موضوع: This is Muhammad part 2

موضوع: This is Muhammad part 2
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The Meccans were furious when they discovered that these
Muslims had secretly left the city for among them were the
sons and daughters of many of the leading families of Mecca.
The anger of the Meccans was even greater when they found
out that the Muslims had been warmly welcomed in Abyssinia.
The leaders of Quraysh decided to send two men to the
Abyssinian king in hopes of persuading him to send the
Muslims back. These were 'Amr ibn al-'As, a very clever
speaker, and ‘Abd Allah ibn abi Rabi’ah. Before they met this
king, they gave each of his advisers a gift, saying: 'Some
foolish men from our people have come to hide in your
country. Our leaders have sent us to your ruler to persuade
him to send them back, so when we speak to the king about
them, do advise him to give them up to us.' The advisers
agreed to do what the Meccans wished.

29 Amr ibn al-'As and 'Abd Allah ibn abi Rabi'ah then went to
the king and presented him also with a gift, saying: 'Your
Highness, these people have abandoned the religion we have
always followed in Mecca, but they have not even become
Christians like you.' The royal advisers, who were also present,
told the king that the Meccans had spoken the truth and that
he should send the Muslims back to their own people. At this,
the king became angry and said, 'No, by God, I will not give
them up. Those who have come to ask for my protection,
settled in my country, and chosen me rather than others, shall
not be betrayed. I will summon them and ask them about
what these two men have said. If the Muslims are as the
Meccans say, I will give them up and send them back to their
own people, but if the Meccans have lied I will protect the
Muslims.' 'Amr was very upset by this for the last thing he
wanted was for the king to hear what the Muslims had to say.
The king then sent for the Muslims. When they entered, they
did not kneel before him as was the custom of the Abyssinians.
'Why do you not kneel before our king?' they were asked by
one of the advisors. 'We kneel only to Allah', they replied. So
the king asked them to tell him about their religion.
Ja'far ibn abi Talib, Ali's brother and a cousin of the Prophet
(pbuh), was chosen to speak for the Muslims. He replied, '0
King, at first we were among the ignorant. We and our
ancestors had turned from the faith of Abraham, who, with
Ishmael, rebuilt the Ka’bah and worshipped only Allah. We
used idols in our worship of Allah; we ate meat that had not
been killed in the right way; we did not respect the rights of
our neighbors; the strong took advantage of the weak. We did
terrible things of which I dare not speak. This was our life until
Allah sent a Messenger from among us, one of our relatives,
whom we have always known to be honest, innocent, and
faithful. He asked us to worship only Allah, and to give up the
bad customs of our forefathers. He asked us to be truthful and
trustworthy, to respect and help our neighbors, to honor our
families, and to put a stop to our bad deeds and endless
fighting. He asked us to look after orphans. He ordered us not
to slander or speak evil of women or men.
30He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to worship
anyone or anything else alongside Him. He ordered us to pray,
to give alms, and to fast. We believe he is right and therefore
we follow him and do as he has commanded us.
The Meccans began to attack us and come between us and
our religion. So we had to leave our homes and we have come
to you, hoping to find justice.'

The king, who was a Christian, was moved by these words.
‘Amr had to think quickly of a way to win the argument.
Cunningly he said to the king, 'These people do not believe in
Jesus in the same way as you'. The king then wanted to know
what the Prophet (pbuh) had said about Jesus. Ja'far replied
by reciting a Surah from the Koran which tells the story of
Jesus and his mother Mary. These are a few of the lines he
recited:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had
Withdrawn from her people to an eastern place, And had
chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our spirit
and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man. She said:
Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if Thou
fearest God. He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that
I may bestow on thee a faultless son. She said: How can I
have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I
been unchaste? He said: 'Even so thy Lord saith: It is easy for
Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him revelation for
mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained. And
she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.
Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They
said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an monstrous thing. Oh
sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy
mother a harlot. Then Mary pointed to the child (Jesus); But
they said, 'How can we speak to one who is still in the cradle,
a young child?' He said, 'Lo, I am Allah's servant; He has given
me the Book, and made me a Prophet.
31He has made me Blessed, wheresoever I may be; and He
has enjoined me to pray, and to give alms, so long as I live,
and likewise to cherish my mother; he has not made me
arrogant, unblest Peace be upon me, the day I was born, and
the day I die, and the day I am raised up alive!” (Koran
xix:16-33) . When the king heard this, his eyes filled with
tears. Turning to his advisers, he said, 'These words have
surely come from God; there is very little to separate the
Muslims from the Christians. What both Jesus and Muhammad,
the Messengers of Allah, have brought comes from the same
source.
So the Muslims were given the king's permission to live
peacefully in his country. 'Amr was given back the gift he had
presented to the king and the two Meccans returned home,
bitterly disappointed.
32The Cruelty of Quraysh
The leaders of Quraysh became increasingly worried about
the way the people of Mecca were being divided by the
Prophet's teachings. Finally, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, one of the
nobles of Mecca, decided that the only way to silence the
Prophet (pbuh) was to kill him. Having made up his mind, he
set out at once to look for him. On his way he met a man who
saw at once what ‘Umar was going to do and said: 'Why don't
you look a little closer to home before going to kill
Muhammad? Don't you know your own sister Fatimah is a
Muslim?' 'Umar was shocked. He could not believe this was
true. He went at once to his sister's house. When he arrived
outside the house he heard Fatimah and her husband Sa’id
reading aloud surah Ta Ha, a chapter from the Koran. Hearing
her brother's voice at the door, Fatimah quickly hid the scroll
with the surah written on it among the folds of her dress.
‘Umar stormed into the room and demanded, 'What is this
nonsense I heard?' Fatimah denied everything. ‘Umar then lost
his temper and attacked Fatimah's husband shouting, 'They
tell me that you have joined Muhammad in his religion!'
Fatimah tried to defend her husband and ‘Umar hit her too.
Then she admitted, ‘Yes, we are Muslims and we believe in
Allah and His Messenger and you can do what you like!'
Seeing her faith and courage, ‘Umar suddenly felt sorry for
what he had done and said to his sister, 'Let me see what I
heard you reading just now so that I may understand just
what it is that your Prophet has brought. Fatimah gave the
scroll to him after he had washed to make himself clean and
pure before touching it, and had promised to give it back to
her afterwards.

33In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Ta Ha We have not revealed unto thee (Muhammad) this
Koran For thee to be distressed, but only as a reminder Unto
him who fears a Revelation from Him who created the earth
and the high heavens; the Beneficent One Who is established
on the Throne; To Him belongs Whatsoever is in the heavens
and the earth And all that is between them, and All that is
underneath the soil.
If Thou speakest aloud Be thou loud in thy speech, yet
Surely He knows the secret (thought) And that yet more
hidden. Allah There is no god but He To Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names”. (Koran xx: 1- . As he read, 'Umar
suddenly knew that these were the most beautiful words he
had ever heard and that this religion must be the true one.
With his sword still in hand, he went straight to the Prophet's
house and knocked loudly at the door. One of the Prophet's
closest followers looked out. There stood 'Umar who was
known for his courage and strength. When he saw 'Umar so
excited and with his sword in hand, he was afraid for the
Prophet's life. But the Prophet (pbuh) asked him to allow
'Umar to come in and to leave them alone together. The
Prophet (pbuh) asked 'Umar why he had come, to which he
replied: 'I have come to swear that there is no god but Allah
and that you, Muhammad, are the Messenger of Allah.' As he
spoke these words, his hand still held the sword with which he
had intended to kill the Prophet (pbuh). This same sword'
would now be used to defend the Prophet (pbuh) and the faith
of Islam. At that time, whenever Muslims wanted to perform
the ritual encircling of the Ka'bah, known as tawaf they had to
do it secretly and in fear. 'Umar, however, was very
courageous. As soon as he had declared his faith, he went
directly to the Ka'bah and in broad daylight made the circling
of the Sacred House before the astonished people of Mecca.
No one dared to say anything. But now the leaders of Quraysh
became even more alarmed and began to see Islam as a
threat to the whole life of the city of Mecca. They grew more
and more furious as the numbers of Muslims increased until
finally they, too, decided as 'Umar once had, that the Prophet
(pbuh) would have to be killed.
34On hearing of these plans, Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle,
immediately sent a message to all the sons of 'Abd al-Muttalib,
asking them to protect their nephew, and this they agreed to
do. When Quraysh realized that they could not kill the Prophet
(pbuh) because of this protection, they decided instead to
avoid him and his followers completely. A declaration to this
effect was hung at the Ka’bah. It stated that no one in the city
was allowed to have anything to do with the Prophet (pbuh)
and his people, or even to sell them any food or drink
whatsoever.
At first the Muslims found some support among the Bani
Hashim, the branch of Quraysh to which the Prophet (pbuh)
belonged. Some of these people were not Muslims but showed
loyalty to their kinsmen by suffering along with them. However, life
grew more and more difficult and food was scarce. The hatred of
the rest of Quraysh for the followers of the Prophet (pbuh) grew so
great that when his companions tried to buy supplies from a
caravan passing near to Mecca, Abu Lahab, one of the Muslims'
worst enemies, offered ten times the price of the goods to the
merchant. By doing this he managed to stop the Muslims, from
buying what they desperately needed. During the years of this
terrible treatment, a wonderful thing happened. Instead Of Islam
becoming weaker, it grew stronger. Allah sent more and more
Revelations. It was as though the Muslims were being strengthened
and cleansed by the hardships they suffered and were being tested
in their faith. Each year at the time of the pilgrimage to Mecca,
people tame from all over Arabia. These pilgrims saw the terrible
cruelty and injustice of Quraysh towards the Muslims, and many of
them were sorry for the Prophet's followers. Quraysh began to feel
ashamed of their harsh treatment, especially as many of the
Muslims were their cousins and close relatives. Finally, at the end of
three years, they were convinced that the time had come to put an
end to the persecution of the Muslims, and they decided to take
down the notice hanging at the Ka’bah. To their astonishment, the
sheet of paper had been completely eaten up by worms, all except
the words, 'In Your Name, O Allah', which had been written at the
top of the paper.
35The Year of Sorrow
The Prophet (pbuh) and his followers went back to a normal
way of life but the years of hardship had made Khadijah very
weak. She became ill and soon afterwards she died. Thus, the
Prophet (pbuh) lost his beloved wife and friend, the first
person to accept Islam and support him. She had been a
refuge from all his troubles and, through her good-
heartedness, the best company in his suffering. He had loved
her very much. This happened in 619 A.D., the year which
became known as the 'Year of Sorrow'. Soon after this, the
Prophet Muhammad's uncle and protector, Abu Talib, also
died. Abu Talib had been one of the most respected men in
Mecca-one of the elders of Quraysh. Even though he had never
been a follower of Islam, he had protected the Prophet (pbuh)
against his enemies. Not only was this a sad occasion for the
Prophet (pbuh) but also a dangerous one. According to Arab
custom anyone who is under the protection of another is safe
so long as his protector lives. Now, with the death of his uncle,
the Prophet's protection was gone.

The Prophet's enemies rejoiced to see him so sad, without a
wife to console and comfort him, and without his uncle to
protect him. They began to treat him worse than ever before.
Even small children insulted him. One young man actually
threw some filth on the Prophet's head, but the Prophet (pbuh)
went home without making anything of it. When one of his
daughters rushed, weeping, to wash it away, he comforted her
saying, 'Do not weep my little girl, for Allah will protect your
father.' Abu Talib had been the Prophet's last tie with Quraysh
and the Prophet (pbuh) now felt that Islam could make no
further progress in Mecca because the hearts of Quraysh were
closed against him. He decided, therefore, to travel to Ta'if
where he hoped to find support. He walked all the way to the
town, which was seventy kilometers away. There he spoke in
all the places where people gathered, but no one listened to
him. He met the leaders of the three most important tribes but
36they would not listen either. Not only did they take no notice
of what he said, but they laughed at him and ordered their
slaves to insult him and pelt him with stones.
Sadly, the Prophet (pbuh) left the city and found a quiet place
near a wall on the edge of town where he could be alone. There he
prayed to Allah in these words: “ O Allah, to Thee I complain of my
weakness, helplessness and lowliness before men. 0 Most Merciful,
Thou art the Lord of the weak, and Thou art my Lord. To whom
wouldst Thou leave my fate? To a stranger who insults me or to an
enemy to whom Thou hast given power over me? If Thou art not
angry with me, I care not what happens to me. Thy favor alone is
my objective. I take refuge in the Light of Thy countenance by
which the darkness is illumined and on which this world and the
other depend, lest Thy anger descend upon me or Thy wrath light
upon me. It is for Thee to be satisfied until Thou art well pleased.
There is no power and no might save through Thee.” The wall near
which the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting belonged to a garden owned
by two brothers. When they heard his prayer, they were very sorry
for him and sent one of their slaves to him with a dish filled with
grapes. Before he began to eat, the Prophet (pbuh) said 'Bismillah'-
'In the Name of Allah.' The servant, whose name was ‘Addas, was
very surprised at these words, which he had never heard before. 'By
Allah', said ‘Addas, 'this is not the way the people of this country
speak.' 'Then from what country do you come, 'Addas, and what is
your religion?' asked the Prophet (pbuh). 'I am a Christian from the
Assyrian town of Nineveh', he replied. 'From the town of that good
man Jonah, son of Matta', added the Prophet 'How do you know
about him?' asked ‘Addas. 'He is my brother-he was a Prophet and I
am a Prophet', answered the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). ‘Addas
bent down and kissed the Prophet's head, his hands and his feet,
because now he saw that he was truly a Prophet. The Prophet
(pbuh) then walked back to Mecca. He was now able to put up with
everything patiently for he knew that Allah would never leave him.
His journey to Ta'if had not been in vain for ‘Addas, the Christian,
had become a Muslim, and this was to he the beginning of great
changes.
37
The Night Journey And The Ascent To Heaven
One night as the Prophet (pbuh) lay sleeping in the same
spot where 'Abd al-Muttalib used to sleep, next to the Ka’bah,
he was woken by the Archangel Gabriel. Later the Prophet
(pbuh) described what happened: 'I sat up and he took hold of
my arm. I stood beside him and he brought me to the door of
the mosque where there was a white animal for me to ride.'
The Prophet (pbuh) told of how he mounted the animal
and, with the Archangel Gabriel at his side, was transported
from Mecca to the mosque called al-Aqsa, in far away
Jerusalem. There the Prophet (pbuh) found Abraham, Moses,
and Jesus among a group of Prophets. The Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) acted as their leader, or imam, in prayer.
Then he was brought two jugs, one containing wine and the
other milk. He chose the milk and refused the wine. At this,
the Archangel Gabriel said, 'You have been rightly guided to
the fitrah, the true nature of man, and so will your people be,
Muhammad. Wine is forbidden to you. The Prophet (pbuh) also
related how they passed through Heaven's gates and saw
countless angels. Among them was Malik, the Keeper of Hell,
who never smiles. Malik stepped forward and showed the
Prophet (pbuh) a view of Hell and the terrible plight of those
who suffer in that place. Then the Prophet (pbuh) was taken
up by the angels, through the seven Heavens, one by one
Along the way he again saw Jesus, Moses, and Abraham, and
the Prophet (pbuh) said that he had never seen a man more
like himself than Abraham. He also saw John, called Yahya in
Arabic, Joseph or Yusef, Enoch, that is Idris, and Aaron. At last
he reached the Lote Tree of the Uttermost, the sidrat al-
muntaha where no Prophet had been before. Here the Prophet
(pbuh) received Revelation of what Muslims believe.

38In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed
unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one
believes in Allah and His Angels and His Books and His
Messengers-We make no distinction between any of His
messengers-and they say: We hear, and we obey.

Grant us Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the
homecoming”. (Koran ii.285) , Then he was taken into the
Light of the Divine Presence of Allah, and was instructed that
Muslims should pray fifty times a day. The Prophet (pbuh)
recalled: “ On my way back I passed by Moses and what a
good friend to you he was! He asked me how many prayers
had I been ordained to perform. When I told him fifty, he said,
'Prayer is a serious matter and your people are weak, so go
back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce the number for you
and your community.' I did so and He took away ten. Again I
passed by Moses and he said the same again; and so it went
on until only five prayers for the whole day and night were
left. Moses again gave me the same advice. I replied that I
had been back to my Lord and asked him to reduce the
number until I was ashamed, and I would not do it again. He
of you who performs the five prayers faithfully, will have the
reward of fifty prayers.
On the morning following these events and the Prophet's
return to Mecca, he told Quraysh what had happened. Most of
them said, 'By God! This is ridiculous! A caravan takes a
month to go to Syria and a month to return! Can you do that
long journey in a single night?' Even many Muslims were
amazed by this and wanted the Prophet (pbuh) to explain.
Some ran with the news to Abu Bakr who said, 'By Allah, if
Muhammad (pbuh) himself has said so, then it is true.
Remember, the Prophet tells us that the word of Allah comes
to him directly from heaven to earth at any hour by day or
night, and we believe him.

39Isn't that a greater miracle than what you are now
doubting?' Then Abu Bakr went to the mosque and listened to
the Prophet's detailed description of Jerusalem. He
commented, 'You tell the truth, 0 Prophet of Allah!' From then
on, Abu Bakr was honored with the title 'al-Siddiq’, which
means 'he who gives his word to support the truth'. Others
also began to believe the Prophet's story when he went on to
describe two caravans he had seen on his way back to Mecca.
He told the doubters where he had seen the caravans, what
they were carrying and when they would arrive in Mecca. All
that the Prophet (pbuh) had said was born out when the
caravans arrived at the time he said they would, carrying all
that he had described.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the
Holy Mosque to the Far distant place of worship, the
Neighborhood which We have blessed, that We might show
him some of Our signs, He, only He is the All-hearing, the All-
seeing”. (Koran xvii:1)
By the Star when it setteth, Your comrade is not astray,
neither deceived, Nor does he speak of his (own) desire. This
is naught but a revelation revealed, Taught him by one mighty
in power, very strong; he stood poised, being on the
uppermost horizon, Then drew near and came down, two
bows'-length away, or nearer, Then revealed to His servant
that which He revealed. His heart lies not of what he saw;
What, will you then dispute with him what he sees? Indeed, he
saw him yet another time By the Lote- Tree of the utmost
Boundary Near which is the Garden of Abode When there
covered the Lote- Tree that which covered; his eye turne not
aside, nor yet was overbold. Verily, he saw one of the greatest
signs of his Lord.(Koran liii:1-18)
40The Treaty of ‘Aqabah
In Yathrib there were two main tribes, the Aws and the
Khazraj. Both were very powerful, they were always at war
with one another, and both worshipped idols. Also in Yathrib
were many Jews who, unlike the Arab at that time, knew that
there was only One God, and worshipped Him. They had told
the Arabs many times that a Prophet would be coming to
them. The time came for the pilgrimage to the Ka’bah, and
several people from Yathrib were going, among them six men
from the tribe of Khazraj. They had heard about the Prophet
Mohammed’s preaching and thought that must be the Prophet
the Jews had told them about. So they decided to go speak to
him during their stay in Mecca. They met the Prophet (pbuh)
at a spot known as ‘Aqabah, near Mecca, and invited them to
sit with him. He explained to them what Islam meant recited
to them from the Koran. When they heard the Koran recited
touched their hearts so deeply that they became Muslims and
on leaving Mecca they promised to return the following year.
When they reached Yathrib carrying Islam in their hearts, they
told their relatives and friends what they had heard from the
Prophet (pbuh) and many more people became Muslims.
A year passed and the pilgrimage season came around again.
Twelve important men from Yathrib went to Mecca to meet the
Prophet (pbuh) and promised faithfully to serve him and Islam. In
return, the Prophet (pbuh) sent one of his friends, Mus’ab ibn
'Umayr, with them to teach the Koran and instruct them in their
new religion. Another year passed and still more Muslims came from
Yathrib to Mecca for the pilgrimage. On this occasion a secret
meeting with the Prophet (pbuh) was arranged to be held at night.
Seventy-three men and one woman from Yathrib came, and the
Prophet (pbuh) arrived with his uncle, al-‘Abbas. During this
meeting the men from Yathrib offered to protect and defend the
Prophet (pbuh) and his followers if they would come to live in
Yathrib. This promise of protection came to be known as the Treaty
of ‘Aqabah.

41The treaty was most fortunate for even though Islam was
growing in Yathrib, the Muslims in Mecca were still suffering. The
Prophet (pbuh) therefore told his friends and followers to go to
Yathrib where they would be safe, and most of them took this
opportunity to leave. Despite all this suffering the Prophet (pbuh)
was not allowed to fight his enemies, for Allah had told him to
forgive those who insulted him or would not listen to his message.
But the Quraysh had closed their minds so utterly to the word of
Allah, and grew so hard-hearted towards the Prophet (pbuh)and his
followers, that Allah gave permission to the Prophet (pbuh) to fight
those who tried to harm him or his companions.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Permission is given unto those who fight because they
have been wronged; And Allah is surely able to give them
victory; Those who have been driven from their homes
unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah”.(Koran
xxii.39-40)
Quraysh began to fear the Prophet (pbuh) for they realised
that he was now strong enough to fight them and had been
given leave to do so by Allah. They also knew that he now had
the people of Yathrib to help and protect him.
Seeing that the Muslims were leaving the city, they decided
to kill the Prophet (pbuh), before he, too, left Mecca to join his
followers in Yathrib. In this way they hoped to put an end to
Islam once and for all.

42Al-Hijrah
The Breaking of All Connections with One's Home, for the
Sake of Allah Alone. After his companions had left for Yathrib,
the Prophet (pbuh) stayed in Mecca, waiting for permission
from Allah to leave the city. Abu Bakr and Ali stayed with him.
There were also some Muslims whom Quraysh had not allowed
to leave. Abu Bakr kept asking the Prophet (pbuh) to allow
him to go to Yathrib, but the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) kept
saying, 'Do not be in a hurry; it might be that Allah will give
you a travelling companion.' The leaders of Quraysh
assembled in the house of their ancestor, Qusayy, as was
customary when they had an important decision to make.
They had to find a way of getting rid of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh), before he was able to join his friends in
Yathrib. As they were busy arguing, the Devil appeared at the
door in the form of a noble and handsome old man. When they
saw this elderly gentleman standing there, they asked him
who he was. He said he was a Shaikh from the mountains who
had heard what they meant to do and thought he might be
able to help or advise them. They thought he looked like a
wise man, so they invited him in.
Each leader then started to put forward ideas about what
should be done, but none of them could agree about which
was best, until AbuJahl told them his plan. This was that each
clan should provide a strong, young warrior, each of whom
would be given a sword. All the young warriors would then
wait outside the Prophet's house and together attack him as
he came out. In this way they would be rid of him but as the
blame for killing him would fall on all the clans, the Prophet's
family would not be able to seek revenge.
When he heard this, the Devil in the disguise of the old man,
said, 'That man is right; in my opinion it is the only thing to do!' The
leaders of Quraysh then left to carry out their plan to murder the
Prophet (pbuh).
43In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“And when the unbelievers plot against thee, to confine
thee, or kill thee, or to drive thee out, they were plotting, But
Allah was (also) plotting; and Allah is the best of plotters”.
(Koran iii.30)
Before the night fell, on which Muhammad (pbuh) was to be
killed, the Archangel Gabriel came to him and said, 'Do not
sleep tonight in your own bed.' The Prophet (pbuh) understood
what was going to happen, so he told ‘Ali to lie in his bed and
wrap himself in the blanket that the Prophet (pbuh) normally
used, promising that no harm would befall him.With the
coming of darkness the young men of Quraysh had gathered
outside the Prophet's house, waiting for him to come out. After
he had made sure that 'Ali was safe, the Prophet (pbuh) left
the house. At that very moment Allah took away the sight of
the warriors so that they could not see the Prophet (pbuh),
who took a handful of dust, sprinkled it on their heads and
recited these verses:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Ya Sin By the Wise Koran, Thou art truly among those sent
On the straight path; A Revelation of the All-mighty, the All-
wise, That thou may warn a people whose fathers were never
warned, so they are heedless. The Word has already proved
true of most of them, yet they do not believe. Lo! We have put
on their necks collars of iron up to the chin, so that they are
made stiff-necked. and We have put before them a barrier;
and We have covered them so they do not see”. (Koran
xxxvi.1-9)
The young men waited the whole night and were furious
when, in the morning, they saw ‘Ali instead of the Prophet
(pbuh) coming out of the house. I They realised that their plan
had failed completely. In the meantime, the Prophet (pbuh)
went to Abu Bakr's house and told him, 'Allah has told me that
now is the time for us to leave Mecca.' 'Together?' asked Abu
Bakr. 'Together', the Prophet (pbuh) replied. Abu Bakr wept
for joy, because now he knew that the travelling companion he
had been promised was the Prophet (pbuh) himself.
44Then he said,'O Messenger of Allah, these are the two
camels which I have kept ready for this.' And so, the two of
them left for a cave in Thawr, a mountain to the south of
Mecca where they intended to hide.
When they were out of the city the Prophet (pbuh) looked
back and said, 'Of all Allah's earth, you are the dearest place
to Allah and to me and if my people had not driven me out I
would never have left you.'
When Quraysh found out that the Prophet (pbuh) and his
companion had gone, they set out after them, searching in every
direction. Three days later they finally reached the cave where the
Prophet (pbuh) and Abu Bakr were hiding, but a strange and
wonderful thing had happened. A spider had woven its web right
across the entrance to the cave and a dove was nesting with her
mate nearby. As the Meccans stood in front of the cave, with only
the spider's web separating them from the fugitives, Abu Bakr
began to fear for their safety. He whispered to the Prophet (pbuh),
they are very close. If one of them turns we will be seen.' But he
was comforted by the Prophet's reply: “What do you think of two
who have with them Allah as their third? 'Grieve not, for verily Allah
is with us”. (Koran ix.40) . After a few moments the search parry
decided that no one could have entered the cave recently, or the
spider's web would not have been complete and the dove would not
have nested there, and so they left without searching inside. Three
days later the Prophet (pbuh) and Abu Bakr thought it safe to leave
the cave. Abu Bakr's son, 'Amir, had arranged for three camels and
a guide to help them continue their journey to Yathrib. 'Amir would
ride behind his father. The leaders of Quraysh, meanwhile, returned
to Mecca and offered a reward of one hundred camels to whoever
captured the Prophet (pbuh). Among those who went in search of
him was a famous warrior. He was, in fact, the only one to catch up
with him, but whenever he came close, his horse would suddenly
sink up to its knees in the sand. When this had happened three
times, he understood that the Prophet (pbuh) was protected by a
power stronger than anything he had known, and so he went back
to Mecca. On arriving there he warned everyone against continuing
the search, relating what had happened to him.

45In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“If you do not help him, still Allah has helped him already,
When the unbelievers drove him forth, (he second of two,
When the two were in the Cave, when he said to his
companion, "Grieve not; surely Allah is with us." Then Allah
caused His peace and Reassurance to descend upon him, And
helped him with hosts you cannot see, And He made the word
of the unbelievers the lowest; While Allah's word is the
uppermost; Allah is All-mighty, All-wise”. (Koran ix.40)
The Prophet's journey from Mecca is called the hijrah, or
migration. It was really the first step towards the spread of
Islam throughout the entire world, and Muslims begin their
calendar from the year of the hijrah
46Arrival In Yathrib
When the people of Yathrib heard that the Prophet
W
(pbuh)
had left Mecca and was on his way to their city, they anxiously
awaited his arrival. Each morning they would go to the edge of
the city to see if he were coming. Finally, on Monday,
September 27, in the year 622 A.D., someone saw him in the
distance and shouted to everyone, 'Here is Muhammad!
(pbuh) the Messenger of Allah has arrived!' All the Muslims
went out to greet him, shouting, “Allahu Akbar”! Allah is Great!
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah has arrived!' The women
and children sang songs to show how glad they were to see
him. The Prophet (pbuh) entered the city with his friend Abu
Bakr. Most of The people there had not seen him before and as
they gathered around they did not know which of the two was
the Prophet (pbuh), until Abu Bakr got up to shield him with
his cloak from the burning sun. Yathrib would now be Called
al-Medina, which means, The City.
The Messenger of God (pbuh) stayed in Quba', which is a
place at the entrance of Medina, for three days. On the first
Friday after his arrival the Prophet led the congregation in
prayer. After this many of the wealthiest men invited him to
come and live with them and share their riches. But he refused
and, pointing to his she-camel, Qaswa', said, 'Let her go her
way', because he knew that his camel was under Allah's
command and would guide him to the spot where he should
stay. They let the camel go until she finally knelt down beside
a house belonging to the Bani an-Najjar, the tribe to whom the
Prophet's mother was related. This house was used as a
drying-place for dates and belonged to two young orphan boys
named Sahl and Suhayl. They offered to give it to the Prophet
(pbuh) but he insisted on paying them for it, and so their
guardian, As’ad the son of Zurarah, who was present, made
the necessary arrangements.

47 The Prophet (pbuh) ordered that a mosque and a place for
him to live be built on the site. All the Muslims worked
together to finish it quickly-even the Prophet (pbuh) joined in.
It was here that the Muslims would pray and meet to make
important decisions and plans. The building was quite plain
and simple. The floor was beaten earth and the roof of palm
leaves was held up by tree trunks. Two Stones marked the
direction of prayer. At first worshippers faced Jerusalem, but
Soon after the direction of prayer was changed towards the
Ka’bah in Mecca.
After the building of the mosque, the Prophet (pbuh)
wanted to strengthen the relationship between the people
called the Muhajirah or Emigrants, who had left Mecca with
him, and the people of Medina, who were known as the Ansar,
or Helpers. Each man from Medinah took as his brother a man
from Mecca, sharing everything with him and treating him as
a member of his own family. This was the beginning of the
Islamic brotherhood. In the early days of Islam, the times for
prayer were not announced and So the Muslims would come to
the mosque and wait for the prayer so as not to miss it. The
Prophet (pbuh) wondered how to tell the people that it was
time for prayers. He discussed it with his friends, and at first
two ideas were put forward; that of blowing a horn as the Jews
did, and that of using a wooden clapper like the Christians.
Then a man called ‘Abd Allah ibn Zayd came to the Prophet
(pbuh) and told him he had had a dream in which he had seen
a man dressed all in green, holding a wooden clapper. He had
said to the man, 'Would you sell me your clapper in order to
call the people to prayer?' The man had replied, 'A better way
to call the people to prayer is to Say: "Allahu Akbar, Allah is
Most Great!" four times, followed by "I bear witness that there
is no divinity but Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, Come to prayer, come to prayer, Come to
salvation, come to salvation. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! There
is no divinity but Allah!"'

48When the Prophet (pbuh) heard this, he said it was a true
vision from Allah. He sent for Bilal, who had a beautiful, strong
voice, and ordered him to call the people to prayer in just this
way. Bilal did so and soon after 'Umar came out of his house
and told the Prophet (pbuh) that he had seen exactly the same
vision himself.
The Prophet (pbuh) replied, 'Allah be praised for that.' The
adhan, or call to prayer, which came to 'Abd Allah ibn Zayd in his
dream and was performed by Bilal on the instruction of the Prophet
(pbuh), is the one we still hear today being called from the minarets
of mosques all over the world.
يتبع
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» موضوع: (This is Muhammad(PBUH هذا هو محمد(ص)
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