Islamic history and biography
Chapter 3
Biography of the Prophet
45841: The last words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)
Question:
What were the last words of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
before he bade farewell to this world?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The last words of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) _ before he
bade farewell to this world _ were: "O Allaah,
(with) the higher companions". This is the title
that al-Bukhaari gave to a chapter in Kitaab
al-Maghaazi in his Saheeh: "The last
words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)", where he quoted the
hadeeth of `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) who said: When the Prophet was healthy, he
used to say, "No soul of a Prophet is taken
until he has been shown his place in Paradise
and then he is given the choice." When death
approached him while his head was on my thigh,
he became unconscious and then recovered
consciousness. He then looked at the ceiling of
the house and said, "O Allaah! (with) the
highest companions." I said (to myself), "He is
not going to choose (to stay with) us." Then I
understood what he meant when he said that to us
when he was healthy. The last words he spoke
were, "O Allaah! (with) the highest companions."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4463; Muslim, 2444.
There is a report narrated by Ahmad (1691)
from the hadeeth of Abu `Ubaydah, who said that
the last words that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke were,
"Expel the Jews of the Hijaaz and Najraan from
the Arabian Peninsula, and know that the most
evil of people are those who took the graves of
their Prophets as places of worship." This was
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
al-Saheehah, no. 1132. And Abu Dawood
(5156)and Ibn Maajah (2698) narrated that `Ali
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The last
words that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke were,
"The prayer, the prayer! And fear Allaah with
regard to those whom your right hands possess."
This was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh Abi Dawood. And there are other
similar ahaadeeth. What is meant by these
reports is that these are some of the last
things that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, or they were the last
pieces of advice that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave to his
family and companions, and those who would be in
authority after he was gone. These ahaadeeth are
among the last things he said, but the hadeeth
of `Aa'ishah is the last of all.
See Fayd al-Qadeer by al-Manaawi,
5/250 _ 251.
Note: al-Suhayli said: the reason why these _
"O Allaah, (with) the higher companions" _ were
the last words of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is because they
refer both to Tawheed and to dhikr in the heart.
It offers comfort to those who are unable to
speak (when dying), because some people may not
be able to speak out loud for some reason, but
that does not matter if their hearts are
steadfast in remembering Allaah.
Quoted by al-Haafiz in al-Fath, 8/138.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
45696: One of the unique
characteristics of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was that it was
permissible for him to be alone with a
non-mahram woman and look at her
Question:
I have heard that there is consensus among
the ummah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
considered to be a mahram for every Muslim
woman, when Allaah commanded him in His Book
(interpretation of the meaning):
"It is not
lawful for you (to marry other) women after
this, nor to change them for other wives even
though their beauty attracts you" [al-Ahzaab
33:52]
Thus Allaah forbade him to marry any
woman (from point onwards). Did he thereby
become a mahram in the sense that it was
permissible for women to uncover in front of him
like any other mahram? And did the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) stay overnight in the houses of the Muslims
because he was a mahram to their womenfolk?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Many scholars are of the view that one of the
unique characteristics of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was that he was
permitted to be alone with the women of his
ummah and to look at them and let them ride
behind him on his mount.
Al-Hattaab al-Maaliki said: One of his unique
characteristics was that he was allowed to be
alone with a non-mahram woman, as was narrated
by al-Damaameemi in his commentary on
al-Bukhaari, at the beginning of the Book of
Jihad, where it speaks of his entering upon Umm
Haraam bint Milhaan. Shaykh Jalaal al-Deen says
in al-Mubaahaat: It was one of his unique
characteristics that he was permitted to be
alone with them and to let them ride behind him
on his mount.
End quote from Mawaahib al-Jaleel,
3/402.
Al-Bujayrami al-Shaafa'i said in his
commentary on al-Khateeb: He (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the unique
characteristic of being allowed to look at
non-mahram women and to be alone with them and
to let them ride behind him on his mount,
because he was protected by his infallibility.
This is the correct answer concerning the story
of Umm Haraam and how he entered upon her and
slept in her house and she cleaned his head,
even though they were not mahrams or spouses.
With regard to the suggestion that she was his
mahram through radaa'ah (breastfeeding), this
was refuted by al-Dimyaati on the grounds that
it cannot be proven.
End quote from Haashiyat al-Bujayrami,
3/372.
Commenting on the hadeeth of al-Rubayyi' bint
Mu'awwidh ibn `Afra, who said: The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
and entered when it was my wedding and sat by my
bed like you are sitting next to me now, and
some young girls of ours started to beat the
daff and eulogize about those of my forefathers
who were killed on the day of Badr. When one of
them said, "There is among us a Prophet who
knows what will happen tomorrow," he said, "Do
not say this, but say the other things you were
saying" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4750),
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: What is clear to us
on the basis of strong evidence is that one of
the unique characteristics of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is that it
was permissible for him to be alone with a
non-mahram woman and to look at her. This is the
correct answer concerning the story of Umm
Haraam and how he entered upon her and slept in
her house and she cleaned his head, even though
they were not mahrams or spouses.
End quote from al-Fath, 9/303
Many of the scholars were of the view that
Umm Haraam was one of the mahrams of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him);
al-Nawawi even narrated that there was consensus
among the scholars on this point.
It says in Mataalib Ooli al-Nuha
(5/34) _ one of the Hanbali books: It was
permissible for him to let a non-mahram woman
ride behind him on his camel, because of the
story of Asma'. And Abu Dawood narrated from a
woman of Ghifaar that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) let her ride
behind him on the back of his camel saddle. And
it was permissible for him to be alone with them
because of the story of Umm Haraam.
The hadeeth of Asma' referred to above was
narrated by al-Bukhaari (4823) and Muslim (4050)
from Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allaah be pleased
with them both), who said: I used to bring the
date-stones from the land of al-Zubayr that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) had allocated to him,
(carrying them) on my head, and it was
two-thirds of a farsakh (a farsakh = three
miles) away. I came one day with the date-stones
on my head, and I met the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
a group of the Ansaar were with him. He called
me then made his camel kneel down so that I
could ride behind him, but I felt too shy to
travel with the men, and I remembered al-Zubayr
and his protective jealousy (gheerah), for he
was the most jealous of people. The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) realized that I felt too shy so he went on
his way. Then I came to al-Zubayr and told him
that I had met the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) carrying
the date-stones on my head, and there was a
group of his companions with him, and he had
made his camel kneel so that I could ride behind
him, but I had felt too shy and I remember his
(al-Zubayr's) protective jealousy. He said: "By
Allaah, for you to have to carry the date-stones
is harder for me to bear than your riding with
him." She said: Then later on Abu Bakr sent me a
servant to take care of the horse and it was as
if I had been set free from slavery.
The hadeeth of the woman from Ghifaar was
narrated by Abu Dawood (313) from that woman of
Banu Ghifaar who said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) let
me ride behind him on the back of his
camel-saddle. This was classed as da'eef by
al-Albaani in Da'eef Abi Dawood.
This is not one of the issues on which the
scholars are unanimously agreed, rather some of
them clearly stated that there was a difference
of scholarly opinion on this point. Al-`Iraaqi
said in Tarh al-Tathreeb (5/167),
concerning the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) entering upon Dubaa'ah bint
al-Zubayr: He (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) entered upon Dubaa'ah to visit her
when she was sick or to visit her because she
was his relative as stated above. This points to
his humility, upholding of kinship ties and
concern for his relatives. It is to be
interpreted as meaning that he was not alone
with a woman in this case, because he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not sit
alone with non-mahram women or shake hands with
them. If he did do that then this does not mean
that his infallibility was tarnished thereby,
but they did not regard that as being one of his
unique characteristics, thus he is like others
with regard to this issue.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
44990: The reason why the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) married `Aa'ishah despite the age
difference
Question:
A Christian colleague of mine asked me why
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) married `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) when she was nine years old
and he was nearly sixty, and was he intimate
with her at that age or what? In fact I do not
know how to respond to that.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) married `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) after he married Sawdah bint
Zam'ah (may Allaah be pleased with her). She _
`Aa'ishah _ was the only virgin whom he (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) married.
And he consummated the marriage with her when
she was nine years old.
Among her virtues was the fact that the
Revelation did not descend when he under one
cover with any of his wives other than her. She
was one of the dearest of all people to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), and news of her innocence was revealed
from above the seven heavens. She was one of the
most knowledgeable of his wives, and one of the
most knowledgeable women of the ummah as a
whole. The senior companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
to refer to her opinion and consult her.
With regard to the story of her marriage, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had grieved over the death of the Mother of
the Believers Khadeejah, who had supported him
and stood by his side, and he called the year in
which she died The Year of Sorrow. Then he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
married Sawdah, who was an older woman and was
not very beautiful; rather he married her to
console her after her husband had died and she
stayed among mushrik people. Four years later
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) married `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her), and he was over fifty.
Perhaps the reasons for the marriage were as
follows:
1 _ He saw a dream about marrying her. It is
proven in al-Bukhaari from the hadeeth of
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said to her: "You were shown to me
twice in a dream. I saw that you were wrapped in
a piece of silk, and it was said, `This is your
wife.' I uncovered her and saw that it was you.
I said, `If this is from Allaah then it will
come to pass.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no.
3682). As to whether this is a prophetic vision
as it appears to be, or a regular dream that may
be subject to interpretation, there was a
difference of opinion among the scholars, as
mentioned by al-Haafiz in Fath al-Baari,
9/181.
2 _ The characteristics of intelligence and
smartness that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) had noticed in `Aa'ishah
even as a small child, so he wanted to marry her
so that she would be more able than others to
transmit reports of what he did and said. In
fact, as stated above, she was a reference point
for the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with
them) with regard to their affairs and rulings.
3 _ The love of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) for her father
Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him), and
the persecution that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) had suffered for the sake of
the call of truth, which he bore with patience.
He was the strongest of people in faith and the
most sincere in certain faith, after the
Prophets.
It may be noted that among his wives were
those who were young and old, the daughter of
his sworn enemy, the daughter of his closest
friend. One of them occupied herself with
raising orphans, another distinguished herself
from others by fasting and praying qiyaam a
great deal… They represented all kinds of
people, through whom the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
able to set out a way for the Muslims showing
how to deal properly with all kinds of people.
[See al-Seerah al-Nabawiyyah fi Daw'
al-Masaadir al-Asliyyah, p. 711].
With regard to the issue of her being young
and your being confused about that, you should
note that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) grew up in a hot country,
the Arabian Peninsula. Usually in hot countries
adolescence comes early and people marry early.
This is how the people of Arabia were until
recently. Moreover, women vary greatly in their
development and their physical readiness for
marriage.
If you think _ may Allaah guide you _ that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not marry any virgin other than
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), and
that all his other wives had been previously
married, this will refute the notion spread by
many hostile sources, that the basic motive
behind the Prophet's marriages was physical
desire and enjoyment of women, because if that
was his intention he would have chosen only
those who were virgins and beautiful etc.
Such slanders against the Prophet of Mercy
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by
kaafirs and others of their ilk, are indicative
of their inability to find fault with the law
and religion that he brought from Allaah, so
they try to find ways to criticize Islam with
regard to issues that are not related to
sharee'ah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May
Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet
Muhammad and his family and companions.
For more information see Zaad
al-Ma'aad, 1/106.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
49679: How many Ramadaans did
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) fast?
Question:
How many Ramadaans did the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) fast?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars are unanimously agreed that
fasting the month of Ramadaan was enjoined in
Sha'baan 2 AH, and that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted nine
Ramadaans, because he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) died in Rabee' al-Awwal 11
AH.
It says in al-Insaaf:
Fasting Ramadaan was enjoined in 2 AH
according to scholarly consensus. The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) fasted nine Ramadaans according to
scholarly consensus.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo':
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) fasted Ramadaan for nine
years, because it was enjoined in Sha'baan 2 AH,
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) died in Rabee' al-Awwal 11 AH.
See also Majmoo' Fataawa by Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, 2/20. Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
20240: Who took care of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) after his mother died?
Question:
Who took care of The Prophet Muhammad after
his parents died?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who took care of him was his
grandfather `Abd al-Muttalib, then after his
grandfather died, his paternal uncle Abu Taalib
took care of him. Both of them died as
disbelievers, but `Abd al-Muttalib died before
the Prophet's mission began. Abu Taalib died
about ten years after the Prophet's mission
began, after refusing to enter Islam.
Ibn Katheer said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
with his mother Aaminah bint Wahb, then when she
died, his grandfather `Abd al-Muttalib took care
of him. He used to sit on his cushion and `Abd
al-Muttaalib would not eat any food without
saying "Bring me my son" and he would be brought
to him. When `Abd al-Muttalib was on his
deathbed, he told Abu Taalib to take care of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Ibn Ishaaq said: When the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) reached the age of eight
years, his grandfather `Abd al-Muttalib ibn
Haashim died. After his grandfather, the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) stayed with his paternal
uncle Abu Taalib, in accordance with the last
wishes of `Abd al-Muttalib, and because he was
the full-brother of (the Prophet's) father
`Abd-Allaah _ their mother was Faatimah bint
`Amr ibn `Imraan ibn Makhzoom. So Abu Taalib was
the one who looked after the affairs of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Abu Taalib had no wealth,
but he loved him deeply, more than he loved his
own children; he would not sleep unless he was
his side, and when he went out he would go out
with him, and he used to keep the best food for
him.
Al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah, vol. 2, p.
282.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
45645: A realistic look at
marriage to women of the People of the Book
Question:
Does a Muslim man have the right to marry a
Christian or Jewish woman as the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
married Maariyah al-Qibtiyyah?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not marry Maariyah al-Qibtiyyah,
rather she was his concubine. The Muqawqis, the
ruler of Egypt, gave her as gift to him after
the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah.
It is permissible to have intercourse with a
slave woman, even if she is not Muslim, because
she is part of "what one's right hand
possesses," and Allaah has permitted "what one's
right hand possesses" without stipulating that
the slave woman be a Muslim. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who guard their chastity (i.e.
private parts, from illegal sexual acts)
6. Except from their wives or (the slaves)
that their right hands possess,.. for then, they
are free from blame"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:5-6]
With regard to marrying a Christian or Jewish
woman, this is permissible according to the text
of the Qur'aan. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Made lawful to you this day are
AtTayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods,
which Allaah has made lawful (meat of
slaughtered eatable animals, milk products,
fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food
(slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the
people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is
lawful to you and yours is lawful to them.
(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women
from the believers and chaste women from those
who were given the Scripture (Jews and
Christians) before your time when you have given
their due Mahr (bridal-money given by the
husband to his wife at the time of marriage),
desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal
wedlock) not committing illegal sexual
intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends"
[al-Maa'idah 5:5]
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
It is permissible to marry a woman from the
People of the Book. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste
[muhsan] women from the believers and chaste
women from those who were given the Scripture
(Jews and Christians) before your time"
[al-Maa'idah 5:5]
Muhsan here means chaste; the same word is
also used in Soorat al-Nisa' to describe married
women, who are forbidden in marriage to anyone
else. And it was said that the chaste women to
whom marriage is permitted is free women, so
slave women from the People of the Book are not
permissible. However, the first view is the one
which is correct, for several reasons…
The point is that Allaah has permitted us to
marry chaste women from among the People of the
Book, and the companions of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that.
`Uthmaan married a Christian woman, as did
Talhah ibn `Ubayd-Allaah; and Hudhayfah married
a Jewish woman.
`Abd-Allaah ibn Ahmad said: I asked my father
about a Muslim man who married a Christian or
Jewish woman. He said: I do not like for him to
do it, but if he does, then some of the
companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did that too.
Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 2/794, 795.
Although we say that it is permissible, and
we do not doubt that there is a clear text
concerning that, nevertheless we do not think
that a Muslim should marry a kitaabi woman (a
woman of the people of the Book), for several
reasons:
1 _ One of the conditions of marriage to a
kitaabi woman is that she should be chaste, but
there are very few chaste women to be found in
those environments.
2 _ One of the conditions of marriage to a
kitaabi woman is that the Muslim man should be
in charge of the family. But what happens
nowadays in that those who marry women from
kaafir countries marry them under their laws,
and there is a great deal of injustice in their
systems. They do not recognize a Muslim's
authority over his wife and children, and if the
wife gets angry with her husband she will
destroy his household and take the children
away, with the support of the laws of her land
and with the help of their embassies in most
countries. It is no secret that the Muslim
countries have no power to resist the pressure
of those countries and their embassies.
3 _ The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) encouraged us to look for
Muslim wives who are religiously committed. If a
woman is Muslim but is not religiously committed
and of good character, then the Muslim is not
encouraged to marry her, because marriage is not
simply the matter of physical enjoyment only,
rather it is the matter of Allaah's rights and
the spouse's rights, and preserving his
household, his honour and his wealth, and
bringing up his children. How can a man who
marries a kitaabi woman be certain that his sons
and daughters will be raised according to Islam
when he is leaving them in the hands of this
mother who does not believe in Allaah and
associates others with Him?
Hence even though we say that it is
permissible to marry a kitaabi woman, it is not
encouraged and we do not advise it, because of
the negative consequences that result from that.
The wise Muslim should choose the best woman to
bear his children and think in the long term
about his children and their religious
upbringing. He should not let his desire or
worldly interests or transient outward beauty
blind him to reality; true beauty is the beauty
of religious commitment and good morals.
He should realize that if he forsakes these
type of women for the sake of that which is
better for his religious commitment and that of
his children, Allaah will compensate him with
something better, because "Whoever gives up
something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will
compensate him with something better than that,
as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) told us, the one who speaks the truth
and does not speak of his own whims and desires.
Allaah is the source of strength and the One Who
guides to the Straight Path.
See also the answer to question no.
2527
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
43045: Did the parents of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) become Muslim?
Question:
Did the Prophet's() Grandfather, Father and
Mother ever believed in Allah? All the Prohets
before the Last Prophet(), were their religion
called Islam?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Discussion of the grandfather of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) comes under the heading of
rulings on the people of the fatrah which, as
Ibn Katheer said, refers to the interval between
two Prophets, such as that between `Eesa (peace
be upon him) and Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), when there was a break
in the Message.
(Tafseer al-Qur'aan il-`Azeem, 2/35.
See also Jam' al-Jawaami' by al-Subki,
1/63; Rooh al-Ma'aani by al-Aaloosi,
6/103.
The scholars divided these people into two
categories:
1 _ Those whom the call reached and
2 _ Those whom the call did not reach, so
they remained unaware.
The first category may be further divided
into two groups:
(i) Those whom the call reached and who
believed in Allaah alone and did not associate
anything with Him, such as Qiss ibn Saa'idah and
Zayd ibn `Amr ibn Nufayl. See al-Bidaayah
a'l-Nihaayah, 2/230; Fath al-Baari,
7/147.
(ii) Those whom the call reached but they
changed it and associated others with Allaah,
such as `Amr ibn Luhayy who changed the religion
of Ibraaheem and of whom the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I saw
`Amr ibn `Aamir ibn Luhayy al-Khuzaa'i dragging
his intestines in Hell." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 3521; Muslim, 2856.
It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that his
parents are in Hell. Muslim (203) narrated that
a man said: "O Messenger of Allaah, where is my
father?' He said: "In Hell." When the man turned
away, he called him back and said: "My father
and your father are in Hell."
With regard to his mother he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I asked
my Lord for permission to pray for forgiveness
for my mother, and He did not give me
permission. I asked him for permission to visit
her grave, and He gave me permission." Narrated
by Muslim, 976.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said, commenting on the first hadeeth:
This indicates that whoever died during the
fatrah (interval between two Prophets) following
the way of the Arabs at that time, namely
idol-worship, is among the people of Hell. We
cannot say that the message did not reach these
people, because the message of Ibraaheem and
other Prophets had reached these people.
Sharh Saheeh Muslim, 3/79.
However some scholars have tried to defend
the parents of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and say that they will be
saved from Hell, and that Allaah brought them
back to life after they had died, and they
became Muslim and believed in the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then they
died like that (as Muslims). They quoted as
evidence for this mawdoo' (fabricated) and
da'eef jiddan (very weak) ahaadeeth which cannot
be regarded as evidence.
See al-Haawi li'l-Fataawi, 2/202
The scholars refuted this idea.
Al-`Azeemabaadi said:
Everything that has been narrated concerning
the parents of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) being brought back to
life and believing and being saved is mostly
fabrications and lies, and some of it is
da'eef jiddan (very weak) and is not
saheeh at all, according to the consensus of the
leading hadeeth scholars who judged it to be
mawdoo' (fabricated) and da'eef (weak), such as
al-Daaraqutni, al-Jawzaqaani, Ibn Shaheen,
al-Khateeb, Ibn `Asaakir, Ibn Naasir, Ibn
al-Jawzi, al-Suhayli, al-Qurtubi and others.
`Awn al-Ma'bood, 12/494. See also
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 4/324
We should understand that blood ties will not
save anyone from the wrath of Allaah. Al-Nawawi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever dies in kufr will be in Hell and his
blood ties will not benefit him at all. Sharh
Saheeh Muslim, 3/79.
The ruling on the parents and grandfather of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) is no exception to that. The father of
Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) was a kaafir and
remained so until he died, and Ibraaheem
disavowed himself of him, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And Ibraaheem's (Abraham) invoking (of
Allaah) for his father's forgiveness was only
because of a promise he [Ibraaheem (Abraham)]
had made to him (his father). But when it became
clear to him that he (his father) is an enemy of
Allaah, he dissociated himself from him"
[al-Tawbah 9:114]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) even stated this clearly, when the
following verse was revealed (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And warn your tribe (O Muhammad) of near
kindred"
[al-Shu'ara' 26:214]
He said: "O people of Quraysh (or said
similar words)! Buy (i.e. save) yourselves (from
the Hellfire) as I cannot save you from Allaah's
punishment. O Bani Abd Manaaf, I cannot save you
from Allaah's punishment. O `Abbaas ibn `Abd
al-Muttalib, I cannot save you from Allaah's
punishment. O Safiyyah, aunt of the Messenger of
Allaah, I cannot save you from Allaah's
punishment. O Faatimah daughter of Muhammad, Ask
me for whatever you want of my wealth, but I
cannot save you from Allaah's punishment."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2753; Muslim, 206.
No Muslim should let his feelings for the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and his relatives make him
issue judgements without clear proof and
knowledge, lest that lead to loss in this world
and in the Hereafter. And Allaah is the One
Whose help we seek.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
36861: The letters of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to the kings
Question:
I want to know the names of the famous
persons/Kings who embraced islam after accepting
invitation from Prophet Muhammad?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was commanded to convey Islam to all
of mankind. Allaah said (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And We have not sent you (O Muhammad)
except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner
to all mankind"
[Saba' 34:28]
So the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did as he was
commanded. He called his people and those who
were around him first, and when Islam became
established in Arabia, and the Arabs entered the
religion of Allaah in crowds, he began to call
others, and he sent his messengers and envoys to
the kings and rulers.
Muslim (1774) narrated from Anas that the
Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) wrote to Chosroes, Caesar, the
Negus and to every tyrant, calling them to
Allaah. This was not the Negus for whom the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) offered the funeral prayer.
Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) wrote to the Negus who became Muslim
and for whom he offered the funeral prayer when
he died, then he wrote to the Negus who came to
the throne after him and who was a kaafir.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) sent `Abd-Allaah ibn Hudhaafah to
Chosroes; Dahyah to Caesar the king of
Byzantium; Saleet ibn `Amr to Hawdhah ibn `Ali
in al-Yamaamah; al-`Ala' ibn al-Hadrami to
al-Mundhir ibn Saawa in Hajar; `Amr ibn al-`Aas
to Jayfar and `Abbaad, the two sons of
al-Jalandi in `Ammaan; Shujaa' ibn Wahb to Ibn
Abu Shamir al-Ghassaani; and Haatib ibn Abi
Balta'ah to al-Muqawqis. He wrote to the Negus
and he became Muslim, and when he died, he wrote
to the Negus who succeeded him and sent `Amr ibn
Umayyah to him.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) called them to Islam and
to worship Allaah alone.
See Zaad al-Ma'aad by Ibn al-Qayyim
(3/688-697), where he quotes the letters of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and the responses of those kings.
The text of the letter of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to Heraclius the king of Byzantium was as
follows:
"In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful. From Muhammad the slave and
Messenger of Allaah to Heraclius the ruler of
Byzantium. Peace be upon those who follow true
guidance. I call you with the call of Islam.
Become Muslim and you will be safe, and Allaah
will grant you a two-fold reward, but if you
turn away, upon you will be the sins of the
Areesiyyeen (peasants i.e., his followers and
subjects who would follow him in kufr).
`Say (O Muhammad): "O people of the
Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word
that is just between us and you, that we worship
none but Allaah (Alone), and that we associate
no partners with Him, and that none of us shall
take others as lords besides Allaah. Then, if
they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are
Muslims"'
[Aal `Imraan 3:64]."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7; Muslim, 1773.
None of these kings believed except for the
first Negus, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia),
and the king of `Ammaan and his brother.
Heraclius would have become Muslim, were it
not that he feared what his people would do to
him. He was afraid that he would lose his
kingdom. The same was true of the others, who
preferred the life of this world to the
Hereafter, so ultimately they were the losers.
It is narrated in al-Bukhaari and Muslim, in
the hadeeth referred to above, that when
Heraclius asked Abu Sufyaan about the attributes
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and the message to which he was
calling people, he acknowledged that he was
indeed the Messenger of Allaah. He said:
"If what you say is true, then he is a
Prophet, and he will soon occupy the place
beneath these two feet of mine. I knew that he
would emerge, but I did not think that he would
be from among you. If I knew that I could reach
him definitely, I would have done my utmost to
go to meet him, and if I were with him, I would
wash his feet."
This indicates that he knew that he would not
be safe from being killed if he were to migrate
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). It was narrated that he said: "I know
that (i.e., what they said about the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) is
correct, but I cannot do anything. If I do
anything my kingdom will be lost and the Romans
(Byzantines) will kill me." And it was also
narrated that he said: "By Allaah, I know that
he is a Prophet who has been sent, but I fear
the Byzantines and what they will do to me. Were
it not for that, I would follow him."
Ibn al-Qayyim mentions in Zaad
al-Ma'aad (3/694) that when Heraclius heard
news of the Negus becoming Muslim, he said: "By
Allaah, were it not for the sake of holding on
to my kingdom, I would have done what he has
done."
His fear for himself and his kingdom
prevented him from becoming Muslim and migrating
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
But if Heraclius had really understood the
words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) in the letter that he sent
to him: "Become Muslim and you will be safe,"
and he had understood that in general terms as
applying both to this world and the Hereafter,
he would have been safe from all that he feared
if he had become Muslim. But guidance is in the
hand of Allaah. The Negus, the king of
Abyssinia, became Muslim and remained in power.
See Fath al-Baari, commentary on hadeeth no. 7;
Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi, hadeeth no. 1773.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
27224: Overnight stay of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and Abu Bakr in the cave of Thawr
Question:
I have been trying to find the hadeeth where
it says that when the Prophet was migrating to
Madeenah and he hid in the cave, an angel or
angels covered with their wings the opening of
the cave from the view of the searching party of
the kuffaar.
The common version that is well known amongst
Muslims is that a spider spun a web around the
opening thus hiding the Prophet, but I found out
that this narration is weak or fabricated, and
that the report of angels covering the opening
is an authentic version, can you tell me who the
narrator was and in which book of hadeeth or
seerah I can find this (with chains) ?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The overnight stay of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr in
the cave of Thawr is mentioned in the Book of
Allaah and in the Sunnah of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). There follow some details:
1 _ In the Book of Allaah:
The story of this overnight stay is mentioned
in the Qur'aan. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"If you help him (Muhammad) not (it does
not matter), for Allaah did indeed help him when
the disbelievers drove him out, the second of
the two; when they (Muhammad and Abu Bakr) were
in the cave, he said to his companion (Abu
Bakr): "Be not sad (or afraid), surely, Allaah
is with us." Then Allaah sent down His Sakeenah
(calmness, tranquillity, peace) upon him, and
strengthened him with forces (angels) which you
saw not, and made the word of those who
disbelieved the lowermost, while the Word of
Allaah that became the uppermost; and Allaah is
All-Mighty, All-Wise" [al-Tawbah
9:40]
This verse clearly states that the mushrikeen
were conspiring to kill him, and that they
[i.e., the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr] stayed
overnight in the cave.
2 _ The Sunnah
With regard to the reports in the saheeh
Sunnah which speak of the overnight stay in the
cave:
-i-
It was narrated that `Aa'ishah, the wife of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), said: "… then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
Abu Bakr headed towards a cave on the mountain
of Thawr, and they hid in it for three nights,
during which `Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Bakr _ who was
a smart young lad _ stayed with them at night
then left just before dawn (at the end of the
night) so that he would be among Quraysh in
Makkah when morning came, as if he had spent the
night among them. He used to listen out to see
what they were planning, then he would bring
news of that [to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr]
when darkness came…"
This was narrated by al-Bukhaari (3905) in a
lengthy story to which he gave the title "The
migration (hijrah) of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his
companions to Madeenah."
-ii-
It was narrated that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: I said to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
when I was with him in the cave: "If one of them
looks down at his feet he will see us." He said,
"What do you think, O Abu Bakr, of two the third
of whom is Allaah?" Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
3653.
The story of the spider's web was narrated by
Imam Ahmad (3241) from Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah
be pleased with him), with regard to the verse
(interpretation of the meaning): "And
(remember) when the disbelievers plotted against
you (O Muhammad) to imprison you" [al-Anfaal
8:30]. He said: Quraysh met together one
night in Makkah. Some of them said: When morning
comes, imprison him in chains _ meaning the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). Some said, No, kill him; and others said,
No, drive him out. Allaah informed His Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of
that, so `Ali slept in the bed of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that
night, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) went out and hid in the
cave. The mushrikoon spent the night lying in
wait for `Ali, thinking that he was the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
When morning came, they pounced on him, and when
they saw `Ali, Allaah thwarted their plot. They
said, Where is that friend of yours? He said, I
do not know. So they set out after him and when
they reached the mountain, they were confounded.
They climbed up the mountain and passed by the
cave, and saw a spider's web over its entrance.
They said, If anyone had entered here, the
spider would not have spun a web over the
entrance. And he stayed there for three nights.
The scholars differed concerning this
hadeeth. Its isnaad was classed as hasan by
al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari and
by Ibn Katheer in al-Bidaayah
wa'l-Nihaayah (3/222). It was classed as
da'eef by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah. Ahmad Shaakir said in
Tahqeeq al-Musnad (3251): there is some
dispute concerning its isnaad. The commentators
on al-Musnad said (3251): its isnaad is
da'eef. And Allaah knows best.
With regard to the story of the two doves or
pigeons, this was mentioned by Ibn Katheer in
al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah (3/223). He
said, it was narrated by Ibn `Asaakir, then he
said: This hadeeth is ghareeb jiddan with this
isnaad. It was similarly classed as da'eef by
the commentators on al-Musnad in the same
place referred to above.
Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah (3/339): Note that there is no
saheeh hadeeth concerning the spider and doves
at the cave, despite the fact that this is
widely mentioned in some books and lectures
which are given on the anniversary of the
migration of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) to Madeenah. So this should
be borne in mind.
With regard to the angels concealing the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and Abu Bakr, this was narrated by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (24/106-108)
from the hadeeth of Asma' bint Abi Bakr. It is a
lengthy hadeeth in which it says: "Then Abu Bakr
said of a man whom he could see opposite the
cave, `O Messenger of Allaah, he is looking at
us.' He said, `No, the angels are concealing us
with their wings.'…"
The isnaad of this hadeeth includes Ya'qoob
ibn Humayd ibn Kaasib al-Madani, concerning whom
the scholars differed. See Tahdheeb
al-Kamaal by al-Mazzi, 32/318-323.
He was regarded as da'eef (weak) by Ibn
Ma'een, Abu Haatim, al-Nasaa'i and Abu Zar'ah
al-Raazi.
Abu Dawood al-Sijistaani said: we have seen
in his Musnad ahaadeeth which we regard
as munkar. We asked him for their sources and he
refused to tell us, then he narrated them after
that. We found ahaadeeth in some books that had
been recently altered, and these ahaadeeth are
mursal but he added isnaads to them and added
something to the texts.
Ibn `Adiyy said: There is nothing wrong with
him and his reports. He narrated many ahaadeeth
and many ghareeb reports.
Al-Dhahabi said: He was one of the scholars
of hadeeth but he reports munkar and ghareeb
reports.
Ibn Hibbaan classed him as thiqah
(trustworthy). Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said, he is
sadooq (truthful) but he is confused sometimes.
Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him)
classed his hadeeth as hasan but he did not
class this hadeeth as hasan.
He said in al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah
(3/263):
What is established concerning this Ya'qoob
is that his hadeeth is hasan… If there is no
other fault in the isnaad then it is hasan… Then
he said: Shaykh al-Tabaraani Ahmad ibn `Amr
al-Khallaal al-Makki did not find anything about
his background. He narrated approximately 16
hadeeth from him in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat,
which indicates that he was one of his
well-known shaykhs. If the hadeeth is known or
there are corroborating reports, then the
hadeeth is hasan.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
22725: Description of the
Seal of Prophethood
Question:
I have seen a piece of paper on which was
drawn the shape of the Seal of Prophethood; they
claimed that this shape was what was to be found
between the shoulders of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). On
it were written some words in Arabic, such as
the name of Allaah and the name of our Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and some other words. I hope you could
explain that and tell me the true description of
the Seal, and alert the Muslims to that. May
Allaah reward you with good.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
One of the features of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that are
mentioned in the ancient books is that between
his shoulders was the Seal of Prophethood. That
was a sign of his truthfulness, and that he was
indeed the promised Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him).
The description of the Seal of Prophethood
has been narrated in the saheeh Sunnah. It was
an area of raised skin the size of a pigeon's
egg, between the shoulders of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was
surrounded by moles and on it were some hairs.
Al-Qurtubi said:
The proven ahaadeeth are agreed that the Seal
of Prophethood was something raised near his
left shoulder, the size of a pigeon's egg.
There is no proof that the name of Allaah or
the name Muhammad were written on the Seal, or
any other words.
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath
al-Baari (6/650):
With regard to what has been narrated about
it being like the mark of a cupping glass, or
like a black or green mole, or that the words
"Muhammad Rasool Allaah (Muhammad the
Messenger of Allaah)" or "Sir fa
anta'l-mansoor (Go forth for you have Divine
support)" etc were written on it, none of these
reports have been proven. Do not be deceived by
what was narrated in Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan
because he was mistaken when he classed that as
saheeh. And Allaah knows best.
There follow some of the ahaadeeth that have
been narrated concerning the Seal of
Prophethood:
1 _ Muslim (2344) narrated that Jaabir ibn
Samurah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"I saw the Seal by his shoulder, like a pigeon's
egg, resembling his body" i.e., its colour was
like the rest of his body.
2 _ Muslim (2346) also narrated that
`Abd-Allaah ibn Sarjis said: "I saw the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
I ate bread and meat with him (or he said,
thareed _ a meat dish)… then I went behind him
and I looked at the Seal of Prophethood between
his shoulders, near the top of his left
shoulder, the shape of a hand with the fingers
together (but smaller in size, the size of a
pigeon's egg), with moles on it."
See Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi.
3 _ al-Tirmidhi narrated in
al-Shamaa'il that Abu Zayd `Amr ibn
Akhtab al-Ansaari said: "I touched his back, and
my fingers touched the Seal." He was asked,
"What is the Seal?" He said, "A number of hairs
growing together."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Mukhtasar al-Shamaa'il, p. 31
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
20127: Umm Haraam and Umm
Sulaym were mahrams of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)
Question:
What was the relation of prophet(PBUH) with
umm-e-saleem and umm-e-haraam. prophet normally
used to go to their houses and rest over there.
were these two sihabiyat "MAHRAM" Of him and
how.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Umm Sulaym's full name was Sahlah or Rumaylah
or Mulaykah bint Milhaan ibn Khaalid ibn Zayd
ibn Haraam ibn Jundub al-Ansaariyyah (may Allaah
be pleased with her). She was the mother of Anas
ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him), and
is best known by her kunyah; there is some
difference of opinion as to her given name.
Al-Isaabah, 8/227.
Umm Haraam was the daughter of Milhaan (may
Allaah be pleased with him), and was the sister
of Umm Sulaym. Ibn `Abd al-Barr said: I could
not find out her real name.
They were both mahrams of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Al-Bukhaari (2789) and Muslim (1912) narrated
from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that he heard him say that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to enter upon Umm Haraam bint Milhaan
and she would give him food. Umm Haraam was
married to `Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit. One day the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) entered upon her, and she
provided him with food and started grooming his
head. Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) slept, then he
woke up smiling. Umm Haraam asked, "What makes
you smile, O Messenger of Allaah?" He said,
"Some people of my ummah were shown to me (in my
dream) fighting for the sake of Allaah, sailing
in the middle of the seas like kings on the
thrones or like kings sitting on their thrones."
(The narrator Ishaq is not sure as to which
expression was correct). Umm Haraam added, "I
said, `O Messenger of Allaah! Pray to Allaah to
make me one of them.' " So the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) prayed to Allaah for her and then laid his
head down (and slept). Then he woke up smiling
(again). (Umm Haraam added): I said, "What makes
you smile, O Messenger of Allaah?" He said,
"Some people of my ummah were shown to me (in my
dream) fighting for the sake of Allaah." He said
the same as he had said before. I said, "O
Messenger of Allaah! Pray to Allaah to make me
one of them." He said, "You will be among the
first ones." Then Umm Haraam sailed across the
sea during the Caliphate of Mu'aawiya ibn Abi
Sufyaan, and she fell down from her riding
animal after coming ashore, and died.
Muslim (2331) narrated that Anas ibn Maalik
said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to enter Umm Sulaym's house
and sleep on her mattress when she was not
there. He came one day and slept on her
mattress, then someone went to her and said to
her, "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) is sleeping in your house on your
bed." She came and saw that he had sweated and
his sweat had soaked a piece of cloth that was
on the mattress. She opened her box and started
collecting that sweat and squeezing it into
bottles. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) woke with a start and said,
"What are you doing, O Umm Sulaym?" She said, "O
Messenger of Allaah, we hope for the barakah
(blessing) of this sweat for our children." He
said, "You are right."
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
"The scholars are agreed that Umm Haraam was
a mahram of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), but they differed as to how
that came about. Ibn `Abd al-Barr and others
said that she was one of his maternal aunts
through radaa'ah (breastfeeding). Others said
that she was the maternal aunt of his father or
his grandfather, because `Abd al-Muttalib's
mother was from Banu al-Najjaar."
He also said:
"Umm Haraam was the sister of Umm Sulaym, and
they were maternal aunts of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and his mahrams, either through radaa'ah or
through blood. So it was permissible for him to
be alone with them and to enter upon them on his
own, but he did not enter upon any other woman
apart from his wives.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
22004: There is no basis for
Hijr Ismaa'eel being so called
Question:
Did ismail alaihi al salam burried this
mother hager in higr ismail.. as i hearded
saying from one of our sheik
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. First of all we should
point out that there is no basis for the people
calling Hijr Ismaa'eel by this name, and
Ismaa'eel knew nothing of this Hijr. Ibraaheem
and Ismaa'eel (peace be upon them) built the
Ka'bah completely, including the area of the
Hijr, then the walls of the Ka'bah became
weakened because of a fire and flood that
happened before the mission of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
began. So Quraysh knocked down what was left of
its walls and rebuilt it. They ran out of money
from good sources and were thus unable to
complete the building on the foundations of
Ibraaheem and Ismaa'eel (peace be upon them), so
they left the Hijr outside, and built a small
wall around it to indicate that it was part of
the Ka'bah. They had stipulated for themselves
the condition that nothing should be used for
building it except money from good sources, and
that the earnings of prostitutes or profits from
interest-based sales could not be used, or money
that was acquired wrongfully by anyone.
In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:
"I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) about the wall _ is it part
of the House? He said, `Yes.' I said, `Why did
they not incorporate it into the House?' He
said, `Your people ran out of money.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1584; Muslim, 1333.
"The wall" here refers to the Hijr.
The correct way is to call it al-Hijr,
without attributing it to Ismaa'eel (peace be
upon him).
It is not proven in any marfoo' hadeeth that
Ismaa'eel (peace be upon him) was buried in this
Hijr, or that Haajar was buried in it. But there
are mawqoof reports with weak isnaads which may
be understood as meaning that the grave of
Ismaa'eel is inside the Hijr.
For more information see Tahdheer
al-Saajid min Ittikhaadh al-Quboor Masaajid
(Warning to Worshippers against Taking Graves as
Places of Worship) by Shaykh al-Albaani (may
Allaah have mercy on him), p. 75, 76.
It is extremely unlikely that Ismaa'eel
(peace be upon him) would have buried his mother
inside the Ka'bah, or that his sons would have
buried him there. Such a suggestion needs proof,
and no such thing has been proven, praise be to
Allaah.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
32762: The Jews' attempts to
kill the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him)
Question:
I have heard the following: that the Jews
tried to kill the Messenger 3 times. And the
last time was 6 years before the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, with
poisoned mutton, of which the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate two
mouthfuls, then Allaah caused the sheep to speak
and tell the Messenger that it was poisoned.
When the Messenger died, he said that it was as
if he could taste that mutton. Is this true? If
it is true, then it means that we have a great
score to settle with them.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Jews wanted to kill the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on several
occasions, including the following:
1 _ When he was a child. Ibn Sa'd narrated in
al-Tabaqaat, with an isnaad going back to Ishaaq
ibn `Abd-Allaah that when the mother of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) gave him to the Sa'di woman who breastfed
him, she said to her, "Keep him safe," and she
told her what she had seen. Haleemah
al-Sa'diyyah passed by some Jews and said, "Will
you not tell me about this son of mine? I
conceived him in such and such a manner, and I
gave birth to him in such and such a manner, and
I saw such and such," and she repeated what his
mother had told her. They said to one another,
"Kill him!" They asked her, "Is he an orphan?"
She said, "No, this is his father and I am his
mother." They said, "If he had been an orphan we
would have killed him." Haleemah (his wet nurse)
took him and said, "I nearly lost that which had
been entrusted to me."
This report is mursal, but the men of its
isnaad are thiqaat (trustworthy).
2 _ They tried to kill him (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) after Badr.
Banu al-Nadeer sent for him to come out to them
with thirty of his companions, and said "We will
send out thirty of our rabbis, to meet in such
and such a place, halfway between us and you, so
that they can listen to you. If they believe in
you then we will all believe in you." Then they
said: "How can we reach an understanding when
there are sixty of us? Send out three of your
companions and we will send out three of our
scholars to listen to you. They were carrying
concealed daggers and they wanted to kill the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). A sincere woman from among
Banu al-Nadeer sent word to her nephew (her
brother's son) who was a Muslim man from among
the Ansaar, and told him about that, and he told
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) went back, and the following
day he brought his troops and besieged them, and
the Jews of Banu al-Nadeer were expelled. This
story was narrated by `Abd al-Razzaaq in his
Musannaf, and by Abu Dawood in his
Sunan (3004), via `Abd al-Razzaaq, but he
does not mention the details of the story,
rather he says, "… `They will listen to you and
if they believe in you, we shall believe in
you.' The narrator then narrated the whole
story. When the next day came, the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) went out in the morning with an army, and
besieged them."
This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
3 _ Ibn Ishaaq mentions another reason for
the expulsion of Banu al-Nadeer, which is that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) went to Banu al-Nadeer to ask them for
help in paying the diyah of two men of ahl
al-dhimmah who had been killed by mistake by
`Amr ibn Umayyah al-Dumari. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat by a
wall belonging to Banu al-Nadeer, and they
plotted to throw a rock on him and kill him. The
Revelation informed him of that and he rushed
back to Madeenah, then he issued orders that
they should be besieged.
4 _ Then came the poisoning incident, after
the conquest of Khaybar. Al-Bukhaari (2617) and
Muslim (2190) narrated from Anas that a Jewish
woman came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) with some
poisoned mutton. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate from
it, then he asked her about that. She said, "I
wanted to kill you." He said, "Allaah would not
let you do that." They said, "Shall we kill
her?" He said, "No." He said, I can still see
the effect of that on the palate of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
Al-Nawawi said: It is as if the poison still
left some trace of blackness etc.
The name of this woman was Zaynab bint
al-Haarith, the wife of Salaam ibn Mashkam, one
of the leaders of the Jews.
The reports differ as to whether or not she
was killed. It seems that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not kill
her at first, but when Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn
Ma'roor died as a result of the effects of this
food, then he executed her as a qisaas
punishment.
Al-Bukhaari (5777) narrated that Abu Hurayrah
said: When Khaybar was conquered, a roasted
poisoned sheep was presented to the Prophet as a
gift (by the Jews). The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, "Let all the Jews who have been here, be
assembled before me." The Jews were gathered and
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, "Will you now tell me
the truth, if I ask you about something?" They
replied, "Yes." He asked, "Have you poisoned
this sheep?" They said, "Yes." He asked, "What
made you do that?" They said, "We wanted to know
if you were a liar in which case we would have
got rid of you, and if you are a Prophet then
the poison would not harm you."
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to feel ill because of this food,
and he would be treated with cupping for that.
Ahmad (2784) narrated from Ibn `Abbaas that a
Jewish woman sent a gift to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) of a poisoned roasted sheep. He sent for
her and asked her, "What made you do what you
did?" She said, "I wanted to see if you were a
Prophet, then Allaah would tell you about it,
and if you were not a Prophet the people would
be rid of you." Whenever the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) felt
ill as a result of that he would have himself
treated by cupping. On one occasion he traveled
and when he entered ihraam he felt ill as a
result of that and he had himself treated by
cupping. The editor of al-Musnad classed
it as saheeh.
That had an impact in causing his death, so
he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
died as a martyr (shaheed), as Ibn Mas'ood (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"If I were to swear by Allaah nine times that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was killed, that is more
beloved to me than swearing once, because Allaah
made him a Prophet and made him a martyr."
Narrated by Ahmad, 3617. The editors said, its
isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of
Muslim.
Al-Sindi said: The words "he was killed" mean
by the poison in the meat of the sheep's foreleg
that he ate, when the effects of that appeared
when he was dying.
Quoted from Haashiyat al-Musnad,
6/116.
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh, in
a mu'allaq report, and al-Haakim narrated in his
Mustadrak in a mawsool report, that
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to say, in the illness which
would be his last, `O `Aa'ishah, I still feel
the pain of the food that I ate in Khaybar, and
this time I feel that my aorta is being cut from
that poison."
The aorta is the vein that is towards the
back and is connected to the heart; if it is cut
then the person will die.
The conquest of Khaybar took place in
Muharram or Rabee' al-Awwal of the year 7 AH. So
this event took place four years before the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) died.
This is in addition to the recorded crimes of
the Jews which know no limit in ancient or
modern times. The enmity between us and them
will last until we fight them and kill them at
the end of time, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us.
See al-Yahood fi'l-Sunnah
al-Mutahharah, by Dr. `Abd-Allaah ibn Naasir
al-Shaqaari; Zaad al-Ma'aad, 3/279
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
34550: How did the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
marry Khadeejah?
Question:
Many of my friends have asked me about having
Affairs with there opposite sex.........Now I
have told them this is Haram in Islam but they
give me the reply by saying that Khadija
(R.A.A.H) fell in love with out Prophet (S.A.S)
And had married him. I have read a lot of books
and even on the net i havent found any
information about how they were married and all
i knew was Khadija (R.A.A.H) SENT a message
though a Slave girl who was the cousin of our
Prophet (S.A.S). And Abu Talib (R.A.A.H) uncle
of our Prophet (S.A.S) accepted the offer and
wed them. Now i wanted to know that have they
(Prophet (S.A.S) and Khadijah (R.A.A.H)) ever
met prior to marraige?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The reports of the seerah (Prophet's
biography) indicate that Khadeejah bint
Khuwaylid (may Allaah be pleased with her) was a
determined and intelligent woman, and she was
also rich and had several kinds of trade. The
men of her people were keen to marry her. She
did not engage directly in trade herself, rather
she used to employ men to work on her behalf.
News reached Khadeejah of the honest and
trustworthy Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him); she heard a great deal
about his honesty and trustworthiness, so she
wanted to hire him to work for her and do trade
on her behalf. She sent someone to him with an
offer of work, and he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) agreed to that.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) went out to do trade with the money of
Khadeejah (may Allaah be pleased with her), and
there was with him a slave of Khadeejah's whose
name was Maysarah. Maysarah saw the signs that
happened to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) whilst travelling, and that
amazed him, so he started to tell his mistress
Khadeejah about everything that he had seen.
For example, when the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to the
city of Busra in Syria, he stopped in the shade
of a tree, and one of the monks said to
Maysarah, "No one ever stops under the shade of
this tree but a Prophet." And Maysarah used to
see two angels shading the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) when the heat
of the sun grew too intense.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) came back from that journey, and he
had made far more money in trading for Khadeejah
than anyone else ever had before. Khadeejah was
impressed with the personality of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
she wanted to marry him. So she sent her friend
Nafeesah bint Maniyyah to tell the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
about that. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) agreed, and the marriage of Khadeejah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) was arranged by
her father Khuwaylid, according to the most
sound reports, as mentioned by the scholars of
seerah.
From the above it is clear that there was no
inappropriate relationship between the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
Khadeejah (nay Allaah be pleased with her)
before he married her.
The morals of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) were sound and
he lived a virtuous life; Allah protected him
from everything that may have detracted from his
message or that was contrary to modesty and
chivalry.
If such a thing has happened _ but he (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is far
above such a thing _ the kuffaar of Quraysh
would not have kept quiet about it. They would
have regarded it as a great source of shame and
they would have used it as a means to reject his
religion and tarnish his reputation. But nothing
of the sort happened, rather before his
Prophethood they used to call him al-Saadiq (the
honest one) and al-Ameen (the trustworthy one).
They did not cast aspersions upon his chastity
at all.
You should also note that the Prophets (peace
be upon them) _ all the Prophets _ are the most
perfect and best of human beings. Allaah does
not choose anyone to convey His Message except
those who are fit for it. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "Allaah knows
best with whom to place His Message"
[al-An'aam 6:124]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
This means, He knows best where to place His
Message and who is most fit for that among His
creation. This is like the verse (interpretation
of the meaning):
"And they say: `Why is not this Qur'aan sent
down to some great man of the two towns (Makkah
and Taa'if)?'
Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of
your Lord?"
[al-Zukhruf 43:31]
What they meant was, If this Qur'aan had been
sent down to some great man or leading figure
who was of high status in their eyes, "of the
two towns" i.e., Makkah and al-Taa'if. That
was because they _ may Allaah curse them _
despised the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) out of hatred and envy, and
stubbornness and pride, as Allaah tells us
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And when those who disbelieved (in the
Oneness of Allaah) see you (O Muhammad), they
take you not except for mockery (saying): "Is
this the one who talks (badly) about your gods?"
While they disbelieve at the mention of the Most
Gracious (Allaah)"
[al-Anbiya' 21:36]
And Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And when they see you (O Muhammad), they
treat you only in mockery (saying): `Is this the
one whom Allaah has sent as a Messenger'"
[al-Furqaan 25:41]
"And indeed (many) Messengers before you were
mocked at, but their scoffers were surrounded by
the very thing that they used to mock at"
[al-An'aam 6:10]
This happened even though they were aware of
his virtue, nobility and lineage, and the purity
of his house and upbringing. Before the
Revelation came to him, they used to refer to
him amongst themselves as al-Ameen (the
trustworthy one). The leader of the kuffaar, Abu
Sufyaan, admitted that when Heraclius, the ruler
of Rome, asked him. "What is his lineage amongst
you?" He said, "He is of noble descent." He
asked,"Did you ever accuse him of lying before
he said what he said?" He said, "No." In this
lengthy conversation the Roman ruler took the
pure attributes of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) as evidence
that his Prophethood was real and that what he
said was true.
The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them)
stated that the Prophets were protected from
committing major sins and every kind of sin
which points to the base character of the one
who does it.
Ibn al-`Arabi said: "Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was protected
by his Lord against committing any sin, whether
during the Jaahiliyyah or afterwards, as an
honour from Allaah, so that he might occupy a
great and lofty status. So throughout his life
he was protected from sin.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
You should note that the scholars differed as
to whether the Prophets could commit sin.
Al-Qaadi summed up the main points of this issue
when he said… with regard to sin, there is no
dispute that the Prophets were protected from
committing any major sin. Similarly there was no
dispute that they were protected from minor sins
which reflect badly on a person and lower his
status and damage his character. But they
differed as to whether the Prophets could commit
other kinds of minor sins. Most of the fuqaha',
hadeeth scholars and scholars of kalaam among
the earlier and later generations are of the
view that they could have committed such minor
sins. They quote as evidence the apparent
meaning of the Qur'aan and reports. Some of the
fuqaha' and scholars of kalaam among our imams
are of the view that they were protected from
minor sins just as they were protected from
major sins, and that the position of Prophethood
means that the Prophets were far above
committing sin or deliberately going against
Allaah's commands. They commented on verses and
ahaadeeth which refer to mistakes on the part of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and they interpreted them in a manner
other than the apparent meaning. They said that
these verses and ahaadeeth refer to incidents
where a Prophet based his actions on his own
reasoning, or he did what he did out of
forgetfulness, or with permission from Allaah in
cases where he feared that he would be blamed
for it, or there might be mistakes that they
made before Prophethood. This last view is the
one which is correct. These are the words of
al-Qaadi `Iyaad, may Allaah have mercy on him.
And Allaah knows best.
Out of respect towards the position of
Prophethood, the scholars said that whoever
slanders any of the Prophets is a kaafir and
must be executed.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in
Majma' al-Fataawa, 35/123
The imams are agreed that whoever insults a
Prophet should be executed. And an accusation of
adultery is the worst kind of insult. See also
Question no. 22809.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said in al-Mughni, 12/405
Whoever slanders the mother of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is
to be executed even if he repents, whether he is
a Muslim or a kaafir, but if he repents then his
repentance will be accepted by Allaah, but the
sentence of execution will not be waived because
of his repentance, because of the rights of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him).
Then he said:
The ruling concerning slander of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is
like the ruling on slander of his mother,
because slandering his mother brings a sentence
of execution because it is a slander against the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and against his lineage.
And Allaah knows best.
See Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/77; al-Seerah
al-Nabawiyyah by Dr. Akram Diya' al-`Umari,
1/112-114; al-Seerah al-Nabawiyyah by Dr.
Mahdi Rizq-Allaah, p. 132; Af'aal al-Rasool
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
by Dr. Muhammad Sulaymaan al-Ashqar, 1/139-165;
Ahkaam al-Qur'aan al-Kareem, 3/576.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
20181: Did the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kill
any of the mushrikeen?
Question:
Can you please explain me that prophet
mohammad (s.a.w.) he attand him self so many
ghazawat did he kill any enemy of islam himself.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Bukhaari (4073) and Muslim (1793) narrated
that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
anger of Allaah is most intense against a man
who is killed by the Messenger of Allaah for the
sake of Allaah (on the battlefield)."
Al-Nawawi said:
"For the sake of Allaah" excludes one whom he
kills as a hadd punishment or by way of
legal retaliation (qisaas), because
whoever is killed by the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the battle
was intending to kill the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him).
It is not known that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) killed anyone
among the mushrikeen with his own hand apart
from Ubayy ibn Khalaf.
That was narrated by Ibn Jareer and al-Haakim
from Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyab and al-Zuhri (may
Allaah have mercy on them). Ibn Katheer said in
his Tafseer (2/296): its isnaad is
saheeh.
Ibn al-Qayyim said _ when discussing the
battle of Uhud _
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) turned towards the Muslims, and the
first one who recognized him beneath his armour
was Ka'b ibn Maalik, who shouted at the top of
his voice, "O Muslims! Rejoice! This is the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)!" He gestured to him to be
quiet, and the Muslims gathered around him and
went with him to the mountain pass where he had
camped. Among them were Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Ali,
al-Haarith ibn al-Simmah al-Ansaari and others.
When they got close to the mountain, Ubayy ibn
Khalaf, who was on a horse of his whose name was
al-`Iwadh, caught up with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). The enemy of Allaah had claimed that he
would kill the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst riding
this horse. When he got close to him, the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) took a spear from al-Haarith
ibn al-Simmah and killed him with it. It hit him
in his collarbone and the enemy of Allaah
retreated in defeat. The mushrikeen said to him,
By Allaah, there is nothing wrong with you. He
said, By Allaah, if what is wrong with me had
happened to the family of Dhu'l-Majaaz, they
would all have died. He used to feed his horse
in Makkah and say, I will kill Muhammad riding
it. News of that reached the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
he said: "Rather I will kill him in sha Allaah."
When he stabbed him, the enemy of Allaah
remembered that that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had said,
"Rather I will kill him," and he was certain
that he would die from this wound. And he died
from it in Sarif on his way back to Makkah.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 3/199
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
10063: The hijrah (Prophet's
migration to Madeenah)
Question:
I would like some of the brothers to help me
find some sources or kind of informations about
the Hijrah or Hegra of the prophet, because i am
doing a research paper on it.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
When the persecution of the people of Makkah
against the Muslims grew intense, Allaah
commanded them to migrate so that they could
establish the religion of Allaah in a land where
they could worship Him.
Allaah chose Madeenah as the land of hijrah
(migration for the sake of Allaah). The
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) saw in a dream that he was migrating to
that city.
It was narrated from Abu Moosa that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "I saw in a dream that I was
migrating from Makkah to a land in which there
are date-palms, and I thought that it was
al-Yamaamah or Hajar, but it turned out to be
al-Madeenah, Yathrib…" Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
3352; Muslim, 4217.
Al-Bukhaari (3906) narrated that `Aa'ishah
said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said to the Muslims, "I have been
shown the land to which you will migrate: it has
palm trees between the two lava fields, the two
stony tracts." So, some people migrated to
Madeenah, and most of those people who had
previously migrated to the land of Ethiopia,
returned to Madeenah.
Al-Haafiz said:
The harrah (stony tract) is land whose stones
are black. This dream was different from the
dream mentioned above in the hadeeth of Abu
Moosa in which the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) was not sure where that
land was. Ibn al-Teen said: The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was shown
the land of migration in a way that could apply
to Madeenah and to other places, then he was
shown the feature that is unique to Madeenah so
it became clear which land that was.
With regard to the first companions of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to migrate:
It was narrated that al-Bara' (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The first ones who came
to us of the companions of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were Mus'ab
ibn `Umayr and Ibn Umm Maktoom. They started to
teach us the Qur'aan. Then `Ammaar, Bilaal, and
Sa'd came, then `Umar ibn al-Khattaab came with
twenty others. Then the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came, and I
never saw the people of Madeenah rejoice more
than that. They rejoiced so much that I saw the
girls and boys saying, "This is the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), he has come."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4560.
The following hadeeth sums up many of the
events of the Prophet's migration:
It was narrated that `Aa'ishah said: The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said to the Muslims:
"In a dream I have been shown your place of
migration, a land of date palm trees, between
two lave fields, the two stony tracts." So, some
people migrated to Madeenah, and most of those
people who had previously migrated to the land
of Ethiopia, returned to Madeenah. Abu Bakr also
prepared to leave for Madeenah, but the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said to him, "Wait for a
while, because I hope that I will be allowed to
migrate also." Abu Bakr said, "Do you indeed
expect this? May my father be sacrificed for
you!" The Prophet said, "Yes." So Abu Bakr
stayed behind for the sake of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) so that he could accompany him. He fed two
she-camels he owned with the leaves of the
samur tree for four months.
One day, while we were sitting in Abu Bakr's
house at noon, someone said to Abu Bakr, "This
is the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) with his head covered,
coming at a time at which he never used to visit
us before." Abu Bakr said, "May my father and
mother be sacrificed for him. By Allaah, he has
not come at this hour except for something
important." So the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and
asked permission to enter, and he was admitted.
When he entered, he said to Abu Bakr. "Tell
everyone who is present with you to go away."
Abu Bakr replied, "There is no one here but your
family. May my father be sacrificed for you, O
Messenger of Allaah!" The Prophet said, "I have
been given permission to migrate." Abu Bakr
said, "Shall I accompany you? May my father be
sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allaah!" The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said, "Yes." Abu Bakr said,
"O Messenger of Allaah, may my father be
sacrificed for you, take one of these two
she-camels of mine." The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
replied, "(I will accept it) with payment." So
we prepared the baggage quickly and put some
journey food in a leather bag for them. Asma',
the daughter of Abu Bakr, cut a piece from her
waist belt and tied the mouth of the leather bag
with it, and for that reason she was named
Dhaat-un-Nitaaqayn (i.e. the owner of two
belts).
Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr
reached a cave on the mountain of Thawr and
stayed there for three nights. `Abdullah bin Abi
Bakr who was an intelligent and wise youth,
stayed (with them) overnight. He would leave
them before daybreak so that in the morning he
would be with Quraysh, as if he had spent the
night in Makkah. He would keep in mind any plot
made against them, and when it became dark he
would (go and) inform them of it. `Aamir bin
Fuhayrah, the freed slave of Abu Bakr, used to
bring the milch sheep (of his master, Abu Bakr)
to them a little while after nightfall. So they
always had fresh milk at night, the milk of
their sheep. `Aamir bin Fuhayrah would then take
the flock away when it was still dark (before
daybreak). He did the same on each of those
three nights. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr had
hired a man from the tribe of Bani al-Dayl from
the family of Bani `Abd ibn `Adiyy as an expert
guide, … he was of the religion of the infidels
of Quraysh but the Prophet and Abu Bakr trusted
him and gave him their two she-camels and made
an appointment with him for him to bring their
two she-camels to the cave of the mountain of
Thawr in the morning after three nights had
passed. And (when they set out), `Aamir bin
Fuhayrah and the guide went along with them and
the guide led them along the coast.
Ibn Shihaab said: `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Maalik
al-Mudliji, who was the nephew of Suraaqah ibn
Maalik ibn Ju'sham, told me that his father
informed him that he heard Suraaqah ibn Ju'sham
saying, "The messengers of the kuffaar of
Quraysh came to us declaring that they had
assigned for the persons who would kill or
arrest the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr, a
reward equal to their bloodmoney. While I was
sitting in one of the gatherings of my tribe,
Bani Mudlij, a man from them came to us and
stood while we were sitting, and said, `O
Suraaqah! No doubt, I have just seen some people
far away on the shore, and I think they are
Muhammad and his companions.' " Suraaqah added,
"I too realized that it must have been they. But
I said `No, it is not they, but you have seen
so-and-so, and so-and-so whom we saw setting
out.' I stayed in the gathering for a while and
then got up and left for my home. I ordered my
slave-girl to get my horse which was behind a
hillock, and keep it ready for me.
Then I took my spear and left by the back
door of my house dragging the lower end of the
spear on the ground and keeping it low. Then I
reached my horse, mounted it and made it gallop.
When I approached them (i.e. Muhammad and Abu
Bakr), my horse stumbled and I fell down from
it, Then I stood up, got hold of my quiver and
took out the divining arrows and drew lots as to
whether I should harm them (i.e. the Prophet and
Abu Bakr) or not, and the lot which I disliked
came out. But I remounted my horse and let it
gallop, giving no importance to the divining
arrows. When I heard the recitation of the
Qur'aan by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) who was not
looking around although Abu Bakr kept doing
that, suddenly the forelegs of my horse sank
into the ground up to the knees, and I fell down
from it. Then I rebuked it and it got up but it
could hardly lift its forelegs from the ground,
and when it stood up straight again, its
forelegs caused dust to rise up in the sky like
smoke. Then again I drew lots with the divining
arrows, and the lot which I disliked, came out.
So I called to them to let them know they were
safe. They stopped, and I remounted my horse and
went to them. When I saw how I had been hampered
from harming them, it came to my mind that the
Cause of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) (i.e. Islam)
would become victorious. So I said to him, "Your
people have assigned a reward equal to the
bloodmoney for your capture." Then I told them
all the plans the people of Makkah had made
concerning them. Then I offered them some
journey food and goods but they refused to take
anything and did not ask for anything, but the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, "Do not tell others about us." Then I
requested him to write for me a guarantee of
security. He ordered `Aamir bin Fuhayrah to
write it for me on a piece of animal skin, then
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) went on his way."
Ibn Shihaab said: `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr told
me: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) met al-Zubayr in a caravan
of Muslim merchants who were returning from
Syria. Al-Zubayr gave the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and
Abu Bakr a gift of white clothes. When the
Muslims of Madeenah heard the news of the
departure of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) from Makkah
(towards Madeenah), they started going to the
harrah (lava field) every morning. They would
wait for him till the heat of the noon forced
them to return. One day, after waiting for a
long while, they returned home, and when they
went into their houses, a Jew climbed up onto
the roof of one of the forts of his people to
look for something, and he saw the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and his companions dressed in white
clothes, as if they were emerging out of a
desert mirage.
The Jew could not help shouting at the top of
his voice, "O Arabs! Here is your great man whom
you have been waiting for!" So all the Muslims
rushed to pick up their weapons and went to meet
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) on the lava field. The
Prophet turned with them to the right and
alighted in the land of Bani `Amr ibn `Awf. This
was on Monday in the month of Rabee' al-Awwal.
Abu Bakr stood up, receiving the people while
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) sat down and kept silent.
Some of the Ansaar who came and had not seen the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) before, began greeting Abu
Bakr, but when the sunshine fell on the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr came forward and
shaded him with his cloak, only then did the
people come to know the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) stayed with Bani `Amr ibn
`Awf for ten nights and established the mosque
(mosque of Quba') which was founded on piety.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) prayed in it and then mounted
his she-camel and moved on, accompanied by the
people till his she-camel knelt down at (the
place of) the mosque of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at
Madeenah. Some Muslims used to pray there in
those days, and that place was a yard for drying
dates belonging to Suhayl and Sahl, two orphan
boys who were under the guardianship of As'ad
ibn Zuraarah. When his she-camel knelt down, the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said, "This place, Allah
willing, will be our place." The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) then called the two boys and told them to
name a price for that yard so that he might take
it as a mosque. The two boys said, "No, but we
will give it as a gift, O Messenger of Allaah!"
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) refused to take it as a gift
and insisted on buying it from them, then he
built a mosque there. The Prophet himself
started carrying unburnt bricks for its building
and while doing so, he was saying "This load is
better than the load of Khaybar, for it is more
pious in the Sight of Allaah and purer and
better rewardable."
He was also saying,
"O Allaah! The actual reward is the reward in
the Hereafter, so bestow Your Mercy on the
Ansaar and the Muhaajireen."
Thus the Prophet recited (by way of proverb)
the poem of some Muslim poet whose name is
unknown to me.
Ibn Shibaab said, "We have not heard in any
ahaadeeth that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited any
complete line of poetry apart from this."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3906
But there is a specious argument put forward
by some of those who want to stir up doubts
about Islam. They say that the seerah narrated
that the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr migrated with
two she-camels, and they entered the cave, and
Quraysh pursued them; if they had two she-camels
with them, the people of Quraysh would have
known that Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and his companion had
entered the cave. So where were the two camels?
These doubters want to attack Islam so that
people will not believe the seerah of the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), and to make them think that the seerah is
based on illusions and lies.
The response to this specious argument is
very simple indeed. The report quoted above _ of
which these people are unaware, or they ignore
it _ tells them that the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had hired a
guide to show them the way, and even though he
was a follower of the kaafir religion of
Quraysh, they trusted him. So they gave their
mounts to him and made an appointment with him
for him to bring their mounts back to them at
the cave of Thawr after three nights had passed.
This hadeeth clearly refutes their specious
argument and shuts them up. Praise be to Allaah
for guidance after misguidance.
Another thing that happened to the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and Abu Bakr on their way to Madeenah:
It was narrated that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: I said to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) _
when I was in the cave _ "If any one of them
looks down at his feet he will see us." He said,
"What do you think, O Abu Bakr, of two people of
whom Allaah is the third?"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3380; Muslim, 4389
This is a summary of the events of the
hijrah. Whoever wants to know more may consult
references such as al-Bidaayah
wa'l-Nihaayah by Ibn Katheer, 4/168-205
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
31069: Was the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) born
circumcised?
Question:
Was the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) born circumcised or was he
circumcised like other people?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him)
mentioned three opinions concerning the
circumcision of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). He said:
There are different opinions on this matter:
1 _ That he was born circumcised
2 _ That Jibreel circumcised him when he
split open his chest
3 _ That his grandfather `Abd al-Muttaalib
circumcised him according to the Arab custom of
circumcising their sons.
Tuhfat al-Mawlood, p. 201.
With regard to the first opinion, Ibn
al-Qayyim narrated many ahaadeeth in the book
mentioned which indicate this, but he ruled all
of them to be da'eef (weak). Then he
mentioned that if a child is born circumcised,
this is a defect and it is a not a sign of
virtue as some people think.
And he said:
It was said that Caesar the king of Rome whom
Imru'ul-Qays came to visit was born like that
(i.e., uncircumcised) and Imru'ul-Qays entered
upon him in the baths and saw him like that, and
composed a line of verse mocking him for being
uncircumcised:
He scorned him because he was not
circumcised, and he regarded his being born like
that as a defect. This line of verse was one of
the reasons that motivated Caesar to poison
Imru'ul-Qays and he died.
The Arabs used to think of the act of
circumcision as being something virtuous, but
not the feature itself.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: Allaah sent our Prophet
from amongst the Arabs, and He gave him
attributes of physical perfection and made him
of fine lineage. So how could it be possible
that he was born circumcised? It was said that
circumcision was one of the words with which
Allaah tested His Close Friend Ibraaheem, and he
fulfilled this world, and the most severely
tested of mankind are the Prophets, then the
next best and the next best. The Prophet listed
circumcision as one of the features of the
fitrah, and being tested with this and carrying
out this command with patience will multiply the
reward. It is more befitting that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
should not miss out on this virtue and that
Allaah should honour him in the same way as He
honoured Ibraaheem, because he is more virtuous
than any other Prophet.
Tuhfat al-Mawlood, 205-206
With regard to the second opinion, he said:
The hadeeth about the angel splitting open
his heart was narrated through many isnaads
going back to the Prophet; it does not mention
in any of them that Jibreel circumcised him,
except in this hadeeth which is (shaadhdh
ghareeb (odd and strange).
Tuhfat al-Mawlood, p. 206
With regard to the third opinion, he said:
Ibn al-`Adeem said: It says in some reports
that his grandfather `Abd al-Muttalib
circumcised him on the seventh day. He said,
this seems to be the correct view and closest to
reality.
Tuhfat al-Mawlood, p. 206
Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma'aad
(1/82):
This issue arose between two righteous men.
One of them wrote a book saying that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
born circumcised and compiled in it ahaadeeth
which are not sound at all. His name was Kamaal
al-Deen ibn Talhah. He was criticized by Kamaal
al-Deen ibn al-`Adeem who explained that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was circumcised according to the custom of
the Arabs. As this was the custom of all of the
Arabs, there is no need for a report (to prove
that he was circumcised).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
8844: The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the
establishment of the Islamic society
Question:
How and with degree of success was
muhammed(s.a.w)able to establish a stable
community in medinah 632ce.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Undoubtedly the society that was established
by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) in Madeenah was an example of a stable
and secure society. That was manifestly apparent
from the moment the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) first set foot in
Madeenah and stated to form the Islamic state.
The security and stability of this society were
due to a number of reasons and factors,
including the following:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) built the mosque in Madeenah as soon
as he arrived there, which helped to establish a
focal point to which people could turn when
calamities struck, and a place where the Muslims
could gather to meet one another and find out
about one another, so they could find out who
was sick and go to visit them, attend the
funerals of those who died, help their poor and
arrange marriages for those who were single.
These are some of the ahaadeeth concerning
that:
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that when the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, he ordered
that the mosque should be built, and he said, "O
Banu Najjaar, name me a price for this garden of
yours." They said, "No by Allaah, we will not
seek its price except from Allaah." (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 2622; Muslim, 524)
It was narrated that al-Bara' ibn `Aazib
said: "[The verse] `and do not aim at that
which is bad to spend from it' [al-Baqarah 2:267
_ interpretation of the meaning] was
revealed concerning us Ansaar. We used to own
date palm trees. A man would bring (the harvest)
from his date palms, whether it was a little or
a lot. A man would bring one or two bunches of
dates and hang them in the mosque. Ahl al-Suffah
_ or according to a report narrated by Ibn
Maajah, the poor among the Muhaajireen _ had no
food, so if one of them got hungry he would come
and strike the bunch with his stick, and ripe
and unripe dates would fall, and he would eat
them. But there were some uncharitable people
who would bring a bunch of dates that contained
rotten or dried-up dates, or a bunch that was
damaged, and hang it up. Then Allaah revealed
the words (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Spend of the good
things which you have (legally) earned, and of
that which We have produced from the earth for
you, and do not aim at that which is bad to
spend from it, (though) you would not accept it
save if you close your eyes and tolerate
therein" [al-Baqarah 2:267]
He said: if any one of you were to be given
something like they gave, he would not accept it
unless he did so with his eyes closed or out of
shyness. He said, after that one of us would
bring the best dates that he had.
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2987; Ibn Maajah,
1822. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2389.
Secondly:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) established brotherhood between the
Muhaajireen (the Emigrants who had come from
Makkah) and the Ansaar (helpers, the Muslims in
Madeenah). This action strengthened the bonds
between the members of the Madeenan society in a
manner previously unheard of. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) established
bonds of brotherhood between non-Arabs and
Arabs, between free men and former slaves,
between people of Quraysh and members of other
tribes. So the society became one entity, after
which it was not surprising that an Ansaari
would ask a Muhaajir to take half of his wealth,
or an Ansaari would offer to divorce one of his
wives so that a Muhaajir could marry her, or a
Muhaajir would inherit from an Ansaari, because
of the strength of the bonds between them. Then
inheritance between them was abrogated by the
verse on inheritance, but the Ansaar were
encouraged to bequeath something to them. This
was an exemplary society.
There follow some of the ahaadeeth concerning
that:
1 _ It was narrated that `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn
`Awf (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When
we came to Madeenah, the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
established bonds of brotherhood between me and
Sa'd ibn al-Rabee'. Sa'd ibn al-Rabee' said: "I
am the wealthiest of the Ansaar, so I will give
you half my wealth, and see which of my wives
you would prefer, I will divorce her for you,
and when she becomes permissible you can marry
her." `Abd al-Rahmaan said to him, "I do not
need that. Is there a marketplace where people
trade?" He said, "The marketplace of Qaynuqaa'."
So the next day `Abd al-Rahmaan went there and
took some cottage cheese and ghee, and he did
that the next day. It was not long before `And
al-Rahmaan came with traces of yellow (perfume)
on him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Have you
gotten married?" He said, "Yes?" He said, "To
whom?" He said, "A woman from among the Ansaar."
He said, "How much was the mahr?" He said, "A
gold piece equal in weight to a date stone (or a
date stone of gold)." The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him,
"Give a wedding feast (waleemah), even if with
one sheep." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1943.
2 _ It was narrated from Ibn `Abbaas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that when the
Muhaajireen came to Madeenah, a Muhaajir would
inherit from an Ansaari to the exclusion of the
Ansaari's own relatives, because of the bonds of
brotherhood that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had established
between them. When the verse "And to
everyone, We have appointed heirs" [al-Nisa'
4:33 _ interpretation of the meaning] was
revealed, that was abrogated. And the phrase
"To those also with whom you have made a
pledge (brotherhood)" [al-Nisa' 4:33 _
interpretation of the meaning] has to do
with the covenant of helping, supporting and
advising one another. So the rights of
inheritance no longer apply, but they may
bequeath to one another.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2170.
Thirdly:
Zakaah was prescribed in the second year of
the Hijrah, which made the rich and poor more
equal and increased the coherence of the
Madeenan society, and the bonds of brotherhood
for the sake of Allaah became stronger than
before. Indeed, the matter went further than
zakaah to include voluntary charity.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: Abu Talhah was
the wealthiest of the Ansaar of Madeenah in
terms of palm trees, and the dearest of his
wealth to him was (the garden of) Bayraha',
which was opposite the mosque. The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to enter it and drink from good water
that was to be found there. Anas said: When the
verse "By no means shall you attain Al-Birr
(piety, righteousness — here it means Allaah's
reward, i.e. Paradise), unless you spend (in
Allaah's Cause) of that which you love" [Aal-
Imraan 3:92 _ interpretation of the meaning]
was revealed, Abu Talhah got up and went to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of
Allaah, Allaah says `By no means shall you
attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness — here it
means Allaah's reward, i.e. Paradise), unless
you spend (in Allaah's Cause) of that which you
love' and the dearest of my wealth to me is
Bayraha'. (I give it in) charity for the sake of
Allaah, hoping to earn its reward with Allaah,
so dispose of it, O Messenger of Allaah, as
Allaah shows you." The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, "Well done, that is a profitable deal,
that is a profitable deal. I have heard what you
said and I think that you should distribute it
among your relatives." Abu Talhah said, "I shall
do that, O Messenger of Allaah," and he
distributed it among his relatives and the sons
of his paternal uncles. Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
1392; Muslim, 998
So the signs of harmony appeared among the
Muslims in Madeenah, and the Muhaajireen
recognized the rights that their Ansaar brothers
had over them. There are a number of ahaadeeth
concerning that, including the following:
It was narrated that Anas said: When the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) came to Madeenah, the Muhaajireen came to
him and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, we have
never seen any people more generous when they
have the means and more helpful when they have
little than the people among whom we have
settled. They have looked after us and they have
let us join them and share in all their happy
occasions, to such an extent that we are afraid
that they will take all the reward. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, "Not so long as you pray for them and
praise them."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2487; classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmidhi, 2020.
Allaah created loved between the hearts of
the people of Madeenah, and love for the sake of
Allaah was one of the symbols of the people that
Allaah enjoined upon them and made it one of the
signs of perfect faith.
It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "None of
you truly believes until he loves for his
brother what he loves for himself."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 13; Muslim, 45.
It was narrated that al-Nu'maan ibn Basheer
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
believers, in their mutual mercy, love and
compassion, are like a (single) body; if one
part of it feels pain, the rest of the body will
join it in staying awake and suffering fever."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5665; Muslim, 2586.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
3364: Hairstyles
Question:
What was the hairstyle of the Prophet ? And
what hairstyles are disallowed specifically ?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The hairstyle of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned in
a number of ahaadeeth, such as the following:
1 _ His hair was neither curly nor straight.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said,
describing the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), he was of average height,
neither very tall nor very short. He had a ruddy
complexion, neither very white nor very dark,
and his hair was neither curly nor straight. The
revelation came to him when he was forty years
old.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3354; Muslim, 2338)
2 _ His hair came down to his earlobes.
It was narrated that al-Bara' ibn `Aazib (may
Allaah hbe pleased with him) said: The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
of average height and broad shouldered. He had
hair that came down to his earlobes. I saw him
wearing a red garment and I never saw anyone
more handsome than him.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3358; Muslim, 2337
3 _ His hair sometimes came down to his
shoulders
It was narrated that Qutaadah said: I asked
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him)
about the hair of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said,
The hair of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was neither
curly nor straight, and came down to a point
between his ears and his shoulders.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5565; Muslim, 2337
According to another report, his hair used to
touch his shoulders.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5563; Muslim, 2338
Sometimes his hair was shorter than that. All
of this may be understood as referring to
different situations, and each of the Sahaabah
narrated what he had seen.
4 _ The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to dye his hair
sometimes.
It was narrated that `Uthmaan ibn `Abd-Allaah
ibn Moohib said: I entered upon Umm Salamah and
she brought out to us one of the hairs of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) which was dyed.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5558.
Ahmad (25328) added: … dyed with henna and
katam.
Katam is a plant that is used to dye the
hair. When mixed with henna it gives the hair a
colour between black and red. See `Awn
al-Ma'bood, commentary on hadeeth no. 4205
5 _ He used to part his hair.
It was narrated from `Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to let his hair hang down over his
forehead and the mushrikoon used to part their
hair, and the People of the Book used to let
their hair hang dpwn over their foreheads. The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) liked to be like the People
of the Book in matters where there was no
specific command. Then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
parted his hair.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3365; Muslim,
2336). Some of the scholars discussed the
meaning of this hadeeth, and their comments were
summed up by Imam al-Nawawi as follows:
The correct view is that both letting the
hair hang down over the forehead and parting it
are permissible, but that parting is better.
Sharh Muslim, 15/90
6 _ The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did his Farewell Pilgrimage
when his hair was stuck together.
(This means) making some parts of the hair
stick to others using gum or something similar,
so that the hair is held together and avoids
getting dirty and does not need to be washed.
This is easier for the person who is in ihraam,
especially in the past when the person in ihram
was faced with a lot of dirt and little water.
It was narrated that Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: I saw the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) raising his voice in the Talbiyah, with his
hair stuck together.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5570; Muslim, 1184
7 _ The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) sometimes used to braid his
hair, especially when travelling, to keep it
from getting dusty.
It was narrated that Umm Haani' said: The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) came from Makkah with four braids.
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1781; Abu Dawood,
4191; Ibn Maajah, 3631. Classed as saheeh by
al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari,
10/360.
With regard to the kinds of hairstyles that
are forbidden, they are characterized by the
following:
1 _ al-Qaza' (lit. tufts), which is
where part of the head is shaved and part is
left.
It was narrated from Ibn `Umar that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) forbade al-qaza'.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5466; Muslim, 3959.
One of the narrators of this hadeeth defines
al-qaza' as shaving part of a child's
head and leaving some of his hair.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
With regard to shaving part of the head and
leaving part, this is of varying degrees.
The worst is shaving the middle of the head
and leaving the sides, as the Christian monks
do.
After that comes shaving the sides and
leaving the middle, as many of the foolish and
worthless people do.
After that comes shaving the front of the
head and leaving the back.
These three types all come under the heading
of qaza' which was forbidden by the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), but some of them are worse
than others.
Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 3/1294
2 _ Imitating the kaafirs or immoral people.
There are many such hairstyles, some of which
come under the heading of qaza' _ such as
the "Marines" haircut, which is forbidden for
two reasons, the fact that it is a kind of
qaza' and the fact that it is an
imitation of the kuffaar. Some of them do not
involve qaza' but they are styles that belong to
the kuffaar, such as making some of the hair
stand up and letting the rest hang down, and so
on.
This also includes every hairstyle that
belongs to the kaafirs or immoral people,
because it is not permissible for a Muslim to
resemble them in that, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, "Whoever imitates a people is one of
them."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4031. Classed as
hasan by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath
al-Baari, 10/271. its isnaad was classed as
jayyid by Shaykh al-Islam in Iqtida'
al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 82.
Shaykh al-Islam said:
The least that we can say about this hadeeth
is that it implies that it is haraam to imitate
them, although the apparent meaning is that the
one who imitates them is a kaafir, as in the
verse (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if any amongst you takes them (as
Awliyaa'), then surely, he is one of them"
[al-Maa'idah 5:51]
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, p. 83.
Imitating foolish people.
These are hairstyles worn by some of the
foolish people, which may be included in the
categories mentioned above.
See also question no. 14051
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
20968: The scribes of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)
Question:
Who were the scribes who wrote the letters of
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him)?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
The scholars of seerah (Prophet's biography)
have mentioned the names of the Sahaabah who
used to write down the wahy (revelation) or the
letters of the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). They were: Abu Bakr
al-Siddeeq, `Umar ibn al-Khattaab, `Uthmaan ibn
`Affaan, `Ali ibn Abi Taalib, al-Zubayr ibn
al-`Awwaam, `Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, `Amr ibn
al-`Aas, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, `Abd-Allaah ibn
al-Arqam, Thaabit ibn Qays ibn Shammaas,
Hanzalah ibn al-Rabee' al-Usaydi, al-Mugheerah
ibn Shu'bah, `Abd-Allaah ibn Rawaahah, Khaalid
ibn al-Waleed, Khaalid ibn Sa'eed ibn al-`Aas
(whom it was said was the first one to write
down anything for him), Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi
Sufyaan and Zayd ibn Thaabit. He requested them
to do that and allocated this task to them.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/117
Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said:
A group of them wrote things down for the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), including Ubayy ibn Ka'b,
Zayd ibn Thaabit, `Ali, `Uthmaan, Hanzalah
al-Asadi, Mu'aawiyah, and `Abd-Allaah ibn
al-Arqam, who was his regular scribe in charge
of writing and responding to letters. He was the
one who wrote down all the Revelation and whom
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) commanded to learn how to
write Syriac so that he could respond on his
behalf to those who wrote to him in that
language. So he learned it in eighteen days.
Al-Adaab al-Shar'iyyah, 2/161
And Ibn Hajar said:
Al-Qadaa'i said: Zayd ibn Thaabit used to
write to the kings on his behalf, as well as
writing down the revelation. And al-Zubayr and
Jahm used to write down the records of zakaah.
Al-Talkhees al-Habeer, 4/346, 347 And
Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
23294: Number of sons and
daughters of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)
Question:
how many daughters did al rasool (salaa alaho
alayhee wasalam) has? and from which of his
wives (radeyaa alaahoo 3anhonaa jame3an) ?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) had both sons and daughters, the first
of whom was al-Qaasim, from whom he took his
kunya Abu'l-Qaasim. He died in childhood, and it
was said that he lived until he was old enough
to ride. Then came Zaynab, and it was said that
she was older than al-Qaasim; then Ruqayyah, Umm
Kulthoom and Faatimah. It was said concerning
each of them that she was older than her two
sisters. It was narrated from Ibn `Abbaas that
Ruqayyah was the oldest of the three and that
Umm Kulthoom was the youngest. Then `Abd-Allaah
was born to him. There is some dispute as to
whether he was born after his Prophethood began
or before. Some scholars said that he was born
after his Prophethood began. There is also some
dispute as to whether he was al-Tayyib or
al-Taahir, or whether they were other children;
the correct view is that these were nicknames
given to him; and Allaah knows best. These
children were all born from Khadeejah and he had
no children from any other wife. Then Ibraaheem
was born to him from his concubine Maariyah
al-Qibtiyyah in 8 AH. (Zaad al-Ma'aad,
1/103).
So the sons and daughters of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were
all born to him from his wife Umm al-Mu'mineen
Khadeejah (may Allaah be pleased with her),
apart from Ibraaheem, who was born from the
Prophet's concubine Maariyah (may Allaah be
pleased with her), who was given to him as a
gift by al-Muqawqis, the king of Alexandria and
the leader of the Copts. According to the most
correct opinion, he had seven children, three
boys and four girls. The boys were:
1- al-Qaasim
2- `Abd-Allaah
3- Ibraaheem
And the girls were:
1- Zaynab
2- Ruqayyah
3- Umm Kulthoom
4- Faatimah
All of his children died during his lifetime,
apart from Faatimah who died after him (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Islam
Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
14070: He has been asked to
research about Islam and its impact on Europe
Question:
Discuss the rise of Islam by exlporing the
life and religious ideas of muhammad, as well as
development in the century after his death.
Explain at lenght Muhammed's religious ideas,
placing them in there historical context. That
is, how do these ideas reflect Muhammed's
personal life expiriences and background, and
more generally the environment of seventhy
century Arabian society? Then explain how and
when Islam spred from Arabia to Europe adressing
Islam's inpact on the Christian West as well as
arabia and its surrounding regions.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did not produce his ideas by
himself, rather the message that he brought came
from Allaah _ it was Revelation (wahy) which
Allaah sent to him.
Secondly:
with regard to his life (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him):
He was the best of all people on earth in
terms of lineage, for he was descended from the
noblest line. Even his enemies bore witness to
that. Hence his enemy Abu Sufyaan testified to
that effect before the Byzantine ruler. The
noblest of people were his people; the noblest
of tribes was his tribe; the noblest of clans
was his clan. His full name was Muhammad ibn
[son of] `Abd-Allaah ibn `Abd al-Muttalib ibn
Haashim ibn `Abd Manaaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilaab
ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghaalib ibn
Fahr ibn Maalik ibn al-Nadar ibn Kinaanah ibn
Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyaas ibn Mudar ibn
Nizaar ibn Ma'd ibn `Adnaan… ibn `Ismaa'eel
[Ishmael] ibn Ibraaheem [Abraham] (peace be upon
them).
Allaah sent him as a Prophet at the age of
forty, which is the age of perfection. The first
sign of Prophethood which was sent to the
Messenger of Allaah was dreams: he did not see
any dream but it would come true like daybreak.
It was said that that lasted for six months. The
period of his Prophethood lasted for
twenty-three years. These dreams were one of the
forty-six parts of Prophethood. Then Allaah
honoured him with Prophethood, and the angel
came to him whilst he was in the cave of Hira',
where he used to love to go to be alone. The
first words (of the Qur'aan) to be revealed to
him were:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has
created (all that exists)" [al-`Alaq 96:1
_ interpretation of the meaning]
His message came in stages. Firstly, he was
appointed as a Prophet; secondly, he warned his
nearest kinsmen; thirdly, he warned his people;
fourthly, he warned the people to whom no warner
had ever come, namely all the Arabs; fifthly, he
warned all those whom his message reached, both
jinns and humans, until the end of time.
After that (initial revelation), he spent
three years calling people to Allaah in secret.
Then the following words were revealed to him:
"Therefore proclaim openly (Allaah's
Message Islamic Monotheism) that which you are
commanded, and turn away from AlMushrikoon
(polytheists, idolaters, and disbeliever"
[al-Hijr 15:94 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
See Zaad al-Ma'aad by Ibn al-Qayyim,
1/71
Thirdly:
With regard to the message to which our
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) called people, it is sufficient to quote
what was said by Abu Sufyaan _ who was a kaafir
(disbeliever) at the time. Heraclius, the ruler
of Byzantium, asked Abu Sufyaan, "What does he
tell you to do?" Abu Sufyaan said: "He tells us
to worship Allaah alone, not associating
anything with Him, and he forbids us to worship
that which our fathers used to worship. He
commands us to pray, to give in charity, to be
chaste, to keep our promises and fulfil our
trusts." Heraclius commented on Abu Sufyaan's
words by saying: "This is the description of a
Prophet. I knew that he would appear, but I did
not think that he would be from among you [the
Arabs]. If you are indeed speaking the truth,
then soon he will take possession of the place
where my feet are standing. If I thought that I
could meet him I would not hesitate to go to
him, and if I were with him I would wash his
feet."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2782; Muslim,
1773).
Fourthly:
After the death of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), he was
succeeded as khaleefah (leader of the Muslim
community) by Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq, during whose
time a number of major events took place: the
dispatching of the army of Usaamah [to Syria];
the wars against the apostates (ahl al-riddah);
fighting those who refused to pay the zakaah;
the emergence of Musaylimah the liar [a false
prophet]; and the compilation of the Qur'aan.
Then came `Umar ibn al-Khattaab, who was one
of the earliest Muslims, one of the ten whom the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had testified would enter Paradise, one of
the Rightly Guided Caliphs (al-khulafa'
al-raashideen), one of the in-laws of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), one of the greatest
scholars and ascetics among the Sahaabah (the
Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)). Many conquests took
place during his time, including the conquest of
Damascus, Jordan, Iraq, Jerusalem and Egypt. He
is the one who decided, in consultation with
`Ali, that history should be dated from the time
of the Hijrah (the migration of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from
Makkah to Madeenah).
He was martyred in 23 AH by the kaafir Magian
murderer Abu Lu'lu'ah.
Then came `Uthmaan ibn `Affaan, who was also
one of the ten whom the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had testified
would enter Paradise. He had also become Muslim
in the earliest days. He was one of those whom
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq had called to Islam. He
migrated twice, first to Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
then to Madeenah. He married Ruqayyah the
daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), then she passed away and he
married her sister Umm Kalthoom. He ruled as
khaleefah for twelve years, then he was martyred
in 35 AH at the age of eighty-odd.
Then came `Ali ibn Abi Taalib, who was also
one of the ten whom the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had testified
would enter Paradise. He was the brother of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) according to the system of
brotherhood established when the muhaajiroon
(migrants from Makkah) first came to Madeenah,
and he was also the Prophet's son-in-law as he
married his daughter Faatimah, the best of all
women (may Allaah be pleased with her). He was
also one of the first people to become Muslim,
one of the greatest scholars, bravest warriors,
prominent ascetics and preachers. He was one of
those who compiled the Qur'aan and showed it to
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
Fifthly:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was guided by the teachings of the
Qur'aan, indeed his whole attitude was the
Qur'aan as the Mother of the Believers `Aa'ishah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) said. The way
our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was in Islam was the same as the way
he had been before, but Allaah perfected his
character and made it more beautiful. When the
first revelation came, [his wife] Khadeejah (may
Allaah be pleased with her) said, listing his
attributes:
"No, by Allaah, Allaah would never let you
down. For you uphold ties of kinship, you help
the weak, you give charity to the poor, you
honour your guests and you help the deserving
calamity-afflicted ones."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4; Muslim, 160)
Both his companions and his enemies described
him in a befitting manner, as he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) deserved,
saying that he was honourable, brave, merciful,
well-spoken, worshipped a great deal, was honest
and trustworthy, and so on.
This was all summed up in the verse:
"And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an
exalted (standard of) character"
[al-Qalam 68:4 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
His good character and attitude had a great
effect, as it was the reason for some of the
mushrikeen (pagans, polytheists) coming
to Islam.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) sent some cavalry towards Najd, and they
brought a man from Banu Haneefah whose name was
Thamaamah ibn Athaal and tied him to one of the
pillars of the mosque. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out and
said, `Untie Thamaamah.' Then he (Thamaamah)
went to grove of palm trees near the mosque and
washed himself (did ghusl), then he entered the
mosque and said, `I bear witness that there is
no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
4114; Muslim, 1764).
Sixthly:
With regard to Islam reaching Europe, it did
so in several ways, including the following:
1 _ The keenness of the Muslims to convey the
truth to all of mankind. Andalusia [in Spain]
was conquered by Taariq ibn Ziyaad in 92 AH/711
CE, and the conquests in western Europe
continued until they reached southeastern France
in 114 AH.
2 _ People coming from North Africa, the
Middle East and South Asia to look for work and
a better future.
3 _ Westerners bringing some people from
other countries, such as the Germans bringing
Turks, to work in their country.
4 _ The presence of Muslim daa'iyahs
(callers, "missionaries") in those countries.
5 _ The conquests of the Ottoman state of
part of Europe.
6 _ The conversion of some indigenous
Europeans to Islam, who then began to propagate
Islam.
7 _ Trade links between Muslims and Europe.
8 _ Conversion of some Europeans to Islam.
9 _ Changes in the European intellectual
approaches.
10 _ Rejection of the church myths which
contradict revelation and the adoption of
empirical knowledge whose foundation was laid by
the Muslims.
11 _ Participation of Muslim communities in
the development of research, inventions and
companies in Europe, through the work of
qualified Muslim professionals, plus the
increase in the number of Muslim communities in
Europe, which resulted in the increase in the
number of mosques, schools and Islamic centers.
This has resulted in increased Muslim influence,
to the extent that the enemies of Islam such as
the Jews are scared. The Israeli newspaper
"Ha-eretz" said, in an issue published in
late June 2001 CE, "As is the case in western
Europe, the great increase in the number of
Muslims in the United States has led to an
increase in their political influence… The
increase in the number of Muslims and their
increasing political awareness, especially the
Arab students, who are the most active of the
Arabs in the political field, and the decrease
in the number of Jews as a result of mixed
marriages and their assimilation into American
society, will all, in the future, play a role in
changing the balance of power and changing the
influence that these competing groups have in
Washington. This is now something tangible, as
can be seen in the activities of the pro-Arab
lobbies in Congress.
1. The increase in the number of Muslims in
European counties. More than ten years ago the
number of Muslims in Europe was approximately 12
million.
2. The spread of mosques, Islamic centers and
schools.
3. The spread of hijaab and Islamic dress in
the capitals of European countries.
4. The holding of Islamic exhibitions and
seminars, and the establishment of companies
that take care of halaal slaughter of meat, and
burying the dead in the manner prescribed in
Islam.
And Allaah is the Guide to the straight path
and the Source of strength. Islam Q&A Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
22629: Why were there Jews
in Madeenah at the time of the Prophet?
Question:
It was narrated that when the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, his
shield was in pledge with a Jew… My question is:
was this Jew in Madeenah? If the answer is yes,
then how could that be when he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had expelled
them from the city?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) died, his shield was in
pledge with a Jew. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had expelled
some of the Jews, and he left orders during his
final illness that they should be expelled from
the Arabian Peninsula, and that no two religions
should co-exist there. Then `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) carried out this final wish of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
12103: Did the Prophet
appoint `Ali as khaleefah?
Question:
What is the ruling on people who claim that
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) appointed `Ali (may Allaah be pleased
with him) as khaleefah, and say that the
Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
conspired against him?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This opinion is not known among any of the
Muslim groups apart from the Shi'ah, and it is a
false view which has no basis in the ahaadeeth
that have been proven from the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). On the contrary, a great deal of evidence
shows that the khaleefah after the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with
him and with all the companions of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)).
But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) did not state that clearly and he
did not appoint him in any definitive sense;
rather he gave commands which indicated that,
when he told him to lead the people in prayer
when he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)) was sick, and when he told
him about the leadership of the Muslim community
after his death, saying, "Allaah and the
believers will only accept Abu Bakr." Hence the
Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) gave
their allegiance (bay'ah) to Abu Bakr and they
were unanimously agreed that Abu Bakr was the
best among them. It was reported in the hadeeth
of Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with
them) used to say during the Prophet's life:
"The best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu
Bakr, then `Umar, then `Uthmaan," and the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) approved of their saying that. Mutawaatir
reports from `Ali (may Allaah be pleased with
him) show that he used to say, "The best of this
ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr then `Umar."
And he (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to
say, "No one is brought to me who prefers me
over them, but I will whip him with the hadd
punishment for telling lies." He never claimed
that he was the best of this ummah, or that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) had appointed him as
khaleefah. He never said that the Sahaabah (may
Allaah be pleased with them) had wronged him and
taken away his rights. When Faatimah (may Allaah
be pleased with her) died he gave a second
pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) to Abu Bakr, as
confirmation of his first pledge and to
demonstrate to the people that he was with the
jamaa'ah (the main group of Muslims) and that he
had no reservations in his heart against giving
his allegiance to Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with them all). When `Umar was stabbed,
he appointed six of those whom the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had
testified were guaranteed Paradise, for them to
appoint one of their number as `Umar's
successor; among these six was `Ali, who never
denounced `Umar, either whilst he was still
alive or after his death. `Ali did not say that
he was more entitled than any of them to be
khaleefah, so how can anyone have the right to
tell lies about the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and say
that he appointed `Ali as khaleefah? `Ali
himself never made any such claim, and none of
the Sahaabah claimed that for him. Rather they
were unanimously agreed that the caliphate of
Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthmaan was valid; `Ali
acknowledged that and he cooperated with all of
them in jihad, shoora (consultation), etc.
Moreover, the Muslims after the Sahaabah were
agreed upon that which the Sahaabah had been
agreed on. After all this, it is not permissible
for anyone or for any group, Shi'ah or others,
to claim that `Ali was the appointed successor,
or that the caliphate before him was false.
Similarly, no one has the right to say that the
Sahaabah wronged `Ali and took away his rights.
Rather this is the falsest of falsehoods, and it
is thinking badly of the Companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), including `Ali (may Allaah
be pleased with him and with them all).
Allaah has protected the ummah of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
kept it from agreeing on misguidance. It was
narrated in a saheeh report in many ahaadeeth
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "A group of my ummah will
continue to adhere to the truth and to prevail."
It is impossible that the noblest generation of
this ummah could agree on falsehood, supposedly
the caliphate of Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthmaan.
No one says this who believes in Allaah and the
Last Day, and no one says this who has the
slightest insight into the rulings of Islam.
From the fatwas of Shaykh Ibn Baaz, from
Kitaab Fataawa Islaamiyyah, 1/46.
(www.islam-qa.com)
21971: The way the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
to ride
Question:
What are the animals which the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
ride?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) rode horses, camels, mules and
donkeys. He rode horses both saddled and
bareback, and he used to make them gallop them
on occasion. He used to ride alone, which was
most of the time, but sometimes he would put
someone behind him on the camel, or he would put
one person behind him and one in front, so there
would be three men on one camel. So he would
sometimes let some men ride on his camel with
him, and on some occasions he let his wives ride
with him. The animals which he rode most often
were horses and camels. With regard to mules, it
is known that he had one mule which was given to
him as a gift by one of the kings. Mules were
not well known in the land of the Arabs, and
when he was given a mule, it was asked, "Why do
we not mate horses with donkeys?" He said, "That
is only done by those who do not know."
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2565; classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi
Dawood, 2236)
See Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/159. (www.islam-qa.com)
21222: How many times did
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) perform `Umrah?
Question:
How many times did the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) perform `Umrah?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It was narrated from Qutaadah that Anas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) told him that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) performed `Umrah four times,
all of them in Dhu'l-Qi'dah apart from the
`Umrah which he performed with his Hajj: (he
did) `Umrah from al-Hudaybiyah or at the time of
al-Hudaybiyah in Dhu'l-Qi'dah; (he did) `Umrah
the following year in Dhu'l-Qi'dah; and (he did)
`Umrah from Ja'raanah when he shared out the
booty of Hunayn in Dhu'l-Qi'dah.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Hajj,
1654; Muslim, al-Hajj, 1253
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
He did `Umrah four times after the Hijrah,
four `Umrahs, all of them in Dhu'l-Qi'dah.
The first was the `Umrah of al-Hudaybiyah,
which was the first of them, in 6 AH, but the
mushrikeen prevented him from reaching the House
(the Ka'bah), so he offered the sacrifice (of
camels) when his way was blocked at
al-Hudaybiyah, and he and his companions shaved
their heads and exited the state of ihraam, and
went back in the same year to Madeenah.
The second was the Fulfilled `Umrah in the
following year, when he entered Makkah and
stayed there for three (days), then he left
after completing his `Umrah.
The third was the `Umrah which he did along
with his Hajj.
The fourth was his `Umrah from al-Ja'raanah,
when he went out to Hunayn then he came back to
Makkah and performed `Umrah from al-Ja'raanah.
He said: there is no (scholarly) dispute
concerning the fact that he did no more than
four `Umrahs.
See Zaad al-Ma'aad, vol. 2, p. 90-93
Al-Nawawi said:
The scholars said: the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed these
`Umrahs in Dhu'l-Qid'ah because of the virtue of
this month and in order to go against the (ways
of) Jaahiliyyah, because they used to think that
this (i.e., doing `Umrah in Dhu'l-Qi'dah) was
one of the most evil of evil actions, as stated
above. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did that several times in
this month as this was the most eloquent way of
explaining that it was permissible and of
demonstrating the beliefs of Jaahiliyyah to be
false.
And Allaah knows best.
Sharh Muslim, 8/235
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
13488: The first Revelation
that came to the Messenger of Allaah
Question:
hello do you know the story of the up comming
of islam (where he went in to the cave and he
could read)if you do the will you please help
me. If you can please reply.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is reported in al-Saheehayn from
`Urwah ibn al-Zubayr that `Aa'ishah the wife of
the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said:
"The beginning of the Revelation that came to
the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was good
dreams; he never saw a dream but it came true
like bright daylight. Then seclusion was made
dear to him, and he used to go to the cave of
Hiraa' and worship there, which means that he
went and devoted himself to worship for a number
of nights before coming back to his family to
collect more provisions, then he would go back
again. Then he would go back to Khadeejah to
collect more provisions. (This went on) until
the truth came to him suddenly when he was in
the cave of Hiraa'. The angel came and said,
`Read!' The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, `I am not
a reader.' He said, Then he took hold of me and
squeezed me until I could not bear it any more
then he released me and said, `Read!' I said, `I
am not a reader.' He took hold of me and
squeezed me a second time until I could not bear
it any more, then he released me and said,
`Read!' I said, `I am not a reader.' He took
hold of me and squeezed me a third time until I
could not bear it any more, then he released me
and said,
`Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has
created (all that exists).
He has created man from a clot (a piece of
thick coagulated blood).
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.
Who has taught (the writing) by the pen.
He has taught man that which he knew not.'
[al-`Alaq 96:1-5 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Then the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) went back with
his heart beating wildly, until he came to
Khadeejah and said, `Cover me! Cover me!' They
covered him till his fear went away. Then he
said to Khadeejah, `O Khadeejah, I fear for
myself,' and he told her what had happened.
Khadeejah said, `Nay, be of good cheer, for by
Allaah, Allaah will never disgrace you. You
uphold the ties of kinship, speak truthfully,
help the poor and destitute, serve your guests
generously and assist those who are stricken by
calamity.'
Then Khadeejah took him to Waraqah ibn
Nawfal, the son of her paternal uncle. He was a
man who had become a Christian during the
jaahiliyyah. He used to write Arabic script and
he used to write from the Gospel in Arabic as
much as Allaah willed he should write. He was an
old man who had become blind. Khadeejah said, `O
son of my uncle, listen to what your nephew
says.' Waraqah said: `O son of my brother, what
have you seen?' [The Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)] told him what
he had seen. Waraqah said: `This is the Naamoos
[Jibreel] who came down to Moosa. Would that I
were young and could live until the time when
your people will drive you out.'
The Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, `Will
they really drive me out?' Waraqah said, `Yes.
Never has there come a man with that which you
have brought, but he was persecuted. If I should
live to see that day, I will support you
strongly.' But a few days later, Waraqah died,
and the Revelation also ceased for a while,
until the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was filled with
grief.
Muhammad ibn Shihaab said: Abu Salamah ibn
`Abd al-Rahmaan told me that Jaabir ibn
`Abd-Allaah al-Ansaari said: "The Messenger of
Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, speaking of that period when the
revelation ceased: `Whilst I was walking, I
heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw
the angel who had come to me in Hiraa', sitting
on a chair between the heavens and the earth. I
felt scared of him, so I came home and said,
"Cover me, cover me [with blankets]!" So they
did, then Allaah revealed the words:
"O you (Muhammad) enveloped in garments!
Arise and warn!
And magnify your Lord (Allaah)!
And purify your garments!
And keep away from ArRujz (the idols)!"
[al-Muddathir 74:1-5].'"
Abu Salamah said: al-rujz were the
idols which the people of the Jaahiliyyah used
to worship. Then the revelation came frequently
after that.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4572; Muslim, 231)
al-Seerah (biography of the Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him))
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
11787: The virtues of
Faatimah the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
Question:
I hear that Fatima (ra) and Ali (ra) had a
daughter in addition to Hassan (ra) and Hussein
(ra), but I know nothing else about her. Could
you tell us something about her please, like how
her life was, and whether she had any role in
Islamic history, etc.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Faatimah, the daughter of the leader of
mankind, Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), al-Qurashiyyah
al-Haashimiyyah, Umm al-Hasanayn [the mother of
al-Hasan and al-Husayn]. She was born shortly
before the beginning of the Mission of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), and she married `Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may
Allaah be pleased with him) after the battle of
Badr.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) loved her and honoured her. She was
patient, devoted to Islam, generous, chaste,
devout and thankful to Allaah.
When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, she
grieved and wept for him, and said, "O my
father, to Jibreel we tell the news of his
death, O my father, he answered the call of his
Lord, O my father, in Paradise is his eternal
abode."
Faatimah's speech most closely resembled that
of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). It was narrated that
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"I never saw anyone whose speech more closely
resembled that of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) than
Faatimah. When she entered upon him, he would
stand up to greet her, kiss her and welcome her,
and she would do the same for him."
Faatimah lived for six months after the death
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). She was buried at night. Al-Waaqidi
said: this is the most correct view. He said,
al-`Abbaas prayed (the funeral prayer) for her,
and he, `Ali and al-Fadl lowered her into her
grave. Her sons were al-Hasan and al-Husayn (may
Allaah be pleased with them) and her daughters
were Umm Kulthoom, who was wed by `Umar ibn
al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him),
and Zaynab who was wed by `Abd-Allaah ibn Ja'far
ibn Abi Taalib.
It was narrated from Masrooq that `Aa'ishah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "Faatimah
came walking in the manner of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, `Welcome, O my daughter.' Then he
seated her to his right or to his left, then he
said something privately to her and she wept. I
said to her, `Why are you weeping?' Then he said
something privately to her and she smiled. I
said, `I have never seen anything like that
which I have seen today, of joy so close to
grief.' I asked her what he had said, and she
said, `I would not disclose the secret of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).' When the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed
away, I asked her and she said, `He told me,
"Jibreel used to review the Qur'aan with me once
every year, but this year he has reviewed it
with me twice, so I know that my appointed time
(of death) is approaching. And you will be the
first of my family to join me." So I wept. Then
he said, "Would it not please you to be the
leader of the women of Paradise or the women of
the believers?" So I smiled.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Manaaqib,
3353)
Among the things that prove her virtue is
that which was reported in al-Saheehayn
from `Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood, that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
to pray at the Ka'bah, and Abu Jahl and his
companions were sitting there. They said to one
another, `Who will bring the intestines of the
camel of So and so and put it on Muhammad's back
when he prostrates?' So the most wretched of
people went and brought it and waited until the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) prostrated, then he put it on his back,
between his shoulders. I was watching but I
could not help him because I did not have any
power. They started laughing and leaning against
one another (because of their laughter), and the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was prostrating and did not
raise his head until Faatimah came and removed
it from his back. Then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
raised his head, and said, `O Allaah, deal with
Quraysh,' three times. They became worried when
he prayed against them, because they used to
believe that du'aa's made in that land would be
answered…"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 233; Muslim,
3349)
Among her virtues was also that which was
narrated in al-Saheehayn, that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Faatimah is a part of
me, and whoever angers her, angers me."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3437; Muslim,
4483)
And Allaah knows best.
See Nuzhat al-Fudalaa' Tahdheeb Siyar
A'laam al-Nubalaa', 1/116
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
11575: Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)
Question:
Could you give me some brief details about
the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Differences and disputes arose among the
Children of Israel. They introduced alterations
and changes in their beliefs and laws. Thus
truth was extinguished and falsehood prevailed,
oppression and evil became widespread, and
people needed a religion that would establish
truth, destroy evil and guide people to the
straight path, therefore Allah sent Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And We have not sent down the Book (the
Qur'aan) to you (O Muhammad, except that you may
explain clearly unto them those things in which
they differ, and (as) a guidance and a mercy for
a folk who believe"
[al-Nahl 16:64]
Allaah sent all the Prophets and Messengers
to call for the worship of Allah alone, and to
bring people from darkness to light. The first
of these Messengers was Nooh and the last of
them was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) as Allaah said (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And verily, We have sent among every
Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): `Worship Allaah (Alone), and
avoid (or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false
deities, i.e. do not worship Taaghoot besides
Allaah)'"
[al-Nahl 16:36]
The last of the Prophets and Messengers is
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), so there is no Prophet after him, as
Allaah said:
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your
men, but he is the Messenger of Allaah and the
last (end) of the Prophets" [al-Ahzaab
33:40]
Every Prophet was sent exclusively to his own
people, but Allaah sent His Messenger Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to
all of mankind as Allaah said (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Allaah revealed to His messenger the
Qur'aan by which to guide people And We have not
sent you (O Muhammad) except as a giver of glad
tidings and a Warner to all mankind, but most of
men know not"
[Saba' 34:28]
Allaah sent the Qur'aan to His Messenger, to
guide people and bring them forth from darkness
to light by the will of their Lord. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"(This is) a Book which We have revealed
unto you (O Muhammad) in order that you might
lead mankind out of darkness (of disbelief and
polytheism) into light (of belief in the Oneness
of Allaah and Islâmic Monotheism) by their
Lord's Leave to the path of the All Mighty, the
Owner of all praise"
[Ibraaheem 14:1]
The messenger of Allaah, Muhammad ibn
Abd-Allaah ibn Abd al-Muttalib al-Haashimi
al-Qurashi was born in Makkah in the year of the
Elephant, the year when the companions of the
Elephant came to Makkah to destroy the Ka'bah,
but Allaah destroyed them. His father died
before he was born, and after he was born,
Haleemah al-Sa'diyyah nursed him. When he was
six years old, he visited his maternal uncles in
Madeenah with his mother Aaminah bint Wahb. On
the way back to Makkah, his mother died in
al-Abwaa'. Then his grandfather `Abd al-Muttalib
became his guardian. But `Abd al-Muttalib died
when Muhammad was eight years old. Then his
paternal uncle Abu Taalib became his guardian.
He took care of him, treated him kindly and
defended him for more than forty years, but when
Abu Taalib died he had not come to believe in
the religion of Muhammad lest he be reproached
by Quraysh for abandoning the religion of his
forefathers
When he was young, Muhammad used to tend
sheep for the people of Makkah, then he traveled
to Syria to do business on behalf of Khadeejah
bint Khuwaylid, and he made a good profit.
Khadeejah was impressed with his character, and
his sincerity and honesty, so he married her
when he was twenty-five, and she was forty, and
he did not marry any other woman until after she
died.
Allaah made Muhammad grow in a good manner,
and Allaah took care of him, so he was the the
best of his people in physical wellbeing and in
attitude, he was the most generous, the most
patient, the most truthful, the most sincere and
the most honest, so his people called him
al-Ameen (the trustworthy) .
Then he was given an inclination towards
solitude, so he used to spend many days and
nights alone in the cave of Hiraa', worshiping
and praying to his Lord. He hated idols, alcohol
and promiscuous conduct, so he never paid any
attention to them all his life
When Muhammad reached the age of thirty-five
he took part in the rebuilding of the Ka'bah,
which had been destroyed by a flood. A dispute
arose concerning who should put the Black Stone
back in its place, and they appointed him as an
arbitrator to resolve the dispute, so he called
for a garment and placed the stone on it then he
told the tribal chiefs to hold the garment at
the edges so that all of them could lift it
together, then Muhammad put it in place and put
stones and mortar around it.
The people of the Jaahiliyyah used to have
some good characteristics such as generosity,
loyalty and courage, and they used to follow
some teachings of the religion of Ibraaheem,
such as venerating the Ka'bah and making Tawaaf
around it, performing Hajj and `Umrah, and
offering sacrifices. But besides that they used
to have some bad habits and traditions, such as
fornication, drinking alcohol, consuming ribaa
(usury or interest), killing their daughters,
oppression and worshiping idols.
The first one to introduce changes in the
religion of Ibrahim, and to call for the worship
of idols was `Amr ibn Luhayy al-Khuzaa'i, who
brought idols to Makkah and other places, and
called people to worship them. Among these idols
were Wudd, Suwaa', Yaghooth, Ya'ooq, and Nasra.
Later on, the Arabs also worshipped other
idols such as the idol of Manaat in a place
called Qadeed, and al-Laat in al-Taa'if,
al-`Uzza in Wadi Nakhlah, Hubal inside the
Ka'bah, and other idols around the Ka'bah, and
idols in their homes. People used to consult
soothsayers, fortunetellers and magicians to
judge between them.
When shirk and corruption became so
widespread, Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he was
forty years old, to call the people to worship
Allaah Alone and to give up idol-worship.
Quraysh denounced him for that and said:
"Has he made the aalihah (gods) (all) into
One Ilaah (God — Allaah). Verily, this is a
curious thing!" [Saad 38:5 _ interpretation of
the meaning]
These idols continued to be worshipped
instead of Allaah until Allaah sent His
Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) with the Message of Tawheed
(Oneness of Allaah). So he and his Companions
(may Allaah be pleased with them) broke them and
destroyed them, truth prevailed and falsehood
was vanquished:
"And say: `Truth (i.e. Islamic Monotheism
or this Qur'aan or Jihaad against polytheists)
has come and Baatil (falsehood, i.e. Satan or
polytheism) has vanished. Surely, Baatil is ever
bound to vanish'"
[al-Israa' 17:81 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The first revelation that was sent down to
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was in the cave of Hiraa' where he
used to go to worship, when Jibreel came to him
and commanded him to read. The Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "I am
not a reader." This happened again, and on the
third time, he said to him:
"Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has
created (all that exists).
He has created man from a clot (a piece of
thick coagulated blood).
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous
[al-`Alaq 96:1-3 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The Messenger went back home, his heart
pounding. He entered upon his wife Khadeejah and
told her what had happened, saying "I feared for
myself." She calmed him down and said, "By
Allaah, Allaah will never forsake you, for you
uphold the ties of kinship, help the weak,
honour your guests, give in charity and help
when some one is stricken with calamity." Then
she went with him to her cousin Waraqah ibn
Nawfal, who had become a Christian. When he told
him what had happened, he gave him glad tidings
and told him, this is the Naamoos whom Allaah
sent to Moosa. He encouraged him to be patient
if his people persecuted him and expelled him.
Then the wahy stopped for a while, and the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was saddened by that. Then whilst he was
walking one day, he saw the angel again, between
the heavens and the earth. He went back to his
house and wrapped himself in his blanket. Then
Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the
meaning):
"O you (Muhammad) enveloped in garments!
Arise and warn!"
[al-Muddaththir 74:1-2]
After that, revelations came one after
another to the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
The Prophet stayed in Makkah for thirteen
years, calling for the worship of Allaah alone,
in secret then openly, when Allaah commanded him
to proclaim the truth. So he called them in a
gentle and kind manner, without fighting. He
called his clan and closest relatives, then he
warned his people and those around them, then he
warned all the Arabs, then he warned all of
mankind. Then Allaah said:
"Therefore proclaim openly (Allaah's
Message Islamic Monotheism) that which you are
commanded, and turn away from Al Mushrikoon
(polytheists, idolaters, and disbelievers)"
[al-Hijr 15:94]
A few people, rich people, nobles, the weak
and poor, men and women, believed in the
Messenger. All of them were persecuted for their
faith. Some were tortured and some were killed.
Some of them migrated to Abyssinia, fleeing from
the persecution of Quraysh, and some of them
were persecuted with the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), until Allaah
caused His religion to prevail.
When the Messenger reached the age of fifty
and ten years of his mission had passed, his
uncle Abu Taalib, who had protected him from the
persecution of Quraysh, died. Then his wife
Khadeejah, who had been his consolation, also
died, and the persecution of his people
intensified. They harrassed him and persecuted
him with all kinds of torments, and he bore it
with patience, seeking the reward of Allaah. May
the blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him.
When the persecution of Quraysh became too
intense, he went out to al-Taa'if and called its
people to Islam but they did not respond;
instead they insulted him and threw stones at
him, until his heels started to bleed. He went
back to Makkah and continued to call his people
to Islam during Hajj and at other times.
Then Allaah took His Messenger on the Night
Journey from al-Masjid al-Haraam in Makkah to
al-Masjid al-Aqsaa (in Jerusalem), riding on
al-Buraaq, accompanied by Jibreel. He stopped
and led the Prophets in prayer, then he was
taken up into the lowest heaven, where he saw
Adam, with the souls of the blessed to his right
and the souls of the doomed to his left. Then he
was taken up to the second heaven where he saw
`Eesa and Yahyaa; then to the third heaven where
he saw Yoosuf; then to the fourth heaven where
he saw Idrees; then to the fifth heaven where he
saw Haroon; then to the sixth heaven where he
saw Moosa; then to the seventh heaven where he
saw Ibraaheem. Then he was taken up to Sidrat
al-Muntaha (the Lote-tree of the utmost
boundary), and his Lord spoke to him and
enjoined fifty prayers upon him and his ummah
each day and night. Then that was reduced to
five prayers to be performed, with a reward for
fifty, and the prayer was confirmed to be five
prayers each day and night for the ummah of
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). Then he returned to Makkah before dawn
came, and he told them what had happened to him.
The believers believed him but the kaafirs did
not.
"Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah)
[above all that (evil) they associate with Him]
Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey
by night from AlMasjid AlHaraam (at Makkah) to
Al Masjid Al Aqsaa (in Jerusalem), the
neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order
that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat
(proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.).
Verily, He is the All Hearer, the All Seer
[al-Israa' 17:1 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Then Allaah sent to His Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) people who
would help and support him. During the Hajj
season, he met a group from the tribe of Khazraj
in Madeenah. They embraced Islam, then they went
back to Madeenah and spread Islam there. The
following year, they were over ten people, whom
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) met, and when they left he sent Mus'ab
ibn `Umayr with them to teach them the Qur'aan
and Islam. Many people became Muslim through
him, including the leaders of the tribe of Aws,
Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh and Usayd ibn Hudayr.
The following year when the Hajj season came,
more than seventy men from al-Aws and al-Khazraj
came and invited the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to come to
Madeenah after the people of Makkah had
persecuted him and boycotted him. During the
night of one of the days of Tashreeq, the
Messenger made an appointment to meet them at
`Aqabah. When one third of the night had passed,
they came out to meet him and found the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), accompanied by his uncle
al-`Abbaas, who was not a believer, but he
wanted to take care of his nephew's affairs.
Al-`Abbaas, the Messenger and the people spoke
together in a pleasant manner, then the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) accepted their oath of allegiance on the
basis that he would migrate to them in Madeenah
and they would protect him, support him and
defend him, and Paradise would be theirs in
return. They gave their oath of allegiance, one
by one, then they left. Quraysh found out about
them, so they set out in pursuit of them. But
Allaah saved them from them, and the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
remained in Makkah for a while:
"Verily, Allaah will help those who help
His (Cause). Truly, Allaah is All Strong, All
Mighty"
[al-Hajj 22:40 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Then the Messenger commanded his companions
to migrate to Madeenah, so they migrated in
groups except for those who were prevented from
doing so by the mushrikeen. Then there were no
Muslims left in Makkah apart from the Messenger
of Allaah, Abu Bakr and `Ali. When the
mushrikeen realized that the companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) had migrated to Madeenah,
they feared that he would join them and become
strong. So they agreed to kill him. Jibreel told
the Messenger of Allaah about that, so the
Messenger commanded `Ali to sleep in his bed,
and he returned the things that had been
entrusted to the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) to their owners. The
mushrikeen spent the night at the door of the
Messenger, waiting to kill him when he came out,
but he came out in the midst of them and went to
the house of Abu Bakr, after Allaah had saved
him from their plot. And Allaah revealed the
words (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when the disbelievers
plotted against you (O Muhammad) to imprison
you, or to kill you, or to get you out (from
your home, i.e. Makkah); they were plotting and
Allaah too was plotting; and Allaah is the Best
of those who plot"
[al-Anfaal 8:30]
Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) resolved to
migrate to Madeenah, so he and Abu Bakr set out
to the cave of Thawr and stayed there for three
nights. They hired `Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Urayqit,
who was a mushrik, as their guide, and the ylet
him lead their camels. Quraysh were alarmed when
he left, and they looked for him everywhere, but
Allaah protected His Messenger. When the search
for them died down, they travelled to Madeenah.
When Quraysh despaired of finding them, they
offered to anyone who could bring one or both of
them to them two hundred camels. So the people
intensified their search and on the way to
Madeenah, Suraaqah ibn Maalik found them; he was
a mushrik and he set out after them, so the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) prayed against him and his horse's legs
sank into the ground. So he realized that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was protected, so he asked
the Messenger to pray for him and said that he
would not harm him. So the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for him
and Suraaqah went back, and diverted the people
away from them. Then he became Muslim after the
conquest of Makkah.
When the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) reached Madeenah, the
Muslims exclaimed "Allaahu akbar!" with joy at
his coming. Men, women and children came out to
meet him, rejoicing. He stayed in Quba, where he
and the Muslims built the mosque of Quba. He
stayed there for over ten nights, then he rode
on Friday and prayed Jumu'ah amongst Bani Saalim
ibn `Awf, then he rode his camel and entered
Madeenah, with the people all around him taking
the reins of his camel so that he would come and
stay with them. The Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) told them to
leave her, for she would be guided (by Allaah),
so she walked on until she sat down in the place
where the Mosque is today.
Allaah made it possible for His Messenger to
stay with his maternal uncles near the mosque,
so he stayed in the house of Abu Ayyoob
al-Ansaari, then the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent
someone to bring his family and his daughters,
and the family of Abu Bakr, from Makkah, and
thus he brought them to Madeenah.
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and his companions started
to build his mosque in the place where the camel
had sat down. He made the qiblah facing towards
Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Its pillars were
made of tree trunks and its roof was made of
palm branches. Then the qiblah was changed to
the Ka'bah more than ten months after he had
come to Madeenah.
Then the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) established brotherhood
(mu'aakhkhah) between the Muhaajireen and
the Ansaar. The Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) made a treaty with the
Jews and wrote a document agreeing to peace and
to defend Madeenah. The Jewish scholar
`Abd-Allaah ibn Salaam became Muslim but most of
the Jews insisted on remaining kaafirs. In that
year the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) married `Aa'ishah (may
Allaah be pleased with her).
In the second year, the adhaan was
prescribed, and Allaah changed the qiblah to the
Ka'bah, and the fast of Ramadaan was enjoined.
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) remained in Madeenah and Allaah
supported him with His help. The Muhaajiroon and
Ansaar consolidated their ranks around him, and
their hearts were devoted to him. The
mushrikoon, Jews and hypocrites came together to
oppose him; they slandered him and fabricated
lies against him, and they declared war on him,
but Allaah commanded him to be patient,
forbearing and tolerant. When their evildoing
became too intense, Allaah gave the Muslims
permission to fight, and the aayah was revealed
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Permission to fight (against
disbelievers) is given to those (believers) who
are fought against, because they have been
wronged; and surely, Allaah is Able to give them
(believers) victory
[al-Hajj 22:39]
Then Allaah enjoined the Muslims to fight
those who fought against them:
"And fight in the way of Allaah those who
fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly,
Allaah likes not the transgressors"
[al-Baqarah 2:190 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Then Allaah commanded them to fight all the
mushrikeen:
"and fight against the Mushrikoon
(polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in
the Oneness of Allaah) collectively as they
fight against you collectively
[al-Tawbah 9:36 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and his companions began to call
people to Allaah and to strive in jihaad for the
sake of Allaah. He foiled the plots of their
enemies and relieved the oppression of the
oppressed. Allaah supported them with His help,
until the religion was all for Allaah. He fought
the mushrikeen at Badr in 2 AH, in Ramadaan, and
Allaah granted him victory over them and he
defeated them. In 3 AH the Jews of Bani
Qaynuqaa' committed treason by killing one of
the Muslims, so the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) expelled them
from Madeenah to Syria. Then Quraysh avenged
their dead who were slain at Badr. They camped
around Uhud in Shawwaal of the year 3 AH. Battle
raged and the archers disobeyed the command of
the Messenger, so the Muslims did not achieve
victory, but the mushrikoon went back to Makkah
without having entered Madeenah.
Then the Jews of Bani al-Nudayr committed
treason and resolved to kill the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by
throwing a rock on him, but Allaah saved him.
Then he besieged them in 4 AH and expelled them
to Khaybar.
In 5 AH the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) attacked Bani al-Mustalaq in
order to repel their aggression. He was
victorious over them, and took their wealth and
their women and children as booty. Then the
Jewish leaders tried to incite the Confederates
(al-Ahzaab) against the Muslims, in order to put
an end to Islam in its heartland. So the
mushrikoon, al-Ahbaash and the Jewish tribe of
Ghatafaan gathered around Madeenah, but Allaah
foiled their plot and granted victory to His
Messenger and the believers:
"And Allaah drove back those who
disbelieved in their rage: they gained no
advantage (booty). Allaah sufficed for the
believers in the fighting (by sending against
the disbelievers a severe wind and troops of
angels). And Allaah is Ever All Strong, All
Mighty" [al-Ahzaab 33:25 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Then the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) besieged the Jews of Bani
Qurayzah, because of their betrayal and their
breaking the treaty. Allaah granted him victory
over them so he killed their men, took their
women and children prisoner, and took their
wealth as booty.
In 6 AH, the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) resolved to visit the
Ka'bah and perform Tawaaf around it, but the
mushrikoon prevented him from doing so. He
entered into a treaty with them at
al-Hudaybiyah, to stop the fighting for ten
years, during which time the people would be
safe and could choose what they wanted. Then the
people entered Allaah's religion in crowds [cf.
al-Nasr 110:2].
In 7 AH, the Messenger attacked Khaybar in
order to put an end to the Jewish leaders who
were harming the Muslims. He besieged them, and
Allaah gave him victory over them. He took their
wealth and land as booty, and he sent letters to
the kings of the earth, inviting them to Islam.
In 8 AH, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent an army,
led by Zayd ibn Haarithah, to deal with the
aggressors. But the Romans gathered a huge army
and killed the Muslim commanders, but Allaah
saved the rest of the Muslims from their evil.
Then the kuffaar of Makkah broke the treaty,
so the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) headed towards them with a great
army and conquered Makkah. He cleansed the
Ka'bah of idols and and freed it from the
custodianship of the kuffaar.
Then came the campaign of Hunayn in Shawwaal
of 8 AH, to repel the aggression of Thaqeef and
Hawazen. Allaah defeated them and the Muslims
captured a lot of booty. Then the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
continued his march to al-Taa'if and besieged
it, but Allaah did not decree that it should be
conquered, so the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) prayed for them, then
went away. They subsequently became Muslim, then
he went back and distributed the war-booty. Then
he and his companions performed `Umrah, then
they went back to Madeenah.
In 9 AH the campaign of Tabook came at a time
of difficulty, hardship and intense heat. The
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) went to Tabook in order to defeat the plots
of the Romans. He camped there, but no fighting
took place, but he made a treaty with some of
the tribes. He captured war-booty, then he came
back to Madeenah. This was the last military
campaign in which he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) fought. In the same year
delegations came from the tribes, wanting to
enter Islam. Among them were the delegations
from Tameem, Tayy', `Abd al-Qays and Bani
Haneefah. They all became Muslim, then the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) commanded Abu Bakr to lead the people in
Hajj that year. He sent `Ali (may Allaah be
pleased with him) with him and told him to
recite Soorat Baraa'ah [al-Tawbah]
to them, to declare disavowal (baraa'ah)
of the mushrikoon. He told him to call out to
the people, so `Ali said on the Day of
Sacrifice: "O people, no kaafir will enter
Paradise, and no mushrik will perform Hajj after
this year, and no naked person shall perform
Tawaaf around the Ka'bah. Whoever has a treaty
with the Messenger of Allaah, then the treaty
will stand until it expires."
In 10 AH, the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) resolved to perform Hajj,
and he called the people to do likewise. Many
people from Madeenah and elsewhere performed
Hajj with him. He entered ihraam at
Dhu'l-Haleefah and reached Makkah in
Dhu'l-Hijjah. He performed Tawaaf and Sa'ee',
and he taught the people their rituals. He gave
a great and comprehensive sermon at `Arafaah, in
which he affirmed the just rulings of Islam. He
said:
"O people, listen to my words, for I do not
know if I will meet you again after this year. O
people, your blood, your wealth and your honour
are sacred to you as the sanctity of this day of
yours, in this month of yours, in this land of
yours. Every practice of the jaahiliyyah is
beneath my feet and the blood feuds of the
jaahiliyyah are cancelled. The first claim of
blood that I abolish is that of Ibn Rabee'ah ibn
al-Haarith, who was suckled among the tribe of
Bani Sa'd and was killed by Hudhayl. The ribaa
of the jaahiliyyah is abolished, and the first
ribaa that I abolish is that of `Abbaas ibn `Abd
al-Muttalib. It is abolished completely.
Fear Allaah concerning women, for you have
taken them on the security of Allaah and have
made their bodies lawful to you by the words of
Allaah. Your right over them is that they should
not allow anyone whom you dislike to sit on your
bed. If they do that, then hit them, but not
severely. Their rights over you are that you
should be kind to them and clothe them properly.
I have left you with something which, if you
adhere to it, you will not go astray after I am
gone: the Book of Allaah. If you were asked
about me, what would you say?" They said: "We
would bear witness that you have conveyed (the
message), fulfilled (the trust) and advised us
sincerely." Then he pointed with his index
finger towards the sky and then towards the
people, and said, "O Allaah, bear witness, O
Allaah bear witness," three times.
When Allaah perfected this religion and its
basic principles had been established, Allaah
revealed to him in `Arafaah:
"This day, I have perfected your religion
for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have
chosen for you Islam as your religion
[al-Maa'idah 5:3 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This Hajj is called Hujjat al-Wadaa' (the
Farewell Pilgrimage) because in it the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bade
farewell to the people, and he did not perform
Hajj after that. Then after completing his Hajj,
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) returned to Madeenah,
In 11 AH, in the month of Safar, the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) fell sick. When the pain
became too intense, he told Abu Bakr (may Allaah
be pleased with him) to lead the people in
prayer. In Rabee' al-Awwal, his sickness became
worse and he (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) died in the morning of Monday 12
Rabee' al-Awwal 11 AH. The Muslims were
grief-stricken by that. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was washed
(ghusl) and the Muslims offered the funeral
prayer for him on the 13th, in the
evening, and he was buried in the house of
`Aa'ishah. The Messenger died, but his religion
will remain until the Day of Resurrection.
Then the Muslims chose the one who had been
his companion in the cave and during the Hijrah,
Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) to be
their khaleefah. After him, the position of
khaleefah passed to `Umar, then to `Uthmaan,
then to `Ali. These are the Khulafaa'
al-Raashidoon (the Rightly-Guided
Khaleefahs), may Allaah be pleased with them
all.
Allaah blessed His Messenger Muhammad greatly
and enjoined upon him noble characteristics, as
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an
orphan and gave you a refuge?
And He found you unaware (of the Qur'aan, its
legal laws and Prophethood) and guided you?
And He found you poor and made you rich (self
sufficient with self contentment)?
Therefore, treat not the orphan with
oppression.
And repulse not the beggar.
And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the
Prophethood and all other Graces)"
[al-Duhaa 93:6-11]
Allaah honoured His Messenger with noble
characteristics which were not combined in any
other person, to the extent that his Lord
praised him for these characteristics:
"And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an
exalted standard of character"
[al-Qalam 68:4 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
With these noble and praiseworthy
characteristics, he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was able to bring people
together and soften their hearts, by Allaah's
leave:
"And by the Mercy of Allaah, you dealt
with them gently. And had you been severe and
harsh hearted, they would have broken away from
about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask
(Allaah's) forgiveness for them; and consult
them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a
decision, put your trust in Allaah, certainly,
Allaah loves those who put their trust (in Him)"
[Aal `Imraan 3:159 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Allaah sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of
mankind. He revealed to him the Qur'aan and
commanded him to call people to Allaah, as He
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O Prophet (Muhammad)! Verily, We have
sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad
tidings, and a warner,
And as one who invites to Allaah [Islamic
Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allaah
(Alone)] by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading
light (through your instructions from the
Qur'aan and the Sunnah the legal ways of the
Prophet"
[al-Ahzaab 33:46]
Allaah favoured His Messenger Muhammad over
the other Prophets in six ways, as the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said:
"I have been favoured above the other
Prophets in six ways: I have been given the
ability of concise speech; I have been supported
with fear [in the hearts of my enemies]; war
booty has been made permissible for me; the
earth has been made pure and a mosque [place of
worship] for me; I have been sent to all of
mankind; and I am the seal of the Prophets."
(Narrated by Muslim, 523)
All of mankind must believe in him and follow
his sharee'ah in order to enter the Paradise of
their Lord:
"and whosoever obeys Allaah and His
Messenger (Muhammad) will be admitted to Gardens
under which rivers flow (in Paradise), to abide
therein, and that will be the great success"
[al-Nisaa' 4:13 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Allaah praises those among the People of the
Book who believe in the Messenger, and He gives
them the glad tidings of a two-fold reward, as
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those to whom We gave the Scripture [i.e.
the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)]
before it, they believe in it (the Qur'aan).
And when it is recited to them, they say: `We
believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our
Lord. Indeed even before it we have been from
those who submit themselves to Allaah in Islam
as Muslims (like `Abdullâh bin Salâm and Salmân
Al Farisî).
These will be given their reward twice over,
because they are patient, and repel evil with
good, and spend (in charity) out of what We have
provided them"
[al-Qasas 28:52-54]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "There are three who will be
given a two-fold reward: a man from among the
People of the Book who believed in his Prophet
then lived until the time of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
believed in him and followed him _ he will have
two rewards…"
Whoever does not believe in the Messenger
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is a kaafir, and the punishment of the
kaafir is Hell, as Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"And whosoever does not believe in Allaah
and His Messenger (Muhammad), then verily, We
have prepared for the disbelievers a blazing
Fire
[al-Fath 48:13]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is the
soul of Muhammad, no one among this ummah, Jew
or Christian, hears of me then dies not
believing in that with which I have been sent,
but he will be one of the people of Hell."
(Narrated by Muslim, 154)
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was a human being who did not know
anything except that which Allaah taught him. He
did not know the unseen and he had no power to
benefit or harm himself or anyone else, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): `I possess no power
over benefit or hurt to myself except as Allaah
wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb
(Unseen), I should have secured for myself an
abundance of wealth, and no evil should have
touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of
glad tidings unto people who believe'"
[al-A'raaf 7:188]
Allaah sent him with Islam so that it might
prevail over all other religions:
"He it is Who has sent His Messenger
(Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of
truth (Islam), that He may make it (Islam)
superior to all religions. And All Sufficient is
Allaah as a Witness"
[al-Fath 48:28 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The mission of the Messenger was to convey
the message with which he was sent; guidance is
in the hand of Allaah:
"But if they turn away (O Muhammad, from
the Islamic Monotheism, which you have brought
to them). We have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a
Haafiz (watcher, protector) over them (i.e. to
take care of their deeds and to recompense
them). Your duty is to convey (the Message)"
[al-Shoora 42:48 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Because of the great favour that the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) has done to the rest of humanity, by
calling them to this religion and bringing them
forth from darkness into light, Allaah forgave
him all his past and future sins, and commanded
us to send blessings upon him on many occasions.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah sends His Salaah (Graces, Honours,
Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad), and
also His angels (ask Allaah to bless and forgive
him). O you who believe! Send your Salaah on
(ask Allaah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you
should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way
of greeting (salutation, i.e. AsSalaamu
`Alaykum).
[al-Ahzaab 33:56]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) strove to spread this religion, and
his Companions strove with him, so we have to
follow his example and his Sunnah, and adhere to
his teachings, as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah
(Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for
him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and
the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much"
[al-Ahzaab 33:21]
Islam is the religion of the fitrah
(natural state of man) and justice, the religion
which Allaah has chosen for all of mankind. It
includes basic principles and minor issues,
etiquette, acts of worship and rulings on
interaction with others. The ummah can never
succeed unless it follows Islam and Allaah will
not accept any other religion from people, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whoever seeks a religion other than
Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in
the Hereafter he will be one of the losers"
[Aal `Imraan 3:85]
O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad and
upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent
blessings upon Ibraaheem and upon the family of
Ibraaheem, for You are the Praiseworthy, Full of
Glory.
From Usool al-Deen al-Islami by Muhammad ibn
Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri. (www.islam-qa.com)
5103: What was the name of
the Prophet's camel?
Question:
What was the name of the Prophet's (S) camel?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in his section on the animals owned by
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him):
Of camels he had al-Qaswaa', and it was said
that she was the camel on which he made his
Hijrah; and al-`Adbaa' and al-Jad'aa'. Were
al-`Adbaa' and al-Jad'aa' one and the same, or
two different camels? There is some difference
of opinion concerning this. Al-`Adbaa' was the
camel who had never been defeated in a race,
then a Bedouin came on a young camel, which beat
her in a race. This upset the Muslims, but the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "When Allaah raises
the status of something in this world, He
inevitably brings it down again." At the battle
of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) took as booty a dromedary
which had belonged to Abu Jahl and had a silver
ring in its nose. He took it to be sacrificed on
the day of al-Hudaybiyah in order to annoy the
mushrikeen.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 134 (www.islam-qa.com)
6503: Eating habits and diet
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him)
Question:
What were the diet and eating habits of the
Prophet , and his Companians?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet's guidance with regard to food is
perfect guidance. It was described by Ibn
al-Qayyim as follows:
When he put his hand in the food, he would
say, "Bismillaah (in the Name of Allaah),
and he told people to say this when eating. He
said, "When any one of you eats, let him mention
the name of Allaah. If he forgets to mention the
name of Allaah at the beginning, let him say
Bismillaahi fi awwalihi wa aakhirihi (in
the name of Allaah at its beginning and at its
end)." Saheeh hadeeth, narrated by al-Tirmidhi
(1859) and Abu Dawood (3767).
The correct view is that it is obligatory to
mention the name of Allaah (say
Bismillaah) when eating. The ahaadeeth
which state this are saheeh and are clear, with
no contradictions in them.
When he raised the food to his mouth, he
would say, "Al-hamdu Lillaahi hamdan
katheeran tayyiban mubaarakan fihi ghayri
makfiyyin wa laa muwadda' wa laa mustaghni `anhu
Rabbanaa `azza wa jall (Allaah be praised
with an abundant, beautiful, blessed praise. He
is the One Who is Sufficient, Who feeds and is
never fed, The One Who is longed for, along with
that which is with Him, and the One Who is
needed. He is Our Lord, may He be glorified).
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5142).
He never criticized food at all. If he liked
it, he would eat it, and if he did not like it,
he would leave it and not say anything. Narrated
by al-Bukhaari (3370) and Muslim (2064).
Or he would say, "I do not feel like eating
this." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5076) and Muslim
(1946).
Sometimes he would praise the food, as when
he asked his family for food, and they said, "We
have nothing but vinegar." He asked for it and
started to eat it, saying, "What a good food is
vinegar." Narrated by Muslim (2052)
He used to talk whilst he was eating, as is
seen from the report quoted above about vinegar.
And he said to his step-son `Umar ibn Abi
Salamah when he was eating with him: "Say
Bismillaah and eat from that which is in
front of you in the dish*." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (5061) and Muslim (2022). [* At the
time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), people used to eat together
from one dish, and children would sometimes
forget the correct etiquette. - Translator]
He would repeatedly urge his guests to eat,
as generous hosts do, and as is seen in the
hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, narrated by
al-Bukhaari, about the story of drinking milk,
where he repeatedly said to him, "Drink!" and he
kept telling him to drink until he (the guest)
said, "By the One Who sent you with the truth, I
have no more room for it!" Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (6087).
When he ate with others, he would not leave
until he had made du'aa' for them. He made du'aa
in the house of `Abd-Allaah ibn Bisr, and said:
"O Allaah, bless for them that which You have
provided for them, forgive them and have mercy
on them." Narrated by Muslim (2042).
He commanded people to eat with their right
hands and forbade them to eat with their left
hands. He said, "The Shaytaan eats with his left
hand and drinks with his left hand." Narrated by
Muslim (2020). This implies that eating with the
left hand is haraam, and this is the correct
view, because the one who eats with his left
hand is either a shaytaan (a devil), or he is
imitating the Shaytaan.
It was also reported in a saheeh hadeeth that
he told a man who was eating with his left hand
in his presence, "Eat with your right hand!" The
man said, "I cannot." He said, "May you never be
able to!" _ and the man never lifted his right
hand to his mouth after that. Narrated by Muslim
(2021). If it was permissible (to eat with the
left hand), he would not have prayed against him
for doing so. It was the man's stubborn
arrogance that made him refuse to obey the
command, and this is the utmost disobedience
which deserved this prayer against him.
He commanded those who complained that they
never felt full to eat together and not
separately, and to mention the name of Allaah
(say Bismillaah) over the food so that He
might bless it for them." Narrated by Abu Dawood
(3764) and Ibn Maajah (3286).
(See Zaad al-Ma'aad, 2/397-406)
It was also reported that he said, "I do not
eat reclining." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5083.
He used to eat using the first three fingers
(of his right hand), which is the best way of
eating.
See: Zaad al-Ma'aad, 220-222. And
Allaah knows best.
The Prophet's guidance regarding diet:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to know what he was eating.
He used to eat what was good for him.
He used to eat enough to keep him going, but
no so much as to make him fat. Ibn `Umar
narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The believer eats
in one stomach whilst the kaafir eats in seven."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5081) and Muslim
(2060).
He taught his ummah something to protect them
from diseases caused by eating and drinking. He
said: "The son of Adam does not fill any vessel
worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the
son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him
going. If he must do that (fill his stomach),
then let him fill one third with food, one third
with drink and one third with air." Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classed
as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah (2265).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
2038: Mankind's need for
Prophethood
Question:
what is the importance of prorhecy for the
humanety? Why is faith in Prophethood so
important?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Mankind is in need of Messengers and Prophets
from Allaah, to light the way and guide them to
ways of peace, and to warn them against the ways
of evil and corruption. Some of the things for
which mankind clearly needs Messengers and
Prophets are:
1 - Guidance to Allaah, may He be exalted and
glorified
Mankind has gone through periods
where they did not have Messengers and Messages
from Allaah for a long time, and so they fell
into the traps of illusions and myths, so they
prayed to natural phenomena and heavenly bodies,
or idols that could neither benefit nor harm
them, worshipping them in fear and hope. At the
same time, they were subjected to humiliation by
those who claimed divinity, such as the Pharaohs
and others. Even though there was never a time
when at least a few people wondered about Who
had sovereignty over the heavens and the earth
and instinctively realized that there was a
Creator, they still failed to worship Him
properly and heed His commands and prohibitions
and understand what He wanted them to do and not
do, because they had no contact with anybody who
could tell that about all that. The wisdom of
Allaah dictated that He should save the confused
and misguided by blessing them with the
knowledge of His Divine qualities and Beautiful
Names, so He honoured them and all of humanity
by sending Messengers who would guide them
towards the Creator, as He tells us in the story
of Nooh (peace be upon him): "Indeed, We sent
Nooh to his people and he said, `O my people!
Worship Allaah! You have no other ilaah (god)
but Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment
of a Great Day!'" [al-A'raaf 7:59]. All the
Prophets and Messengers, peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon them, came one after the other,
bringing the same Message.
2 - Guidance
regarding the Hereafter
One of the reasons
why Prophets and Messengers were sent was to
tell people about the Hereafter, because if man
does not believe in Allaah and the Last Day, he
will be a slave to his desires, running after
material things and following the ways of
misguidance. If he is reminded or advised, he
will deny that he is answerable for his deeds.
Allaah has described such people in His words
(interpretation of the meaning): "And they say,
`There is nothing but our life of this world, we
die and we live and nothing destroys us except
al-dahr (the time).' And they have no knowledge
of it, they only conjecture." [al-Jaathiyah
45:24].
So it was the task of the
Prophets and Messengers to establish proof of
the Last Day, and to explain that the One Who
created mankind from nothing is able to bring
them back to life after their death, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say:
`Allaah gives you life, then causes you to die,
then He will assemble you on the Day of
Resurrection about which there is no doubt. But
most of mankind know not." [al-Jaathiyah 45:26].
On that Day, the scales of justice will be set
up and scores between oppressors and their
victims will be settled. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "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-Anbiya'
21:47]. If it were not for this Reckoning, which
we know about only through Prophethood, life
would be pointless and a means only for
wrongdoing - and this is contrary to the wisdom
of Allaah, may He be glorified and
exalted.
3 - Meeting man's need for
religion
So long as man remains sound of
nature, clear of mind and pure of heart, his
need for religion remains a part of him, and he
understands that there has to be an Almighty
Creator who created and organized the universe
in the best way. Thus there emerges from the
depths of his being the urge to submit himself
fully to the Creator, to seek His help at times
of calamity and distress, and to humble himself
before Him, as he feels his great need for Him
both at times of ease and of hardship. This is
referred to in the Qur'aan (interpretation of
the meaning): "So set your face towards the
religion of pure Islamic monotheism haneefa
(worship none but Allaah Alone), Allaah's fitrah
(pattern) with which He has created mankind. No
change let there be in khalq-illah [i.e., the
Religion of Allaah], that is the straight
religion, but most of men know not." [al-Room
30:30]
According to a hadeeth narrated
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), "Every new-born baby is born
according to the fitrah, then his parents make
him into a Jew or a Christian or a Magian
(Zoroastrian)" (Agreed upon). How could a man
know how to become religious and worship his
Creator without Revelation from Allaah to tell
him about it? There has to be a mediator between
Allaah and His creation so that mankind can know
about the religion which the Creator wants them
to follow; this is the role of the Prophets.
4 - Guidance regarding proper ways of dealing
with one another. It is well known that man is
by nature sociable, and that he has wishes and
desires that cannot be achieved except in
cooperation with his fellow-man. So it is clear
that mankind urgently needs guidance to regulate
his relationships with others, to outline the
right way of behaving, to resolve disputes and
conflicts, to guard against wrong-doing and
oppression, and to protect people's rights -
lest some people oppress others. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "Indeed We have
sent Our Messengers with clear proofs, and
revealed with them the Scriptures and the
Balance (justice) that mankind may keep up
justice…"
[al-Hadeed 57:24].
5 - Guidance towards sound morals
It is
also a part of man's nature that he will strive
to fulfil his needs even if he does so by means
of oppression and domination. So he urgently
needs a deterrent, in the form of belief in
Allaah and the Last Day, to motivate him to
acquire good qualities and praiseworthy morals.
These can only be known through the divine laws
brought and conveyed by the Prophets and
Messengers of Allaah, peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon them.
6 - Achieving
justice in accordance with the will of
Allaah
It is well known that Allaah, may He
be glorified and exalted, is Fair and Just. He
rewards the one who does good as a blessing and
favour from Him, and He punishes the one who
does wrong as an act of justice on His
part.
Allaah, by His wisdom and mercy,
sent His Messengers, from Aadam to Muhammad (may
the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them
all) to establish proof (so that people would
have no excuse). Allaah says (interpretation of
the meanings):
"And if We had destroyed them with a torment
before this (i.e., Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and the Qur'aan), they
would surely have said, `Our Lord! If only You
had sent us a Messenger, we should certainly
have followed Your aayaat (proofs, evidences,
verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.),
before we were humiliated and disgraced.'"
[Ta-Ha 20:134]
"Messengers as bearers of good
news as well as of warning in order that mankind
should have no plea against Allaah after the
Messengers…" [al-Nisa' 4:165]
Allaah, Who is the Most Just of judges, has
decreed that He will not punish a nation until
He has sent a Messenger to them, as He says:
"Whoever goes right, then he goes right only for
the benefit of his own self. And whoever goes
astray, then he goes astray to his own loss. No
one laden with burdens can bear another's
burden. And We never punish until We have sent a
Messenger (to give warning)." [al-Isra' 17:15]
The above should explain the extent of
mankind's need for Messengers and their
Messages, and why their happiness in this world
and the next is connected to that.
And
Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed
Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
2114: Evidence for the truth
of the Prophethood of Muhammad
Question:
There is a converted christian who does not
believe in Quran.
We had many arguments over this issue, still
he does not believe in Muhammed being a prophet
of God, . I somehow feel that I should help him
in knowing the actual truth.
Can you help me regarding this matter. He
Believes in Bible completely and follows it and
has memorised it . But is unable to understand
the importance of Quran.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
First of all, it is essential to understand
that guidance to the true religion of Islam and
belief in the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and the message he brought
comes about only by the help of Allaah, and that
we are required to explain this and produce
evidence of it.
There is a great deal of clear evidence for
the one who seeks to find out the truth about
the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), including the following:
Allaah chose him even though he had grown up
as an orphan and was illiterate, knowing neither
how to read or write. All good qualities and
virtues were perfected in him, to the point of
ultimate perfection. All these good qualities
were combined and firmly established in him,
something which no one else can attain except
the Prophets whom Allaah protected and guided.
This combination of perfect qualities is one of
the greatest proofs of the truth of his
Prophethood (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
The revelation of Allaah was bestowed upon
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). The Angel of Revelation, Jibreel
(Gabriel), who is recognized by all the People
of the Book [Jews and Christians], came to him,
and when he received revelation, there were
unusual effects on him that indicated the
intensity of the effort involved in receiving
the Message of Allaah from Jibreel, upon whom be
peace. His Companions witnessed this when he
received Revelation, and they believed that the
revelation was something that came from an
outside source and was beyond his control; it
came to him from (Allaah), the Wise and
Praiseworthy.
Allaah supported the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) with physical
miracles, with which he challenged his people.
Among the most important of these were the
splitting of the moon and the Night Journey to
Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). They were unable to
match these miracles, and so they were a
decisive, divine testimony to the truth of his
Prophethood (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
Allaah supported him with miracles and
evidence for people of reason and understanding,
the greatest of which was the Qur'aan. This was
the greatest sign, which contains in its pages
miracles of both style and content, which all of
mankind cannot match or imitate, even if they
gather together for that purpose. This is clear
from the statements of the most eloquent of the
Arabs, who were completely unable to match it.
The Qur'aan was _ and centuries later still is,
praise be to Allaah _ an eternal miracle as is
evident in its brilliant style, its information
about the Unseen, its fulfilment of the promises
of Allaah, the superiority of its laws, and the
fact that its rulings are appropriate for every
time and place _ in addition to the fact that it
has such a moving impact on people's hearts.
The Qur'aan refers to the signs and proofs
surrounding the person of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), which testify
to his truthfulness. For example, he was free of
sin and trivial spitefulness; he grew up
illiterate in the Arabian Peninsula, and did not
receive any religious knowledge from beyond its
borders, nor did he spend time acquiring any
religious knowledge. When he reached the age of
forty, he brought divine knowledge that none of
the earlier or later generations could produce.
He also received special protection and care
from Allaah, which kept him safe at times of
crisis; if it were not for this protection he
would most certainly have been doomed to
destruction. None of this could have happened
except to one who was truly sent from Allaah.
His coming was foretold in the Tawraat
(Torah) and Injeel (Gospel), and some of the
People of the Book saw that these prophecies
applied in totality to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), which led them
to embrace Islam. There are still passages in
the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments,
in the versions that are accepted by the People
of the Book, that clearly refer to the
Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) _ for example in the Gospel
of Barnabas, which is considered by Christians
to be the most authentic Gospel.
The Message of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not unique
to him, but was in nature and content similar to
the message brought by other Messengers before
him. Allaah had sent Prophets and Messengers,
such as Moosa (Moses), `Eesa (Jesus) and others,
to the Children of Israel, and great numbers had
believed in them and borne witness to the truth
of their Books, which were similar in general
terms to the message brought by the Qur'aan.
This was eloquent testimony to the truth of the
Message with which he was sent, especially as it
belonged to the same type of Message to whose
truth they had testified.
When Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the same
Message as the Prophets who had come before him,
the Qur'aan came to confirm their Books and
their Prophethood, and to call people to believe
in them. So when the People of the Book
disbelieved in him and his Book, it meant that
they were disbelieving in their own Books and
Messengers. As the Qur'aan contained the same
principles as their books, and confirmed them,
this meant that it was the least likely to be
fabricated or to have come from a source other
than Allaah, because all of them came from
Allaah, may He be exalted.
In summary, then, the proof of truthfulness
is quite clear in this case. The evidence is
there both in (historical) reports and on the
grounds of common sense. This will cure the ill
(i.e., the one who has doubts) and quench the
thirst (of the one who longs for knowledge), as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"… Indeed, there has come to you from Allaah
a Light (prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)) and a plain Book (the
Qur'aan), wherewith Allaah guides all those who
seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace, and He
brings them out of darkness by His Will unto
light, and guides them to a Straight Way"
[al-Maa'idah 5:15-16].
In order to provide the Christian mentioned
in the question with proof and evidence, it
should be sufficient to give him a translation
of the meanings of the Qur'aan. If he believes,
then praise be to Allaah, and if he turns away,
then destroy not yourself in sorrow for him (cf.
Faatir 35:8). Allaah leaves astray whom He will
and guides whom He will, and He is the Most
Knowing of Guides.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
1512: The physical
characteristics of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and seeing him
in a dream
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum. I was recently reading a
description of the physical characteristics of
the Holy Prophet . I formed a picture in my
mind. Then I saw in a dream, a man who looked
like the picture formed in my mind. I do not
clearly remember what he said, but I am afraid
he might have said that some Muslim brothers who
I love very much will see a dream with me in it.
I committed a sin in their house before, and
before this dream, I was always worrying that
they might find out through a dream. How do I
know for sure if I saw the Holy Prophet in this
dream. This is worrying me very much. Also, I
just saw a dream, where I thought it was the
Holy Prophet again, during his last recitation
of the Quran to Jibreel (AS) during Ramadan.
Zaid (RA) was there, too, but also Hamzah (RA)
was there in my dream. I know that Hamzah(RA)
wasn't really there, because he was martyred at
Uhud. So was this the Holy Prophet in this
dream? How can we know for sure? Please answer
as quickly as possibly. I Email is quicker,
please do that. If posting it is quicker
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We will quote below a number of ahaadeeth
which describe the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). If what you in your
dream is in accordance with this, then you did
indeed see the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), because he said: "Whoever
sees me in a dream has really seen me, because
Shaytaan cannot appear in my image." (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 5729).
Rabee'ah ibn Abi `Abd al-Rahmaan said: "I
heard Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased
with him) describing the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said: `He
was of average height, not too tall and not too
short, with a pinkish colour, not very white and
not dark, and his hair was neither very curly
nor very straight. The Revelation came to him
when he was forty years old, and he stayed in
Makkah for ten years after the Revelation came,
then in Madeenah for ten years. When he died,
there were no more than twenty white hairs on
his head and in his beard." (al-Bukhaari, 3283).
Al-Baraa' ibn `Aazib said: "The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was broad shouldered and had thick hair
coming down to his shoulders and earlobes. He
was wearing red garments. I have never seen
anything more beautiful than him." (Reported by
Muslim, Kitaab al-Fadaa'il, Baab Sifat Sha'r
al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), no. 2338).
'Ali said: "He was neither tall nor short,
and had large hands and feet. He had a large
head and was big-boned, and the thin line of
hair (starting from his chest and extending to
the navel) was long. When he walked, he would
lean forward, as if he was walking downhill. I
have never seen anyone like him, before or
since." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3570, who said
this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth).
Jaabir ibn Samurah said: "The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was dalee' al-fam, ashkal al-'ayn and
manhoos al-'aqib." Shu'bah said: "I asked
Maalik, `What is dalee' al-fam?' He said:
`Wide-mouthed.' I asked, `What is ashkal
al-'ayn?' He said, `Big-eyed.' I asked, `What is
manhoos al-'aqib?' He said, `His heels were not
fleshy.'" (Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Fadaa'il,
2339).
As for the sin which you committed in the
house of your brothers, repent to Allaah for
this. If you took something that belongs to
them, then give it back. And Allaah is
All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
1196: Is Muhammad peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) created from
light? What is wrong with celebrating his
birthday?
Question:
In our locality there are people who hold
celebrations of the birthday of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
every year. They think that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not like
the rest of mankind, but that he is light from
the Light of Allaah Himself, that he is present
and watching in every place, and that he himself
attends every gathering held to celebrate his
birthday, he hears what the people say about
him, and he is there with them. For that reason
they stand up and say in unison: "Yaa
Nabi-Allaah, yaa Rasool-Allaah, yaa
Habeeb-Allaah, salaam `alayka (O Prophet of
Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, O Beloved of
Allaah, peace be upon you)." They call out to
him as if he were present and ask for his help
and support. What is the Islamic ruling on this?
Is it correct or not? Is it sunnah, bid'ah, or
what?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah alone, and peace and
blessings be upon His Messenger and his family
and companions.
Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is
an innovation (bid'ah) which goes against
the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and of the Rightly Guided
Khaleefahs (al-khulafaa' al-raashidoon)
and the Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased with
them. It is proven that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
does anything that is not part of this matter of
ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected." (For
more details, please see Question # 249).
Believing that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not like the
rest of humanity, and that he is light from the
Light of Allaah Himself is not a correct belief,
because it contradicts the Qur'aan. Allaah has
stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is human, and has explained
what makes the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) different from the rest of
mankind. He said (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): `I am only a man like you.
It has been inspired to me that your God is One
God (Allaah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting
with his Lord, let him work righteousness and
associate none as a partner in the worship of
his Lord." [al-Kahf 18:110]
Mankind, human beings, are created, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who
created you from a single person (Adam), and
from him He created his wife (Hawwa/Eve), and
from them both He created many men and women…"
[al-Nisaa' 4:1]
"O mankind, if you are in doubt about the
Resurrection, then verily! We have created you
from dust, then from a nutfah (mixed drops of
male and female sexual discharge)…" [al-Hajj
22:5]
"O Prophet! Verily, We have sent you as
witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a
warner, - and as one who invites to Allaah by
His leave, and as a lamp spreading light."
[al-Ahzaab 33:45-46]
In contrast, Allaah is the First, and He has
no beginning, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"He is the First (nothing is before Him) and
the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High
(nothing is above Him), and the Most Near
(nothing is nearer than Him). And He is the
All-Knower of every thing." [al-Hadeed 57:3]
Allaah called His Prophet "light" and a "lamp
spreading light" because of the guidance and
light with which Allaah sent him, with which
Allaah guides all those who answer his call
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"… Indeed, there has come to you a light
(Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him)) and a plain Book (this Qur'aan)."
[al-Maa'idah 5:15]
Saying that he is present and watching in
every place, that he is himself present at every
gathering to celebrate his birthday, and that he
hears what the people present are saying, is all
false. There is no basis for this in either the
Qur'aan or the Sunnah.
Calling on him and seeking his help and
support is a form of major shirk which is not
permitted, whether one is calling on the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or
on any other created being, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"… so invoke not anyone along with Allaah."
[al-Junn 72:18]
"And whoever invokes (or worships) besides
Allaah, any other god of whom he has no proof,
then his reckoning is only with his Lord.
Surely! Al-kaafiroon (the disbelievers) will not
be successful." [al-Mu'minoon 23:117]
(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 3/4)
The Muslim should follow, not innovate. He
should believe in Allaah alone, call on Him
alone and seek His help alone. He should not
call on or seek the help of anyone else. The
consequences of shirk are devastating, as it
will wipe out all a person's good deeds and lead
to his doom in Hell. Bid'ah is a serious matter,
which will cause a person's deeds to be thrown
back at him, not accepted. The Muslim should
love, respect, honour and obey the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
give his words precedence over the words of any
other human being, but it is not permitted to
exaggerate about him, or to raise his status
above that which has been bestowed upon him by
Allaah, or to call on him instead of Allaah,
because this is a violation of the rights of
Allaah, and involves directing acts of worship
to someone other than Allaah, when they should
only be directed towards Allaah, may He be
glorified and exalted. We ask Allaah to help us
to do that which will please Him and to avoid
that which will earn His wrath, and to help us
to love Him and His Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). May Allaah bless our
Prophet Muhammad. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
1108: The Unlettered Prophet
Question:
Is there any evidence that the Prophet
Muhammad was unable to read or write?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who follow the Messenger, the
Prophet who can neither read not write whom they
find written with them in the Tawraat and the
Injeel, - he commands them for al-Ma'roof (i.e.,
Islamic monotheism and all that Islaam has
ordained); and forbids them from al-Munkar
(i.e., disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and
all that Islaam has forbidden); he allows them
as lawful al-Tayyibaat (i.e., all good and
lawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs,
persons, foods, etc.), and prohibits them as
unlawful al-khabaa'ith (i.e., all evil and
unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs,
persons, foods, etc.), he releases them from
their heavy burdens (of Allaah's Covenant) and
from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them.
So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honor
him, help him and follow the light (the Qur'aan)
which has been sent down with him, it is they
who will be successful."
[al-A'raaf
7:157]
Al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy on him,
said in his tafseer of this aayah: "Allaah says
`al-ummi.' Ibn `Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased
with him, said: `Your Prophet was unlettered,
unable to read or write or calculate.' Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
`Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book
before it (this Qur'an), nor did you write any
book (whatsoever) with your right hand... .'
[al-`Ankaboot 29:48]."
Ibn Katheer, may Allaah have mercy on him,
said in his tafseer of the second aayah quoted
[al-`Ankaboot 29:48]:
"Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): `Neither did
you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this
Qur'aan), nor did you write any book
(whatsoever) with your right hand . . .'
i.e., `you (O Muhammad) lived among your
people for a while before you brought this
Qur'aan to them, and you never read any book or
were able to write anything. Everyone among your
people and others knows that you are an
unlettered man, who does not read or write.'
This is how he was described in the previous
Books as Allaah said (interpretation of the
meaning): `Those who follow the Messenger,
the Prophet who can neither read not write whom
they find written with them in the Tawraat and
the Injeel, - he commands them for al-Ma'roof
(i.e., Islamic monotheism and all that Islaam
has ordained); and forbids them from al-Munkar
(i.e., disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and
all that Islaam has forbidden) . . .'
[al-A'raaf 7:157].
Hence the Prophet will remain unable to write
even one line or one letter, until the Day of
Resurrection. He had scribes who would write
down in front of him the Revelation and letters
to different regions. . . . Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): `. . . In
that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood
might have doubted.' [al-`Ankaboot 29:48],
i.e., if you had been good at it (reading and
writing), some of the ignorant people would have
doubted you and said that you had learnt this
from the previous Books left by the Prophets.
Indeed, they say this despite the fact that they
know he was unlettered and unable to write, as
it says in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the
meaning): `And they say: "Tales of the
ancients, which he has written down, and they
are dictated to him morning and afternoon."'
[al-Furqaan 25:5]"
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"He it is Who sent among the unlettered
ones a Messenger from among themselves, reciting
to them His Verses, purifying them (from the
filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching
them the Book and al-Hikmah (al-Sunnah). And
verily, they had been before in manifest
error."
[al-Jumu'ah 62:2]
Al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy on him,
said in his tafseer of this aayah:
"It was said: `the unlettered ones' means
those who do not write. Such were the Quraysh.
Mansoor reported from Ibraaheem, who said:
`Al-ummi (the unlettered one) is the one who
neither reads nor writes. "A Messenger from
among themselves" means Muhammad , who was
unlettered and never read a book nor learned
how.' Al-Mawardi said: `What is good about the
fact that Allaah sent an unlettered Prophet?
There are three things:
(i) his message
fulfilled the foretelling of the previous
Prophets;
(ii) this made him similar to and closer to
other Prophets;
(iii) this would eliminate
all suspicion that he had learned the message he
preached from books and writings that he had
read."
I say: all of this is evidence of the
miraculous nature and truth of his Prophethood.
(The above has been summarized from the
Tafseer of al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy on
him).
The above has been summarized from the
Tafseer of al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy on
him). (www.islam-qa.com)
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Introduction