Muhammad (pbuh) 5 The Cruelty of Quraysh The leaders of Quraysh - TopicsExpress



          

Muhammad (pbuh) 5 The Cruelty of Quraysh The leaders of Quraysh became increasingly worried about the way the people of Mecca were being divided by the Prophets teachings. Finally, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, one of the nobles of Mecca, decided that the only way to silence the Prophet (pbuh) was to kill him. Having made up his mind, he set out at once to look for him. On his way he met a man who saw at once what ‘Umar was going to do and said: Why dont you look a little closer to home before going to kill Muhammad? Dont you know your own sister Fatimah is a Muslim? Umar was shocked. He could not believe this was true. He went at once to his sisters house. When he arrived outside the house he heard Fatimah and her husband Sa’id reading aloud surah Ta Ha, a chapter from the Koran. Hearing her brothers voice at the door, Fatimah quickly hid the scroll with the surah written on it among the folds of her dress. ‘Umar stormed into the room and demanded, What is this nonsense I heard? Fatimah denied everything. ‘Umar then lost his temper and attacked Fatimahs husband shouting, They tell me that you have joined Muhammad in his religion! Fatimah tried to defend her husband and ‘Umar hit her too. Then she admitted, ‘Yes, we are Muslims and we believe in Allah and His Messenger and you can do what you like! Seeing her faith and courage, ‘Umar suddenly felt sorry for what he had done and said to his sister, Let me see what I heard you reading just now so that I may understand just what it is that your Prophet has brought. Fatimah gave the scroll to him after he had washed to make himself clean and pure before touching it, and had promised to give it back to her afterwards. In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful “Ta Ha We have not revealed unto thee (Muhammad) this Koran For thee to be distressed, but only as a reminder Unto him who fears a Revelation from Him who created the earth and the high heavens; the Beneficent One Who is established on the Throne; To Him belongs Whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth And all that is between them, and All that is underneath the soil. If Thou speakest aloud Be thou loud in thy speech, yet Surely He knows the secret (thought) And that yet more hidden. Allah There is no god but He To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names”. (Koran xx: 1-8) . As he read, Umar suddenly knew that these were the most beautiful words he had ever heard and that this religion must be the true one. With his sword still in hand, he went straight to the Prophets house and knocked loudly at the door. One of the Prophets closest followers looked out. There stood Umar who was known for his courage and strength. When he saw Umar so excited and with his sword in hand, he was afraid for the Prophets life. But the Prophet (pbuh) asked him to allow Umar to come in and to leave them alone together. The Prophet (pbuh) asked Umar why he had come, to which he replied: I have come to swear that there is no god but Allah and that you, Muhammad, are the Messenger of Allah. As he spoke these words, his hand still held the sword with which he had intended to kill the Prophet (pbuh). This same sword would now be used to defend the Prophet (pbuh) and the faith of Islam. At that time, whenever Muslims wanted to perform the ritual encircling of the Kabah, known as tawaf they had to do it secretly and in fear. Umar, however, was very courageous. As soon as he had declared his faith, he went directly to the Kabah and in broad daylight made the circling of the Sacred House before the astonished people of Mecca. No one dared to say anything. But now the leaders of Quraysh became even more alarmed and began to see Islam as a threat to the whole life of the city of Mecca. They grew more and more furious as the numbers of Muslims increased until finally they, too, decided as Umar once had, that the Prophet (pbuh) would have to be killed. On hearing of these plans, Abu Talib, the Prophets uncle, immediately sent a message to all the sons of Abd al-Muttalib, asking them to protect their nephew, and this they agreed to do. When Quraysh realized that they could not kill the Prophet (pbuh) because of this protection, they decided instead to avoid him and his followers completely. A declaration to this effect was hung at the Ka’bah. It stated that no one in the city was allowed to have anything to do with the Prophet (pbuh) and his people, or even to sell them any food or drink whatsoever. At first the Muslims found some support among the Bani Hashim, the branch of Quraysh to which the Prophet (pbuh) belonged. Some of these people were not Muslims but showed loyalty to their kinsmen by suffering along with them. However, life grew more and more difficult and food was scarce. The hatred of the rest of Quraysh for the followers of the Prophet (pbuh) grew so great that when his companions tried to buy supplies from a caravan passing near to Mecca, Abu Lahab, one of the Muslims worst enemies, offered ten times the price of the goods to the merchant. By doing this he managed to stop the Muslims, from buying what they desperately needed. During the years of this terrible treatment, a wonderful thing happened. Instead Of Islam becoming weaker, it grew stronger. Allah sent more and more Revelations. It was as though the Muslims were being strengthened and cleansed by the hardships they suffered and were being tested in their faith. Each year at the time of the pilgrimage to Mecca, people tame from all over Arabia. These pilgrims saw the terrible cruelty and injustice of Quraysh towards the Muslims, and many of them were sorry for the Prophets followers. Quraysh began to feel ashamed of their harsh treatment, especially as many of the Muslims were their cousins and close relatives. Finally, at the end of three years, they were convinced that the time had come to put an end to the persecution of the Muslims, and they decided to take down the notice hanging at the Ka’bah. To their astonishment, the sheet of paper had been completely eaten up by worms, all except the words, In Your Name, O Allah, which had been written at the top of the paper. The Year of Sorrow The Prophet (pbuh) and his followers went back to a normal way of life but the years of hardship had made Khadijah very weak. She became ill and soon afterwards she died. Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) lost his beloved wife and friend, the first person to accept Islam and support him. She had been a refuge from all his troubles and, through her goodheartedness, the best company in his suffering. He had loved her very much. This happened in 619 A.D., the year which became known as the Year of Sorrow. Soon after this, the Prophet Muhammads uncle and protector, Abu Talib, also died. Abu Talib had been one of the most respected men in Mecca-one of the elders of Quraysh. Even though he had never been a follower of Islam, he had protected the Prophet (pbuh) against his enemies. Not only was this a sad occasion for the Prophet (pbuh) but also a dangerous one. According to Arab custom anyone who is under the protection of another is safe so long as his protector lives. Now, with the death of his uncle, the Prophets protection was gone. The Prophets enemies rejoiced to see him so sad, without a wife to console and comfort him, and without his uncle to protect him. They began to treat him worse than ever before. Even small children insulted him. One young man actually threw some filth on the Prophets head, but the Prophet (pbuh) went home without making anything of it. When one of his daughters rushed, weeping, to wash it away, he comforted her saying, Do not weep my little girl, for Allah will protect your father. Abu Talib had been the Prophets last tie with Quraysh and the Prophet (pbuh) now felt that Islam could make no further progress in Mecca because the hearts of Quraysh were closed against him. He decided, therefore, to travel to Taif where he hoped to find support. He walked all the way to the town, which was seventy kilometers away. There he spoke in all the places where people gathered, but no one listened to him. He met the leaders of the three most important tribes but they would not listen either. Not only did they take no notice of what he said, but they laughed at him and ordered their slaves to insult him and pelt him with stones. Sadly, the Prophet (pbuh) left the city and found a quiet place near a wall on the edge of town where he could be alone. There he prayed to Allah in these words: “ O Allah, to Thee I complain of my weakness, helplessness and lowliness before men. 0 Most Merciful, Thou art the Lord of the weak, and Thou art my Lord. To whom wouldst Thou leave my fate? To a stranger who insults me or to an enemy to whom Thou hast given power over me? If Thou art not angry with me, I care not what happens to me. Thy favor alone is my objective. I take refuge in the Light of Thy countenance by which the darkness is illumined and on which this world and the other depend, lest Thy anger descend upon me or Thy wrath light upon me. It is for Thee to be satisfied until Thou art well pleased. There is no power and no might save through Thee.” The wall near which the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting belonged to a garden owned by two brothers. When they heard his prayer, they were very sorry for him and sent one of their slaves to him with a dish filled with grapes. Before he began to eat, the Prophet (pbuh) said Bismillah- In the Name of Allah. The servant, whose name was ‘Addas, was very surprised at these words, which he had never heard before. By Allah, said ‘Addas, this is not the way the people of this country speak. Then from what country do you come, Addas, and what is your religion? asked the Prophet (pbuh). I am a Christian from the Assyrian town of Nineveh, he replied. From the town of that good man Jonah, son of Matta, added the Prophet How do you know about him? asked ‘Addas. He is my brother-he was a Prophet and I am a Prophet, answered the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). ‘Addas bent down and kissed the Prophets head, his hands and his feet, because now he saw that he was truly a Prophet. The Prophet (pbuh) then walked back to Mecca. He was now able to put up with everything patiently for he knew that Allah would never leave him. His journey to Taif had not been in vain for ‘Addas, the Christian, had become a Muslim, and this was to he the beginning of great changes.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 09:31:12 +0000

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