This is Muhammad part 3

موضوع: This is Muhammad part 3 الخميس 23 ديسمبر 2010, 9:16 pm

موضوع: This is Muhammad part 3

------------------------------------- -------------------

The Battle Of Badr
The Muslims who had gone to Medinah, had left all their
belongings behind in Mecca and these had been taken by their
enemies. Thus, when the Muslims heard that Abu Sufyan, one
of the leaders of Quraysh, was on his way back to Mecca from
Syria with a large caravan of goods, they decided that the time
had come for them to retrieve some of their losses. The
Prophet (pbuh) gave the Muslims permission for this attack
and everyone began to get ready for the raid, for it had been
revealed:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Permission to fight is given unto those who fight because
they have been wronged; and Allah is surely able to give them
victory” (Koran xxii.39)
“The Revelation had mentioned that a thing most serious
with Allah was to turn (men) from the way of Allah, and to
disbelieve in Him and in the Holy Mosque, and to drive his
people from there…for persecution is worse than
killing”.(Koran ii.217)
49The retrieval of their goods, however, was not their only
reason for wanting to attack the caravan. The Muslims did not
think they should simply remain safely in Medinah; they
wanted to spread the message of Islam. They thus felt that if
Quraysh wanted freedom to trade in safety, then the Muslims
must also have freedom to believe in Allah, to follow His
Messenger (pbuh), and spread His Word. It was, therefore,
thought that the best, and only way to get Quraysh to
understand this was to attack what was most important to
them-a caravan.
Abu Sufyan, in the meantime, heard about the Muslims'
plan and Quickly sent a message to Quraysh in Mecca, telling
them that the caravan was in danger and asking for help. As a
result nearly all Quraysh came out to help him defend the
caravan. There were a thousand men and two hundred horses.
The women also went along to cheer the men on with their
singing. Unaware of this, the Prophet (pbuh) set out with his
followers. It was the month of Ramadan and the Muslims were
fasting.
There were only three hundred and five of them, most of
them Ansar, men from Medinah. With them they had three
horses and seventy camels, on which they rode in turns.
They arrived in the area of Badr, some distance from
Medinah where they made camp and waited for news of the
caravan. Then they heard that Quraysh had set out from
Mecca with a strong army. The situation had suddenly
changed. They were no longer going to make a raid on a
caravan-they were going to have to fight Quraysh. The
Prophet (pbuh) gathered his men around him to find out what
they wanted to do. First Abu Bakr, and then ‘Umar, spoke for
the Muslims who had come from Mecca. They said they would
obey the Prophet (pbuh). But the Prophet (pbuh) wanted to
hear the opinion of the Ansar, because he did not want to
force them into doing something they did not want to do. Sa’d
Ibn Mu’adh, one of the leaders of the Ansar, got up and said,
we believe in you and we swear before all men that what you
have brought is the truth.
50We have given you our word and agreement to hear and
obey. So go where you wish, we are with you even if you
should lead us into the sea!
The Prophet (pbuh) was greatly encouraged by these words
and so it was agreed to fight. Abu Sufyan learned where the
Muslims were camped. He changed the course of the caravan
and quickly took it out of their reach. He then sent word to
Quraysh telling them that the caravan was safe and that they
should return to Mecca. But the leaders of Quraysh were proud
and stubborn men. They refused to return as they had made
up their minds to show everyone how powerful they were by
destroying the Muslims.Now there was a wadi, or valley, at
Badr, with wells on the side nearest Medina, and it was here
that the Muslims took up position facing the valley with the
wells behind them.
Quraysh meanwhile placed themselves on the other side of
the valley. The Muslims then dug a reservoir, filled it with
water from one of the wells, and made a barrier around it.
Then they stopped up the wells. In this way the Muslims had
enough drinking water for themselves, while the Meccans
would have to cross the valley and fight the Muslims in order
to get water. The night before the battle, while the Muslims
slept peacefully, a heavy rain fell.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“When He made the slumber fall upon you as a reassurance
from Him and sent down water from the sky upon you, in
order that He might purify you, and remove from you the fear
of Satan, and strengthen your hearts and make firm (your)
fret thereby”. (Koran viii.11) On the morning of Friday, the
17th of Ramadan, 2 A.H., (March 17th, AD), the two armies
advanced and drew closer to one another. The rain been
heavier on the side of Quraysh, making the ground soft and
difficult. On the side of the Muslims, however, the rain had
backed the sand down hard, making it easy for them to march.
The Prophet (pbuh) preferred the men to fight in ranks. As
they prepared to march he noticed someone had stepped out
in front of the others.
51The Prophet (pbuh)prodded him in the side with an arrow,
saying, 'Stand in line!' The man, Sawad, exclaimed, 'You have
hurt me, O Messenger of Allah! Allah has sent you to be just
and good.' Prophet (pbuh) lifted his shirt and said, 'Then do
the same to me. The man approached and kissed him on the
spot instead, saying, '0 Messenger of Allah, you see what is
before us and I may not survive the battle. If this is my last
time with you, I want the last thing I do in life to be
this.'Shortly after he went into battle, Sawad died a martyr.
Having examined the ranks, the Prophet (pbuh) then went to a
shelter made of palm branches from which he could command
the battle. Abu Bakr stayed with him, while Sa’d ibn Mu'adh,
with several of the Ansar, stood outside guarding the hut.
When the Prophet (pbuh) saw the enormous Quraysh army
descending the hill into the valley, with all their banners and
drums, he began to pray for the help which Allah had promised
him. These were some of his words. '0 Allah, here come
Quraysh full of vanity and pride, who oppose Thee and call Thy
Messenger a liar. O Allah, if this little band (the Muslims)
perishes today, there will be none left in the land to worship
Thee.'
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“When ye sought help of your Lord and He answered you
(saying): I will help you with a thousand of the angels, rank on
rank. Allah appointed it only as good tidings, and that your
hearts might thereby be at ease. Victory cometh only by the
help of Allah. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise”. (Koran viii. 9-10)
At first the battle began in single combat when one of
Quraysh swore that he would drink from the Muslims' reservoir
and then destroy it, or die in the attempt. Hamzah, the
Prophet's uncle, came forward to face him and killed him.
Three of the most important men of Quraysh then stepped
forward and gave out a challenge for single combat. The
Prophet (pbuh) sent out 'Ali, Hamzah, and ‘Ubaydah ibn al-
Harith, to face them. It was not long before Hamzah and ‘Ali
had killed their opponents.

52As for 'Ubaydah, he had wounded his enemy but was
wounded himself, and so his two companions killed the
wounded Meccan and carried 'Ubaydah back to the safety of
the Muslim ranks. After this, the two armies attacked each
other and fighting broke out all around. The sky was filled with
arrows. The Muslim army held its ground against the great
army of Quraysh and even though the Muslims were much
fewer in number, they gained a great victory, destroying the
Meccan army and killing most of its leaders. Among the
leading Meccans who died were Abu Jahl and Umayyah ibn
Khalaf, who was killed by his former slave, Bilal. Seeing that
their leaders were nearly all dead, the remainder of Quraysh
retreated. The Prophet (pbuh) sent word to Medinahto tell
them of the victory. He then gathered up the spoils of war and
divided them equally among the Muslims. Some of the
Meccans had been taken prisoner and the Prophet (pbuh) gave
orders that they should be treated well until their relatives
from among Quraysh came to fetch them.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Ye (Muslims) did not slay them, but Allah slew them and
thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but
Allah threw, so that He might test the believers by a fair test
from Him. Lo! Allah is All-hearing, All-Knowing”. (Koran viii.17)

53Uhud-Defeat Comes From Disobedience
When the survivors of the defeated Quraysh at Badr to
Mecca gathered to speak with Abu Sufyan. They said,
'Muhammad has best men, so help us to fight him so that we
may avenge those we have lost.' In order to do this it was
agreed that everyone who had had a share in the caravan
should put his profits towards the cost of a new army, which
would be three times as big as the one at Badr. Among those
who joined the new army was an Abyssinian slave called
Wahshi; who was known for his accuracy with the spear. His
master, Jubayr ibn al-Mut’im, said to him, 'Go with the army
and if you kill Hamzah, the uncle of Muhammad, in revenge for
my uncle's death, I will set you free when Hind, Abu Sufyan's
wife, heard about this she sent a Wahshi to say that she would
clothe him in gold and silk if he would carry out his master's
wish, for she, too, wanted Hamzah dead because he had both
her father and brother.

While the Meccans made their plans, the Prophet's uncle,
‘Abbas, one the few Muslims still living in Mecca, sent a letter
of warning to the Prophet (pbuh) in Medina. He told him that
Quraysh were setting out with a huge arm for Uhud, a place
just outside Medina. On receiving this timely warning the
Prophet (pbuh) gathered his companions around him to
discuss what they should do. He thought it would be better to
wait for the enemy inside city rather than go out to meet
them, because it would be easier to defend Medinahfrom
inside the city walls. But the young Muslims were go out and
face Quraysh. They said, '0 Prophet of Allah, lead us out
against our enemies, or else they will think we are too
cowardly and too weak to fight them.' One of the rulers of
Medina, ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, however, agreed with the
Prophet (pbuh) and advised him to remain in the city, saying,
'Whenever we have gone out to fight an enemy we have met
with disaster, but none has ever come in against us without
being defeated.'
54But when the Prophet (pbuh) saw that the majority were in
favor of going out to meet Quraysh, he decided to do so, and
after the Friday prayer he put on his armor.
The Muslims then set out with one thousand men in the
direction of Mount Uhud which overlooks Medina. The enemy
was camped on the plain below the mountain where they were
laying waste the crops of the Muslims.'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy
was angry that the Prophet (pbuh) had not followed his advice
and after going part of the way, turned back for Medina, taking
one third of the entire army with him. This left the Prophet
(pbuh) with only seven hundred men to meet the enormous
Meccan army, which numbered three thousand.
The remainder of the Mus1ims went on until they reached
the mountain of Uhud. There the Prophet (pbuh) ordered them
to stand in ranks in front of the mountain, so that they would
be protected from behind. He then positioned fifty archers on
top of the mountain, giving them the following order: 'Keep
the Meccan cavalry away from us with your arrows and don't
let them come against us from the rear, whether the battle
goes in our favor or against us. Whatever happens keep to
your places so that we cannot be attacked from your direction,
even if you see us being slain or booty being taken.' When the
Muslims were in position, the Prophet (pbuh) held up his sword
and said, 'Who will use this sword with its right?' This was a
great honor and many men rose to claim it, but the Prophet
(pbuh) decided to give it to Abu Dujanah, a fearless warrior.
Then the battle commenced. The Muslims were well organized
and had the advantage, because although Quraysh had more
than four times as many men, they were tired from their
journey and thus not ready to fight. As a result, the Muslims
were able to make a surprise attack, led by Abu Dujanah, who
was wearing a brilliant red turban. As the fighting increased
the Quraysh women, led by Hind, began to beat their drums to
urge their men on. They called out poems to encourage their
men to be brave. 'If you advance, we hug you, spread soft
rugs beneath you; if you retreat, we leave you. Leave and no
more love you.'
55Abu Dujanah said: 'I saw someone urging the enemy on,
shouting wildly, and I made for him, but when I lifted my
sword against him he screamed and I saw that it was a
woman; I respected the Apostle's sword too much to use it on
a woman.' That woman was Hind. As usual, Hamzah, the
Prophet's uncle, fought with great courage, but while leading
the Muslims in a fierce attack, which nearly defeated the
Meccans, he was suddenly and cruelly struck down by the
slave Wahshi. Later, Wahshi told how it happened: 'I was
watching Hamzah while he was killing men with his sword. I...
aimed my spear until I was sure it would the mark and hurled
it at him. He came on towards me but collapsed and fell. I left
him there until he died, then I came and took back my spear.
Then I went back to the camp because I did not want to kill
anyone but him. My only aim in killing him was to gain my
freedom.'
The Quraysh warriors were soon scattered and forced to
retreat. It looked as though they had been defeated! Seeing
this, forty of the fifty Muslims archers on top of the mountain
ran down from their position to collect booty, for the Quraysh
army had left many of their belongings behind. The archers
rushed to take what they could, forgetting the Prophet's
orders. Khalid Ibn al-Walid, Commander of the Quraysh
cavalry, saw what' happening and quickly turned his men
around and ordered them to attack the Muslims from behind.
The Muslims were taken completely by surprise. The Quraysh
then began attacking from both sides at once. Many Muslims
were killed and instead of winning they began to lose the
battle.
To add to the confusion, it was rumored that the Prophet
(pbuh) had killed. When the Muslims heard this they were at a
loss to know what to do. Then a man named Anas called out,
'Brothers! If Muhammad (pbuh) has been killed what will your
lives be worth without him? Don't think about living or dying.
Fight for Allah. Get up and die the way Muhammad (pbuh)
died!’ and on hearing these words the Muslims took courage.

56There had been several cavalry attacks on the position held
by the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions and the Prophet's
cheek had been badly gashed. As the Meccans closed in again
he called out, 'Who will sell his life for us?' At this, five Ansar
got up and fought until they were killed, one by one.
Their places were soon taken, however, by a number of
Muslims who drove off the attackers. Amongst the defending
Muslims was Abu Dujanah who put his arms around the
Prophet (pbuh) and made himself into a human shield.
Throughout the remainder of the battle he held on to the
Prophet (pbuh), but as the fighting drew to a close he
suddenly let go. Abu Dujanah was dead, killed by the many
arrows in his back that had been aimed at the Prophet (pbuh).
With the defeat of the Muslims, Quraysh were at last avenged.
As they left the field of battle Abu Sufyan called out to his
men, 'You have done well; victory in war goes by turns-today
in exchange for Badr!' When he heard this, the Prophet
(pbuh) told ‘Umar to answer him, saying, 'Allah is Most High
and Most Glorious. We are not equal. Our dead are in Paradise
and your dead are in Hell!' The Muslim soldiers then followed
the departing Quraysh part of the way to make sure they were
not going to attack Medinah.
After the enemy had left, the Prophet (pbuh) made his way
around the Battle-field to see the extent of the Muslim losses.
Many of the most faithful Muslims had been killed. Among the
dead, the Prophet (pbuh) found the body of his closest friend
and uncle, Hamzah, who had been killed by the slave, Wahshi.
At the sight of this, the Prophet (pbuh) said, 'There will never
be a moment as sad for me as this.' Hamzah's sister, Safiyya,
came to pray and ask forgiveness for her brother, saying 'We
belong to Allah and to Allah we are returning.' After the
Prophet (pbuh) had prayed over the many dead, he said, 'I tell
you that no one has been wounded in Allah's cause but Allah
will remember him and on the Day of Resurrection will raise
him from the dead. Look for the one who has learned most of
the Koran and put him in front of his companions in the grave.'
They were buried where they had fallen as martyrs.
57Of them Allah says:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Do not think that those, who were killed for Allah's sake
are dead. Nay, they are alive. With their Lord they have
provision. Jubilant (are they) because of that which Allah hath
bestowed upon them of His bounty, rejoicing for the sake of
those that have not yet joined them because they have
nothing to fear or grieve over”.(Koran iii.169-170)

It is said that the Prophet (pbuh) swore that no Muslim who
had died for his beliefs would want to come back to life for a
single hour, even if he could own the whole world, unless he
could return and fight for Allah and be killed a second time.
The Muslims realised that their defeat had been caused by
their disobedience to the Prophet (pbuh). The Koran tells us
that the Muslims had been tested by Allah at Uhud and had
failed but that Allah forgave them their weakness.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Some of you there are that desire this world, and some of
you there are that desire the next world. Then He turned you
from them, that He might try you; and He has forgiven you;
and Allah is bounteous to the believers”. (Koran iii.145)
People living nowadays should learn from the lessons
learned by the early Muslims at Uhud. Disobedience to the
Prophet (pbuh) and love for the things of this world caused
their defeat. The same can happen to us as well. Even if we
have no battle like Uhud to fight, we can still die for Allah's
sake by fighting what is bad in ourselves. When the Prophet
(pbuh) came back from a battle he said to his men, 'We have
returned from the lesser war to the greater war.' He meant by
this that the struggle that goes on within every human being
to become a better person is the more difficult battle.
58The Battle Of The Trench
When the Prophet (Pbuh) first arrived in Medinah, the
W
Jews
who were living there had welcomed him. The Prophet (Pbuh)
had returned their greeting, as he wished to be on good terms
with them. An agreement was also reached between the
Muslims and the Jews, which gave the Jews the freedom to
practice their religion and which also set out their rights and
their duties. Among these duties was that in the case of war
with Quraysh, the Jews would fight on the side of the Muslims.
Despite this agreement, however, some of the Jewish
tribes, who resented the Prophet's presence in Medinah, soon
began to cause trouble amongst the Muslims. They tried to set
the Muslim Emigrants from Mecca and the Ansar against each
other. The troublemakers were given many warnings but they
continued to be a nuisance. In the end, the Muslims had no
choice but to drive them from Medinah. A new agreement was
offered those Jews who remained but the trouble did not end
there. One of the Jewish tribes, the Bani Nadir plotted to
murder the Prophet (Pbuh) but their plan was discovered and
they, too, were exiled from the city. Knowing that they could
not defeat the Muslims themselves, some of the leaders of the
exiled Jews secretly went to Mecca to enlist the help of
Quraysh. Knowing what the Meccans would like to hear, they
pretended to believe in the same things. They said that they
thought that the old Arab tradition was better than the
teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) and that they
believed that the Quraysh religion of worshipping many idols
was better than the Prophet's with only one God. Then the
Jews told them that if all the Arab tribes attacked Medinah, the
Jews inside the city would help to defeat the Prophet (Pbuh)
and Islam once and for all.

59The leaders of Quraysh were pleased to hear all this and
seizing on what seemed to them a very good opportunity,
agreed to the plan and began to gather together a formidable
army. In the meantime in Medinah, only one Jewish tribe, the
Bani Quraydhah, refused to betray the Muslims.

Eventually the Muslims learned of the preparations being
made for war in Mecca and of the plotting of the Jews within
Medinahitself. The betrayal of the Muslims by the Jews did not
surprise the Prophet (Pbuh), who said of them: 'The hearts of
the Jews have become closed to the truth. They have
forgotten what Muses taught them long ago that there is only
one God.'
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of
Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying
books. Evil is the likeness of the people who deny the
revelations of Allah. And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk”.
(Koran lxii.5)
The Muslims wondered how they could defend Medinah.
They heard that Abu Sufyan was coming to attack them with
an enormous army which included many other Arab tribes, as
well as Quraysh. What were they to do with only a single week
to prepare? The Prophet (Pbuh) and his men knew that it
would be impossible for them to fight off all these tribes! The
only thing they could do was to stay inside the city and try to
defend it as best they could. Now among the people of
Medinah was a Persian named Salman, who had to live in the
city some time before the Prophet's arrival there. As a convert
to Christianity he had traveled to Medinah after Christian
sages had told him that a Prophet would be born in Arabia. On
arriving in he was, however, sold into slavery by the
merchants with whom he had traveled. Later he became a
Muslim, gained his freedom and became a member of the
Prophet's household.
60When the people gathered to discuss a plan of action
against the approaching enemy, Salman was present and it
was he who suggested that they should dig a trench around
the city. The Prophet (Pbuh) thought this a good idea, so the
Muslims set to work, although it was in the middle of winter.
They worked day and night, digging the trench as quickly as
possible. The Prophet (Pbuh) himself carried rocks and when
the men were tired he gave them the will to carry on.
Someone later recalled how beautiful he looked, dressed in a
red cloak with dust upon his breast and his dark hair nearly
reaching his shoulders. There was little food at this time and
the men were often hungry as they worked.
On one occasion, however, a little girl gave some dates to
the Prophet (Pbuh), which he spread out on a cloth. The men
were then called to eat and the dates kept increasing in
number until everyone had been fed. Even after everyone had
eaten their fill, the dates continued to increase so that there
were more than the cloth could hold. Similarly, there is the
story of the lamb, that has come down to us from one who
was there: 'We worked with the Apostle at the trench. I had a
half-grown lamb and I thought it would be a good thing to
cook it for Allah's Messenger. I told my wife to grind barley
and make some bread for us. I killed the lamb and we roasted
it for the Prophet (Pbuh). When night fell and he was about to
leave the trench, I told him we had prepared bread and meat
and invited him to our home. I wanted him to come on his
own, but when I said this he sent someone to call all the men
to come along. Everyone arrived and the food was served. He
blessed it and invoked the Name of Allah over it. Then he ate
and so did all of the others. As soon as one lot were satisfied,
another group came until all the diggers had eaten enough,
but still there was food to spare.
On March 24, 627 A.D, Abu Sufyan arrived with more than
ten thousand men. The Muslims numbered only three
thousand. Quraysh and their allies surrounded Medinah but
between the two armies was the long, wide trench.

61The Prophet (pbuh) and his men stayed behind this trench
for nearly a month defending the city against their more
powerful enemy. Many times warriors tried to cross the trench
and enter the city, but each time they were pushed back by
the Muslims. The Muslims were afraid that if any did manage
to cross over, the Jews inside Medinah would join forces with
them and the Muslims would be beaten. The Jewish tribe of
Bani Quraydhah, who had stood by the, agreement with the
Muslims, were pressed by a Jewish emissary from the enemy
without, to break their promise. Eventually they agreed to do
so and when the news of this reached the Prophet (pbuh) and
his companions they were greatly troubled. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
the leader of the tribe of Aws, was sent by the Prophet (pbuh)
with two other men to find out if this were true. When they
arrived in the part of Medinah where the Jews lived, they
found were even worse than they had previously thought.

Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, whose tribe was closely allied with the
Bani Quraydhah, tried to persuade their leader not to break
the treaty with the Muslims, but he refused to listen. This
meant that the Muslims could not relax their guard for one
moment, for they were now threatened not only by the enemy
beyond the trench, but by the Bani Qurayzah, within the walls
of the city.
Things became more difficult for the Muslims day by day. It
was extremely cold and food began to run out. To make
matters worse, the Bani Qurayzah began openly and actively
to join forces with the other Jews and cut off all supplies to the
Muslims, including food. The enemies of Islam then planned
how to capture Medinah.
The situation looked desperate and the Prophet (pbuh)
prayed to Allah to Allah to help the Muslims defeat their
enemies. That very night a sandstorm blew up which buried
the tents of Quraysh. The storm continued for three days and
three nights making it impossible for the enemy to light a fire
to cook a meal or warm themselves by.
62On one of these dark nights the Prophet (pbuh) asked one
of his men, Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman, to go on a dangerous
mission. The Prophet (pbuh) told him to make his way across
the trench to the enemy camp where he should find out what
they were doing. With much difficulty Hudhayfah crossed the
trench and made his way to a circle of Quraysh warriors
talking in the darkness. He sat near them, but as there was no
fire, no one noticed him. He then heard Abu Sufyan's voice:
'Let us go home!' he said. 'We have had enough. The horses
and camels are dying, the tents keep blowing away, most of
the equipment has been lost, and we can not cook our food.
There is no reason to stay!'
Shortly after hearing this Hudhayfah made his way quickly
and quietly back across the trench and the next morning the
Muslims rejoiced to find that what he had overheard had come
true-Quraysh and their allies had gone away! The siege of
Medinah had ended in a great victory for Islam. But this was
not to be the end of the difficulties, for the Archangel Gabriel
the Prophet (pbuh) and told him that he should punish the
Bani Qurayzah for betraying him and the Muslims.
On hearing this, the Prophet (pbuh) ordered the Muslims to
march against the Bani Qurayzah as they hid in their fortress.
The Muslims besieged them for twenty-five days until they
finally gave in. On surrendering, they asked the Prophet
(pbuh) to let someone judge their case, and he agreed. He
also allowed them to choose who would give the ruling. The
man chosen to judge the Bani Qurayzah was Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
leader of the Aws, a tribe which had always protected the
Qurayzah in the past. Sa'd ibn Mu'adh who had himself been
wounded in the battle, decided that the Jews should be tried
by their own Holy Law, according to which anyone who broke a
treaty would be put to death. As a result all the men of the
Bani Qurayzah were executed and the women and children
made captive. If the Jews had succeeded in their pact, Islam
would have been destroyed. Instead from that day on,
Medinah became a city where only Muslims lived.
63Very soon after peace had been restored to Medinah, Sa'd
ibn Mu'adh died of his wounds. It was said that the Archangel
Gabriel came in the middle of that night and said to the
Prophet (pbuh) '0 Muhammad, who is this dead man? When he
arrived, the doors of heaven opened and the Throne of Allah
shook.' The Prophet (pbuh) got up as soon as he heard this,
but found that Sa'd was already dead. Although he had been a
heavy man, the men who carried his body to the grave found
it quite light. They were told that the angels were helping
them. When he was buried, the Prophet (pbuh) said three
times 'Subhan Allah!' (Glory be to Allah!), and 'Allahu Akbar!'
(Allah is Most Great!). When asked why he did this, he replied,
'The grave was tight for this good man, until Allah eased it for
him.' This is one of the rewards that Allah gives to martyrs and
good Muslims.
64The Treaty Of Hudaybiyah
Ouraysh had tried to destroy Islam but had failed. The
number of Muslims grew and their armies increased from three
hundred at the battle of Badr, seven hundred at the battle of
"Uhud, to three thousand at the battle of the Trench. After the
annual fast of Ramadan, the Prophet (pbuh) had a dream,
which indicated that the Muslims should go to Mecca for the
pilgrimage. One thousand and four hundred Muslims got ready
to go with him on the Lesser Pilgrimage called 'the `Umra'.
They dressed in white and went unarmed to show Quraysh
that they had come to make the pilgrimage and not to fight.
When Quraysh heard that the Prophet (pbuh) was on his way,
they sent troops with Khalid Ibn al-Walid to stop the Muslims
from entering the city. To avoid meeting this small army the
Prophet (pbuh) changed his route and led the men through
rugged mountain passes. When they reached easier ground he
told them, 'Say, we ask Allah's forgiveness and we repent
towards Him 'At Hudaybiyah, south of Mecca, the Prophet's
camel knelt down and refused to go any further. The Muslims
thought she was either stubborn or tired, but the Prophet
(pbuh) said: 'The same power that once stopped the elephant
from entering Mecca is now stopping us!' He then ordered
them to make camp, which they did, although they all hoped
they would travel on to the sacred Ka'bah the following day.
On setting up camp, the believers were dismayed to find
that the springs were almost dry. When he heard this the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) instructed a man called Najiyah to
take the bowl of water in which he had performed his
ablutions, pour it into the hollows where the small amount of
spring water lay, and stir it with his arrows. Najiyah did as he
was told and the fresh water gushed up so suddenly that he
was hardly able to get out of the way in time.

65Messengers were sent to Quraysh to tell them that the
Muslims had come only for the pilgrimage, to worship Allah at
the Holy Ka'bah, and that they wanted to enter the city
peacefully. But Quraysh took no notice. Finally, the Prophet's
son-in-law, 'Uthman Ibn Affan, a wise and respected man, was
chosen to go, and the Muslims settled down to wait and see
what news he would bring back. After they had waited a long
time, the Muslims became very worried. At last they decided
that he must have been killed. A state similar to that of
Revelation then came upon the Prophet (pbuh). He gathered
the Muslims around him under an acacia tree and asked them
to swear their allegiance to him, which they did. This pact,
which is mentioned in the Koran, became known as the Treaty
of Radwan (which means Paradise). Shortly after, `Uthman
Ibn Affan returned and the Muslims were relieved to see that
no harm had come to him. Some Meccan warriors tried to
attack the Muslim camp but were captured and brought before
the Prophet (pbuh), who forgave them when they promise to
stop attacking the Muslims. Soon after this, official
messengers came from Quraysh and talks began for a peaceful
settlement. A man called Suhayl ibn 'Amr was sent by the
Meccans to work out a treaty. When the Prophet (pbuh) asked
'Ali to write 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful', on the top of the page, Suhayl objected, saying
'Write only: bismik Allahumma (in Thy name, 0 Allah). I don't
know him as al-Rahman (the Most Gracious), al-Rahim (the
most Merciful).' The Prophet (pbuh) agreed and dictated: 'This
is a treaty between Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and
Suhayl ibn 'Amr.''Stop!' cried Suhayl, 'I don't believe that you
are Rasulallah (the Messenger of Allah). If I thought you were
Allah's Messenger, I wouldn't be fighting against you, would I?'
Calmly, the Prophet (pbuh) agreed that he should be referred
to in the treaty as Muhammad', son of 'Abd Allah. The Muslims
were very upset at this, and 'Umar furiously cried out, 'Are you
not Allah's Messenger, and are we not Muslims? How can we
accept such treatment when we are right and they are wrong?
This will make people laugh at our religion!' But the Prophet
(pbuh) knew what was best and the Treaty of Hudaybiyah was
signed.
66In this treaty the two sides agreed to stop fighting for a
period often years. It was also agreed that the Muslims should
go back to Medinah immediately but that they could return the
following year for the pilgrimage. This pilgrimage would last
three days. In addition, the treaty allowed Muslims wishing to
leave Islam and return to Mecca to do so.
It also permitted Meccans to leave and become Muslims
provided they had the permission of their guardians. The
Muslims agreed to send any Meccan who did not have their
guardian's permission back to Mecca.
Suhayl's son had come with his father with the idea of
joining the Prophet (pbuh) but when the treaty was signed he
was, of course, forced to return to Mecca. He cried bitterly.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, '0 Abu Jandal, be patient and control
yourself. Allah will provide relief and find a way out for you
and others like you.'
The majority of the Muslims were very disappointed when
they heard the terms of the agreement and thought that it
should not have been accepted. They did not realize that this
was in fact a great victory for the Prophet (pbuh), which Allah
would later confirm in a Revelation. The agreement made sure
that the following year they would enter Mecca peacefully, and
in time would result in Muslims becoming stronger and more
respected throughout Arabia. At the time the treaty was
signed the Muslims could not have foreseen that the number
of people who would travel to Medinah to become Muslims in
following year would be greater than in all the years before.
Before the Muslims departed, they followed the Prophet's
example of making sacrifice and either shaving or cutting their
hair. Even though they were unable to visit the sacred
mosque, their pilgrimage was accepted by Allah because it had
been their true intention.

» موضوع: This is Muhammad part 2
» موضوع: (This is Muhammad(PBUH هذا هو محمد(ص)