ISLAMIC HISTORY

Jahiliyah Period
- Political Conditions
- Social Conditions
- Religious Conditions

Life of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam)
- Birth of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam)
- Muhammad's (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam)first Marriage
- Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) character before the Call of Prophethood
- The reconstruction of Kaaba
- Hatred of polytheism
- Meditation in the Cave of Hira
- The Divine Manifestation
- Islamic Movement begins
- Ten year old Ali accepts Islam
- Hostility of Quraish and its Causes
- Hostility Begins
- The offer of  Utbah Bin Rabiah
- Another cunning proposal
- Emigration (Hijrah) TO Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
- Efforts to get the emigrants back
- Umar accepts Islam

The Jahiliyah period (Age of Ignorance)

              The Jahiliyah period or “Age of Ignorance” is the period before the advent of Islam. It is so called because of the political, religious and social disorder that prevailed in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam. As a matter of fact the pre-Islamic Arabs possessed certain natural virtues that marked them out in the post-Islamic age. They were the most eloquence nation, plain of speech, strong of memory, firm of determination, superb horsemen, loyal and trustworthy, and free from any outer influence. But due to century of isolation in the peninsula and a morbid insistence on the faith of their forefathers had severely undetermined their moral and spiritual health. The sixth century A.D., found them plunged in depravity, perversion and dark idolatry and indulging in all other characteristics of primitive life.

                  The pre-Islamic Arabs had no prophet for centuries –none after Prophet Ismail – any religious ideology or revealed knowledge. They were worshipping idols, eating dead animals and were involved in all sorts of immorality.

Political Conditions (The Tribal System)

                            Virtually the whole of Arabia was enjoying complete independence, and the so-called civilised Empires of that time – the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire – did not pay any attention to Arabs who were thought to be barbaric, poor and hungry. The Arabs themselves were divided into a number of tribes, each having its own Shaikh (Chief). Each tribe was divided into clans. The clan organisation was the basis of the Bedouin* society. A number of kindred clans grouped together and formed a tribe. All members of the same clan considered each other as of one blood and they submitted themselves to one chief. Seneriority in age and personal qualifications determined the choice of the Sheikh. In judicial, military and other affairs of common concern, the Sheikh had to consult the tribal council composed of the heads of the clans. The Sheikh did not enjoy absolute authority. Each Bedouin was a born democrat. He met his Sheikh on an equal footing. He was no doubt faithful to his tribe and was deeply attached to his leaders but was not prepared to give up his individuality and follow them blindly.

                  The tribal chief (Sheikh) was chosen by popular voice for his strength of character, courage and experience. Birth was an additional advantage. His duties were numerous. He had to settle small disputes over property or quarrels between husbands and wives and to provide hospitality for visitors to the tribe. He had an extra share of any booty taken, he occupied a place of honour in all assemblies of the tribe and when it changed camp, he had the choice of position for his own tent.

                                Tribal prejudice was very common and small incidents would lead to dangerous wars which continued for generations. War, in some respects, was with them a necessity, but more than it was a fun. The poets sang of war as a thing of joy. An Arab poet says:

                In an enemy tribe we do not find,
                We go to war with a friendly tribe,
                And our lust for war is quenched

  The Bedouin:

            There were two kinds of dwellers in Arabia, namely “the dwellers of the cities” and “the Bedouins (dwellers of desert)”. The dwellers of the city were planters and businessmen and they were refined and cultured. The Bedouins moved from place to place with their families and belongings. They did not like to settle in one place. They lived in tents. They reared horses, sheep and camels and they liked hunting and raiding. Raiding was an essential part of their life. They had no taste for agriculture, trade and craft. They excelled in attack, loot and plunder. They led a passive life. If a Bedouin could not find an enemy to fight, he would fight against his own people, just to give an outlet to his irresistible urge to fight.

Social Conditions

                                The social conditions of Arabs were deteriorating day-by-day. They liked drinking more than life. Ancient Arabic literature is stunk with wine and contains a treasure of expressions for it. Rum shops, marked with banners, were well decorated. Gambling was the next favourite pleasure for them. To decline a gambling bout was considered dishonourable, and a gambler would stake his all belongings on a single bet, and after losing it would walk out in sorrow. Usury was in vogue among Arabs. The indebted person would sometime pay a large interest to the lender.

                  The woman, having no rights and social respect, were the worst sufferer in the society. They regarded their women as chattels and looked upon them with bitter contempt. A man was free to marry any number of wives and could divorced as he wished. Women were deprived of the right of inheritance. Widows and divorced women were not allowed to re-marry. They were also discriminated in the matter of food and other aspects of home life.

                  The pre-Islamic Arabs were embarrassed at the birth of daughters and sometimes a father buried her alive in spite of her soul-harrowing cries. The Holy Quran describes the mental state of a father on the birth of a female child during the Jahiliyah period in these following words:

                “When news is brought to one of them, of [the birth of] a female [child], his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has received! Shall he keep this [child] despite the contempt [which he feels for it] or shall he bury it in the dust? Oh, evil is indeed whatever they decide!" - (16:58-59)

                Many a time they buried their female children alive at birth for fear of poverty. The Quran admonishes the Arabs against killing their children for fear of poverty and promises sustenance for them:

“Hence, do not kill your children for fear of poverty: it is we who shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily, killing them is a great sin.” (17:31)

                Thus pride and poverty both were responsible for the abominable crime of female infanticide among all tribes. Sometimes kind-hearted tribal chiefs often bought girls to save their life. Sa’sa’a says that before the dawn of Islam he had rescued as many as three hundred girls from the terrible fate by paying compensatory money to their fathers. Sometimes a young girl who had escaped being killed at birth or during childhood due to father being away from home or some other reason would be treacherously taken to a lonely spot by her father and done to death. Several incidents of this nature were narrated from their past lives by the Companions after they had embraced Islam.

                  Besides polygamy a man could have unlawful relations with a number of sweet heart. Married women were allowed by their husbands to have unlawful relations with others so as to give birth to children. Meccan caravans returning from foreign land such as Syria, Persia and India brought slave girls for the sensual pleasure of the rich with their dancing and singing and all corruption which usually accompanied them. In fact decency and modesty had disappeared from the society. There was a common tradition of marrying stepmothers and sometimes sisters too. It was a common practice for the eldest son to take as wives his father’s widows (i.e. stepmothers) inherited as property with the rest of the estate.

                  Slavery was very common among the Arabs, and the slaves were treated most inhumanly. The masters possessed the authority of live and death over them. The slaves were not allowed to marry either among themselves or with a free person for which frightful penalties were imposed upon them.

Religious Condition

              The Arabs were idolatrous and their religion could not, in any way, contribute to their material and spiritual well being. The idols were originally introduced to serve as devotional mediums but later they were elevated to the status of divinity. There was a separate god or goddess for each city, tribe and locality. The idols were figured according to the fancy of worshippers. The Holy Ka’bah, the House of Allah, built by Prophet Ibrahim was housed with 360 idols. Four main idols – al-‘Uzza, al-Lat, Manat and Hubal were held in high estimation by almost all the Arabs. According to Al-Kalbi there was a personal idol for every household in Mecca, and when a Meccan would start a journey, his last act at home was to invoke the blessing of the family deity.

                  Besides Ka’bah there were a number of temples in Arabia and people used to vie with one another in collecting idols and constructing temples. It is stated in Bukhari that the Arabs worshipped stones. When they found a better stone than the one they had, they took it up and threw the old one. When no stones were available, they used to make a sand-mould, milked a goat over it and worshipped it. They also believed in angels; and gave a status of deities to a number of angels, spirits, Jinns, stars, sun and moon. They believed angels to be the daughters of God and Jinns were regarded as the co-sharers of Almighty in the practical control of the world. Some trees were also given the status of gods.

                  Christianity and Judaism flourished in Arabia before Islam. Christianity had gained ground in Mecca where there were some persons who could read the Bible in Hebrew. Waraqah bin Nawfal and Zaid bin Amr were of them. Some of the Meccans had travelled to Syria for religious education. Judaism had gained ground in Medina, where the Jews had been running several institutions where people were taught their scriptures.

                  From the time of Prophet Ibrahim came the religious practice of circumambulation of the Ka’bah, going to Arafat, spending the night at Muzdalifah, sacrificing animals, and raising the voice in the acclamation of the name of the Lord. The Meccans had however polluted all sacred practices with idolatrous rituals. The Arabs, both men and women circumambulated the Ka’bah in state of nudity with hand clapping, shouting and singing and this was thought to be an act of highest piety. Their argument was that it was unfair on their part to perform this sacred ceremony in those very clothes in which they had committed sins.

                  The Arabs had much respect for their priest to whom they looked up with the same reverence as they had for their gods. There were also those who were supposed to possess the power of foretelling coming events: the Kahin (fortune-teller). Anyone wanting to know his future could approach the Kahin and offer him sacrifices such as food, animal, etc. Many of them worshipped the graves of their forefathers and sought assistance from the departed souls in time of distress. They believed in signs. Some birds were regarded auspicious, others as ominous. One particular art consisted in scaring birds and drawing omens from their flight.

                  Fire was also worshipped in Arabia as a symbol of divine power. This practice seems to have penetrated into the country from the neighbouring country, Persia (Iran), where it had been deeply rooted.

                  To conclude it can be said that the belief in an Over-Ruling Providence had grown very weak among them. Homage was still paid to One Transcendent God, but only verbally; in their hearts a host of deities were enshrined.

Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) Parents

                 Abdul Mutallib, an old man of nearly seventy, had several sons and daughters. When he was ruling over Hijaz, Abraha, the Christian chief of Yemen, invaded Mecca to destroy the House of Ka’bah. On that occasion he rode on an elephant. As the Arabs had never seen such an animal before, the year 571 A.D in which the invasion took place is known as the Year of Elephant in the history of Islam. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was born in this very year. The army of Abraha was destroyed partly by an epidemic and partly by a terrible storm of rain and hail before it could reach the Ka’bah. Prior to his event, Abdul Mutallib had taken his younger son, Abdullah, to the house of Wahhab, the chief of Banu Zuhrah clan in Medina and there he gave his son, Abdullah, in marriage to Aminah, daughter of Wahhab.

                 Abdullah remained with Aminah for only three days at her father’s house, in Medina. He then left his wife there and started for Syria on a trade expedition. On this way back, he fell ill at Medina and died there leaving behind five camels, a flock of goats and Umm Aiman, a servant. He was hardly twenty-five years of age.

                 Both Abdul Mutallib and Aminah were very shocked at the death of Abdullah. Aminah was then in the family way.

Birth Of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam)

                 Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was born during the spring season in Mecca during the year of elephant between the time of dawn and sunrise. His father had died before his birth. It was his grandfather, Abdul Mutallib, who looked after him. The child was named Muhammad by his grandfather and Ahmad by his mother. Both names are mentioned in the Holy Quran.                                                                                                                            (48:29) (61:6)

                 Abdul Mutallib received the news of the birth of his grandson with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow. He was glad to be blessed with a male child from his departed son but was deeply grieved that his son was not alive to share this happiness. He hurried to the house of his son, tears rolling down his cheeks. He took the baby in his arms and went to the Ka’bah and as he stood beside the Sacred House, he thanked God.

                 According to the prevailing custom at that time, the orphan was entrusted to a Bedouin foster-mother, Halimah, a woman of the Banu Sa’d. For five years he lived among the Banu Sa’d. During those five years, his speech was formed upon one of the purest models of the beautiful language of Arabia. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) ever retained a grateful impression of the kindness of the Banu Sa’d. The child was carefully and lovingly tended.

                 In the sixth year of his life, Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was sent back to his mother, Aminah. The noble lady, in order to show her son to the maternal relatives of his father, set out for Medina along with her slave girl, Umm Aiman. Arriving at Medina, she alighted at the house where her husband, Abdullah, had died and where he had been buried.

                 On their way back to Mecca, they reached a place called Al-Abwa, where Aminah fell sick and died. After her burial, the orphan was taken to Mecca by Umm Aiman, the slave girl, who was also a faithful nurse of the child. He was six years old at that time. The charge of the orphan was now undertaken by Abdul Mutallib, whose guardianship lasted for only two years. Hence, at the age of eight, at the death of his grandfather, he was entrusted to the care of his uncle, Abu Talib, a man who was generous but poor and hardly able to provide for his family. However, his fondness for the lad was so great that he made him sleep by his bed, eat by his side and accompany him wherever he went. As his uncle was not rich, Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) had to earn his living. He tended flocks of sheep and herds of camels in the neighbouring hills and valleys.

                 At the age of twelve, he accompanied his uncle for business to Syria. There he met a Christian monk named Bahira who recognised Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) as the last Prophet and spoke highly of him.

             During this time a war broke out at the Fair of Ukaz in which all the tribes of Arabia were involved. The Hashimites were also involved in it. When he found that thousands of lives were going to be swept away by the war, Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) formed a peace committee named Halful Fuzul with the help and co-operation of a band of energetic young persons. The object of this committee was to maintain peace and order and to establish friendship among the different tribes of Mecca

 MUHAMMAD’S (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) FIRST MARRIAGE

             By the time he was twenty-five, Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) had become well known in the city of Mecca for the integrity of his character and honesty in his dealings. As he grew young, he made up his mind to enter business. His uncle was not in a position to give him financial aid. He had no money to invest in business. There lived in Mecca in those days a chaste and rich widow, Khadijah. She belonged to a noble family of the Quraish. When she heard that the people were unanimous about Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) good reputation, she decided to entrust him with her business. She requested him to undertake a trading journey to Syria as her agent. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) accepted the offer with the consent of his uncle, Abu Talib. Maisara, a slave and right-hand man of Khadijah, accompanied the Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) with the caravan. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) performed his duty with diligence and honesty and returned home with huge profits. Maisara was greatly impressed by the wisdom, honesty and integrity of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) and he gave a glowing account of the whole affaire to his mistress. The noble and generous lady rewarded Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) by giving him an excess of the amount she had promised and henceforth she asked him to take care of her entire business. Affected by Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) honesty and nobility, Khadijah decided to offer him her hand in marriage. At that time she was forty and Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was twenty-five years old. The union proved to be very successful despite the disparity in age.

             Khadijah was the first lady wife of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). God conferred upon her the honour of being Umm-ul-Mu’mineen, Mother of the Believers. She was very obedient and she reigned supreme in the heart of her illustrious husband. Their marriage lasted for 26 years and she was his sole and beloved wife until the day of her death.

 Muhammad’s (p.b.u.h.) character before the Call of Prophethood

             Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was totally different from the people among whom he was born and with whom he passed his youth and early manhood. He never told a lie and the entire nation was unanimous in testifying to his truthfulness. Even his worst enemies never accused him of telling a lie on any occasion during his entire life. He talked politely and never used obscene and abusive language. His bitterest critics testify to this fact. He had a charming personality and winsome manners with which he captivated the heart of those who came in contact with him. In his dealings with the people, he always followed the principles of justice and fairplay. He remained engaged in trade and commerce for many years, but he never entered into any dishonest transaction. Those who dealt with him in business had the fullest confidence in his integrity. The entire nation called him ‘As-Saadiq’ (the truthful) and ‘Al-Amin’ (the trustworthy). Even his enemies deposited their costly belongings with him for safe custody and he scrupulously fulfilled the trust reposed upon him. Even at that moment when his worst enemies joined hand and encircled his house to assassinate him, Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam), before leaving the premises to emigrate to Medina, gave all the valuables to Ali, his cousin, to be returned to their owners, many of whom were present at that moment outside his house intending to kill him. History fails to present to present an example of such integrity, honesty and sense of duty.

            Born and bred amongst a people who regarded drunkenness and gambling as virtues, he never touched alcohol and never indulged in gambling. His people were uncouth, uncultured and unclean, but he personified in himself the highest standard of culture and the most refined aesthetic outlook. Surrounded on all sides by heartless people, his own heart was ever overflowing with human kindness and compassion. He helped the orphans and the widows. He was hospitable to travellers. He caused harm to no one, rather he suffered hardships for the sake of others. Living among those for whom war was a simple matter, he was such a lover of peace that his heart melted for them when they took up arms and cut each other’s throat. He kept himself aloof from the feuds of his tribe and was foremost in bringing about reconciliation.

             Brought up in the midst of an idolatrous race, he was clearminded and possessed such pure soul that he regarded nothing in heavens and the earth worth worshipping, except the One True God. He did not bow before any created things. Thus the towering and radiant personality of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) might be likened to a beacon-light, in the midst of such a dark and dismal environment, illuminating a pitch dark night or a diamond shining in a heap of dead stones.

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF KAABA

                Due to heavy rains on the hill-side in Mecca, one year there was heavy flood which caused damage to the buildings of the Kaaba, centrally situated in al-Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque), which stands in the middle of a low valley surrounded by the hills. The Quraish then thought to reconstruct the buildings of Kaaba. It so happened that a ship of some traders got wrecked near the Meccan Port (Jiddah). The Meccans purchased the wrecked planks and started to rebuild the Holy Building. Different tribes worked together but when the building was almost complete, there was a dispute to reset the sacred ‘Black Stone’ in place. Each clan wanted to have this honour for itself and the swords were drawn to decide the matter. However, an old Quraishi, Abu Umayyah bin Mughirah, suggested that the person entering the Kaaba first the next morning would decide what should be done. All of them agreed with the proposal. The next morning the first man to enter the Sacred Mosque was Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). Seeing him all of them cried, “Look here is al-Amin (the Trustworthy), here is Muhammad, we agree on him.” And he found out a peaceful solution: “Take a sheet and put the ‘Black Stone’ on it. The chief of every tribe will hold the sheet to raise to the right height.” The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) took up the stone from the sheet and set it in its rightful position. According to a number of historians Kaaba was rebuilt after the marriage of the Prophet, when he was thirty-five years old.

HATRED OF POLYTHEISM

             From his childhood, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) disliked polytheism and did not take anything which was offered in sacrifice for idols. According to Bukhari once some people of Quraish brought the food, which was offered in sacrifice of idols, for the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) but he refused to take it. He never worshipped any idol or bowed down before any false-god even though the revelation had not come to him at that time.

             Even at a younger age, for the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) was away from evil and vices, and never fell a prey to juvenile and indecent ways of enjoyments. Although he wanted to participate in some recreations on one or two occasions, Allah saved him from such unworthy acts and truancy. When he was a young boy, some of his friends invited him to pass the night in gossip and story-telling but sleep overpowered him and he got up at day break. Once the walls of the Ka’bah were being repaired, boys of tender-age took off their loin-coverings (“futah”) and placed them on their shoulders to carry stones. His uncle, Abu Talib, asked him to follow other children. But for the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) was so modest even at his tender age, that he swooned and fell down when he took off his loin-covering.

             His friends, when he was a grown up person, were good and respectable people of Mecca, like Abu Bakr and Uthman. There were some persons, who were in search of right path and dislike polytheism in Mecca at that time. Among them Warqah bin Naufal, Uthman bin al-Hawairath, Ubaidullah bin Jahsh, Zaid bin Amr bin Naufal were main figures who had abhorrence towards idolatory. Warqah bin Naufal and Uthman bin al-Hawairath became christians, Zaid bin Amr died in search of one God; the others could not arrive at any conclusion.

Meditation in the Cave of Hira

            As time passed by the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) took less interest in his business. There was a well-known cave, Hira, in a mountain near Mecca. He used to go there and sat for long periods in mediation. Sometimes he spent the whole month, especially the month of Ramadhan, over there. His only worship at that time was to meditate and think about his Creator and to search answers to the mysteries of life. He used to take some food with him and returned home when it finished. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) also had good dreams which proved to be very true in practical life.

                 He was greatly moved by the evil ways of the people their idol-worship and inhuman activities. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) had now approached his fortieth and increased contemplation and reflection engaged his mind. The idolatry and moral debasement of the people pressed heavily upon him.

The Divine Manifestation

            For seven years the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) visited the cave of Hira. During the last six months of this period he was frequent to the cave and had a continuous chain of good dreams.

                 Now he had attained his fortieth year – an age of mature wisdom and perfect understanding when the animal part of man’s personality is receded, the youthful aspirations die out and his spiritual faculties start to gain the upper hand.

 One day when he was in the Cave of Hira, Revelation came down to him unexpectedly and the Angel, Gabriel, said to him: "Read". The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) replied: I cannot read! There upon the Angel took him and pressed him until he could bear it no more. Then he left him and said: Read. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) again replied: I cannot read! The angel pressed him a second time until he could bear it no more. Then he left him and said: Read. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said: I cannot read! He pressed him for the third time until he could bear it no more. Then he left The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and said:

Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created-
                Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
                Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,-
                He Who taught (the use of) the pen,-
                Taught man that which he knew not."

                 Then the Holy Messenger (upon whom be peace) returned home to Hadhrat Khadijah trembling with fear, and said to her: 'Cover me, cover me', and he was covered. When terror left him, he said: 'O Khadijah, what has happened to me?' Then he narrated to her whatever had happened, and said: 'I fear for my life'. She said; 'No never! Be of good cheer. By God, never will God debase you: you treat the kindred well, you speak the truth, (one tradition adds: you restore what is entrusted to you), you bear the burden of the helpless, you help the poor, you entertain the guests, and you cooperate in good works. ' Then she took him to Waraqah bin Naufal, who was her cousin. He had become a Christian in pre- Islamic days, wrote the Gospel in Arabic and Hebrew, and had become very old and blind. Hadhrat Khadijah said: 'Brother, listen to the son of your brother. ' Waraqah said to the Holy Prophet: 'What have you seen, nephew?' The Holy Prophet described what he had seen. Waraqah said; 'This is the same Namus (the Angel of Revelation) which Allah had sent down to Moses. Would that I were a young man during your Prophethood! Would that I were alive when your tribe would expel you!' The Holy Prophet said: 'Will they expel me?' Waraqah said; 'Yes, never has it so happened that a person brought what you have brought and was not treated as an enemy. If I live till then I would help you with all the power at my command. ' But not very long after this Waraqah died. "

Islamic Movement begins

                     The revelation marked the beginning of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) role as a messenger of Allah. It was also the starting point of the Islamic movement carried out by him during the rest of his life. The first phase of the movement lasted for three years, from 610 C.E (the year of revelation) to the end of 612 C.E.

     To begin with Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) preached the message of Allah only to his friends, his closest relatives and those to whom he could trust. Ali, his cousin, the son of Abu Talib, was the second Muslim and the third was Zaid son of Harithah (Muhammad’s [p.b.u.h] servant). Abu Bakr was the first from among Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) friends to become a Muslim. Notice here the composition of the early Muslims.

            First-Khadijah Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) wife accepts Islam; Second-Ali, his cousin; Third-Zaid his household servant. Outside the household, it was Abu Bakr. All of them were his near and dear ones. 

Ten year old Ali accepts Islam

             This briefly is how Ali, the cousin of the Prophet and then a boy of only ten, accepted the truth. Allah taught Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) through angel Jibrail (Gabriel) how to make ablution (Wudu) and how to pray. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) in turn taught Khadijah and both of them used to offer Salah together.

             Ali saw the Prophet and his wife kneeling and prostrating and reciting the Quran. Ali was amazed at this unusual scene and asked the Prophet after the prayer, “To whom did you prostrate yourselves?” The Prophet answered, “We have prostrated ourselves to Allah who has sent me as Prophet and has commanded me to call human beings unto Him.”

             The Prophet then invited Ali to worship only Allah and to accept the message of Allah revealed to him.

             He also recited to him something from the Quran. Ali, felt excited and thrilled but thought for a moment and said that he would consult his father Abu Talib about this. He passed the night agitated and restless, thinking about the call of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). Next morning, he rushed to the Prophet and declared his faith in Islam. The young boy said, “Allah created me without consulting Abu Talib my father. Why then should I consult him in order to worship Allah?”

             It is not exciting for you to learn this? It should inspire you also to want to work for Islam to make living on this earth meaningful and purposeful? Rest assured, this is the way to peace. Ali the first Muslim boy, accepted this peace-Islam.

Hostility of Quraish and its Causes

A few days later, with the help of his cousin Ali the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) invited his close family members to a banquet. After the meals, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) stood up and said, “ I have been given such a great religion which guarantees your success in this world and in the Hereafter. Who would help me in my mission?” There was a deep silence. Then little Ali stood up and said, “ Thought my eyes are sore, my legs are thin, and I am the youngest of all present here, yet I will stand by you, O Messenger of Allah.” Hearing the reply by a boy of ten years, the chiefs of Quraish laughed, but later the history proved contrary.

                 By this time the number of Muslims reached forty. One day the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) went to the Ka’bah in al-Masjid al-Haram and declared the “Shahadah” (“ Ash-hadu al-la-ilaha illallahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh”: I bear witness there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and Apostle). This was considered the greatest insult to the Ka’bah and the customs of the Quraish. A big tumult resulted and the non-believers started to assault the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). Harith bin Abi Hala, a Muslim, came out of his house to save the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) but was martyred. This was the first martyrdom in the history of Islam. But the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) and his few followers continued their mission and openly declared that the idols could do them neither any good nor harm. He enjoyed upon them to do good to one another and forbade them from the evil ways. His teachings were a death-blow to the old customs and their wrong ways of life and were taken by the Quraish as an insult to their so-called religion and the ways of their fore-fathers. The early success of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was an eyesore to the new converts and to put down the increasing popularity of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) and the new Faith. They foresaw the danger of their so-called dignity and prestige in Islam because Islam meant the equality of all men and freedom of thought. The Quraish chiefs were not agreeable at all of this.

Hostility Begins

                 The Makkans who for a long time took no serious notice of the movement became very hostile to the open call of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). They now realise a threat to their idolatry and began to harass the followers of Islam in order to stop its increasing popularity. Hardly a day passed without some new followers joining the faith. This trend further increased the fury of the idolaters.

                 The Quraish first tried to settle the matter through Abu Talib and asked him to withdraw his support from Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). Delegations of the influentials people went to meet Abu Talib twice for this purpose. He listen to them calmly and sent them back with conciliatory words. Abu Talib asked Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) not to put him under so much strain, for he was the leader of the Quraish. The Prophet faced a dilemma but remained firm and said to his uncle, “O my uncle, by Allah if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, and ask me to give up this mission, I shall not do it until Allah has made it victorious or I perish therein!”

                 Abu Talib was moved by the firmness of his nephew and said, “Go and say what you please, for by Allah, I shall never withdraw my support from you.”

                 The first Muslim to suffer at the hands of the unbelievers of Makkah was Sa’d Bin Abi Waqqas. He was struck with swords in a fight with the enemies as they attacked the Prophet and his followers at prayer in a mountain pass. The Prophet was once preaching in the area of the Ka’bah and he was attacked. During the encounter Harith Bin Abi Halah tried to pacify the mob but was attacked and killed. He was the first Muslim to give his life for Islam.

                 Bilal Bin Rabah, an Abyssinian slave was tortured by his master for accepting Islam. He was thrown onto the sand under the burning sun with a heavy stone laid on his chest for no other reason than his acceptance of  Islam. Bilal gallantly faced his torture and used to proclaim, “Allah, the One; Allah, the One”, Abu Bakr freed him from his infidel master.

                 Others who suffered terribly in the hands of unbelievers were : Ammar, Abu Fukaiha, Suhaib Rumi and Khabbab. The infidels even did not spare women Muslims. Among the women tortured were : Sumaiyyah, Lubainah, Nahdiyyah and Umm Ubais.

                 The Prophet himself was ridiculed, insulted and accused of being a sorcerer, and of being possessed. Once he was almost strangled by an unbeliever while praying. Suddenly Abu Bakr arrived to rescue him. Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jamil used to throw rubbish and thorny bushes from her house at Muhammad’s (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) door and way, and all that Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was able to do was to remove them.

                 Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) continued his preaching with even more enthusiasm and firmness, and the hostility of the unbelievers also intensified. The Makkans did all they could to stop him and his followers. But nothing worked. The Islamic movement continued to flourish among the Makkans despite the false propaganda, persecution and harassment from the idolaters.

                 During this period, Hamzah, the young uncle of the Prophet joined the Islamic movement. His acceptance of the faith added strength to Islam, for Hamzah was a brave man. His acceptance of Islam compelled the Quraish to abandon some of their harassment.

The offer of  Utbah Bin Rabiah

             Utbah bin Rabiah a leader of the Quraish, put some proposals to the Prophet. He suggested, “If what you want is money, we will gather for you our property, so that you may be the richest of us; if you want honour, we will make you our chief, so that no-one can decide anything apart from you; if you want sovereignty, we will make you king.”

             The Prophet declined these suggestions and recited verses from Surah 41 (Hamim As-Sajdah) of the Quran. Utbah returned to his companions with a changed face and reported to them that he heard from Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) what he had never heard before. No worldly temptation could keep the Prophet away from the Truth.

Another cunning proposal

             The Quraish failed in all their attempts to discourage Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) and the Muslims from their faith. Harassment, ridicule, torture and false propaganda proved futile, and the Muslims simply became more determined. The leader of the Quraish now hatched a shrewd plot. They proposed to the Prophet that he should adore their gods and they in return would adore his God; in this way there would come about a compromise and hostility would cease.

             Allah commanded the Prophet to tell the unbelievers in clear terms that there could be no such compromise on matters of basic principles. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) was asked to declare them, “You have your religion, and I have mine.” (109:6). The plan of mixing the truth with untruth was defeated.

Emigration (Hijrah) TO Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

             The infidels, frustrated in their attempts to make a compromise with the Prophet, increased the intensity of their persecutions. The threat to life and property intensified. The poor Muslims were particularly insecure and vulnerable. Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam) advised those Muslims who felt insecure to emigrate to Abyssinia where Najjashi (Negus), a noble king, ruled. Eighty three Muslims, not counting children, emigrated to Abyssinia in groups. This is the first emigration (Hijrah) of the Muslims who had to leave their country for the sake of Allah.

Efforts to get the emigrants back

             A delegation of the Quraish consisting of Amr Ibnul As and Abdullah Ibn Abu Rabiah, went to the Negus and tried to get the emigrant Muslims back.

             They bribed the courtiers of the Negus and made accusations against the Muslims to succeed in their mission. They alleged that the emigrants were apostates and followers of a new religion which no-one had heard of before. The Negus wanted to know the whole matter and called for the Muslims. He asked, “What is the new religion you follow caused you to leave your country?”

             Jafar bin Abu Talib, answered on behalf of the Muslims, “O King we were in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping stones and idols, eating dead animals, commiting all sorts of injustice, breaking natural ties, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak.

             “Then Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and honesty were well known to us. He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones, the idols, which we and our ancestors used to worship. He commanded us to speak the truth, to honour our promises, to be helpful to our relations, to be good to our neighbours, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid fornication. He commanded us not to give false witness, not to appropriate an orphan’s property or falsely accuse a married woman. He ordered us not to associate anyone with Allah.

             “He commanded us to hold prayers, to fast, to pay Zakah. We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah, and we follow him in what he asked us to do and forbade us not to do.

             “Thereupon, our people attacked us, treated us harshly and tried to take us back to the old immorality and worship idols. They made life intolerable for us in Makkah, and we came to your country to seek protection to live in justice and peace.”

             Hearing this, the Negus wanted to listen to part of the Qur’an which came down from Allah to the Prophet.

             Jafar recited to him Surah Maryam (Mary), the 19^th Surah of the Qur’an. The Negus wept until his beard was wet, listening to the Qur’an. Then he said, “What you have just recited and that which was revealed to Moses must have both issued from the same source. Go forth into my kingdom; I shall not deport you at all.”

             Thus the spiteful efforts of the pagans against the Muslims were doomed to failure once again.

Umar accepts Islam

             Umar bin Khattab, a strong and tough person in his late twenties, became a Muslim in the sixth year of the prophethood of Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam). His acceptance of Islam is remarkable in the sense that he went out with a vow to kill the Prophet. On his way to kill Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam), Naim told Umar that he should rather take care of Fatimah and Said who had become Muslims. Fatimah and Said were Umar’s sister and brother-in-law. Umar became enraged with anger when he heard this and changed his course to arrive at his sister’s house.

             As he approached the house, he heard the recitation of the Qur’an. Khabbab bin al-Arat was reading Surah Taha (the 20^th chapter) to them. Umar entered the house without knocking and angrily cried out, “What is this balderbash (nonsense) I heard?”

             Fatimah and Said refused to say. They had hidden Khabbab before Umar came in. Umar was furious and began to hit his brother-in-law, and injured Fatimah when she tried to protect her husband.

             Seeing his sister blood-stained, Umar paused for a while and wanted to see the sheet of the Qur’an from which they were reciting. Fatimah asked him to cleanse himself. Umar washed himself before he was given the sheet.

             While reading he was deeply moved at the rhyme and rhythm and the content. He decided to accept Islam and said, “Lead me to Muhammad (Sallallahou Alaihi Wa Sallam), so that I may accept Islam.” Khabbab came out from hiding and led him to Arqam’s house where the Prophet was staying at that time. Arqam’s house was the centre of Islam at the time. The Prophet welcomed Umar at the gate and asked him his intention. Umar expressed his wish to be a Muslim and the Prophet was very pleased.

             Umar was a very powerful man. His entry into Islam gave a strong impetus to the Muslims. Before him, Hamzah, the Prophet’s uncle, became a Muslim. He was also a powerful man. The entry into Islam of these two great and brave men was a turning point in the history of the early Islamic movement.

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