The Life of Muhammadﷺ, The Madinan Period, Volume 1
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 كَثِيْراَ
In the beginning we say, Al-Hamdolillah(ألحمدلله),
Who is allowing us to live these moments, with the best of His creation, Muhammadﷺ,
it's such a great honor from Allahعَزّوجَلّ to allow us and give us that opportunity.
We're carrying on with Ghazwat Badr(غزوة البدر).
And we said that Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) was very alert,
he, himself was scouting the area and he passed next to the wells of Badr(بدر).
And he asked the people whom he saw there, who're drawing water from those wells.
He asked them,
He said; Did you see anybody here, who's foreigner, whom you didn't distinguish.
They said: We saw two men here.
So, Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) went to the place, where their camels were.
And he then held some of the camel manure in his hand, and he crushed it.
And he said, these camels have been feeding crushed date seeds,
and that is the animal feed of Madina.
So he recognized that these two men came from Madina,
and therefore he changed course.
And he rushed towards the coast and was able to evade the Muslims.
And then he sends a letter back to Makkah,
and he said: "You came out to do battle in order to protect your caravan, people and wealth,
Allah has now saved these, so go back."
Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) said, there's no point now, in fighting, the caravan is safe.
So, go back.!
Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) said: "By Allah, we'll not turn around, until we reach Badr(بدر).
And Badr(بدر) was a place, where the Arabs would hold the fair and a market each year,
they would gather in that place and hold a fair.
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) went on, he said, we'll stay there three days slaughter some camels,
eat well, drink wine, and the entertainers will play music for us.
The Bedouin will get to hear of our journey and of our gathering there.
And they will respect us for it.
Let us proceed ahead.
So, for Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل), it was a matter of flexing muscles.
We'll go there, we'll celebrate, we'll drink wine, we'll have the slave girls, sing for us,
and let all the Arabs come and see the strength of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) and let them, fear us after that.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ بَطَرًا وَرِئَاءَ النَّاسِ
وَرِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ۝
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
And do not be like those, who came forth from their homes insolently,
and to be seen by people and avert them from the way of Allah
and Allah is encompassing of what they do.
So, the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) came out with insolence and they came out to show off
and to boast of their power and strength.
Rasool Allah ﷺ, now realizing that the caravan is trying to get away,
and that instead of facing a caravan guarded by 40 men, they might be facing an army of 1000 strong.
Rasool Allah ﷺ held Shura(شورى)
and he was asking the companions, What do you think?
So, Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) stood up and spoke, Umar Ibn Al-Khattabرضي الله عنه stood up and spoke.
And then Al-Miqdaad(المقداد) stood up and spoke and
Abdullah Bin Masoodرضي الله عنه said that,
Al-Miqdaad(المقداد) stood up and spoke some words,
I would sacrifice the world to be the one who spoke those words.
Al-Miqdaad(ألمقداد), he stood up and said;
O Messenger of Allah, Go forth to what Allahعَزّوجَلّ has commanded you to do.
And we are not going to tell you, like the children of Israel(اسرائيل) told Musaعليه السّلام;
Go and fight with your Lord, we're going to stay here.
But we will fight in front of you and behind you and on your right and to your left,
and we will say, Go forth and fight with Your Lord, we will fight with you.
Rasool Allah ﷺ as it says in Al-Bukhari(اَلبُخَارِي), His face lit up,
and it was shining, and he was happy, and he stood up.
So, those words of Al-Miqdaadرضي الله عنه strengthen the Sahabah(صحابه).
But that wasn't the case with all of them, not all of them had that idea on mind,
see, because they didn't come out, prepared to fight a war.
The reason why, they came out of Madina was to raid a caravan, so they were lightly armed.
And mentally, they weren't prepared to face off an army.
So, some of them were reluctant, and inside their hearts, many of them wanted to raid the caravan.
They didn't really want to fight the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
By the way, how do we know what's in the hearts of people?
See, that's the difference when we're dealing with history that is revealed in Qur'an,
because Qur'an Allahعَزّوجَلّ knows what's in the hearts of people
Unlike a historian writing a book about history,
he's going to go by what he sees,
he doesn't really know what's in the insides of people in that particular era.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ tells us,
it is just as when Your Lord brought you out of your home for the Battle of Badr(بدر) in truth.
While indeed the party among the believers were unwilling,
Allahعَزّوجَلّ is telling us and we wouldn't have known otherwise.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ is telling us that
some of the believers
and by the way, here in the Battle of Badr(بدر), we're dealing with the cream of the crop, we're dealing with the best.
Even though some of them were unwilling.
Why? Because fighting is something disliked and here we're dealing with the first time,
and there's some of them who maybe never met an enemy before.
And there's that fear that could occur in a person,
when you're going to fight for the first time.
So Allahعَزّوجَلّ is saying, a party among the believers were unwilling,
plus, fighting to start with Qitaal(قتال) is something disliked;
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَكُمْ ۖ
وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ
وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ ۗ
وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ۝
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
"Fighting was prescribed on you, and you dislike it.
But then Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ
but you might dislike something when it's good for you.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ then says;
يُجَادِلُونَكَ فِي الْحَقِّ بَعْدَمَا تَبَيَّنَ
كَأَنَّمَا يُسَاقُونَ إِلَى الْمَوْتِ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ۝
And then Allahعَزّوجَلّ says, Remember, O believers,
when Allah promised you, one of the two groups that it would be yours,
one of the two groups meaning,
either the caravan, or to defeat the enemy,
and you wish that the unarmed one would be yours,
people wanted the caravan.
And that caravan had the money of the Muhajireen(مهاجرين) in it,
so they wanted it back.
But Allah intended to establish the truth by His words
and to eliminate the disbelievers,
that He should establish the truth and abolish falsehood, even if the criminals disliked it.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ, had a plan, while the people had a plan,
and the plan of Allahعَزّوجَلّ was greater than that of the people.
The army of Rasool Allah ﷺ, some of them just wanted to raid that caravan and take over its wealth,
while Allahعَزّوجَلّ wanted this battle to be the first meeting between good and evil,
and for it to be the day of Furqaan(فرقان), as we will see later on, it's the criterion.
Rasool Allah ﷺ was gathering intelligence about the whereabouts of the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ)
and also the whereabouts of the caravan, if they would be able to lay their hands on it.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ and Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), they met with this old Bedouin,
this old man in the desert and Rasool Allah ﷺ asked him about the whereabouts of the army of Muhammadﷺ
and the whereabouts of the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
So, the man said: "Who do you belong to?"
I'm not going to tell you until you tell me who you are.?
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ told him, if you tell us then we will tell you.
The old man said: This for that, Rasool Allah ﷺ said: Yes.
So, the man said, fine.
Muhammad(محمد) and his followers are at this place.
And if the person who told me is telling me the truth.
Now they would be in such and such place.
And he gave the right place of Muhammadﷺ and his army.
And then he said and the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) were in such and such place.
So, if the person who told me that is speaking the truth,
now they would be in such and such place.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ here get some valuable information.
And he can trust it because the man gave the right location of the army of Muhammadﷺ,
even though he didn't know that he was speaking to Muhammad(صلواة الله وسلام عليه).
So, that could be an indication that
also the location that he's giving about the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) would be correct.
So, now the Bedouins turn to ask Muhammadﷺ, Who are you?
So, he says; Who are you?
Muhammadﷺ says; We are from water and then he walks away.
So, the old man is left to ask himself,
What do you mean by water? Do you mean the water of Iraq?
Because the Arabs would name some people according to the name of their wells, or their water source.
So since, in Iraq you have rivers,
Rasool Allah ﷺ when he said that we are from Ma'a(ماء) we are from water.
The man said: What do you mean by water? Do you mean the water of Iraq.?
And Rasool Allah ﷺ just walked away, so that the man weren't ask him, some more investigative questions.
What Rasool Allah ﷺ meant by that, was.?
We're from water.! That's what we're created from,
and Allahعَزّوجَلّ says in Qur'an that man is created from water.
Rasool Allah ﷺ sends out Az-Zubair(أزبير) and Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب)
and some other Sahabah(صحابه) scouting, the area, trying to gather information.
So, they found a servant belonging to the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
They arrest him and take him back.
So, they brought him back while Rasool Allah ﷺ was praying.
And then they would ask him, Who do you belong to?
He would say, I belong to the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
so they would beat him up badly,
and they would ask him about the location of Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان)
and this man doesn't know, he said I have no idea where Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) is.?
So, they would tell him, Well, who do you know about.?
He said, I know the whereabouts of Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل), Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف) of Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعة),
and he's naming some of the prominent members of the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
And they would beat him up and tell him where is Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان),
so he say, okay, okay, I'll tell you about Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان).
So, they'll stop beating him and then they'll tell him where is Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان).?
He would say, I don't know.
Now, the reason, why they were beating him to give them the location of Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) is.?
It shows you that they still wanted to know where the caravan is.!
And they weren't happy when he told them that I belong to the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
Rasool Allah ﷺ finished his Salah(صلاة) and told them, when he speaks the truth, you beat him.
And when he lies, you leave him alone.
So, when he would say yes, I know where Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) is.
They would leave him alone.
And then Rasool Allah ﷺ went to interrogate him, himself.
Because Sahabah رضي الله عنهم weren't really getting right information from him.
So, now Rasool Allah ﷺ walks up to the man, without beating him.
He just asks him.
Tell me about the numbers.
What's the number of the army?
How many are they?
So, the young man says, I have no idea.
There are a lot, he'd say Katheer(كثير), they're a lot.
Rasool Allah ﷺ wants to get some specific information.
What does it mean a lot,
Tell me how many they are?
And this young man has no clue.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ asks him,
How many camels do they slaughter every day?
So, the man said, One day they would slaughter 10 camels
the next day, they would slaughter nine.
Rasool Allah ﷺ said;
اَلْقَوْمْ بَيْنَتْ ثَمِيْعَ وَالْاَلْفْ
They are between 900 and 1000.
Rasool Allah ﷺ asked him about how much meat they're consuming daily,
And then, what from that he know, what the number of the army is.
And he said they would be between Thousand and nine hundred and they were 950.
The army was 950 strong.
The cavalry was 200 strong.
They had 600 coat Males.
They had slave girls for entertainment,
while the Muslim army was a little over 300.
So, it's one third the number of the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
Al-Muhajiroon(ألمهاجرون) numbered 86, Al-Aos(ألأوس) were 61 and Al-Khazraj(ألخزرج) were 170.
Now the reason, why the Aos(ألأوس) were fewer than Al-Khazraj(ألخزرج) Sixty one to 170.
Even though they are stronger and braver and as numerous as Al-Khazraj(ألخزرج) is
because the dwellings of Al-Aos(ألأوس) were in the upper part of Madina
and Rasool Allah ﷺ when he mobilized his army, he said, you only join us, if you have you ride ready.
And because Al-Aos(ألأوس) were a bit far away.
They weren't able to join in this army. So, that's why their number were fewer than Al-Khazraj(ألخزرج), in this battle.
Al-Bara'a Bin Aazib رضي الله عنه, said;
كُنَّا اَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّد نَتَحَدَّثُ اَنَّ عِدَّتَ اَصْحَابَ بَدْرٍ عَلَى عِدَّتِ اَصْحَا بِ طَالُوْطْ
اَلَّذِيْنَ جَاوَزُوهُمْ مَعَه’ نَهَرْ وَلَمْ يُجَاوِزُمَعَه’ اِلَّا مُؤمِنْ بِضْعَتَ عَشَرْ وَثَلَا ث مِيْعَةْ
In Bukhari(البخاري).
Al-Bara'a Bin Aazib(ألبرآء بن عازب) said;
we the companions of Rasool Allah ﷺ when we'd talk about the Battle of Badr(بدر), we would say;
that the number of people who participated in the Battle of Badr(بدر)
is equal to the number of people, who participated with Talut(طالوت),
after they passed the test, after they passed the trial of the river,
and the only ones who passed, were the believers, who were a little over 310.
The fact that there is a correlation
between the number of Muslims in the Battle of Badr(بدر) and the number of Bannu Israel(بنو إسرائيل) who participated with Talut(طالوت).
And the fact that Al-Bara'a(ألبرآء) here mentions that these are the ones who passed the tests
and joined Talut(طالوت) tells you that the believers who are in the Battle of Badr(بدر) were also the best,
these were the ones who passed the fittan(فتن), and the trials of this world.
So, they are the best of the best.
The exact numbers some give, the number is 317, Some give it as 319. It's close to this range.
Rasool Allah ﷺ had banners, and that was his Sunnah(سنة) in every battle, flags
the Muslims would have flags.
They also had slogans that they would, or battle cries, and this is all to encourage the soldiers to fight.
So, the banner was white, and it was given to Mus'ab Ibn Umair(مصعب إبن عمير).
And then he also had two black flags.
One of them was called Al-Uqaab(ألعقاب) and this was the standard that was carried by Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب).
And the other one was given to one of Al-Ansaar(الأنْصَار),
so Al-Muhajiroon(ألمهاجرون) had a flag and Al-Ansaar(ألأنصار) had a flag and both of them were black.
And then the army had a white flag and that was carried by Mus'ab Ibn Umair(مصعب إبن عمير).
The entire army had only two horses.
One was for Az-Zubair(ألزبير) and the other one Al-Miqdaad Ibn Amr(ألمقداد إبن عمرو),
and they had 70 camels.
And we mentioned that every three would take turns on one camel.
Rasool Allah ﷺ had Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب) and Abu Lubabah(أبو لبابه) with him.
And they offered to give up their turns for Rasool Allah ﷺ to ride and he said,
You are no stronger than me, nor can I dispense with the reward more than you can.
I need the Ajr(أجر) just like you do.
And you're not stronger than me
and Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) this was the leader of the Muslims and this was their teacher, Rasool Allah ﷺ.
He wouldn't even allow his Sahabah to give up their returns for him.
The Tawadh'ee(تواضع) the humbleness of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
that's why they loved him so much.
Like no followers loved any leader before.
Never in the history of mankind, have we seen men who loved their leader as the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم love Muhammadﷺ.
What about the choice of location?
When Rasool Allah ﷺ chose the location of the army.
Al-Habbab Ibn Munzir(ألحباب إبن اَلْمُنْذِر) one of Al-Ansaar رضي الله عنه,
he went to Rasool Allah ﷺ and said O, Messenger of Allah
Is this the place about which Allah revealed to you,
that we should not advance beyond nor stop before?
Or is this a question of opinion, warfare and tactics?"
And look at how he stated the question.
He said;
If this was a Wahii(وحي) from Allah, and we're not supposed to advance beyond or stay behind, then we're happy with it.
But if it's a question of tactics, then I have something to say.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ told him;
It's one of opinion warfare in tactics
This is a choice based on my opinion of where we should be.
Al-Mundhir(ألْمُنْذِرْ) said: well, O Messenger of Allah, this isn't the place to stop,
We should go ahead till we get to the well nearest to their force, and stop there.
We should then stop up, the wells behind it and build the cistern and fill it with water.
Then we can fight them and have water to drink, while they have none.
So, because you have these wells in Badr(بدر), We should take over all of the wells first and not allow them any access to them.
So that, we'll be able to drink, while they won't.
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: you have a good idea.
And they advanced forward and had all of these wells behind them, behind their backs.
And then they built a cistern, a pool filled it with water, so that they could drink from it.
The night before the battle started Rasool Allah ﷺ saw a dream.
And these are dreams that the Mujahideen(مجاهدين) Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله) see, which Allahعَزّوجَلّ strengthens them.
Rasool Allah ﷺ saw the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) to be fewer than it really is.
And why is that?
Why would Allahعَزّوجَلّ make Muhammadﷺ see the army less than it really is?
Isn't it better for him to see it, as it is?
Well, Allahعَزّوجَلّ wants to strengthen the hearts of the believers.
See, the army is three times the number of the Muslim army and that would weaken their morale.
If the soldier is going to fight and he feels that he has no chance, he will be weak in the battlefield.
So, they have to have hope that at least they have a chance to win.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ is showing the army of the enemy to be fewer than it really is.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًا ۖ
وَلَوْ أَرَاكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَفَشِلْتُمْ
لَفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ سَلَّمَ ۗ
إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ۝
Remember O Muhammad(محمد), when Allah showed them to you, in your dream as few.
And if he had shown them to you, as many,
you believers would have lost courage,
and would have disputed in the matter of whether to fight.
But Allah saved you from that, indeed, He is knowing of that within the breasts
So, this was to strengthen them and this happened the night before the battle
The following day, in the morning, they had rain and this was not any season of rain.
Ibn Is'haaq(ابن اسحاق) says;
The valley was soft ground and the water from the sky dampen the earth for the Messenger of Allah and his force,
but did not impede their progress.
But Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) had such rain fall upon them, that they could not move ahead.
This is rain that showered on both,
the Muslims and the non Muslims.
But for the Muslims, it dampened the earth and it made it firm.
While with the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), it became muddy and sticky and impeded their progress.
So, the same rain had a different effect on both sides.
It's a Mu'ajiza(معجزه) it's a miracle from Allahعَزّوجَلّ. of them had wet dreams and they woke up in a state of impurity.
Also some of the Muslims woke up in a state of impurity.
Some of them had wet dreams and they woke up in the state of impurity.
And Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) Muslim doesn't really feel comfortable, when they're in the state of impurity,
you know, you feel that you want to take a shower as soon as you can.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ despair them, that feeling of going into battle, while they feel that they are in the state of Najasa(نجاسه).
Allahعَزّوجَلّ sends down this water to cleanse them.
This is a spiritual cleansing for them,
in addition to it, being water that would strengthen or make the earth firm, for them to march over.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً مِنْهُ وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ
وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الْأَقْدَامَ۝
Remember when he overwhelmed with you, with drowsiness, giving security from Him
and sent down upon you, from the sky rain by which to purify you
and remove from you the evil suggestions of Satan,
See because Shaytan(شيطان) was coming to them and giving them Waswash(وسوسه) you are impure.
So Allahعَزّوجَلّ, removed that from them, and to make steadfast your hearts and plant firmly there by, your feet.
So this rain had served all of those purposes.
And also Allahعَزّوجَلّ says in the beginning of the Aayah(آية)
إذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً مِنْهُ
Remember when he overwhelmed you with drowsiness?
Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب) said; that night, the night right before the battle.
Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب) said;
All of us were asleep, all of us fell asleep.
And you know this is the night right before the battle.
You would expect people to be anxious, worried, afraid, thinking a lot, they were asleep.
Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب) said; You could look at any one of us and we were all in deep sleep.
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله), that's why our scholars say that
sleeping in battle or before battle is a sign of a Eeman(إيمان)
and sleeping in Salah(صلاة) or during Salah(صلاة) is a sign of hypocrisy.
The scholars would say that feeling drowsiness before battle or in battle is a sign of Eeman(إيمان)
because it shows the confidence of the heart,
while feeling drowsiness or falling asleep in Salah(صلاة) is a sign of hypocrisy,
As Allahعَزّوجَلّ says about the Munafiqeen(منافقين),
when they go to pray, they go to pray in a state of laziness.
كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلً
They don't mention the name of Allah frequently.
So, the, Munafiqeen(منافقين) are just standing there in Salah(صلاة).
Ali Ibn Abi Talib(علي ابن ابي طالب) says the only one who was awake, was Rasool Allah ﷺ,
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) Rasool Ullah was standing and making Dua(دعا).
And then Allahعَزّوجَلّ gives a description of the scene.
إِذْ أَنْتُمْ بِالْعُدْوَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ بِالْعُدْوَةِ الْقُصْوَىٰ وَالرَّكْبُ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ ۚ
وَلَوْ تَوَاعَدْتُمْ لَاخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِي الْمِيعَادِ ۙ وَلَٰكِنْ لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا۝
Remember when you were on the near side of the valley,
and they were on the further side, and the caravan was lower in position, than you were.
If you had made an appointment to meet, you would have missed the appointment.
What does this mean, what does it meant by the appointment?
Allahعَزّوجَلّ is saying that meeting the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) wasn't by appointment.
You didn't make an appointment with them and they didn't make an appointment with you.
You wanted the caravan.
But Allahعَزّوجَلّ made you meet the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) without an appointment.
And then Allah says;
if you had made an appointment to meet, you would have missed the appointment.
See The Muslims they don't want to meet the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
nor did the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) want to meet the Muslims.
Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) was telling them to go back,
some other members of their army were telling them to go back,
And some of them were afraid that you know, we're fighting the Messenger of Allah
See, because you have to keep in mind that not all of these Kuffar(كفار) truly believe that Muhammadﷺ was a false Prophet or a liar.
Many of them knew that he is truly the Prophet of Allah, but they were too arrogant to be his followers.
That is what is kept them away from Islam.
And this is called Kuffr(كفر) Al-Istaqbaar(كفر الإستكبار) disbelief because of arrogance.
So, they knew that he's the Messenger of Allah, they knew that he's speaking the truth.
And this made them afraid to face him in battle.
So, these didn't want to fight Muhammadﷺ.
And then as we talked earlier, that many among the Muslims weren't really interested in fighting
because they were really prepared to fight.
They went out lightly armed,
but then Allahعَزّوجَلّ says, but it was so that Allah might accomplish a matter already destined,
Allah is the One, Who brought you here,
it wasn't by appointment, that those who perished through disbelief, would perish upon evidence.
And those who lived in faith, would live upon evidence
and indeed Allah is the hearing and knowing.
See because the battleground is the ultimate test, of Eeman(إيمان) and of Kuffr(كفر).
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ says,
لِيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَىٰ مَنْ حَيَّ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ ۗ
وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَسَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ۝
So, that the ones who would perish in disbelief would perish upon evidence,
and those who lived in faith would live upon evidence.
Sa'ad Ibn Muadhرضي الله عنه had a suggestion to make,
he went to Rasool Allah ﷺ and said,
we suggest that we build for you a portico
and have some camels ready for you and some guards.
If we win, then that is what we want,
in case we are defeated, then you could leave and go back to Madina
because we have left back in Madina, men whom we don't love you more than they do.
Meaning we have left behind some people in Madina who love you so much.
And then Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدابن معاذ) was saying;
"The only reason why they couldn't come is because they weren't ready.
And Probably he's referring to many of the people of Al-Aos(ألأوس), who wanted to come out
but because Rasool Allah ﷺ said, you have to come out immediately, they couldn't.
Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدابن معاذ) was saying, you can go back and then they would fight with you.
And you would carry on with your mission.
Rasool Allah ﷺ liked that idea, so he stayed in this tent that was set up for him.
And he had Abu Bakr As-Siddiqueرضي الله عنه, as his bodyguard.
When the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) first appeared,
Ibn Is'haqq(اِبْنِ اِسْحَاقْ) says;
When the messenger of Allah saw them coming forward into the valley from their position behind the sand hill at Aqanqal(عقنقل).
He said;
"O Allah, these men advancing are Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), in all their vanity and pride.
They are antagonistic to You and are calling Your Prophet a liar.
O Allah, give us, Your victory, You promised us, O Allah destroy them this morning.
This was what Rasool Allah ﷺ said, when he first saw the army.
So, now he had the two armies facing each other before battle.
One of the Kuffar(كفار) of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was riding a red camel.
And Rasool Allah ﷺ said;
whatever good may be in them, resides in the man mounted on a red camel.
If they were to obey him, they would be well guided.
He was referring to Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعة),
Why did Rasool Allah ﷺ say that?
The Kuffar(كفار) of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) sent Umair Bin Wahb(عمير بن وهب) to scout the Muslim army
and try to estimate how large the force is.
So, Umair Bin Wahb(عمير بن وهب) went forth.
And he came back and he said;
What I did see, O Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was camels bearing death.
They are people whose only aid and refuge is their swords.
I swear, I don't foresee any of them being killed before he kills one of you.
And if they do kill of you, alike number as their own.
What good will it be to live after that, consider carefully.!
So, Umair Bin Wahb(عمير بن وهب) went and he saw that the Muslim army is not large.
It was quite small force.
But when he looked in their faces, he saw death,
he saw men willing to die.
And then he said these are men, who have no refuge but their swords.
You know, another description one of these other Kuffar(كفار),
he says; I saw a men who are stuck to the backs of their camels.
And they are like snakes,
meaning that they're stuck to the backs of their camels,
and their bodies are swinging or twisting with the moves of those camels,
like a snake would in stealth movement without making any sound, silently moving.
And they were carrying their weapons with them.
And you can imagine the sun baked skin, and they were thin
and holding firm to their weapons, it was a dreadful scene.
And he came back saying that these are men ready to die.
So, Hakeem Bin Hizaam(حكيم بن حزام) goes to Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعه) one of the prominent leaders of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
and he says;
O Ut'ba(عتبة), shall I suggest something.
If you do, you will carry the honor of this day, until the end of time.
Ut'ba(عتبه) said; What is that? He said;
you withdraw this force back to Makkah and you take care of the blood of your ally Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي),
who is Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي),?
You remember the battle or the Sariyyah(سريه) of Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) that we talked about.?
When they killed this man in the sacred month
that man was Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي)
and Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي) was an ally of Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعة).
So, now part of the reason why this army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) is coming out,
it's not only to protect their caravan,
but also to avenge for the death of Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي) for his killing.
The man responsible for that is, Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعة) because Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي) was his ally.
So, Hakeem Bin Hizaam(حكيم بن حزام) is saying,
Let's withdraw this army back and you pay the blood money of Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي)
and let's spare ourselves, this fighting, we're fighting with our own relatives.
Ut'ba(عتبة) liked the idea and he said, Consider it, done.
However, I want you to go and convince Ibn Hanzaliya(إبن حنظله), Abu Jahal(ابوجهل) because he is the one whom I'm afraid of.
He is the one who might spoil this idea.
Go and convince him.
And then Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعة) stands up and he says; O Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
by fighting Muhammad(محمد) and his companions, you will accomplish nothing.
If you do attack him, each of you will always be looking at others, who will dislike looking back at you.
You will be known to have killed their cousin or a member of their tribe.
Go home and leave Muhammad(محمد) up to the other Arabs,
if they kill him, that will be accomplishing your aims.
And if otherwise, he will find you not to have been exposed to the risk of what you now plan.
He said, what are we going to do?
We're going to be killing our brothers, our sons, our fathers.
These are the people who we're facing.
Let's just go back and leave his affair to the Arabs.
If they get rid of him, fine, that's what we want.
If he ends up winning, he will not take revenge from us
because we wouldn't have been the ones, who fought him.
So, he's speaking to the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) and Hakeem Bin Hizaam(حكيم بن حزام) went to convince Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل).
So, he goes, and he finds Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) in a gathering, and he tells him, this is the message I have to you, from Ut'ba(عتبة).
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) tells him; Ut'ba(عتبة) didn't find anybody else to send, but you.
So, Hakeem Bin Hizaam(حكيم بن حزام) said; No, he could have sent someone else.
But I wouldn't have been a messenger except for him.
And then Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) said,
I swear, His lungs are filled with terror.
When he saw Muhammad(محمد) and his men,
By Allah, we will not return until, Allah decides the issue between us and Muhammad(محمد).
Ut'ba(عتبة) is not sincere in what he says,
he sees Muhammad(محمد) and his men as fodder for camels awaiting slaughter,
and his own son is there among them.
He is scaring you for his own sake.
The meaning of his words, or when he says,
he sees Muhammad(محمد) and his men as fodder for camels, awaiting slaughter.
He is saying that we're going to slaughter the Muslims.
We're going to win.
And Ut'ba(عتبه) is afraid because his son is a Muslim, and he doesn't want his own son to be killed.
That's why he's trying to ask us, to withdraw.
And then Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل), this Shaytan(شيطان), He goes to Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي)'s brother and he says;
your ally, your protector, Ut'ba(عتبة) wants to withdraw the army back, go and inspire the army to fight.
So, the brother of Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي), excuse me, he is talking to the brother of Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي).
So, the brother Amr Bin Hazrami(عمرو بن حزرمي) goes and he, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) exposes his head
And then he screams, Woe to Amr(عمرو), Woe to Amr(عمرو),
and he marches in front of the army inspiring them to fight.
Ibn Is'haqq(اِبْنِ اِسْحَاقْ) says and so the mood for warfare become heated,
and the attitude of the Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) force hardened
and they became set in their evil coarse, while Ut'ba(عتبه)'s advice was ignored.
Ut'ba(عتبة) said; "that fellow with the filthy yellow backside,
will find out whether it's me or him whose lungs are filled in terror.
So, not only did Abu Jahal(ابوجهل) sweep the entire army with anger,
but he also was able to drive Ut'ba(عتبة) into a corner and make him stubborn,
to the extent that Ut'ba(عتبة) was the first one to stand forth and ask for a duel with a Muslim.
This shows you how effective this devil, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) was.
Let's stop here and comment on this.
Rasool Allah ﷺ was saying that whatever good may be in them resides in, the man mounted on the red camel.
If they were to obey him, they would be well guided.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ is pointing to Ut'ba(عتبة) and saying if they follow him, they would be guided.
So, brothers and sisters, among the camp of disbelievers.
There are voices of reason, there are men of wisdom, there are people who are moderate.
However, when it comes to, it being a battle against Islam.
When it's a religious war,
with the intention of fighting the truth, the religion of Allahعَزّوجَلّ,
these voices of reason, these voices of moderation, are swept aside,
and you have the voices of fanaticism and extremism that gain the upper hand.
And I'm saying this because sometimes Muslims think that,
well, since among the enemies of Allah, there are people who are anti war,
there are people who are supportive of Muslim causes, there are people who are moderate.
We think that these voices are the overwhelming voices.
And we think that there is hope that their opinion will overcome the voices of extremism.
Well, that's the case, sometimes when it's a battle between Kuffr(كفر) and Kuffr(كفر)
But when it comes to fighting against the Ambiyaa(أنبياء) of Allahعَزّوجَلّ
or the followers of the Ambiyaa(أنبياء) of Allahعَزّوجَلّ, it's different.
We have to understand that here we're dealing with a different game
Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) didn't he urge the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) to go back.?
Wasn't he representing a voice of reason?
Didn't Bannu Zahra(بنو زهراء) in fact withdraw
Bannu Zahra(بنو زهراء) the followers of Al-Akhnas Bin Shuraiq(الاخنس بن شريق), they withdrew
and they refused to join in this battle.
They said; We're not going to go out and fight with our brothers.
Didn't Ut'ba(عتبة) try, didn't Hakeem(حكيم) try.
In fact, I give an example of another incident
to show you how the disbelievers have a different standard when it comes to Islam.
Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان)'s son was taken as a prisoner of war by the Muslims.
So, they told him go and ransom him,
he said, well, they killed one of my sons and now they want me to ransom the other, let him stay with them.
There was a member of one Arab tribe, who was a Muslim, who went to Makkah for Umrah(عمرة) or for pilgrimage.
And you know, the people of Quraish(قريش) they would honor any pilgrim,
they never violated any pilgrim, who would come to Makkah,
they would respect them all, they would honor them, they would host them.
The honor of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was based upon being generous to the pilgrims.
So, here you have a Muslim going to Makkah, for Umrah(عمرة) or for Hajj(حَجْ),
and he was taken as a prisoner.
Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) took him as a prisoner.
Now, Ibn Is'haqq(اِبْنِ اِسْحَاقْ) says;
Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) only ever treated well, those who came as pilgrims.
This was the first time they would violate that law.
Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) took him as a prisoner.
So, then his family went to Rasool Allah ﷺ and said; Our son is taken as a prisoner.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ ended up freeing the son of Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان),
so that Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) would free this pilgrim.
The reason why I'm bringing this up,
is to show you that the kuffar(كفار) when they're dealing with the Muslims, they deal with a different standard.
So, even though among the kuffar(كفار) you would have people who are anti war,
people who are peace activists, people who are moderate, people who are wise,
people who represent voices of reason in times of war,
but when it comes to Islam, things are different, because this is the truth.
And Shaytan(شيطان) is working out there to convince his followers that they need to wipe out
the followers of the religion of Allah from the face of the Earth.
So, in the end, even though Ut'ba(عتبة) was one of their leaders, and he was trying to convince them to go back.
And he stood up and spoke and told the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), some very convincing words.
At the end of the day, it was Abu Jahal(ابوجهل), who carried the vote and the extremists won the election.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ blessed the Muslims, as we said with sleeping the night before
so they woke up active and ready to fight.
The earth under them was firm.
And He also blessed them with something else.
Rasool Allah ﷺ saw the dream that the number of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) appears fewer than they really are.
But when the Muslims actually saw the army of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), they also saw them less than they really were.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
وَإِذْ يُرِيكُمُوهُمْ إِذِ الْتَقَيْتُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِكُمْ قَلِيلًا وَيُقَلِّلُكُمْ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ
لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا ۗ
وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ۝
And remember, when He showed them to you,
when you met as few in your eyes, and He made you appear as few in their eyes,
so that Allah might accomplish a matter already destined.
And to Allah are all matters returned.
So, we spoke about why Allah would make the enemy appear fewer in the eyes of the Muslims.
But reverse also says that the Muslims appeared fewer in the eyes of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
Why was that.?
Allahعَزّوجَلّ gives us the explanation.
لِيَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ أَمْرًا كَانَ مَفْعُولًا ۗ
So, that Allah might accomplish a matter already destined.
Allah wanted this war to happen, this battle to happen.
So, when the enemies see the Muslims as fewer that would make them even more, eager to face the Muslims
because they would feel that they're so weak that they have a chance to wipe them out.
But it also made them careless,
because now they weren't preparing well or they were going into battle thinking that the Muslims were even less than 300.
And when you feel that your opponent is weak, is too weak, then you go in with overconfidence.
So, that was like a bait, to draw them in.
But then as soon as they would face the Muslims and see that they have been deceived,
their morale will go down.
Now with the Muslims, for them to see the enemy as fewer that will also give them confidence and strength to fight.
So, What was the strategy of Rasool Allah ﷺ in fighting.?
Rasool Allah ﷺ used the tactic that wasn't used by the Arabs before.
It might have been used by other armies, in other nations
but it wasn't the method of fighting among the Arabs,
the Arabs, their method of fighting was Al-Qarr, Wal-Farr(ألقر ولفر),
Al-Qarr, Wal-Farr(ألقر ولفر) is to raid or to attack and then withdraw
to attack and withdraw to attack and withdraw.
And it was pretty much disorganized attack.
However, Rasool Allah ﷺ was employing the method of ranks,
he would line up the army in two or three or more ranks,
and then you would have the first rank are armed with lances.
And you would have the ranks in the back armed with arrows or there would be the archers.
So, the archers would fire from behind
While the ranks in the front are fighting with their lances to prevent the advance of the attack of the cavalry.
And as I said this was a new tactic employed by Rasool Allah ﷺ,
it was new to the Arabs at least.
And this is the way that Allah in Surat-Ul-Saff(سورة الصف), Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا
صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُمْ بُنْيَانٌ مَرْصُوصٌ۝
Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a single structure, joined firmly.
In this method, which is called in Arabic Zahaff(ضحف).
This method of ranks which was the method probably employed by the Romans and the Persians.
This method gives the leader greater control over the army
rather than just attacking and withdrawing in a disorganized fashion.
And that is how Rasool Allah ﷺ would fight in the majority of his battles.
It's called As-Saff(ألصف).
Rasool Allah ﷺ was also encouraging and inspiring the army.
And that is an instruction from Allah,
Allahعَزّوجَلّ told him;
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ ۚ
إِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ ۚ
وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ۝
O Prophet, urged the believers to battle, urge them, inspire them.
If they are among you 20, who are steadfast, they will overcome 200.
And if they are among you 100, who are steadfast, they will overcome 1000 of those who have disbelieved
because they are a people who do not understand.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ stands up in front of the army and says; Every man who fights them bravely,
and advances without retreating, will have Allah give him entry into paradise.
And in Sahih Muslim(صحيح مسلم), Rasool Allah ﷺ stands up in front of the army and says,
Go forth towards the garden the size of the heavens and earth combined.
قُوْمُوْ اِلَى جَنَّتٍ اَرْضُهَا السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْاَرْضْ
So, one of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم, Umair Bin Hammam(عمير بن حمام) said;
O Messenger of Allah, Could the garden really be the size of the heavens and the earth combined?
Rasool Allah ﷺ said, yes.
He said;Fine, fine,
بخن بخن
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ said; What makes you say that, he said,
O Messenger of Allah, it is only my hope of being one of its people.
I want to be in Jannah(جنة).
Rasool Allah ﷺ, said: You certainly will be.!
So, Umair Bin Hammam(عمير بن حمام) stands up, draws his sword.
And then he has some dates, which she drew out of his pocket, and he started eating those dates.
And then he said;
If I live long enough to eat these dates, it would be a long life.
He was so inspired by the words of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
he was in such a hurry to die in the path of Allahعَزّوجَلّ, that he considered it, too long of a life,
to even finish the dates in his hand
and he rushed into the fray of battle.
That is how inspired they were, based on the words of Mao'idha(مؤعظة), of reminder
that they were hearing from Rasool Allah ﷺ.
Rasool Allah ﷺ in the Battle Of Badr(بدر),
actually let me go carry on from some of the scenes that we're talking about.
We'll mention the death of Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل).
Another important scene is what happened to Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف).
Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ) said that I was friends with Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف),
and when he would visit Madina, he would stay with me and when I would visit Makkah, I would stay with him.
So, Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ) say that I visited Makkah and I stayed with Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف),
after Rasool Allah ﷺ has made Hijrah(هجرة) to Madina.
So, I told him, I want you to find me a time, when it's not crowded,
so that I can make Tawaf(طواف) around Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
They went out to make Tawaf(طواف)
and Abu Jahal(ابوجهل) sees Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ).
So, he asks Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف), Who is this.?
He said, this is Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ),
Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل), he said, I see that you are safe in Makkah.
When you have given refuge to As-Subaa(ألصباء),
this is a derogatory term that they would use against the Muslims.
And you claim that you're going to support them and give them victory and protect them.
If It wasn't that you are with Ummayyah(اُمَيَّه) with Abu Safwaan(ابوصفوان), I would have killed you.
Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ) responds back, his voice was loud.
He said;
If you do that, I'll do something that is worse for you.
I will prevent your caravans from passing through Madina.
So, Madina control the lifeline of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
the route between Makkah and the Ash-Sham(ألشام).
Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف) told Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدابن معاذ), don't speak like that with Abul Hakam(أبو الحكم),
because he's the chief of this valley.
So, Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ) said: Let's not talk about this no more.
Plus, I've heard Rasool Allah ﷺ say that they're going to kill you.
Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف) said; They're going to kill me?
He said; Yes.
Did he say if they're going to kill me in Makkah, or outside Makkah, Sa'ad(سعد) said; I don't know.
Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف) went back to his home and he told his wife.
Do you know what my friend from Madina told me.
She said, what?
He said, that Muhammad(محمد) promised his followers that he's gonna kill me.
She said, Did he tell you where.?
He said: No,
I asked him whether it's in Makkah or outside Makkah.
And he said he doesn't know.
But I'm never going to leave Makkah then.
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله), they would accuse Rasool Allah ﷺ of being a liar,
but then they would believe everything that he would say.
So, it shows you that deep inside their hearts, they knew that he was Rasool Allah ﷺ,
جَحَّدُوْ بِهَا وَسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا اَنْفُسُهُمْ
They are rejecting the message, even though they believe that it is certainly true in their hearts.
So, Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُميَّة بن خلف) says; I'm not going to leave Makkah.
Now, when the call came to respond to the Battle of Badr(بدر).
Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) didn't want to leave.
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) brings him, a Mubkhara(مبخره),
Mubkhara(مبخره) is this thing in which they burn inside it, the Ood(عود).
So, he brought it to him and told them; Take it, because you're an old woman,
so use this as old women do.
Abu Jahal(ابوجَهَل) was insulting him and telling him that you're such a coward, you're going to stay behind with the women.
Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) was obviously insulted,
and Abu Jahal(ابوجهل) kept on trying, until he was able to convince Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُميَّة بن خلف) to go out with them.
Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) went back home preparing to leave.
His wife told him; Didn't you remember what your friend from Madina told you?
He said; Yes, I do.
But I'm just going to go, so far with them, then I'm going to come back.
Ibn Kathir(اِبْنِ كَثِيْر) said that whenever they would stop,
he would make the intentions that the next stop would be, the last stop
until he ended up entering the fray of the battle, himself.
So, Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) ended up being captured by Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf(عبدألرحمن إبن عوف).
How did it happen?
Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf(عبدألرحمن إبن عوف) is narrating the story himself.
He said: I had a bunch of coat males with me, armor.
And these are pretty expensive, and he has collected them one by one, as booty.
And then Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) sees him and says, O Abd Amr(عبدعمرو),
Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) said: I didn't respond.
See! Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) and Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) were friends in Makkah.
And the name of Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) was Abd Amr(عبدعمرو),
when he became Muslim, he changed his name to Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن).
Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) said: when Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) would call me, Abd Amr(عبدعمرو), I wouldn't respond.
So, Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) told him, when I call you Abd Amr(عبدعمرو) you refused to respond back.
And I do not recognize, Ar-Rahman(ألرحمن), so I cannot call you Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن).
So, how about you choose for yourself a name, just for me and you.
So, Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf(عبدألرحمن إبن عوف) said; Well you go ahead and choose the name.
He said, I'll call you Abdul Illah(عبداله), the servant of God.
So they agreed.
So, whenever Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) would meet Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن), he would say, Abdul Illah(عبداله),
because the Mushriqeen(مشركين) of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) did not recognize, Ar-Rahman(ألرحمن).
That's in one narration, in another narration it says that Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf(عبدألرحمن إبن عوف) said that
I had an agreement with Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف) that I will take care of his business interests
and this is in Bukhari(بخاريْ),
I'll take care of his business interest in Madina,
while he'll take care of my business interests in Makkah.
Abdur-Rahman(عبدألرحمن إبن عوف) said: I didn't respond back to Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة),
when he said Abd Amr(عبدعمرو) and then he said, Abdul Illah(عبداله),
so I responded back to him, and he said,
Do you want something better for you than those coat males that you're carrying?"
Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) said: What is it?
He said: Me and my son.
Obviously, Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) is rich,
so his ransom will fetch a lot of money.
Same with his son, Ali(علي).
So Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) said: I threw the armor from my hand,
and I held Ummayyah(اُمَيَّه), and his son Ali(علي), in both of my hands.
So now, they are his prisoners of war.
And he's the one who's holding them.
Therefore, he is the one who will get the ransom
since according to the tradition, if you are the one who capture somebody, you get the ransom for him.
So, it was a better deal for Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf(عبدألرحمن إبن عوف)
However, someone spots Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف) and who was it?
Bilal(بلال),
Bilal Bin Rabah(بلال بن رباح), the former slave of Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة),
the one, who was tortured by Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة),
and the story of the torture of Bilal(بلال) is famous, you all know it.
So Bilal Bin Rabah(بلال بن رباح), when he sees Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf(ألرحمن إبن عوف), he said;
اُمَيَّةْ رَاْسُ الْكُفْرْ
Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة), the head of the disbelievers.
Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) said;
يَا بِلَالْ
Hey, Bilal(بلال)! He is my prisoner.
Bilal(بلال) says;
لَا نَجَوْتُ اِنْ نَجَا
I will not live, if he does.
Abdur-Rahman Bin Auf(عبد ألرحمن إبن عوف) said;
Listen Bilal(بلال), he is my prisoner.
Bilal(بلال), when he realizes that Abdur-Rahman(عبدالرحمن) is not willing to give him up.
Bilal(بلال) goes to some of the Ansaar(أنْصَار) and tells them
that man is Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف), Ra'as-Ul-Kuffr(رأس الكفر)
That man is Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة), the head of the disbelievers.
I'm not gonna live, if he does.
Abdur-Rahman Bin Auf(عبد ألرحمن إبن عوف) said: "So they pounced on us, they attacked.
Now he said they enclosed us and I felt that I wouldn't be able to defend them.
So, what I did is I released Ali(علي), to get them busy with him.
And then I told Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) to run with me.
So, they attacked Ali(علي) and they killed him, they cut them into pieces.
And I was telling Ummayyah(اُمَيَّة) to run but he was a heavy man,
so they ended up catching up with us.
So, I told him to lay down, and then I jumped over him, to protect him with my own body.
He said, so the swords of the Ansaar(أنْصَار) were digging deep under me
tearing him apart.
In fact, one of them even injured me in my foot.
And the narrator of this Hadith(حديث) would say;
Abdur Rahman(عبدالرحمن) would show us the scar that was left, by the swords of the Sahabah.
Abdur-Rahman Bin Auf(عبد ألرحمن إبن عوف) would then say,
رحمه الله بلال
may Allah Have mercy on Bilal(بلال), He made me lose my armor and lose my prisoners, I lost them both.
So, this is what happened with Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(اُمَيَّة بِنْ خَلَف) who is, as Bilal(بلال) said;
إمام في الكفر
He was an Imam(اِمَام) of disbelief.
Anas Ibn Malikرضي الله عنه tells us the story of Al-Qaleeb(ألقليب).
He says; The Messenger of Allah ordered on the day of the battle at Badr(بدر),
that 24 of the chiefs of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) be thrown into a dirty refuse laden old Well.
So, the bodies of the leaders of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), Twenty four of them were dragged into this grave.
It was a dirty, refuse laden old well as Anas Ibn Malik(اَنَس اِبْن مالك) describes it.
When they were pulling the body of Ut'ba Bin Rabiyah(عتبة بن ربيعة).
His son Hudhaifa(حذيفه) was watching on.
So Rasool Allah ﷺ, looks into his face and sees that he was distressed, he was sad.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ said: Abu Hudhaifah(أبو حذيفه), are you very upset at your father's fate?
So, Abu Hudhaifah(أبو حذيفه) responds back,
I swear, O Messenger of Allah. I have no problems with my father's fate.
But I once knew him as a man of reason, judgment and goodness
and hope those qualities would lead him to Islam.
When I saw, what his fate was and how he had died in disbelief, despite my hopes for him,
I was saddened.
Rasool Allah ﷺ then made Dua(دُعَا) for him.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The issue of guidance is something in the hands of Allah, nobody can control it.
Here Abu Hudhaifah(أبو حذيفه) is saying that my father was wise, he was a man of reason.
He was a man of judgment, he was a man of goodness, and I hope that these qualities would guide him to Islam.
But things didn't turn out, as he expected.
And that is the case with Abu Talib(ابو طالب) also,
Abu Talib(ابو طالب) the uncle of Rasool Allah ﷺ carried these same qualities.
In fact, he protected Rasool Allah ﷺ for the entire period he spent in Makkah, until he passed away,
and Abu Talib(ابو طالب) never became Muslim.
So, when it comes to the issue of guidance, you can't really tell
who will be guided and who won't.
While Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمر ابن الخطاب), who is so evil in his torture of Muslims,
he becomes Muslim,
and we talked about the story of Islam that
when one of the Muslims saw that one of the Sahabiaat(صحابيات) was expecting Umar(عُمَر) to become Muslim,
because he spoke to her softly.
He responded back by saying the donkey of his father would become a Muslim before he does.
Meaning take that idea out of your mind such a person can never become Muslim, but he did.
And he became one of the best Muslims.
So the issue of who is guided and who isn't is something that we cannot control.
And we cannot even expect.
Don't make a judgment on a person and say O, he might become Muslim,
and O, he might not become Muslim.
You know, at the end, Abu Talib(ابو طالب) dies as a Kafir(كافر) and Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان) dies as a Muslim.
Abu Talib(ابو طالب), who supports Rasool Allahﷺ for all of his life ends up going to Hellfire.
While Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان), who fights Rasool Allah ﷺ for most of his life ends up becoming Muslim.
So, such issues should be left in the hands of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
And that's why, Rasool Allah ﷺ says,
إِنَّكَ لا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
You don't guide the ones you want, the ones you love, the ones you like,
but it is Allah who guides, the ones He wants.
This is a matter of Qadar( قدر) of Allahعَزّوجَلّ and we'll leave it in His hands.
So, Abu Hudhaifah(أبو حذيفه) here was kind of upset and sad
because his father didn't become Muslim.
It also shows you, our loyalty should go to Allah entirely.
And even though Abu Hudhaifah(أبوحذيفه) was sad that his father died as a disbeliever
But that didn't make him forsake his religion, or blame someone or blame something
that my father didn't become Muslim.
He accepted it and he said, O Messenger of Allah, I have no problems with my father's fate, I accept it.
I accept that this is from Allahعَزّوجَلّ, I accept it.
And this is called;
رِضَى بِقَدَرِ الله عَزُّواَجَلْ
You're content with what Allahعَزّوجَلّ gives you and what happens to you.
And I'm saying this because we've known brothers and sisters in the West, who have embraced Islam
but their parents didn't.
And they are very eager to have their parents become Muslim, and they are giving them Da'wah(دعوة).
I just want to say that you do your best in Da'wah(دعوة)
but then leave the issue of Hidayah(هدايه), in the hands of Allah
and don't become overwhelmed or upset, if they don't die as Muslim
and accepted as the Qadar(قدر) of Allahعَزّوجَل.
And if they do become Muslim, then give credit to Allahعَزّوجَلّ
and leave it in his hands and say, Al-Hamdolillah(إلحمدلله) that Allahعَزّوجَلّ has guided them to His religion.
Rasool Allah ﷺ tried very hard with his uncle, but it didn't work.
While people from distant lands would come to him like Salman Farsi(سلمان فارسي), and Abu Dhar(أبو زر).
We asked Allahعَزّوجَلّ to guide us to the truth.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ ordered that the bodies of 24 of the chiefs of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) be thrown into this well.
Rasool Allah ﷺ, it was his habit that he would stay at the site of the battle for three days, before he would leave.
When he was about to leave from the site of the Battle of Badr(بدر).
He visited the Qulaib(قليب), this Well in which the 24 leaders of Kuffr(كفر) were buried.
And he was speaking to them, He said;
Would you now, be pleased to have obeyed Allah and His messenger?
We have found that what our Lord promised us was true.
Have you found what your Lord promised you to be true?
Umar Ibn Al-Khattabرضي الله عنه said;
O, Messenger of Allah, why do you speak to bodies that have no spirits in them?
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: by Him, Who holds the soul of Muhammad(محمد) in His hand,
You do not hear, what I say any better than they do.
And this is in Bukhari(بخاريْ),
so Allahعَزّوجَلّ made them hear, what Rasool Allah ﷺ was telling them.
And this is to add to their punishment.
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ۝
وَصَلَّى الله عَلى سَيَّدِنَا محمد وَعَلى اَلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْرًا
وَالسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته