Seerah – Part 8
(June 4, 2021)
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أمعين
On hearing of the plans of the Quraysh to assassinate the Prophet (S), 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 (S) 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 (S) and his people, or even to sell them any food or drink whatever.
At first the Muslims found some support among the Bani Hashim, the branch of Quraysh to which the Prophet (S) 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 (S) grew so great that when his companions tried to buy supplies from a caravan passing near to Makkah, Abu Lahab, one of the Muslims’ worst enemies, offered ten times the price of the goods to the merchant. By doing this he managed to stop the Muslims, from buying what they desperately needed.
During the years of this terrible treatment, a wonderful thing happened. Instead Of Islam becoming weaker, it grew stronger. Allah sent more and more revelations. It was as though the Muslims were being strengthened and cleansed by the hardships they suffered and were being tested in their faith. Each year at the time of the pilgrimage to Makkah, people tame from all over Arabia. These pilgrims saw the terrible cruelty and injustice of Quraysh towards the Muslims, and many of them were sorry for the Prophet’s followers. Quraysh began to feel ashamed of their harsh treatment, especially as many of the Muslims were their cousins and close relatives.
Finally, at the end of three years, they were convinced that the time had come to put an end to the persecution of the Muslims, and they decided to take down the notice hanging at the Ka’bah. To their astonishment, the sheet of paper had been completely eaten up by worms, all except the words, ‘In Your Name, O Allah’, which had been written at the top of the paper.
The Prophet (S) and his followers went back to a normal way of life but the years of hardship had made Khadija very weak. She became ill and soon afterwards she died. Thus, the Prophet (S) 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 Makkah; one of the elders of Quraysh. Even though he had never been a follower of Islam, he had protected the Prophet (S) against his enemies. Not only was this a sad occasion for the Prophet (S) 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 (S) 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 (S) now felt that Islam could make no further progress in Makkah 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 (S) 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:
“To You, my Lord, I complain of my weakness, lack of support and the humiliation I am made to receive. Most Compassionate and Merciful! You are the Lord of the weak, and you are my Lord. To whom do You leave me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy You have given power over me? As long as you are not displeased with me, I do not care what I face. I would, however, be much happier with Your mercy. I seek refuge in the light of Your face by which all darkness is dispelled and both this life and the life to come are put in their right course against incurring your wrath or being the subject of your anger. To You I submit, until I earn Your pleasure. Everything is powerless without your support.”
The wall near which the Prophet (S) 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 (S) 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 (S). ‘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 (S).
‘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 (S) then walked back to Makkah. 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.
The Night Journey and the Ascent To Heaven
One night as the Prophet (S) lay sleeping in the same spot where ‘Abd al-Muttalib used to sleep, next to the Ka’bah, he was woken by the Jibril (AS). Later the Prophet (S) 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 (S) told of how he mounted the animal and, with the Jibril (AS) at his side, was transported from Makkah to the mosque called al-Aqsa, in far away Jerusalem. There the Prophet (S) found Ibrahim, Musa and ‘Isa among a group of Prophets.
The Prophet Muhammad (S) 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, Jibril (AS) 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 (S) 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 (S) a view of Hell and the terrible plight of those who suffer in that place. Then the Prophet (S) was taken up by the angels, through the seven Heavens, one by one.
Along the way he again saw ‘Isa, Musa, and Ibrahim, and the Prophet (S) said that he had never seen a man more like himself than Ibrahim. He also saw Yahya, Yusuf, and Harun. At last he reached the Lote Tree of the Uppermost, the sidrat al-muntaha where no Prophet had been before. Here the Prophet (S) received the revelation of verses 285 and 286 of Surat al-Baqarah.
آَمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آَمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ () لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, as did the believers. They all have believed in Allah, and His angels, and His scriptures, and His messengers. We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, we hear and we obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord. To you is the destiny. Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. To its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits. Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not burden us as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear; and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Lord and Master, so help us against the disbelieving people.”(al-Baqarah, 2:285-286)
Then the Prophet (S) was taken into the Light of the Divine Presence of Allah, and was instructed that Muslims should pray fifty times a day. The Prophet (S) recalled: ‘On my way back I passed by Musa and what a good friend to you he was! He asked me how many prayers I had 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 Musa and he said the same again; and so it went on until only five prayers for the whole day and night were left.
Musa 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 Makkah, 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 (S) to explain. Some ran with the news to Abu Bakr who said, ‘By Allah, if Muhammad (S) 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 now doubt?’ Then Abu Bakr went to the mosque and listened to the Prophet’s detailed description of Jerusalem. He commented, ‘You tell the truth, O 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 Makkah. He told those who had doubted where he had seen the caravans, what they were carrying and when they would arrive in Makkah. All that the Prophet (S) had said proved true when the caravans arrived at the time he said they would, carrying all that he had described.
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Resources and References:
Imam Ibn Kathir – Stories of the Prophets
Leila Azzam & Aisha Gouverneur – the Life of the Prophet Muhammad
Anwar Al-Awlaki – The Life of Muhammad (Makkan Period) & The Life of Muhammad (Medina Period): https://www.kalamullah.com/muhammad.html
