Belief in the Last Day

Subject: Belief in the Last Day Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:22 pm

Belief In the Last Day
Author: Sheikh Muhammed Sahih Ibn al-Uthaimeen

The
Last Day is the Day when mankind will be resurrected to be asked about
their deeds and receive reward or punishment for them. It is called "the
Last Day," because it is the last day, no day after that. Afterwards,
people of Paradise will permanently reside and take their places in it,
and people of Hell will permanently reside and take their places in it.

Belief In The Last Day Has Three Parts

1.
To believe in the Resurrection. - The Resurrection happens when the
Horn will be blown for the second time. Afterwards, mankind will be
resurrected to face the questioning by the Lord of the worlds. They will
neither be wearing shoes nor circumcised, and they will be naked and
visible to others on this state, (however, everyone will be absolutely
preoccupied with what they are going to face and the hardship of the Day
of Resurrection). Allah said, what translated means, "As We began the
first creation, We shall repeat it, (it is) a promise binding upon Us.
Truly, We shall do it." [Al-Anbyaa 21:104]

{كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ}

الأنبياء: 104

Transliteration: kama badana awwala khalqin nuAAeeduhu waAAdan AAalayna inna kunna faAAileena

The
Resurrection is a true event that the Qur'aan, the Sunnah and the
consensus of Muslims have confirmed. Allah said, what translated means,
"After that, surely you will die. Then (again), surely, you will be
resurrected on the Day of Resurrection." [Al-Muminon 23:15-16]

{ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ ﴿١٥﴾ ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ}

المؤمنون: 15-16

Transliteration: Thumma innakum baAAda thalika lamayyitoona (15) Thumma innakum yawma alqiyamati tubAAathoona

The
Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam) said, what translated means, "On
the Day of Resurrection, Mankind wilt be resurrected while they are
bear-footed and naked." [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

«إنكم محشورون حفاة عراة »

صحيح البخاري ومسلم

The
Muslims are unanimous on confirming the Day of Resurrection. This is
the wisdom of Allah, for He decreed that creation will have a day of
reckoning for their deeds after He sent them Messengers to inform them
of His Commandments. He said, what translated means, "Did you think that
We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would
not be brought back to Us?" [Al-Muminon 23:115]

{أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ}

المؤمنون: 115

Transliteration: Afahasibtum annama khalaqnakum AAabathan waannakum ilayna la turjaAAoona

and,
"Verily, He Who has given you (O Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi
wa-sallam)) the Qur'aan will surely bring you back to the Ma'ad (place
of return)." [Al-Qasas 28:85]

{إِنَّ الَّذِي فَرَضَ عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لَرَادُّكَ إِلَىٰ مَعَادٍ}

القصص: 85

Transliteration: Inna allathee farada AAalayka alqurana laradduka ila maAAadin

2.
To believe in the Reckoning - In the Last Day, the slave will be
rewarded or punished for his deeds. This fact was also confirmed by the
Qur'aan, the Sunnah and the consensus of Muslims. Allah said, what
translated means, "Verily, to Us will be their return. Then verily, for
Us will be their Reckoning." [Al-Ghashya 88:25-26]

{إِنَّ إِلَيْنَا إِيَابَهُمْ ﴿٢٥﴾ ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُم}

الغاشية: 25-26

Transliteration: Inna ilayna iyabahum (25) Thumma inna AAalayna hisabahum

"Whoever
brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit,
and whoever brings an evil deed shall have only the recompense of the
like thereof and they will not be wronged." [ِAl-Ana'am 6:160]

{مَن
جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ۖ وَمَن جَاءَ
بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ}

الأنعام: 160

Transliteration: Man jaa bialhasanati falahu AAashru amthaliha waman jaa bialssayyiati fala yujza illa mithlaha wahum la yuthlamoona

and,
"And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection,
then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the
weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it And Sufficient are We as
Reckoners." [Al-Anbyaa 21:47].

{وَنَضَعُ
الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ
شَيْئًا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ
وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ}

الأنبياء: 47

Transliteration: WanadaAAu almawazeena alqista liyawmi alqiyamati fala tuthlamu nafsun shayan wain kana mithqala habbatin min khardalin atayna biha wakafa bina hasibeena

The
Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam) said, what translated means,
"Allah will bring the believer closer to Him, and will shield him form
being exposed (for his evil deeds in front of everyone). He will say:
"Do you remember such and such (evil) deed? Do you remember such and
such (evil) deed?' He will say: "Yes, O my Lord!' When He gets his
confessions for his evil deeds, and he (the salve) thinks that he is
close to destruction, he will say: "I have preserved you (from being
exposed in front of others for these evil deeds) during your lifetime.
Today, I forgive them for you.' Then, he will be given his record of
deeds. As for the disbelievers and the hypocrites, they will be called
in public: "These are the ones who lied on their Lord (did not follow
His Guidance sent down with their Prophets). Therefore, Allah's curse
will befall the unjust ones. Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim

«إن
الله يدني المؤمن، فيضع عليه كنفه ويستره، فيقول: أتعرف ذنب كذا: أتعرف
ذنب كذا؟ فيقول: نعم أي رب، حتى إذا قرره بذنوبه، ورأى في نفسه أنه هلك،
قال: سترتها عليك في الدنيا، وأنا أغفرها لك اليوم، فيعطى كتاب حسناته.
وأما الكافر والمنافق، فيقول الأشهاد: {هؤلاء الذين كذبوا على ربهم ألا
لعنة الله على الظالمين}»

صحيح البخاري ومسلم

And,"Whoever
intends to perform a good deed, and doesn't do it, Allah will record it
for him one deed, and if he performs it, Allah will record it for him
as ten deeds, to seven hundredfold, to many more folds. Whoever intends
to commit and evil deed, and doesn't do it, Allah will record it for him
one good deed, and if he commits it, Allah will record it as one evil
deed." [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

«فمن
هم بحسنة فلم يعملها كتبها الله عنده حسنة كاملة . وإن هم بها فعملها
كتبها الله عز وجل عنده عشر حسنات إلى سبعمائة ضعف إلى أضعاف كثيرة . وإن
هم بسيئة فلم يعملها كتبها الله عنده حسنة كاملة . وإن هم بها فعملها ،
كتبها الله سيئة واحدة »

صحيح البخاري ومسلم

Muslims
are unanimous that the Day of Reckoning will come. This is the Wisdom
of Allah. He revealed the Books, sent down the Messengers and commanded
that they be accepted, followed and obeyed. He commanded that whoever
oppose them (the Books and the Messengers) are to be fought. He
permitted shedding their blood, and the seizure of their children, women
and possessions. If there will not be a Day of Reckoning, then this
Commandment will be time wasted. Allah is immune form such joyful play.
"Then surely, We shall question those (people) to who it (the Book) was
sent and verily, We shall question the Messengers. Then surely, We shall
narrate unto them (their whole story) with knowledge, and indeed We
were not absent.' [Al-A'araf 7:6-7].

{فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيْهِم بِعِلْمٍ ۖ وَمَا كُنَّا غَائِبِينَ}

الأعراف: 6-7

Transliteration: Falanasalanna allatheena orsila ilayhim walanasalanna almursaleena (6) Falanaqussanna AAalayhim biAAilmin wama kunna ghaibeena

3. To believe in Paradise and Hell -They
are the final destination for whoever deserves either one of them, and
for eternity. Paradise is the destination of the ultimate happiness and
joy that Allah prepared for the believers who feared Him, believed in
what He required from them to believe and obeyed Him and His Messenger.
They are the ones who were sincere to Allah and followers of His
Messenger. Paradise contains, of Allah's bounties, "What no eye has ever
violated, what no ear has ever heard of and what no mind has ever
imagined (of joys that Allah hid for the believers)." Allah said, what
translated means, "Verily, those who believe (in Allah) and do
righteous, good deeds, they are the best of creatures. Their reward with
their Lord is Gardens of Eternity, underneath which rivers flow, they
will abide therein forever, Allah Well-Pleased with them, and they with
Him. That is for him who fears his Lord." [Al-Bayna 98:7-8]

{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ ﴿٧﴾جَزَاؤُهُمْ
عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۖ رَّضِيَ اللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ
ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ}

البينة: 7-8

Transliteration: Inna allatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati olaika hum khayru albariyyati (7) Jazaohum AAinda rabbihim jannatu AAadnin tajree min tahtiha alanharu khalideena feeha abadan radiya Allahu AAanhum waradoo AAanhu thalika liman khashiya rabbahu

And, "No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.)' [Al-Sajda 32:17]

{فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ}

السجدة: 17

Transliteration: Fala taAAlamu nafsun ma okhfiya lahum min qurrati aAAyunin jazaan bima kanoo yaAAmaloona

As
for Hell, it is the destination of torment and punishment that Allah
prepared for the unjust disbelievers. They are the ones who disbelieved
in Him and disobeyed His Messengers. Hell contains kinds of punishment
and torment that no one could ever imagine. Allah said, what translated
means, "And fear the Fire, which is prepared for the disbelievers."
[Aal-i-Imraan 3: 131]

{وَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ}

آل عمران: 131

Transliteration: Waittaqoo alnnara allatee oAAiddat lilkafireena

"We
have prepared for the wrongdoers, a Fire whose walls will be
surrounding them. And if they ask for help (relief, water etc.) they
will be granted water like boiling oil that will scald their faces.
Terrible the drink, and an evil dwelling." [Al-Kahf 18: 29]

{إِنَّا
أَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا ۚ وَإِن
يَسْتَغِيثُوا يُغَاثُوا بِمَاءٍ كَالْمُهْلِ يَشْوِي الْوُجُوهَ ۚ بِئْسَ
الشَّرَابُ وَسَاءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا}

الكهف: 29

Transliteration: inna aAAtadna lilththalimeena naran ahata bihim suradiquha wain yastagheethoo yughathoo bimain kaalmuhli yashwee alwujooha bisa alshsharabu wasaat murtafaqan

and,
"Verily, Allah has cursed the disbelievers, and has prepared for them a
flaming Fire (Hell). Wherein, they will abide forever, and they will
find neither a protector nor a helper. On the Day when their faces will
be turned and rolled form all sides in the Fire, they will say: "Oh,
would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad)."
[Al-Ahzab 33:64-66]

{إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَعَنَ الْكَافِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ سَعِيرًا ﴿٦٤﴾ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۖ لَّا يَجِدُونَ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا ﴿٦٥﴾ يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّـهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا}

الأحزاب: 64-66

Transliteration: Inna Allaha laAAana alkafireena waaAAadda lahum saAAeeran (64) Khalideena feeha abadan la yajidoona waliyyan wala naseeran (65) Yawma tuqallabu wujoohuhum fee alnnari yaqooloona ya laytana ataAAna Allaha waataAAna alrrasoola

Belief in Life After Death: Believing in the Last Day requires Muslims to also believe in life after death and in the following:

1.
The questioning in the grave. The dead will be asked, in their graves,
about the lord, the religion and the Prophet they followed during their
lifetime. Allah will lead the believer to say what is necessary, saying,
"Allah is my Lord. My religion is Islam. My Prophet is Muhammad
(sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam)." As for the unjust, Allah will lead him
to misguidance saying, in answer to the above questions "What! What! I
do not know." Also! the hypocrites and the ones who always had doubts
about Allah.

The
Prophet said “You will be asked, 'What do you know about this man (the
Prophet Muhammad)?' Then the faithful believer (or Asma' said a similar
word) will reply, 'He is Muhammad Allah's Apostle who had come to us
with clear evidences and guidance and so we accepted his teachings and
followed him. And he is Muhammad.' And he will repeat it thrice. Then
the angels will say to him, 'Sleep in peace as we have come to know that
you were a faithful believer.' On the other hand, a hypocrite or a
doubtful person will reply, 'I do not know, but I heard the people
saying something and so I said it.' (the same)." [Saheeh al-Bukhari and
Saheeh Muslim]

«يؤتى
أحدكم فيقال له: ما علمك بهذا الرجل؟ فأما المؤمن، أو الموقن، لا أدري أي
ذلك قالت أسماء، فيقول: محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، جاءنا بالبينات
والهدى، فأجبنا وآمنا واتبعنا، فيقال له نم صالحا، فقد علمنا إن كنت
لموقنا، وأما المنافق، أو المرتاب، لا أدري أيتهما قالت أسماء، فيقول: لا
أدري، سمعت الناس يقولون شيئا فقلته»

صحيح البخاري ومسلم

2.
The torment or joy in the grave. The unjust, the disbelievers and the
hypocrites will be tormented in their graves. Allah said, what
translated means, "And if you but see when the wrongdoers are in the
agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands
(saying): "Deliver your souls; this day you shall be recompensed with
the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter against
Allah other than the truth. And you used to reject his Ayat (proofs,
signs, evidences, etc.) with disrespect" [Al-An'aam 6: 93]

{وَلَوْ
تَرَىٰ إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ
بَاسِطُو أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُوا أَنفُسَكُمُ ۖ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ
عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّـهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ
وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهِ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ}

الأنعام: 93

Transliteration: walaw tara ithi alththalimoona fee ghamarati almawti waalmalaikatu basitoo aydeehim akhrijoo anfusakumu alyawma tujzawna AAathaba alhooni bima kuntum taqooloona AAala Allahi ghayra alhaqqi wakuntum AAan ayatihi tastakbiroona

and
about Pharaoh's people, "The Fire; they are exposed to it, morning and
afternoon, and on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be
said to the angels): "Cause Pharaoh's people to enter the severest
Torment" [Ghafer 40:46]

{النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا ۖ وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ}

غافر: 46

Transliteration: Alnnaru yuAAradoona AAalayha ghuduwwan waAAashiyyan wayawma taqoomu alssaAAatu adkhiloo ala firAAawna ashadda alAAathabi

Zaid
ibn Thabit (radiyallaahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu
alaihi wa-sallam) said to his companions what translated means, "I would
have asked Allah to let you hear what I am hearing from the punishment
in the grave, but for the fear that you would not bury each other after
that" Then the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam) turned his face
towards them, saying, "Seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the
Fire." They said, "We seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the
Fire." He said, "Seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the grave."
They said, "We seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the grave." He
said, "Seek refuge in Allah from all calamities, apparent or hidden."
They said, "We seek refuge in Allah from all calamities, apparent or
hidden." He said, "Seek refuge in Allah from the calamity of Al-A"war
Ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah)." They said, "We seek refuge lit Allah
from the calamity of Al-A"war Ad-Da.jjal." [Saheeh Muslim]

«إن
هذه الأمة تبتلى في قبورها. فلولا أن لا تدافنوا، لدعوت لله أن يسمعكم من
عذاب القبر الذي أسمع منه" ثم أقبل علينا بوجهه، فقال "تعوذوا بالله من
عذاب النار" قالوا: نعوذ بالله من عذاب النار. فقال" تعوذوا بالله من عذاب
القبر "قالوا: نعوذ بالله من عذاب القبر. قال "تعوذوا بالله من الفتن، ما
ظهر منها وما بطن" قالوا: نعوذ بالله من الفتن، ما ظهر منها وما بطن. قال
"تعوذوا بالله من فتنة الدجال" قالوا: نعوذ بالله من فتنة الدجال»

صحيح مسلم

As
for joys of the grave, they are given to the believers. Allah said,
what translated means, "Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah
(alone)," and then they stood fast on them (these words that they say),
on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying):
"Fear you not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise
which you have been promised?" [Fusilat 41:30]

{إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ
عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا
بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ}

فصلت: 30

Transliteration: Inna allatheena qaloo rabbuna Allahu thumma istaqamoo tatanazzalu AAalayhimu almalaikatu alla takhafoo wala tahzanoo waabshiroo bialjannati allatee kuntum tooAAadoona

and,
"Then why do you not (intervene) when (the soul of a dying person)
reaches the throat? And you at the moment are looking on? But We (our
angels who take the soul) are nearer to him than you, but you see not.
Then why do you not, if you are exempt from the reckoning and recompense
(punishment). Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful?
Then if he (the dying person) be of those near ones (close to Allah),
(there is for him) rest and provisions, and a Garden of Delights
(Paradise)." [Al-Waaqia 56: 83-89]

{فَلَوْلَا إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَأَنتُمْ حِينَئِذٍ تَنظُرُونَ ﴿٨٤﴾ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٨٥﴾ فَلَوْلَا إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ ﴿٨٦﴾ تَرْجِعُونَهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ﴿٨٧﴾ فَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ ﴿٨٨﴾ فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّتُ نَعِيمٍ}

الواقعة: 83-89

Transliteration: Falawla itha balaghati alhulqooma (83) Waantum heenaithin tanthuroona (84) Wanahnu aqrabu ilayhi minkum walakin la tubsiroona (85) Falawla in kuntum ghayra madeeneena (86) TarjiAAoonaha in kuntum sadiqeena (87) Faamma in kana mina almuqarrabeena (88) Farawhun warayhanun wajannatu naAAeemin

Al-Baraa'
ibn Azib narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam) said
about the believer, that after he is asked by the angels (about the
lord, the religion and the Messenger he followed) and after he replies
(saying that his Lord is Allah, his religion is Islam and his Messenger
is Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam), "A caller from heaven will
say: "My slave has said the truth. Therefore, furnish him (his grave)
from Paradise, dress him from Paradise and open a door for him to
Paradise." Then he said, "He will receive from its tranquility and
perfume. His grave will be enlarged for him the distance that his sight
reaches." [Musnad Ahmad]

«فيأتيه ملكان
فيجلسان فيقولان له من ربك فيقول ربي الله فيقولان له ما دينك فيقول ديني
الإسلام فيقولان له ما هذا الرجل الذي بعث فيكم فيقول هو رسول الله صلى
الله عليه وسلم فيقولان له وما عملك فيقول قرأت كتاب الله فآمنت به وصدقت
فينادي مناد في السماء أن صدق عبدي فافرشوه من الجنة وألبسوه من الجنة
وافتحوا له بابا إلى الجنة قال فيأتيه من روحها وطيبها ويفسح له في قبره مد
بصره»

مسند أحمد

Benefits of Believing in the Last Day

1. The desire to do righteous, good deeds, seeking the good results in the Last Day.
2. The fear from committing and approving of evil deeds, fearing the torment of the Day of Reckoning.
3. The believer feels that this belief makes him
forget the hardships he faces in this life. He is preoccupied with
working righteousness trying to reach the joys and good rewards of the
Last Day.

Some
disbelievers reject the idea of life after death saying that this is
not possible. This claim is false. Religion, the senses and the mind are
used to refute this claim.

As
for Religion, Allah said, what translated means: "The disbelievers
pretend that they will never be resurrected (for the account). Say (O
Muhammad): "Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you
will be informed (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy
for Allah." [Al-Taghaboon 64:7]

{زَعَمَ
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا ۚ قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي
لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى
اللَّـهِ يَسِيرٌ}

التغابن: 7

Transliteration: ZaAAama allatheena kafaroo an lan yubAAathoo qul bala warabbee latubAAathunna thumma latunabbaonna bima AAamiltum wathalika AAala Allahi yaseerun

All Scriptures are unanimous on this matter.

As
for the Senses, Allah demonstrated to his slaves how He raised the dead
in this life. In Surat Al-Baqarah. Allah mentioned five examples:

1.
The People of Moses said to him, "We will no believe in you unless we
see Allah without a barrier." They were seized by death and then Allah
resurrected them. To remind the Children of Israel with this story,
Allah said, what translated means, "And (remember) when you said: "O
Moses: We shall never believe in you till we see Allah Plainly." But you
were seized with a thunder-bolt (lightening) while you were looking.
Then We raised you up after your death, so that you might be grateful."
[Al-Baqara 2:55-56]

{وَإِذْ
قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ نَرَى اللَّـهَ جَهْرَةً
فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾ ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ}

البقرة: 55-56

Transliteration: Waith qultum ya moosa lan numina laka hatta nara Allaha jahratan faakhathatkumu alssaAAiqatu waantum tanthuroona (55) Thumma baAAathnakum min baAAdi mawtikum laAAallakum tashkuroona

2.
The story of the murdered man whom the Children of Israel differed as
to who killed him. Allah ordered them to sacrifice a cow and strike him
with some of its parts. so he can tell them who killed him, "And
(remember) when you killed a man and fell into dispute among yourselves
as to the crime. But Allah brought forth that which you were hiding. So
We said: "Strike him (the dead man) with a piece of it (the cow)." Thus
Allah brings the dead to life and shows you His signs so that you may
understand." [Al-Baqara 2:72-73]

Subject: Re: Belief in the Last Day Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:23 pm

{وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا ۖ وَاللَّـهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ ﴿٧٢﴾ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّـهُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ}

البقرة: 72-73

Transliteration: Waith qataltum nafsan faiddaratum feeha waAllahu mukhrijun ma kuntum taktumoona (72) Faqulna idriboohu bibaAAdiha kathalika yuhyee Allahu almawta wayureekum ayatihi laAAallakum taAAqiloona

3.
The story of the nation that escaped from its land for fear of death by
the hands of their enemies, although their number was in the thousands.
Allah made death seize them and then raised them back to life, "Did you
(O Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam)) not think of those who went
forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death? Allah said to them:
"Die." And then He restored them to life. Truly, Allah is full of
Bounty to mankind, but most men thank not." [Al-Baqara 2:243]

{أَلَمْ
تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ
الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ اللَّـهُ مُوتُوا ثُمَّ أَحْيَاهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ
اللَّـهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا
يَشْكُرُونَ}

البقرة: 243

Transliteration: Alam tara ila allatheena kharajoo min diyarihim wahum oloofun hathara almawti faqala lahumu Allahu mootoo thumma ahyahum inna Allaha lathoo fadlin AAala alnnasi walakinna akthara alnnasi la yashkuroona

4.
The story of the person who passed by a village that all its
inhabitants had died. He could not imagine that Allah can resurrect
them. Allah made death seize him for a hundred years and then raised him
from the dead, Or (think you of) such as he who passed by a town all in
utter ruins. He said: "Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after
it's death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised
him up (again). He said: "How long did you remain (dead)?" He (the man)
said: "(Perhaps) I remained (dead) a day or a part of a day." He said:
"Nay, you have remained (dead) for a hundred years, look at your food
and at your drink, they show no change; and look at your donkey! And
thus We have made of you a Sign for the people. Look at the bones, how
We bring them together and clothe them with flesh." When this was
clearly shown to him, he said: "I Know (now) that Allah is Able to do
all things." [Al-Baqara 2:259]

{أَوْ
كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا
قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَـٰذِهِ اللَّـهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ
اللَّـهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ
لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ
فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ
حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ
كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ
قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ}

البقرة: 259

Transliteration: Aw kaallathee marra AAala qaryatin wahiya khawiyatun AAala AAurooshiha qala anna yuhyee hathihi Allahu baAAda mawtiha faamatahu Allahu miata AAamin thumma baAAathahu qala kam labithta qala labithtu yawman aw baAAda yawmin qala bal labithta miata AAamin faonthur ila taAAamika washarabika lam yatasannah waonthur ila himarika walinajAAalaka ayatan lilnnasi waonthur ila alAAithami kayfa nunshizuha thumma naksooha lahman falamma tabayyana lahu qala aAAlamu anna Allaha AAala kulli shayin qadeerun

5.
The story of Abraham who asked Allah to show him how He raises the
dead. Allah ordered him to kill four birds, cut them in parts and spread
the parts over the surrounding mountains. He told him to call the dead
birds, and that he did. These parts were collected (by Allah's Power)
and the birds came back to life and they came to Abraham. Allah said,
what translated means, "And (remember) when Abraham said: "My Lord! Show
me how You give life to the dead. " He (Allah) said: "Do you not
believe?" He (Abraham) said: "Yes (I believe), but to be stronger in
faith." He said: "Take four bird, then cause them to incline towards you
(slaughter them, Cut them into pieces), and then put a portion of them
on every hill, and call them, they will come to you in haste. And know
that Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise." [Al-Baqara 2:260]

{وَإِذْ
قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ
أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي ۖ قَالَ
فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ
عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ
سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ}

البقرة: 260

Transliteration: Waith qala ibraheemu rabbi arinee kayfa tuhyee almawta qala awalam tumin qala bala walakin liyatmainna qalbee qala fakhuth arbaAAatan mina alttayri fasurhunna ilayka thumma ijAAal AAala kulli jabalin minhunna juzan thumma odAAuhunna yateenaka saAAyan waiAAlam anna Allaha AAazeezun hakeemun

These
are five examples of incidents that happened. They prove that raising
the dead can happen by the will of Allah. We mentioned before that Jesus
raised the dead from their graves, by the will of Allah.

As for the Mind, there are two ways to correctly use it to confirm raising the dead:

1.
Allah is the One who started the creation of heavens and earth. The One
who is Capable of starting the creation is also Capable of restarting
it. Allah said, what translated means, "And He is Who originates the
creation, then will repeat it (after it has been perished), and this is
easier for Him." [Ar-Room 30:27]

{وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ}

الروم: 27

Transliteration: Wahuwa allathee yabdao alkhalqa thumma yuAAeeduhu wahuwa ahwanu AAalayhi

and,
"As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it, (it is) a promise
binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it." [Al-Anbiyaa 21:104]

{كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُ ۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ}

الأنبياء: 104

Transliteration: kama badana awwala khalqin nuAAeeduhu waAAdan AAalayna inna kunna faAAileena

and
to the one who denied that Allah will give life to the bones when they
have rotted away, "Say (O Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam)): ""He
will give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He is
the All-Knower of every creation." [Yaseen 36:79]

{قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ}

يس: 79

Transliteration: Qul yuhyeeha allathee anshaaha awwala marratin wahuwa bikulli khalqin AAaleemun

2.
It is noticed that the soil can become dry and that trees and plants
die. When Allah sends the rain, the soil comes back to life and plants
of all kinds grow and become green. The One who brings life back to the
dead soil is Capable of raising the dead. Allah said, what translated
means, "And among His Signs (in this), that you see the earth barren,
but when We send down water (rain) to it, it is stirred to life and
growth (of vegetation). Verily, He Who gives it life, surely. (He) is
Able to give life to the dead (on the Day of Resurrection). Indeed! He
is Able to do all things." [Fusilat 41:39]

{وَمِنْ
آيَاتِهِ أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْأَرْضَ خَاشِعَةً فَإِذَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا
الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِي أَحْيَاهَا لَمُحْيِي
الْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ}

فصلت: 39

Transliteration: Wamin ayatihi annaka tara alarda khashiAAatan faitha anzalna AAalayha almaa ihtazzat warabat inna allathee ahyaha lamuhyee almawta innahu AAala kulli shayin qadeerun

"And
We send down blessed water (rain) from the sky then We produce
therewith gardens and grain (all harvests that are reaped). And tall
date-palms, with ranged clusters; A provisions for (Allah's) slaves. And
We give life therewith to dead land. Thus will be the Resurrection (of
the dead)." [Qaf 50:9-11]

{وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً مُّبَارَكًا فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ ﴿٩﴾ وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ ﴿١٠﴾ رِّزْقًا لِّلْعِبَادِ ۖ وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ الْخُرُوجُ}

ق: 9-11

Transliteration: Wanazzalna mina alssamai maan mubarakan faanbatna bihi jannatin wahabba alhaseedi (9) Waalnnakhla basiqatin laha talAAun nadeedun (10) Rizqan lilAAibadi waahyayna bihi baldatan maytan kathalika alkhurooju

Some
misguided people reject punishment or joy in the grave claiming that
this cannot happen. They claim that if one exhumes the dead, he will
find the grave as it was left and that it did not change in size. This
claim is rejected by the Shari'ah, the senses and the mind:

As
for the Shari'ah, we mentioned some texts before. These texts confirm
the punishment or joy in the grave. Ibn Abbas (radiyallaahu anhuma)
said, "The Prophet passed by some walls in Madinah. He heard the screams
of two persons who were being punished in their graves." The Prophet
(sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam) mentioned the reasons behind this
punishment, "One of them did not protect himself (his clothes) form
urine. The other one was spreading (sawing) differences (between
people)." [Saheeh al-Bukhari]

«خرج
النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من بعض حيطان المدينة، فسمع صوت إنسانين يعذبان
في قبورهما، فقال: (يعذبان، وما يعذبان في كبير، وإنه لكبير، كان أحدهما لا
يستتر من البول، وكان الآخر يمشي بالنميمة)»

صحيح البخاري

As
for the Senses, we know that, while dreaming, the one who is asleep
sees that he is enjoying a huge space or that he is feeling pain because
he is squeezed in a small area. Sometimes, one's sleep is interrupted
because of such nightmares, although he is still in his bed. Sleeping is
similar to dying. Allah said, what translated means, "It is Allah Who
takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not
during their sleep. He keep those (souls) for which He had ordained
death and sends the rest for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs
for a people who think deeply." [Az-Zumur 39:42]

{للَّـهُ
يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي
مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ
الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ
لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ}

الزمر: 42

Transliteration: Allahu yatawaffa alanfusa heena mawtiha waallatee lam tamut fee manamiha fayumsiku allatee qada AAalayha almawta wayursilu alokhra ila ajalin musamman inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yatafakkaroona

As
for the Mind, sometimes one sees dreams that may later happen in real
life. Some Muslims may see the Prophet in their dreams. Whoever sees the
Prophet, on the shape that he was described in books of Hadith, is
saying the truth in that he saw him. This happens while one is still in
his bed. If this is the case in this material life, what about matters
of the other life?

As
for their claim that when one exhumes a dead body, that no signs of
abnormal change, either in the body or the grave itself, are detected,
we say the following:

1.
The Shari'ah cannot be rejected by depending on these doubts. These
doubts can easily be refuted, providing one uses his mind. There is a
popular saying: "There are many who refute a truth, while the problem
lies with their limited comprehension."

2.
Life in the grave is a matter of the unseen. The senses cannot unveil
the unseen. If matters of the unseen are unveiled by the senses, then
belief in the unseen will not have any useful meaning, in which case
believing or disbelieving is irrelevant, since there would be no matters
of the unseen to believe in.

3.
Only the dead feel the punishment or joy in the grave. Also, the one
who is dreaming is the only one who is experiencing the pain of being
squeezed in a small space or the joy of being in an open area. Others do
not feel the same as the one who is experiencing these dreams, although
he is still in his bed. The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa-sallam) used
to receive revelation while he was among his companions and the
companions did not hear the revelation. Sometimes, the angel came in the
shape of an invisible man. The companions did not see the angel while
he was delivering revelation to the Messenger.

4.
Humans have limited comprehension and understanding of the universe.
They only understand what Allah gave them the capability to understand.
They do not understand all of the existence. The seven heavens, the
earth and all that which is therein praise Allah. Allah, sometimes,
gives the power to some of His creation to hear such praise. Humans
cannot hear such praise. Allah said, what translated means, "The seven
heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is
not a thing but glorifies His praise. But you understand not their
glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving." [Al-Israa
17:44]

{تُسَبِّحُ
لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِن مِّن
شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ
تَسْبِيحَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا}

الإسراء: 44

Transliteration: Tusabbihu lahu alssamawatu alssabAAu waalardu waman feehinna wain min shayin illa yusabbihu bihamdihi walakin la tafqahoona tasbeehahum innahu kana haleeman ghafooran

Also,
devils and the Jinn go about in the earth. The Jinn came to the
Messenger and listened to his recitation of the Qur'aan. When he
finished, they went back to their nation to convey the Message to them.
However, this creation is out of the reach of human's Comprehension, "O
Children of Adam! Let not Satan deceive you, as he got your parents
(Adam and Eve) out of Paradise, stripping them of their raiment, to show
them their private parts. Verily, he and his soldiers see you from
where you will not see them. Verily, We made the devils protectors (and
helpers) for those who believe not." [Al-A'raaf 7:27].

{يَا
بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُم
مِّنَ الْجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا
سَوْآتِهِمَا ۗ إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا
تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا
يُؤْمِنُونَ}

الأعراف:27

Transliteration: Ya banee adama la yaftinannakumu alshshaytanu kama akhraja abawaykum mina aljannati yanziAAu AAanhuma libasahuma liyuriyahuma sawatihima innahu yarakum huwa waqabeeluhu min haythu la tarawnahum inna jaAAalna alshshayateena awliyaa lillatheena la yuminoona

Creation
can neither reach what is beyond their comprehension nor understand all
the existence. Therefore, one cannot dispute "flatters of the unseen
that he cannot comprehend

Brought From Wathakker

Subject: Re: Belief in the Last Day Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:26 pm

Episode 9 | The Cruelty of Quraysh

Assalamu Alikum

Below is episode 9:

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.

In 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.
On 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.

nstead 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
came 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.

To be continued inshala

Asalamu Alikum
Episode 10 | The Year of Sorrow

Assalamu Alikum dear members,

Below is episode 10:

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 they 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 be the beginning of great changes.

Episode 11 | The Night Journey and the Ascent to Heaven

Assalamu Alikum dear members,

Below is Episode 11:

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.

In 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.
Isn'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)

Assalamu Alikum
[b]Episode 12 | The Treaty of 'Aqabah

Assalamu Alikum

Below is Episode 12:

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 he invited
them to sit with him. He explained to them what Islam meant and recited
to them from the Koran. When they heard the Koran recited it 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.

The 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.

To be continued inshala

Assalamu Alikum
[/b]Episode 13 | Al-Hijrah

[center]Below is Episode 13:

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).
In 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.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.
Then 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.

In 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

[/center]

Subject: Re: Belief in the Last Day Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:28 pm

[b]Episode 14 | Arrival in Yathrib

Assalamu Alikum dear members,

Below is Episode 14:

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 was 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.

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!"'

When 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.

To be continued inshala

Assalamu Alikum
[/b][b]Episode 15 | The Battle of Badr

Assalamu Alikum dear members,

Below is Episode 15:

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)
The 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.
We 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.

The 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, Ɔ 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. Ɔ 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.

As 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 Medinah to 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)

To be continued Inshala
[/b]Episode 16 | Uhud-Defeat Comes From Disobedience

Assalamu Alikum dear members,

Below is Episode 16:

When the survivors of the defeated Quraysh at
Badr to Mecca gathered to speak with Abu Sufyan. They said, 'Muhammad
has the 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 army 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, Ɔ 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.'
But 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 Muslims 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.'

Abu 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 hit 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 been 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.

There 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.
Of 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 for their weakness.

To be continued Inshala

Assalamu Alikum
Episode 17 |The Battle of the Trench

Below is Episode 17:

When the Prophet (Pbuh) first arrived in Medinah, the 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.

The 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 Medinah itself. 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 Moses 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 at Madinah 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.

When 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 **** 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.

The 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, was pressed
by a Jewish emissary from the enemy, 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 that it was 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 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 **** a meal or warm themselves by.

On 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
**** 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.

Subject: Re: Belief in the Last Day Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:30 pm

Episode 18 | The Treaty of Hudaybiyah

Below is Episode 18:

Quraysh 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 were 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.

Messengers 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.
In this treaty the two sides agreed to stop
fighting for a period of ten 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, Ɔ 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 the 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.

On the return journey to Medinah, the 'Victory' chapter of the Koran was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh). It begins:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Surely We have given thee (0 Muhammad) a clear
victory, That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin That which is past and
that which is to come, And may complete His blessings upon thee, And
may guide thee on the right path, And that Allah may help thee with
mighty help". (Koran xlviii.1-3)
Now most of those who left Mecca to join the
Prophet (pbuh) without the consent of their guardians and were turned
back by him as agreed, Did not in fact return to Mecca, but lived
instead in groups along the seashore. Then they were joined by others
who had left Mecca but these groups began to endanger Quraysh caravans
which were passing by and disrupted their trade because of this,
Quraysh told the Prophet (pbuh) that if he wanted to take these new
Muslims, they would not ask for them to be returned. The young men,
therefore, joined the Prophet (pbuh) and the people in Mecca and
Medinah grew more at ease with one another.

The young men from the seashore were shortly
followed by those Muslims who were still living in Abyssinia, and soon
the numbers of believers in Medinah had doubled.
About this time, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, the great
warrior who had defeated the Muslims at Uhud, set out from Mecca for
Medinah. Along the way he met 'Amr Ibn al-'As, the clever speaker who
had pursued the Muslims when they fled to Abyssinia. 'Amr, who had
attempted to find asylum in Abyssinia, had just returned from that
country, the Negus having urged him to enter Islam. He asked Khalid,
'Where are you going?' Khalid replied, 'The way has become clear. The
man is certainly a Prophet, and by Allah, I am going to become a Muslim.
How much longer should I delay?' 'Amr Ibn al-As answered, 'I am
travelling for the same reason. So they both traveled on to Medinah to
join the Prophet(pbuh). The two men were, however, worried about meeting
the Prophet (pbuh) because of having fought against the Muslims in the
past.

Therefore, 'Amr came before Allah's Messenger he
said, 'O Prophet, will my past faults be forgiven and no mention made
of what has gone before?' The Prophet (pbuh) replied, 'Amr, Islam wipes
away everything that happened before, as does the hijrah.'

A year after the signing of the Treaty of
Hudaybiyah, the Prophet (pbuh) was able to lead two thousand pilgrims
on the 'Umra. Quraysh vacated Mecca and watched the rites from the
hills above the city. The agreed period of three days was observed,
after which the Muslims returned to Medinah.
[b]Episode 19 | The Invitation

Below is Episode 19:

The peace which the Treaty of Hudaybiyah guaranteed for ten years meant
people could travel from all over Arabia to visit the Prophet (pbuh)
and a great many came to declare their Islam. Also, during this period
the Prophet (pbuh) decided that the time had come for his message to be
taken to other countries, so he sent trusted companions with letters,
telling of his message, to the leaders of the most powerful nations of
the day.

It is recorded that he said, Allah has sent me as a mercy to all men,
so take the message from me that Allah has mercy on you.' It is also
recorded that some time before, when the Prophet (pbuh) was digging
before the Battle of the Trench, three flashes of lightning had blared
forth from a rock he had been striving to remove. These flashes had
shown him the fortresses of the civilizations to the South, East, and
West which were soon to come into Islam.
Now at the time the Prophet (pbuh) sent out his message. Abu Sufyan and
some other members of Quraysh were trading in Syria, a province of the
Eastern Roman Empire (later to be called Byzantium). Also, at about
this time the Emperor Heraclius, ruler of this Empire, had a dream, and
sadly told visitors to his court in Syria: 'I saw our Empire fall and
victory go to a people who do not follow our religion.' At first he
thought this must refer to the Jews and he even had it in mind to kill
all the Jews living under his rule but then an envoy from the governor
of Basra arrived with a message for the Emperor: 0 Emperor Heraclius.

there are some Arabs in the city who are speaking of wonderful
happenings in their country', and he then told of what he had heard
about the Prophet (pbuh).
On hearing this Heraclius commanded his soldiers: Go and find me
someone who can tell me more about this.' The soldiers, however, did
not find those who had been talking about the Prophet (pbuh), but
instead found Abu Sufyan and some of his companions and brought them
before the Emperor.

Heraclius asked, 'Is there anyone among you who is a close relative of
the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)?' Abu Sufyan replied, 'I am.' So the
Emperor addressed all the questions to him, thinking he would know the
Prophet (pbuh) best. He said, 'Tell me what is the Prophet's position
in your tribe" Abu Sufyan said, 'he is a member of our most respected
family. Did anyone before him say the kinds of things he says?' the
Emperor went on. 'No.' was the reply.' And was he ever accused of lying
or cheating?

Never. And then the Emperor asked: 'And what about his ideas and
opinions, and his powers of reasoning?' 'No one has ever had cause to
doubt him or find fault with his reasoning', replied Abu Sufyan. 'Who
follows him, the proud or the humble?' 'The humble.' 'Do his followers
increase or decrease?' 'They increase', said Abu Sufyan, 'none of his
followers leave him.' The Emperor then turned to other matters and
asked: 'If he makes a treaty, does he keep it?' 'Yes', Abu Sufyan
replied. 'Did you ever fight against him?' inquired the Emperor. To
which Abu Sufyan answered: 'Yes. Sometimes we won, sometimes he won,
but he never broke his word in any agreement.' The emperor then asked:
'What does he say people must do?' 'To worship one God', said Abu
Sufyan. 'He forbids people to worship as their fathers worshipped, and
says they must pray to Allah alone, give alms, keep their word, and
fulfil their duties and responsibilities.' Abu Sufyan had spoken the
truth even though he was an enemy of the prophet (pbuh), and did not
become a Muslim until the very end of his life. But he was afraid to
lie before the members of his caravan who were also there with him. The
meeting ended with these words from the Emperor: 'I see from this that
he is indeed a prophet. You said that his followers do not leave him
which proves they have true faith, for faith does not enter the heart
and then go away. I knew he was coming and if what you say is true, he
will surely conquer me. If I were with him now, I would wash his feet.
You may leave now.'

It was not long after this that the messenger, Dihyah, arrived at the
Syrian court bearing the Prophet Mohammed's letter which said, 'If you
accept Islam you will be safe and Allah will give you a double reward.
If you do not, you will have to live with results of your decision.'
Heraclius grabbed the letter. He was so upset he could hardly control
himself. He said to Dihyah, 'I know your master is a true prophet of
Allah. Our books tell of his coming.
If I were not afraid that the Romans would kill me, I would join Islam.
You must visit Bishop Daghatir and tell him every thing. His word is
more respected among the people than mine.' So Dihyah related the
message to the Bishop and when he heard it, Daghatir said, 'Yes, your
master whom we call Ahmed is mentioned in our scriptures.' He then
changed from his black ropes into white ones and went and spoke to the
people gathered in the church. 'O Romans, a letter has come to us from
Ahmed, in which he calls us to Allah. I bear witness that there is no
Divinity but Allah and that Ahmed is his slave and messenger.' (Ahmed
is another name for the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).) But on hearing this
the crowd grew angry and attacked Daghatir, beating him until he was
dead.

Heraclius was afraid that the same thing would happen to him, so he
spoke to his generals from a balcony saying, 'O Romans! A man has
written to me calling me to his religion I believe he is truly the
prophet we have been told to expect. Let us follow him so that we can
be happy in this world and the next.

' The Romans cried out in anger when they heard this, so Heraclius
quickly said, 'I was only pretending; I wanted to see how strong your
faith was. I am pleased to see that you are true to your religion.'
Heraclius then suggested that they attack or give land to the Muslims
in order to maintain peace, but the Romans refused. Realizing that he
could do no more, and knowing that one day Islam would conquer Syria,
Heraclius left the province and returned to Constantinople, the capital
of Eastern Roman Empire.

As he rode away he turned around to look back and said, 'Goodbye for
the last time, O land of Syria!' Meanwhile, another of the Prophet's
messengers arrived at the palace of Chosroes, the Shah (or king) of
Persia, where he was told by the royal guard: 'When you see the Shah,
you must bow and not lift your head until he speaks to you.' To this
the Prophet's messenger replied, `I will never do that. I bow only to
Allah.' 'Then the Shah will not accept the letter you bring', they
said. And when the time came for the messenger to see him, the Shah was
indeed very surprised to see the man holding his head high and
refusing to kneel respectfully before him like everyone else.
Nonetheless, the Shah still read out the letter:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful
"From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah to Chosroes, Shah of Persia. Peace
be upon those who follow the truth, who believe in Allah and His
Prophet and who testify that there is no divinity but Allah and that
Muhammad is His Messenger. I ask you in the Name of Allah, because I am
His Messenger, to warn your people that if they do not accept His
Message, they must live with the consequences. Become Muslim and you
will be safe. If you refuse to tell them you will be to blame for the
ignorance of your subjects".

The Shah was furious when he read this and tore the letter into little
pieces. When the messenger returned to Arabia and told the Prophet
(pbuh) what Chosroes had done, the Prophet (pbuh) said, 'May Allah also
tear his kingdom into little pieces.' And several years later it
happened just as the Prophet (pbuh) had said it would. As with Syria
and Persia, a messenger was also sent to the Negus (or King) of
Abyssinia, with the following letter:
"Peace. Praise be to Allah, the King, the All-Holy, the Peacemaker, the
Keeper of Faith, the Watcher. "He is Allah, there is no divinity but
He, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, the All-peaceable, the Keeper of
Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the All-sublime.
Glorified be Allah from all that they associate with Him".(Koran
lix.23)
And I testify that Jesus, son of Mary, is the spirit of Allah and His
Word which He cast to Mary the Virgin, the good, the pure, so that she
conceived Jesus. Allah created him from His Spirit and His Breath as He
created Adam by His Hand and His Breath. I call you to Allah, the
Unique, without partner, to His obedience, and to follow me and to
believe in that which came to me, for I am the Messenger of Allah.
Peace be upon all those who follow true guidance.
The King of Abyssinia was a very wise man, and was thought by the world
to be a good Christian. He had, of course, already heard of the
Prophet (pbuh) and his religion from the Muslims who had sought refuge
in his country years before. He was deeply moved by the letter and when
he came down from his throne it was not just to show his respect but
also to declare that he was already a Muslim. He answered the Prophet's
letter with one of his own. "To Muhammad the Prophet of Allah from the
Negus al-Asham, King of Abyssinia. Assalamu aleikum 0 Prophet of Allah
wa rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu.
There is none like Him who has guided me to Islam. I received your
letter, O Messenger of Allah. Some of your followers, as well as your
cousin Ja'far, still live here. I believe you are truly the Messenger
of God and reaffirm the pledge of allegiance I made to you some time
ago before your cousin Ja'far, at whose hand I joined Islam and
surrendered to the Lord of the Worlds.

A fourth messenger had, in the meantime, traveled by boat to Alexandria
to meet the Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, who was a Coptic Christian.
In his letter, the Prophet (pbuh) invited the Muqawqis to accept Islam,
because Christian who believed in the message of Jesus should also
believe in him, for he had come with the same message from Allah. It
read:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
"From Muhammad, son of 'Abd Allah to the great Copt.
Peace be upon whoever follows the Truth. I beseech you to accept Islam. Become a Muslim. Allah will reward you twice.
If you refuse, you will carry the blame for not allowing your people to
share in this blessing". The Muqawqis showed respect for what the
letter said. He treated the messenger well, and sent many presents with
him for the Prophet (pbuh), but he did not become a Muslim. Although
only Abyssinia responded to the Prophet's call to Islam, all was not
lost, for a few years later Persia, Syria and Egypt all became Muslim
countries.

To be continued Inshala

Assalamu Alikum
Episode 20 | Entry Into Mecca

Below is Episode 20:

Despite the improved relations between Mecca and Medinah after the
signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, the ten-year peace was to be
broken by Quraysh who, with their allies, the Bani Bakr, attacked the
Khuza'ah tribe. Now Khuza'ah were allies of the Muslims and when the
Prophet (pbuh)heard of the attack he immediately ordered his men to
prepare for war. When they were ready he told them that their
destination was Mecca and, as he did not want any fighting within the
walls of the city, he told them they must move quickly and take the
enemy by surprise. In this way the Meccans would not have time to
prepare for war and, being surrounded would have to surrender. The
Muslims would then be able to take the city without injury or loss of
life to anyone.
When the Muslim army, which numbered ten thousand, set out for Mecca it
was the month of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Hijrah.

Many of the men kept the fast, even though they were not obliged to
because they were travelling. Everyone was jubilant because they were
going to Mecca, especially as some of them had not seen their homes in
the city for eight long years. In the meantime, the Prophet's uncle,
al-'Abbas, had decided that the time had come for him and his wife to
leave Mecca and join the Prophet (pbuh) in Medinah. They did not,
however, have to go far as after a distance of only twenty-five
kilometers they came across the Muslim camp. When the Prophet (pbuh)
saw them he said, 'Uncle, your emigration is the last emigration. My
prophecy is the last prophecy.' Al-'Abbas then joined the army and his
wife went on to the safety of Medinah.

Night fell and the Muslims made fires to light their camp. The Meccans,
looking out of the city, were amazed to see the many fires, and Abu
Sufyan went all over Mecca trying to find out whose camp it was.
Suddenly he saw al-'Abbas riding towards him from the direction of the
fires

He was returning as a messenger of peace from the Prophet (pbuh) and
said to Abu Sufyan, 'The Muslims have come with a large army.

They do not wish to fight, only to enter the city. It would be better
to surrender and not fight. Come under my protection and meet the
Prophet (pbuh).' Abu Sufyan agreed, and got up behind al-Abbas, who was
riding the Prophet's white mule. It was still night as they entered
the Muslim camp. Each time they passed a fire, someone would call out,
'Who goes there?' None of them recognized the stranger as the leader of
their enemy but all knew al-'Abbas and so let them through. As they
passed by 'Umar, however, he immediately recognized Abu Sufyan and
yelled out, 'Abu Sufyan! The enemy of Allah!' He ran after them
intending to kill his enemy but al-'Abbas made the mule go faster. They
reached the Prophet's tent just before 'Umar who rushed in after them
quite out of breath. 'Umar begged the Prophet (pbuh),

Ɔ Messenger of Allah, let me end the life of Abu Sufyan, this enemy of
Islam, who has led the Quraysh armies in their attacks on us!'
Al-'Abbas interrupted, saying, 'I have sworn to protect him during his
time here whereupon the Prophet (pbuh) told his uncle to take Abu
Sufyan to his tent for the night.
In the morning Abu Sufyan was taken to the Prophet (pbuh) who said,
'Abu Sufyan! Have you not yet realized that there is no divinity but
Allah?' To this Abu Sufyan replied, 'If there had been another he
surely would Have helped me by now.' 'Shame on you, Abu Sufyan',
responded the Prophet (pbuh), 'it is time you realize that I am truly
Allah's Messenger.' After a moment or two, Abu Sufyan, who remembered
how 'Umar had not been allowed to kill him, replied: 'I can see you are
a generous and forgiving man but I still cannot be sure of that.' At
this, al-'Abbas, who had been standing nearby turned to him and said:
'Believe as I do now.' Abu Sufyan stood quietly for a moment, then in a
calm, clear voice swore in front of everyone,

there is no divinity but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.'
The Prophet (pbuh) then told Abu Sufyan to go back to Mecca and tell
the people that the Muslims would enter the city the next morning.
Before he left, however, al-'Abbas suggested to the Prophet (pbuh) that
as Abu Sufyan was a proud man, it would be good to give him an
honorable position. The Prophet (pbuh) took this advice, saying to Abu
Sufyan, 'Tell the people that when we enter, anyone seeking refuge in
your house will be safe.' This was a great honor for Abu Sufyan.
In addition, the Prophet (pbuh) told him to assure the Meccans that
those who remained in their own homes or at the Ka'bah would also be
protected.
Abu Sufyan returned quickly to the city. He made straight for the hill
Hagar had climbed in her search for water and from which the Prophet
(pbuh) later spoke, and called upon Quraysh to come to him. Abu Sufyan
then spoke to the people, Ɔ people of Mecca,

the fires we saw all around us were the camp fires of Muhammad and his
men. He has come with a strong army and there are too many for us to
fight. It is best, therefore, to surrender. Anyone who stays in my
house, or in his own home, or at the Ka'bah will be safe.'
Early next day, the Muslims entered Mecca from all sides. They had been
ordered to cause no harm unless anyone tried to stop them entering.
When the Prophet (pbuh) arrived, he got off his camel, bowed down on
the ground and thanked Allah for this victory. When the unbelievers saw
this, they knew that the Prophet (pbuh) had come in peace. People
began leaving their homes and running towards the Ka'bah. When they
arrived there, they found the Prophet (pbuh) performing the ritual
encircling of the Ka'bah, the tawaf on his camel, surrounded by the
Muslims. When he had finished, he said, 'There is no divinity except
Allah and He has no partner. Men and women of Quraysh be not proud for
all are equal; we are all the sons of Adam, and Adam was made of dust.

Then he recited this verse to them:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you
nations and tribes so you may know each another. Surely the noblest of
you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is
All-knowing, All-aware". (Koran xlix.13)
After this he said to them: 'O Quraysh, what do you think I am going to
do to you?' The people thought carefully before answering because they
knew that according to the laws of war they could all be taken
prisoner. They also knew, however, that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was
generous, so they replied, 'You will treat us as a kind nephew and a
generous brother would.'

To this he replied with the words used by the Prophet Joseph when his
brothers came to Egypt: 'God forgives you and He is the Most Merciful of
the merciful.' Later the Prophet (pbuh) went to the hill of Safa and
there the crowd followed him and surged forward

taking his hand one by one, to declare themselves Muslim. He then
turned to the Ka'bah and, pointing his staff at the three hundred and
sixty-five idols which were placed there, recited from the Koran:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
". Truth has come and falsehood has vanished away. Lo! Falsehood is ever bound to vanish". (Koran xvii.81)
At this, each idol fell over onto its face. Together with his followers
the Prophet (pbuh) then proceeded to purify the Ka'bah, after which he
ordered Bilal to climb on top of it and perform the call to prayer.
Since then the call to prayer has been heard five times a day in Mecca.

The Ka'bah, the House of Allah, has served the purpose for which it was
built by Abraham thousands of years ago, as a sanctuary for the
worship of Allah, our Creator, and Mecca continues to be the spiritual
centre of Islam.
On the day Mecca was conquered,

the Prophet (pbuh) addressed the people saying: 'Allah made Mecca holy
the day He created heaven and earth and it is the Holy of Holies until
the Resurrection Day. It is not lawful for anyone who believes in Allah
and the Last Day to shed blood therein, nor to cut down trees therein.
It was not lawful for anyone before me and it will not be lawful for
anyone after me.
Indeed it is not lawful for me except at this time, only Allah's anger
against his people makes it permissible. Mecca has now regained its
former holiness. Let those here now go forth and tell others.

To be continued Inshala.

Assalamu Alikum
[b]Episode 21 | The Lesson Of Pride At The Valley Of Hunayn

Below is Episode 21:

Islam flourished in Mecca and the Muslims became
stronger and stronger. But south of Mecca lived a tribe of warriors
called Hawazin, who had not become Muslim. They made an agreement with
another tribe from Ta'if, called Thaqif to fight the Muslims and
destroy them before they could spread their religion throughout Arabia.

The Thaqif, who were known for their courage, soon won the support of
other tribes living around the Ta'if area, especially when such tribes
were told: 'Look what has happened! If Quraysh, the largest tribe of
all, have fallen to Muhammad, it is only a matter of time before the
same will happen to the rest of us. We should strike now before the
Muslims are established in Mecca and have the support of Quraysh.' The
Chief of one of these tribes, a fearless warrior called Malik Ibn 'Awf,
was chosen as the leader. He put forward a plan: 'You should all go
out to battle accompanied by your families, your tents, your sheep and
goats, for with all your belongings at stake, none of you will dare
give up the fight.'
Everyone agreed with Malik except an old, blind man called Dorayd. He
had been a great warrior in his day and because of his experience and
valuable advice still accompanied the men into battle. 'I don't like
Malik's plan', he insisted. 'If a man is so cowardly as to leave a
battle

then he will leave his family as well. The women and children will be a
great worry to us and if we are defeated all our wealth will fall into
enemy hands.' But Malik ignored this advice and stuck to his original
plan. When the Prophet (pbuh) heard what the enemy tribes were
planning, he found himself forced to fight and ordered his army towards
Ta'if. He had twelve thousand men and the enemy only four thousand.
The Muslims were proud of their strength and as they looked around at
their number, said to themselves, 'We will never be defeated!' On
hearing this the Prophet (pbuh) knew that the Muslims had become too
proud and because of this would not succeed.
He warned them, 'Look to Allah and not to your own strength.'

The time for battle came. The Muslim army advanced along the Hunayn
path, a narrow way in the rugged mountains, towards the valley where
the Hawazin and the other tribes were waiting. It was very early
morning and not yet light. The Muslims were unaware that, under cover
of darkness, the Hawazin warriors had already climbed up the mountain
and were waiting for them. As soon as all the Muslims were trapped in
the narrow passage-way below, the Hawazin ambushed them. First they
threw rocks down upon them and then attacked with arrows and swords.
In surprise and fear, the Muslims started to retreat. The Prophet
(pbuh) was bitterly disappointed to see them fleeing in terror but he
stayed firmly in his place with Abu Bakr, 'Ali, his uncle al-'Abbas,
and a few companions at his side. Al-'Abbas then called to the Muslims
to return and not to abandon the Prophet (pbuh). Ashamed at what they
had done, and seeing the Prophet (pbuh) facing the enemy almost alone,
the Muslims quickly returned to fight. Then Allah sent His angels-the
hosts ye cannot see-to their aid. A fierce battle followed. The Muslim
warriors advanced, attacking furiously, driving the Hawazin back from
the path into the valley, where the fighting went on long and hard. At
the end of the day the Muslims won but not before having learned a hard
lesson about the danger of pride.

Just as the old man had predicted, the defeated enemy fled, leaving
their families and possessions to be captured. Later all the leaders of
the tribes except one came to ask for them back and to declare their
acceptance of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) forgave them and returned their
families to them, but not their belongings. The one exception was the
leader of Hawazin. He fled to Ta'if, where he sought protection in the
castle, but the Muslims pursued him and surrounded the city, which they
besieged for about three weeks.
They tried to break into the castle but after losing many men in the
attempt the Prophet (pbuh) ordered a withdrawal. The story did not end
there, however, for shortly afterwards Hawazin and most of the other
tribes came to Mecca and declared themselves Muslim, including Malik
Ibn Awf, who had led them in battle and whom the Prophet (pbuh) now
made their leader.

After the battle of the Hunayn Valley, the Prophet (pbuh) distributed
what goods had been taken between the people of Quraysh and the other
Bedouin tribes. The Ansar from Medinah, who had been his only support
during the long hard years before the conquest of Mecca, received
nothing. They felt angry about this and went to the Prophet (pbuh) to
complain. He said to them, what is this I hear of you? Do you think
badly of me? Did I not come to you when you did not know the truth and
Allah guided you; when you were poor and Allah made you rich; when you
were enemies and Allah softened your hearts? Are you covetous for the
things of this world that I must use to gain people's trust so that I
can then lead them to Islam? Surely for you Islam is enough? Are you
not satisfied that while some men take away flocks and herds you take
Allah's Messenger back with you to Medinah?' On hearing this, all the
men felt very contrite and began to weep then with great humility and
reverence their spokesman said: 'We are indeed well pleased to have
Allah's Messenger as our gift in this life.

' Perhaps we could ask ourselves the same question. Are we not blessed
to have the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Book, guiding us in what
really matters for ever and ever? Is this not so much more important
than thinking about the momentary pleasures of the day?
Shortly after this the Ansar left for Medinah accompanied by the
Prophet (pbuh). He could have stayed among his own people and lived out
his days in Mecca, but he returned as he had promised, to live among
the people of Medinah, which was a great blessing for them.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Allah gave you victory on many fields and on the day of Hunayn, when
you exulted in your great numbers it was of no help to you, and the
earth, vast as it is, was straitened for you; then you turned back in
flight; Then Allah sent His peace of reassurance down upon is Messenger
and upon the believers, and sent down hosts you could not see,

and punished those who did not believe. Such is the reward of
disbelievers. Then afterwards Allah will relent toward whom He will;
for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful". (Koran ix.25-27)

To be continued inshala.

Assalamu Alikum
[/b]Episode 22 | Tabuk-The Test Of Faith

Below is Episode 22:

News of the growing power of the Muslims, as more and more of Arabia
followed the Prophet (pbuh), eventually reached Heraclius, Emperor of
the Eastern Roman Empire. The Romans saw the uniting of the Arabs in
Islam as a possible threat to their Empire and the Emperor's advisors
and generals, therefore, decided that the best thing to do would be to
attack the Muslims from the north and east at the same time and destroy
Islam once and for all.
Two years had passed since Heraclius had told them of the Prophet's
letter asking them to submit to Islam, but just as then, they were in
no mood now to listen to such ideas. When the Prophet (pbuh) heard of
the Romans' plans, he decided that it would be better to meet the Roman
army in Tabuk,

some 500 kilometers form Medinah on the route to Syria, than to await
an attack on Medinah. One reason for this decision was that the Prophet
(pbuh) felt that if the Muslims were defeated at Medinah, the city as
well as the army would be taken, which would mean the end of Islam.
This was a very hard decision for him to make because not only was
Tabuk a very long way away, but it was also harvest time and a
particularly hot year. Added to this was the fact that the enemy had an
enormous army. Now at this time there were some people living in
Medinah who were not true believers. They were called 'hypocrites'
because they pretended to believe but hid what was truly in their
hearts. When the Prophet (pbuh) invited everyone to war, these
hypocrites tried to create fear and doubt among the Muslims, saying 'How
can we hope to defeat the Romans whose great empire stretches over
vast areas of the world? And even if we could, we will not get the
chance because the long journey and the heat will defeat us first. In
any case,

our crops and fruits are ready to be harvested; how can we leave them? We will be ruined if we do!'

All that the hypocrites said severely tested the Muslims. Who would
continue to fight for his religion against such odds? Who would have the
courage to give his wealth to help equip an army? This test of faith
would indeed show who the true Muslims were. On this question, Allah
revealed the following verse:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"O you who believe! What aileth you that when it is said unto you: Go
forth in the way of Allah, you are bowed down to the ground with
heaviness. Do you take pleasure in the life of the world rather than in
the Hereafter? The comfort of the life of the world is but little in
the Hereafter". (Koran lx.38)
To form and equip an army the Prophet (pbuh) needed a great deal of
money and despite all that the hypocrites had said, many Muslims,
especially the Prophet's close friends,

were willing to help. 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan, for instance, generously
provided horses and arms for ten thousand soldiers and Abu Bakr gave
all that he had in the world. 'Umar, too, gave a great deal, and in
this way the Prophet (pbuh) was able to equip an army of forty thousand
soldiers.
Finally everything was ready but just as they were about to leave,
seven more men came to the Prophet (pbuh) to ask if they could go with
him. Unfortunately, he had to refuse because there were no animals for
them to ride. The seven men were so upset that they wept as they left.
With nothing more to be done, the army moved off, but just then several
spare camels were found. On learning of this, the Prophet (pbuh) sent
for the seven men, who were overjoyed to find that they could join him
in his fight.

By now the Romans had heard that the Muslims were coming out to meet
them. They felt even more sure of victory when they heard this because
they believed that it would be quite impossible for an army to cross a
waterless desert in the scorching summer sun.

Even if by some miracle the Muslims succeeded, they would be so exhausted that it would be easy to defeat them.
As it happed the heat was so intense and the journey so difficult that
several Muslims did turn back. The Prophet (pbuh) and most of the
others, however, continued until they finally ran out of water. The
expedition now seemed hopeless as the men grew thirstier and thirstier.
The Prophet (pbuh) prayed to Allah for help and, as he finished his
prayer, the first drops of rain came splashing down. The rain continued
to fall until all the Muslims had drunk their fill. That night they
slept soundly for the first time in days, refreshed by the water and
confident that Bilal would wake them as usual for the dawn prayer. But
Bilal slept so deeply that he did not wake up. It was the first time
that the Muslims had missed a prayer and they were very upset. The
Prophet (pbuh), however, was not angry with Bilal and told the Muslims
that they need not be upset because they had not intentionally missed
the prayer.

The Prophet (pbuh) and his army continued their trek across the desert
and finally arrived at the oasis of Tabuk. When they got there,
however, they were surprised to find that the Roman army had retreated
in fear on hearing of the miraculous crossing of the desert by the
Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) waited at the oasis for a while but when it
became apparent that the Romans were not going to fight, he gave the
order to return home. The enemy was not pursued because the Prophet
(pbuh) only fought when attacked. The long march to Tabuk had been yet
another test of faith for the Muslims. Even so, there were still some
among those who made that heroic journey who were hypocrites, pretending
to be sincere while being enemies of Islam in their hearts. No one
could have suspected that anyone who had made that journey across the
desert with the Prophet (pbuh) would be an enemy of his.
Realizing this,

several hypocrites plotted to kill the Prophet (pbuh) by pushing him
off the top of a high, rocky passage that ran between the mountains of
'Aqabah. Before the army reached this rocky passage, however, Allah
warned the Prophet (pbuh) about this wicked plan. The Prophet (pbuh),
therefore, ordered the entire army to travel through the valley while
he and his two guards went by way of the cliff. As the plotters
approached, he shouted to them so that they could see that he knew of
their plan, whereupon they quickly ran back to the army and tried to
hide among the rest of the soldiers.
Later, the Prophet (pbuh) gathered his followers around him and told
them what had happened. He picked out the men who had plotted against
him and even told them the exact words they had spoken to each other.
Some of the Prophet's companions said that these men should be killed,
but the Prophet (pbuh) forgave them. As soon as he arrived back in
Medinah, the Prophet (pbuh) went to the mosque and prayed. Many of the
hypocrites and the lukewarm who had not gone with him to Tabuk came to
give their reasons for not having done so.

Three men of spiritual value who had not joined the army were subjected
by the Prophet (pbuh) to the discipline of waiting for Allah's
forgiveness. For fifty days no one spoke to them. Finally, Allah
revealed a verse to the Prophet (pbuh) which declared that these three
men were forgiven:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
"Allah hath turned in mercy to the Prophet, and to the Muhajirin and
the Ansar who followed him in the hour of hardship. After the hearts of
a party of them had almost swerved aside, then He turned unto them in
mercy. Lo! He is full of Pity, Merciful. And to the three also (did He
turn in mercy) who were left behind, when the earth, vast as it is, was
straitened for them, and their own souls were straitened for them till
they understood that there is no refuge from Allah save toward Him.
Then He turned unto them in mercy that they (too) might turn (repentant
unto Him).

Lo! Allah! He is the Relenting, the Merciful. O you who believe! Be
careful of your duty to Allah, and be with tile truthful". (Koran
ix.117-119)

To be continued Inshala

Assalamu Alikum
[b]Episode 23 | Ill Treatment Of The Prophet By His People

Below is Episode 23:

The efforts of the Quraysh to seduce the Prophetʹs companions from
their religion failed miserably, nor did they succeed in stopping the
Prophet peace be and blessings upon him from preaching his religion
fearlessly. The Qurayshites were first annoyed and agitated, and then
dismayed by the expanding community of Muslims, they stirred up against
him, calling him a liar, a sorcerer, a segregator and a poet; they
insulted and abused him and started harassing him in every respect.
Once, when they were assembled at the Ka`bah, the Prophet peace be and
blessings upon him arrived. The Qurayshites assailed him in unison.
While they mobbed him thus, one of them pulled the sheet of cloth
hanging round his neck, which nearly choked his throat. Abu Bakr, who
happened to be present at that time, separated them from the Prophet
peace be and blessings upon him by thrusting himself in between them.
And with tears in his eyes he cried, “Would you kill a man simply
because he acknowledges that Allah is his Lord?” Hearing this, they
shunned the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him but fell upon Abu
Bakr dragging him by his hair and beard. At another time, the Prophet
peace be and blessings upon him even had to face a worse ordeal
throughout the whole day. Whom so ever he met, whether freeman or
slave, cursed or vilified, tried to hurt him in any way. He returned to
his house and wrapped himself up because of the torments he had to
endure that day. Then it was that God revealed to him the opening verse
of the Chapter “The Enshrouded One” ‐ ‘O You wrapped up in Your cloak,
Arise and warn.” (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 289‐91 and Al‐Bukhaari).

SUFFERINGS OF ABU BAKR
One morning Abu Bakr made a bold move to invite a gathering of the
heathens to the true faith in God and His Prophet peace be and
blessings upon him but they fell upon him furiously and beat him
mercilessly. ‘Utba Ibn Rabia inflicted such severe injuries to his face
with a pair of shoes that one could no longer distinguish the eyes
from the nose of his swollen face. Abu Bakr fell unconscious and was
brought to his house by Banu Taym, his kinsmen, in a precarious
condition, his life hanging by a thread. He regained consciousness late
in the afternoon, but even then, the first thing he asked was whether
the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him was well and safe! His
relations with the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him endangered
him for his concern for the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him, on
whose account he had to suffer so grievously. Then, hardly raising his
voice, he repeated his question to Umm Jamil, who had also accepted
Islam. Umm Jamil motioned towards his mother who was standing near her,
but Abu Bakr insisted on knowing about the Prophet peace be and
blessings upon him, saying that there was no harm on telling him in her
presence. At last, Umm Jamil told him that the Prophet peace be and
blessings upon him was fine, but Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with
him) would not be satisfied until he had himself seen the Prophet peace
be and blessings upon him. He said, “I have taken a vow that I would
not take anything until I have seen the Prophet peace be and blessings
upon him myself.” The two women waited until everybody had departed and
then they brought Abu Bakr to the Prophet peace be and blessings upon
him who was moved to see his pitiable condition. The Prophet peace be
and blessings upon him prayed for his mother and invited her to accept
Islam. It is reported that she readily pledged her trust in the Prophet
peace be and blessings upon him of God. (Ibn Kathir, Vol. I, pp.
439‐41).

To be continued Inshala.

Assalamu Alikum[/b]

[/b]

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