other rank was headed by Umar(عُمَر).
And they went down the streets of Makkah marching, publicly proclaiming their religion.
While Rasool Allah ﷺ was walking between the two lines, two ranks.
When Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) became Muslim, he asked and said, Who has the biggest mouth in Makkah,
who's the one who cannot hold water in his mouth,
the one who can publicize this news.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) didn't want to take it step by step.
He wanted everyone to know that I became Muslim.
They told him Jameel Al-Jumhee(جميل الجماحي),
Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) said at that time, I was young, but I can still remember everything I see.
He said: I followed my father, and he went to Jameel(جميل).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) told Jameel(جميل), he said: Do you know what I did?
Jameel(جميل) said: What.? He said. I've became Muslim.
Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) said: Immediately as soon as Jameel(جميل) heard the news,
he stood up dragging his gown behind him, his gown was trailing.
And he went running towards the mosque, Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه)
and he went in front of everyone and started screaming to the top of his voice,
O people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), Umar(عُمَر) has became Muslim.
He actually said Saba'a(صباعا), he became a Sa'abian.
So, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) is trying to correct the announcement by saying no, I became a Muslim.
But this man is not hearing anything, Umar(عُمَر) is saying he's going around publicizing the news
broadcast it was on national TV, everyone knew that Umar(عُمَر) became Muslim.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said;
People started flowing towards me.
I mean, Jameel(جميل) did a very good job.
People were just flowing towards Umar(عُمَر).
Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) said:
So the people surrounded my father from every direction, they were beating him and he was beating them.
They were fighting for hours until the sun was right on top of their heads, and it was too hot for them to continue.
And then Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) went home.
And the people were surrounding his house, they wanted to kill Umar(عُمَر).
I mean, this for them was unbelievable news.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) becoming Muslim, that's not an easy thing.
So, they wanted to kill him
and Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) said: My father was at home and then a man came
and asked my father, he said, What is wrong Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said these people want to kill me.
The man said, No they will not kill you and then he stood outside and said;
Leave the man alone, doesn't he have the right to choose the religion he wants to believe in, I am giving him protection.
Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) said, immediately the people left.
Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) said, and then later on, I asked my father in Madina and I still had memories of what happened.
I asked my father in Madina, Who was that man, who came and helped you,
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) said, O, my son, that was Al-Aas Bin Wael(العاص بن وائل).
The father of Amr Bin Al-Aas(عَمْرُو بِن اَلْعَاص), he wasn't a Muslim.
That was Al-Aas Bin Wael(العاص بن وائل),
the tribe of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) was very small.
And there weren't very strong but their allies were the tribe of Al-Aas Bin Wael(العاص بن وائل).
They were the allies of Bannu Udae(بني عدي) the family of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب).
So, he came in to help a member of his allies, and he gave Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) protection.
A few notes on this story of the Islam of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه.
We find here one of the leadership qualities of Muhammadﷺ.
Rasool Allahﷺ knew the personal traits of people, very well.
When Rasool Allah ﷺ made the Dua(دُعَا), the prayer to guide Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) or Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل).
Why did Rasool Allah ﷺ choose these two people in particular.?
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) and Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) had some personal traits that qualified them to be outstanding leaders in whatever area they're in.
These two men were outstanding leaders, both of them.
They had personal qualities that nominated them, to lead people, and to manage their affairs.
Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) by the way, is not his name, that's a nickname that was given to him by Rasool Allah ﷺ.
He used to be called by his people before that, Abul Hakam(ابو الحكم),
which is also not his name, but it was a name given to him by his people.
His original name is Amr Bin Hishaam(عمرو بن هشام).
But he was such a wise and intelligent man.
His people called him Abul Hakam(ابو الحكم), which means father of wisdom.
They named him father of wisdom, now when his intelligence did not lead him to Islam.
He became disqualified and he was called Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل), father of ignorance.
Rasool Allah ﷺ called him father of ignorance,
because no matter how wise a person is, if their wisdom does not lead them to the truth, it's not wisdom.
No matter how intelligent they are, if their intelligence does not lead them to Islam, they have no intelligence.
And that is the admission they will make on the Day of Judgment. Allahسبحانه وتعالى says;
About the people on the day of Judgment, when they realize that they're going to hellfire.
وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ۝
If we had any hearing or understanding or intellect, we wouldn't have been in Hell fire.
Where were our minds, where was our intelligence?
These two men had determination, they have commitment to a cause.
If they believe in something, they are willing to work for it, until the end.
They are relentless in pursuit of their objectives and they are strong.
And in situations of difficulty, they rise above everyone else,
you would find that in every situation that was difficult,
Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) would rise and would lead his people, even though it was an evil, but he did it right.
He was good at what he was doing, even though he was on the wrong path.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ wanted to win one of these men over to Islam, because they would bring with them, all of their resources.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) had these personal qualities.
He had sincerity when he believes in something,
he wouldn't go and in twisted rounds or turns he would face the things straight on, head on.
And he was very courageous and brave,
and Rasool Allah ﷺ was looking at these personal qualities,
See Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) does not have a strong, tribal backing.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, when he comes to Islam, he will come with his personal qualities not his family background
because his family background was not that of the noblest in Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
even though he did come from the core tribes of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
But his tribe wasn't a leading tribe, nor were they many numbers to give them such a strong presence in Makkah.
But it was his personal qualities that nominated him to that Dua(دُعَا).
And Allahسبحانه وتعالى destined that he will choose him, out of these two, to become the ally of Islam.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ knew the people.
The second lesson to be learned is another leadership quality, that Rasool Allah ﷺ possess,
and that is his deep understanding of the people and how to cure their diseases.
Even though Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) had these excellent personal qualities, but he was suffering from a serious malice.
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب), his heart was filled with hatred towards the Muslims.
So, as soon as Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) became a Muslim, Rasool Allah ﷺ knew where the disease was and how to cure it.
It is narrated that Rasool Allah ﷺ placed his hand on the chest of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) and said:
O Allah, cure his heart from hatred and he made that Dua(دُعَا) three times.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ put his hand on the disease and cured it.
The third quality or the third lesson is,
خِيَارُكُمْ فِيْ الْجَاهِلِيِّهْ خِيِّارُكُمْ فِيْ الْاِسْلَامْ اِذَا فَقِهُوْا
The best of you in Jahiliya(جاهليه), Pre-Islamic era are the best of you in Islam.
Now, Rasool Allah ﷺ did not leave the statement open because this is not the general rule.
It's not necessarily that every person who was good before Islam are going to be good after Islam.
If a person was good before Islam, they have some good personal qualities.
And then they become Muslim, but they deviate within Islam and they don't follow the Sunnah(سنة) of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
and they don't have good understanding of Islam, they could end up causing more harm than benefit.
And there are many examples of people who had a lot of good personal qualities.
But when they become Muslim, they did not understand their religion correctly,
so they ended up causing a lot of detriment and harm.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ qualified this statement by saying,
اِذَا فَقِهُوْ
If they understand.
Fiqh(فقه) means understanding.
Fiqh(فقه) does not mean that you memorize rules.
I mean, now we have used the word Fiqh(فقه) as a label to talk about Islamic law,
but the word Fiqh(فقه) in Hadith(حديث) has a more broader meaning it means understanding, comprehension.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ says the people who have good personal qualities before they become Muslim,
they would become the best among the Muslims, if they understand the religion.
So, there is a prerequisite there, they have to understand the religion.
Ibn Hajar(ابن هجر) states that, when Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) saw that some of the believers had gone to live in a different land and were safe.
The ones, who were in Abyssinia and that Umar(عُمَر) has embraced Islam
They realized that Islam was beginning to rapidly catch on,
they then decided that there would be no solution other than to kill the Prophetﷺ.
Islam has now a branch in Abyssinia and it has a base surviving there.
Inside Makkah, they have won over Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبدالمطلب) and Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب), things are getting out of control.
Now we have to get beyond our hesitation of killing Muhammadﷺ
because of fear of the retaliation by Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم), we have to do something.
And that led them to the signing of the embargo against Muhammad صلوات الله وسلام عليه
because Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) now officially requested Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) to hand over Muhammadﷺ to kill him.
obviously, Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) refused.
So, the result was an agreement between the various tribes of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) to boycott Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم).
The embargo started in the month of Muharram(محرم) of the seventh year, after the message began.
And it was that no one would deal with them.
No trade would be conducted between them,
and no one would marry of them or to them, until they give up the Prophet Muhammadﷺ.
So, it was a commercial blockade.
And also it was that no family relations are established with them, no marriage, to be done with them.
And they will accept no marriage offers coming from Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم).
And there are to be surrounded in their enclave, in their neighborhood in Makkah
and the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) wanted to ensure that no food would reach to Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) and Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب).
Again, this wasn't only to Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم), but it included Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب),
and Al-Muttalib(ألمطلب) had a very close relationship, with their brethren and from Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم)
and they stood with him in that difficult moment.
And by the way, Al-Imam Al-Shafi(الشافعي) is a descendant of Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب).
So, he is close to Rasool Allah ﷺ.
So, the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) came together, and they signed this agreement, the embargo,
and they posted the document, inside Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
Things became quite severe, Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) and Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب) were suffering hunger.
And it is reported by Saad Ibn Abi Waqas(سعد ابن أبي وقاص) that we were so hungry that we used to eat leaves of trees,
we would go to the trees and just grab the leaves and eat them, that is how hungry we were.
And these were Mushrikeen(مشركين), by the way, Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) and Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب), many of them were non Muslims.
And they went through all of this.
Why? Because they refused to hand over Muhammadﷺ.
So, the embargo includes the Muslims and non Muslims of Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم), all of them were included in it.
Because they refuse to hand over the messenger of Allah, Muhammad صلوات الله وسلام عليه.
Two or three years past
Al-Hishaam Bin Al-Haris(هشام بن الحارث), who was the most enthusiastic in refusing the terms of the embargo.
He was a relative to Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) from maternal side.
What he used to do during those two or three years is, he would load a camel with food.
And he would take it on top of the hill, that is overlooking the enclave of Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم).
And then he would hit the camel and set it free and release it,
so it would go down the hill and end up among Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم), and he will do that secretly, obviously.
So, he was the one who used to sneak in, food to the people of Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) and Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب).
Obviously, Hisham Bin Haris(هشام بن الحارث) was not included in the embargo,
because he wasn't himself from Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) or Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب).
But he had some relationship with them through his mother's side.
Hisham Bin Haris(هشام بن الحارث), he went to Zuhair Ibn Abi Umayyah(زوهير بن أبي أميه), and he told Zuhair(زهير),
does it please you that you are eating well and dressing well, while your own uncle's are in that situation of distress.
On my part, I swear that if these people were the uncles of Abu Jahl, Abul Hakam(ابو الحكم) he would not have done so.
Zuhair Ibn Abi Umayyah(زوهير بن أبي أميه) was also a relative of Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم).
They were his relatives from the mother side.
Hisham(هشام) is telling Zuhair(زوهير), how can you accept to see your uncles going through that misery and you do nothing.?
And the one who was calling us to do this is Abul Hakam(ابو الحكم), Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل).
Now, if these were his uncle's, he wouldn't have treated them that way
How come we have to go along with this?
You know, it's just like, America is asking from the Muslim countries to boycott such and such a Muslim country.
But then if the same thing was done by Israel, America would never ask for embargo on them.
Imagine if Israel has done similar to what Iraq has done, by the way, they have done more already.
But would America ever asked for, or call for an embargo against Israel(إسرائيل), never.
So, there's a double standard, and Hisham Bin Haris(هشام بن الحارث) was saying Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) is calling us to boycott our uncles.
And he would never do the same to his,
because obviously, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) was the spearhead of all of these efforts, you would always find the Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) in these places.
Zuhair Ibn Abi Umayyah(زوهير بن أبي أميه) responded and said, shame on you Hisham(هشام),
whom am I but one man, what can I do?
In the name of Allah, if I had another person beside me,
I would go about abrogating that document.
Hisham(هشام) said: Well, there's a person with you.
He said, Who was it? myself! I'm going to be with you.
Zuhair(زوهير) said, then find us a third person.
Hisham(هشام) set off to find the third person, he went to Al-Mut'am Ibn Udae(ألمطعم إبن عدئ).
He told Al-Mut'am Ibn Udae(ألمطعم إبن عدئ), Mut'am(مطعم), Are you pleased to have two clans of Bannu Abd Manaf(بنو عبد المناف) suffer,
while you look on, in agreement with Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) about that,
by God if you enable them to do this, they will soon be treating you the same way.
If we allow this precedence to be set, it could backfire and one day, it could happen to you or me.
Al- Mut'am(المطعم) said: Well, what am I able to do, I'm just one person.?
Hisham(هشام) said: No, you're not one person, there's a second person with you.
Who is it, myself.
Al- Mut'am(المطعم) said: How about you find us a third person?
I did! Who was it?
Zuhair Ibn Abi Umayyah(زوهير بن أبي أميه).
Al-Mut'am(ألمطعم) said, find us a fourth.
Hisham(هشام) went to Abul Bukhtari(أبو البختري) and presented to him the same thing and Abul Bukhtari(أبو البختري) said,
Well we need more people, he said, we're now four.
He said go and find us a Fifth.
Hisham(هشام) went, he's doing something, he's working, his lobbying against this oppression of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
So, he went and got a fifth person, which was a Zam'ah Bin Aswad(زمعه بن أسود).
Now they decided that they're going to go and meet at night in Al-Hujoon(إلحجون)
So, they all met together in Al-Hujoon(ألحجون).
And the agreement was that tomorrow morning, we're going to set about destroying this document.
But we're going to make it seem as if it was spontaneous.
So, next day in the morning,
Zuhair Ibn Abi Umayyah(زوهير بن أبي أميه) goes in with the special clothes, ceremonial gown that he had on, and he made Tawaf(طواف).
And that was the time in which the assembly of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) meets.
And their meeting place was in An-Nadwa(ألندوى) close by to Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
So, Zuhair Ibn Abi Umayyah(زهير بن أبي أميه) is wearing the special clothes, and he made Tawaf(طواف),
and then he came and stood right above the assembly of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
And he told them, O people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), does it please you to eat well, and to dress at will,
while Bannu Hashim(بنو هاشم) and Bannu Muttalib(بنو مطلب) are going through distress.
I swear In the name of Allah, I'm not going to take a seat unless that document is torn apart.
Now the second person from the five stood up, as if it was spontaneous as if they didn't coordinate this among themselves.
And said, Yes, I never agreed to that document from the day it was written.
And now a third person stood up and said, I swear that I have nothing to do with such a document,
and I don't want to be part of such an agreement.
And the fourth person stood up and then finally Hisham(هشام) himself, gave some comments.
Now Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) stood up. And he said:
هَذَا اَمْرٌ دُبِّربليْلْ
This is something that you planned at night.
Don't tell me that it was spontaneous, you planned this aforehand.
But it was too late, things were already getting out of control.
And Al-Mut'am Ibn Udae(ألمطعم إبن عدي), he went into Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) to tear down the document
and Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله), he goes in, and he finds that the document has already been eaten up by termites,
with the exception of two words, BismiKallah Hum(بسمك اللهم), in the name of our Lord.
Everything else was eaten, all of the oppression of the document was eaten
with the exception of the opening words BismiKallah Hum(بسمك اللهم), In the name of Allah.
So, the embargo was ended, after two or three years.
Two lessons to learn from this number one, you see here that five people can make a difference.
The whole embargo was abrogated due to the effort of five people,
actually, it all started by Hisham Bin Haris(هشام بن حارث) alone.
It started as an idea in the mind of this man, and he set about to implement it,
and he recruited a few people around him.
And he brought an end to this corrupt agreement, the agreement of oppression.
So, this shows us the value of organization, five people came together and had an organized plan.
And they were able to bring an end, to the embargo.
So, this is the value of working together, this is the value of having organized work.
And then it shows you that the person needs to take some action.
Hisham(هشام) went to the first person, the first person told him, he gave him a pessimistic view.
He said, I'm only one person, what can I do,
Hisham(هشام) said: We have a second person with you.
He said, find a third,
Hisham(هشام) set about to find the third, he was a man of action.
And he was able to recruit five people and they made a difference.
Brothers and sisters, this religion needs action.
And even though these were Kuffar(كفار) these were Mushrikeen(مشركين) but there's a valuable lesson to learn from this,
that you need to take the first step, you need to do some action.
And when Rasool Allah ﷺ was first given the, Risalah(رسالة),
see there's one opinion of scholars that Muhammadﷺ became a Prophet, when he received the revelation of Iqrah(إقراء).
And he became a Rasool where he was given the revelation of
قُمْ فَاَنْذِرْ
That's one view that some scholars hold,
because there's a difference between Nabi(نبي) and Rasool(رسول).
Nabi(نبي), which is translated as Prophet is someone who was receiving revelation from Allah,
but it doesn't necessarily mean that it is a mandate on them to propagate the message.
However, a Rasool(رسول) which is translated as messenger is a Nabi(نبي), who is commanded by Allah to propagate the message.
Rasool Allah ﷺ received the revelation in the verses of Iqra(إقراء).
So, he then became Nabi(نبي).
And then the revelation stopped for a while and he wasn't conveying the message at that time.
He wasn't given the command yet by Allahسبحانه وتعالى to propagate the message, until he was given the revelation of
قُمْ فَاَنْذِرْ
Stand up and warn.
That is when he became a Rasool(رسول) according to the opinion of some scholars.
So, you can notice that the first commands Allahسبحانه وتعالى gave to Muhammadﷺ, which made him a Rasool,
were the commands of Stand up, stand up.
Rasool Allah ﷺ was wrapped in his garments.
Allahسبحانه وتعالى said that you have to stand up you can't be sitting down.
You can't be laying on your bed, you have to stand up.
This religion needs men and women to stand up and take action.
قُمْ فَاَنْذِرْ
So, the Muslim is standing up and even when the Muslim is sitting down or laying down, they're not relieved to their duties.
اَلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ
The ones who remember the name of Allah, standing up sitting down and when they're laying on their beds,
you are never relieved.
As a Muslim you continuously doing something, so we need to take action.
And Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب) he makes this Dua(دُعَا), he says;
اَلَهُمَّ اِنِيْ اَعُوْذُبِكَ مِنْ جَلد الْكَافِرْ وَعَجْزِالْمُؤمِنْ
O Allah, I seek refuge in You, from the strong disbeliever and the weak believer.
The believer should be strong.
And unless we stand up and go ahead and do something, things will not change.
We cannot expect our problems to be solved by some supernatural force.
From the time of Musa(موسي) and on, Allahسبحانه وتعالى has not punished a nation through a supernatural event.
For example, with the people of Saleh(صالح) they were destroyed by the Thunderbolt,
with the people of Aad(عاد) they were destroyed through the tornado,
with the people of Loot(لوط) Allahسبحانه وتعالى made the earth sink.
But from Musa(موسى) and onward, Allahسبحانه وتعالى has brought about change through the hands of the believers.
Allahسبحانه تعالى prescribed Jihad(جهاد) on the Ummah(امة) of Musa(موسى), they were the first Ummah(امة) to wage Jihad(جهاد).
It was the Ummah(امة) of Musa(موسى).
Before that the Ambiyaa(أنبِيَاء) did not fight.
But from Musa(موسى) and onwards
Allahسبحانه وتعالى would punish the non believers through the armies of al-Mo'mineen(ألمؤمنين), the believers.
Second lesson, the miracle of the document being eaten up by termites
and this brings up again the issue of the soldiers of Allah.
وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ
No one knows the soldiers of Allah, but He.
I mean, who would imagine that termites would be a soldier for Allah.
So, this is a miracle that happened in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
we can add it to the many other miracles that occurred on the hands of Muhammad صلوات الله وسلام عليه.
Another incident that can classify as a miracle, is the wrestling of Rasool Allah ﷺ with Rukkana(ركانه).
Rukkana(ركانه) was the strongest wrestler in Makkah
Rukkana(ركانه) has never ever lost a wrestling match and he was a non believer.
He came to Muhammadﷺ, and he said: Would you challenge me.
Rasool Allah ﷺ amazingly accepted the challenge.
It seems that Rukkana(ركانه) has done this with the most evil of intentions,
he wanted to humiliate Rasool Allah ﷺ being a Kafir(كافر),
he wants to Ya'ani(يعني) get a chance to lay his hands on Muhammadصلوات الله وسلام عليه,
he didn't know the surprise that was awaiting him.
They started to fight and Rasool Allah ﷺ was able to turn Rukkana(ركانه), upside down and throw him on the ground.
Rukkana(ركانه) couldn't believe what happened.
He stood up again and he tried to fight another time.
Rasool Allah did it, a second time.
And then Rukkana(ركانه) tried a third time and he lost for three times in a row.
Rukkana(ركانه) then said: "Muhammad(محمد), no one has ever put my back on the ground before you
and no one was more hateful in my sight before this, than you.
But now I testify that there is no God but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.
By the way, the deal was that whoever wins gets 100 sheep.
So, this was a bet, this was before betting was made Haram(حرام),
after that betting was made Haram(حرام), but at the time it was allowed.
So, the agreement was whoever wins gets 100 sheep.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ got the 100 sheep but then he gave him back to Rukkana(ركانه) and said take the sheep.
Rasool Allah ﷺ was able to win three times against Rukkana(ركانه) and that shows us the strength that Rasool Allah ﷺ had.
Rasool Allah ﷺ had the strength of 30 men, this is the second miracle.
Third miracle, the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) were continuously asking for a sign, show us a sign
as if Qur'an was not sufficient, even though Qur'an is the greatest miracle of any Nabi(نبي).
They were asking for a sign, so Allahسبحانه وتعالى revealed to Muhammadﷺ through Jibreel(جبريل),
if they're asking for a sign, we will split for them the Moon.
The moon will be split and the time was set, Rasool Allah ﷺ called the non believers and said, the moon will be split.
And the non believers gathered at night.
And there right in front of them, they saw the moon split into two halves, and then it came back together.
This is a very unique miracle and it is firmly established, in Ahadith(احاديث) in Bukhari(بخاريْ) and Muslim(المسلم) and in Qur'an.
The Hadith(حديث) and Bukhari(بخاريْ),
Bukhari(بخاريْ) mentions that the splitting of the moon came between the embracing of Islam of Umar(عُمَر) and after the migration to Abyssinia.
And in Sahih Muslim(صحيح مسلم), it states that the Makkan people requested Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle,
and so he showed them the splitting of the moon.
Again in Muslim(مسلم) another Hadith(حديث).
This Hadith(حديث) has been transmitted on the authority of Abdullah Bin Masood(عبدالله بن مسعود), who said;
We were along with the Allah's Messenger May peace be upon him at Mina(مناء).
The moon was split up into two, one of its parts was behind the mountain, and the other one was on this side of the mountain.
Allah's Messenger May peace be upon him said to us; bear witness to this.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says,
اِقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانْشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ ۝
وَإِنْ يَرَوْا آيَةً يُعْرِضُوا وَيَقُولُوا سِحْرٌ مُسْتَمِرٌّ۝
When they saw the sign of Allah, what did they say?
They said: He threw or cast magic on our eyes.
Allahسبحانه وتعالى says the hour of Judgment is near and the moon is cleft asunder.
But if they see a sign, they turn away and say this is but transient magic.
They accused Muhammadﷺ of performing magic,
this was not an optical illusion, we would say that the moon actually did split up.
And there are some doubts that could be brought up to attack
the claim of the Muslims that Allah has split the moon as a miracle for Muhammadﷺ.
Some arguments could be presented, I mean, if the moon was split, How come nobody saw it.
How come other people in other parts of the world did not see it.
Well, to respond to that, number one, the world is in different time zones.
So half of the world is daytime.
So, you cross out half of the world automatically.
And then within the other half, it could be very late for some people, so they wouldn't see it.
Or it could be that the moon is not apparent to them in their particular area because it has already set
or because of overcast weather.
So, that would eliminate parts of the half of the world which is night.
So, we have eliminated now, most of the world.
Now with the part of the world that had a chance to see the moon.
Because when the moon is apparent in Makkah, it would have already set in other parts of the world.
So, with other parts of the world that can see the moon,
usually don't find people running around at night staring at the sky,
Right.
And people tend to ignore what's going on above them, unless they're told to, look up.
So, the moon could have split, but people didn't see it.
Because they were not attuned to the fact that it would split.
So, that eliminates some other people.
And the third answer or response would be that, in those days documentation was weak.
In many parts of the world that people were illiterate,
and where people were literate, they didn't document everything that would happen.
So, you could easily have important events of history, going down the annals of history without anybody caring to write them down.
So, that would eliminate the possibility of some people seeing it, but the news not being reported to us.
Having said that, there are some scholars who say that, this event was documented in India and China.
And they say that there are some old writings in China that say that
this particular event happened in the year, when the moon was split,
and they use that as a reference point for them to document history.
And one needs to do more research to take a look at the original documents that mentioned this.
So, it is firmly established that this event did happen.
I'm mentioning this without basing a lot or counting on it, until more research is done.
It is mentioned by some astronomers.
And again, this information needs to be verified
that there is what appears to be a long divide that goes around the moon,
it's sort of like you would have, satellites can be able to detect continental rifts.
So, there is such a rift that is going around the moon.
If that is true, then that is a clear sign to proof the splitting of the moon.
But again, that's something that needs to be verified.
I've heard it from more than one source.
But again, I wouldn't count on it until it's firmly established.
Al-Khattabi(ألخطابي), one of the classical scholars, he says,
that the splitting of the moon was a great sign that cannot even be compared to the signs given to prior messengers.
This is because it was witnessed in the vastness of the universe
and traversing beyond the laws of nature.
with this the confirmation of the Prophets ﷺ message was by preponderance.
What Al-Khattabi(ألخطابي) is saying, is that no miracle was greater than this,
because this was a miracle that happened in earth and in the heavens,
while every other miracle of other prophets happened on Earth, was limited to Earth.
But this was a sign that was both for the heavens and the earth, Wallah aalam(ولله أعلم)
Another sign.
There was continuous rivalry between the Roman and Persian Empire.
There were always at each other's necks and these are the two superpowers of the world.
Persia used to rule Apresent day Iran, part of Iraq, Afghanistan
maybe parts of Pakistan, and they went up north.
So it was a huge empire.
The Byzantium Empire included Turkey and parts of eastern Europe
and Azerbaijan and those areas, Armenia.
So, these were the two superpowers of the world, at that time
and they were having constant warfare among themselves.
In one critical battle, the Persians defeated the Romans,
the pagans of Makkah were very happy and the Muslims were sad at this outcome.
Why is that?
The reason is, because the pagans felt more close to the Persians because the Persians were worshippers of fire.
So, they are Mushrikeen(مشركين) like them.
Therefore the Mushrikeen(مشركين) of Makkah, were happy, when the pagans won.
While the Christians were on the side of the Romans,
because the Romans were Christian, People of the Book, who are closer to the Muslims.
So, the Muslims are siding with the Romans, while the pagans of Makkah were siding with the Persians.
Now the Persians won.
So, the non believers of Makkah are going around telling the Muslims
just like the Persians defeated the Romans we're going to defeat you.
Pagans are winning, Allahسبحانه وتعالى reveal the verse,
الم۝
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ۝
فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ۝فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ
لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ ۚ
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ۝بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ
يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ۝
Allahسبحانه تعالى says, that the Romans have been defeated,
but they will be victorious
فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ
بِضْعِ سِنِينَ,
means less than Ten(10).
Allahسبحانه وتعالى is here promising that the Romans will win within 10 years
Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), he learned of these verses and he went to Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل).
And he said, I want to bet you that the Romans will win.
Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) said: Give me a timeframe, he said less than Ten(10) years.
And they had a bet on Hundred(100) camels
Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), obviously believing in the Ayaat(آيات) of Qur'an was willing to bet whatever number Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) would offer.
And Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) was willing to enter into this bet
because it seemed that the Persians are going to roll over the Romans and wipe them out.
I mean, according to the news of the day it appeared that the Persians were rolling on and nothing will stop them.
I mean, they were winning and they were doing so well.
That it appears to the outsider is that the Romans have no hope.
The Persians they got their act together and now they're attacking and they're winning one battle after another.
The first year past second year, third year.
Now Allahسبحانه وتعالى says in that verse,
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ۝بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ
Allahسبحانه وتعالى says; the day, the Romans win, the believers will be joyful, happy, pleased
due to the victory of Allah, what do you understand from this verse.
The understanding that you get is that the Romans will win
and the Muslims will be happy because Allah gave them victory, right.
I'll read the exact Ayaat(آيات). Allahسبحانه وتعالى says,
الم۝غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ۝فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ۝فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ
لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ۝بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ۝
Alif(ا), laam(ل), Meem(م),
The Byzantines have been defeated in the nearest land.
But they, after their defeat will overcome within three to nine years.
To Allah belongs the command before and after.
And that day the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah.
He gives victory to whom He wills and He is the exalted in might, The Merciful.
What you understand from this verse is that the Romans will win and the Muslims will be happy, when that happens.
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ۝
That day the believers will be pleased.
Eight years passed, and the Romans won and the news reached to the Muslims.
Now the Muslims who were so enthusiastic in their support of the Romans, and really wanted them to win.
And Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) went and had a bet, a challenge with Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل).
When the news of the victory of the Romans reached the Muslims,
they didn't really care much about it.
How come?
Allahسبحانه وتعالى says, that on that day, the believers will rejoice.
And now they received the news, But the news is secondary to them.
What is the reason?
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) because the day, they received the news, was the day they won the battle of Badr(بدر).
So, the Battle of Badr(بدر) and the news of the Muslims winning overshadowed everything else.
And that was the true rejoicement of the believers.
That was the true happiness in the decisive victory of the Muslims, against the disbelievers.
Early on, when the bet happened, and when these verses were revealed, the Muslims were watchers.
They were not the major players in history.
They were following the news of what is happening in the world around them,
but when the news of the Romans reached them, they were the major players then.
Now, the Muslims are the ones who are fighting the Kuffar(كفار) and they are going to win against the Kuffar(كفار).
Because see, remember the whole thing, in Makkah happened
because the Mushrikeen(مشركين), we're telling the believers that when the Persians win, that's a sign that we will win against you.
And Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله), the opposite happened,
the Romans won against the pagan worshippers of Persia, and on the same day, the Muslims won, against the Pagans of Makkah.
But the miracle doesn't end there.
There's a another miracle in this Ayah(آية) which falls under the category of scientific miracles of Qur'an.
The word that was used in the Ayah(آية) says that the Romans were defeated in
أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ
Adnaa(ادنى) has two meanings in Arabic.
One is the nearest, and the other one is the lowest.
Nearest this was the meaning that was adopted by the early scholars
because the nearest land to the land of the Arabs was Ash-Sham(الشام), Syria, and Falastine(فلسطين).
So, that's how they interpreted it.
But now, in light of science, we have a new way of understanding this verse.
A new understanding, because it turns out that the battle field, where the battle occurred,
next to the Dead Sea, is the lowest point on the face of the earth.
It is over 400 feet below sea level.
So, that's another miracle mentioned in this Ayah(آية).
صَلَّى الله عَلى سَيَّدِنَا محمد وَعَلى اَلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْرًا