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invitation. Amongst them were his uncles; Abû Tâlib, Hamzah,
'Abbas and Abû Lahab. Rasûlullah * took the meat and cut it
with his blessed teeth. Placing the meat into a bowl, he bade the
others: "Take the name of Allâh Ta'âlâ and start eating." Each
and every one of them ate to their fill from this one small dish
of food. In fact, there was a little left over as well. All of them
were well satiated with this food whereas it was evidently
sufficient for one person only. Rasûlullah % then instructed me
to produce the bowl of milk and offer it to all of them. All of
them were quenched with just this one bowl whereas a bowl of
milk is not really much. Let alone forty people, a bowl of milk
is barely enough for just one person. When the people finished
eating, Rasûlullah
was about to say something when Abû
Lahab blurted out: "People, get up! Muhammad has cast a spell
over your food today. We have never witnessed such sorcery
before this day!" The moment he uttered this disparaging
remark, people dispersed and Rasûlullâh % didn't get a chance
to speak to them. The following day, Rasûlullah % again
instructed Hadrat "Ali رضي الله عنه to prepare the same meal.
When they finished eating, Rasûlullah % said: "What I have
presented to you, nobody else has presented anything better
than that to his people. I have brought you news about this
world as well as the next." [Extracted by Ibn Ishaq, Bayhaqî
and Abû Nu'aim. Ref: Al-Khasâisu Al-Kubrâ volume 1 page
123]
Although Abû Lahab was Rasûlullâh 's uncle, just as Abû
Bakr رضى الله عنه remained in the forefront of personal sacrifice,
passionate conviction and unstinting love, Abû Lahab ventured
to remain in the forefront of downright disbelief, persistent
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harassment, disdainful mockery and concentrated hostility.
May Allâh's wrath descend on him. On account of this enmity
he harboured against Rasûlullah , he forced his sons 'Utbah
and 'Utaibah who were married to Rasûlullah 's daughters
Ruqayyah رضي الله عنها and Ummu Kulthum رضي الله عنها before
prophethood to break up the marriage. Abû Lahab's objective
was to intensify the sorrow of Rasûlullah as far as he
possibly could. However, this divorce proved to be a source of
Allâh Ta'âlâ's mercy. One after the other, both these daughters
were eventually married to Hadrat 'Uthman رضي الله عنه thereby
meriting the title of Zun-Nurain (a man of two radiances).
Amongst the one hundred and twenty four thousand Ambiyâ
only Hadrat 'Uthman رضي الله عنهم and the Sahabah عليهم السلام
had the honour of getting married to two daughters رضي الله عنه
of a Rasûl one after the other thereby earning himself the title
of Zun-Nurain. As long as Rasûlullah % continued inviting the
people individually to Islâm, the Quraysh left him alone
without impeding his endeavours but the moment he publicly
proclaimed the message of Islam and started to vilify the
idolaters and hampering the ideals of disbelief and polytheism,
the Quraysh poised themselves for a spell of hostility and fierce
opposition. However, in all of this turbulent antagonism, Abû
Talib staunchly upheld his support for Rasûlullah . On one
occasion, a delegation of the Quraysh appeared before Abû
Tâlib and said: "Your nephew vilifies our idols, denigrates our
religion, depicts us as fools and our forefathers as misguided.
Either you curb him or you desist from intervening between
him and us. We will sort it out amongst ourselves." Abû Tâlib
very diplomatically and affectionately sidestepped the whole
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issue and somehow defused the situation whilst Rasûlullah
continued with his invitation towards monotheism and his
denigration of disbelief and polytheism. A blaze of unbridled
antagonism flared up within adversaries like Abû Lahab and his
cohorts. They despatched another delegation to Abû Tâlib
saying: "We do acknowledge your nobility and graciousness
amongst us but we will never ever tolerate the vilification of
our deities and stultification of our forebears. Either you
restrain your nephew or we will launch a full-scale battle in
which one of us will perish." Saying this, they returned.
The unrelenting hostilities of the tribe and the bitterness of his
family members had a profound effect on Abû Talib. When
Rasûlullah % came to him, Abu Talib said: "Dear nephew!
People of your tribe came to me and this is what they had to
say." Abû Talib then went on to recount what transpired
between him and the Qurayshî delegation. Abû Talib said: "So
I urge you to take pity on me and take pity on yourself as well.
Please do not weight me down with an unbearable burden."
Judging from this conversation, Rasûlullah # was led to believe
that perhaps Abû Talib wants to withdraw his assistance and
support fro me. So with tearful eyes and a dejected heart,
Rasûlullah said: "Uncle! By Allâh, if these people place the
sun in my right hand and the moon in my left and beg me to
relinquish this work, I will never relinquish it until Allâh either
grants this Dîn dominance or until I perish."
Saying this, Rasûlullah % burst into tears and stood up to leave.
Abû Tâlib called for him and said: "My beloved nephew! You
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do what you want. I will never ever surrender you to your
enemies." [Al-Bidayah Wan-Nihayah volume 3 page 47]
Note: Apparently there is nothing more luminous than the son
and the moon. However, according to people of spiritual repute,
the Nur (luminance or the Dîn) brought to this world by
Rasûlullah % was far more brilliant than the luminance of the
son and moon. The polytheists are ceaselessly raring to
extinguish this luminance. As Allâh Ta'âlâ says:
"They wish to extinguish the Nûr (luminance) of Allâh with
their mouths but Allah declines except that He completes (and
perfects) His Nûr even though they detest it." [Sûrah Tawbah
verse 32]
In the aforementioned incident, Rasûlullah % mentioned the
sun and moon in order to further illustrate that the Nûr he has
come with, the sun and the moon have absolutely no similitude
to it. The sun and the moon in relation to this spiritual light is
like equating an insignificant speck to the brilliance of the sun.
So in other words, he tried to tell them that how can I ever
abandon this far superior brilliance over a far inferior light just
because you demand this? "Are you seeking to change
something superior in exchange for something inferior?"
[Sûrah Baqara]
And just as the right hand is far superior to the left hand,
similarly the sun is far superior to the moon. This is why the
'most eloquent of the Arabs and non-Arabs, Rasûlullah '
mentioned the placing of the sun in his right hand and the
placing of the moon in his left. [Rawdul-Anf volume 1 page
170]
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Note:
Rasûlullah 's open declaration of his aversion towards kufr
and shirk (polytheism) and his candid condemnation of idolatry
and despite the fanatical hostility of the enemies of Allâh, the
رضي الله عنهم unwavering stance of Rasulullah and his Sahabah
is a clear indication that a verbal declaration or belief with the
heart is insufficient for Îmân and Islâm but to disassociate
oneself from Kufr and also the characteristics of Kufr and shirk
is also necessary.
The Persian expression, "Tawallâ (perfection) without Tabarra
(severing ties from everyone else) is not possible" seamlessly
applies to this context.
As Allâh Ta'âlâ says in the Holy Quran:
"Verily there was for you in Ibrahim and those with him a
perfect example; when they said to their people: 'verily we are
free from you and from whatever you worship besides Allâh.
We have rejected you and there has appeared hostility and
hatred between you and us forever until you believe in Allâh
Alone'." [Sûrah Mumtahinah verse 5]
At another verse, Allâh Ta'âlâ says: "When it became clear to
him (Ibrâhîm Lla de) that he (his father Azar) is an enemy
of Allâh, he disassociated himself from him." [Sûrah Tawbah
verse 114]
On the basis of this verse, it is patently evident that just as it is
necessary for the people of Îmân to express their love and
submission to Allâh and His Rasûl , similarly it is necessary
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to openly proclaim one's enmity and hatred towards the enemy
of Allâh. This is also evident in the ninth year of Hijrah when
Rasulullah especially sent Hadrat 'Ali رضي الله عنه in the days
of Hajj to openly proclaim his disassociation from kufr and
shirk and on this occasion, the first few verses of Sûrah Bara'ah
(Tawbah) were revealed.
It also appears in a Hadîth: "He who loves for Allâh and hates
for Allâh has perfected his Îmân."
Love for Allâh Ta'âlâ can never be perfected as long as one
does not perfect his enmity and hatred for the enemies of Allâh.
As much as there is place in the heart for the enemies, to that
magnitude the heart will be devoid of the love of Allâh.
"Allâh Ta'âlâ did not create two hearts in the chest of a man."
So how can two conflicting things be entertained in one heart?
A perfect believer is he who is not in the least bit bothered
about the entire world's antagonism in pursuit of the pleasure
of Allâh. As a poet says:
"I have drawn the wrath of the world in pursuit of His (Allâh's)
pleasure."
It is the Sunnah of the Ambiya Alla de that just as they invite
people to profess their faith in Allâh, they also invite people to
declare their rejection for kufr, shirk and falsehood. As Allâh
Ta'âlâ says: "They wish to take their disputes to Tâghût (false
deities or Shaytan) whereas they have been commanded to
reject Tâghût." [Sûrah Nisâ verse 60]
For further details refer to the Maktubât of Mujaddid Alfe
Thânî volume 1 page 325 Maktub number 266.
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When the Quraysh noticed the dogged assistance and support
of Abû Talib for Rasûlullah , they conferred for a third time
and coming to Abû Tâlib they said: "'Amârah bin Wahîd is an
incredibly handsome and exceptionally intelligent young man
of the Quraysh. Take him instead and surrender to us your
nephew who is responsible for causing such severe friction
amongst the people. We wish to kill him and release the people
from this nuisance."
Abû Tâlib replied: "Wow! How can this ever be possible? How
can I surrender to the execution of the child that I have brought
up myself whilst I foster your child in his place? By Allâh! This
can never happen .! "
Mut'im bin 'Adî remarked: "Abû Talib! Your people have
presented you with a reasonably fair ruling and a wonderful
method of ridding themselves of this calamity but you failed
disappointingly in accepting this decision."
Abû Tâlib retorted: "By Allâh! My people haven't been fair to
me. You can do whatever you want!"
When the Quraysh lost all hope upon Abû Talib, they declared
their open hostility towards him (and the Muslims). They
started inflicting a range of torturous punishments against the
weak and vulnerable Muslims they came across amongst the
other tribes. Abû Tâlib invited the Banû Hashim and Banû
Muttalib to support and assist Rasûlullâh . Upon these
summons, all the members of the Banû Hashim and Banû
Muttalib clans gave their assurance of all-out support and
protection. From amongst the Banû Hâshim, only Abû Lahab
joined the enemy against Rasûlullah . ['Uyun Al-Athar]
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Rabî‘ah bin 'Ibad103 Acal, says: "I saw Rasûlullah % in the
markets of 'Ukkâz and Banul-Majâz inviting people towards
Islâm declaring: "People! Say Lâilâha Illallâh, you will be
successful."
Following his footsteps I saw a squint-eyed man calling out to
the people: "This man has turned into a heathen and he is a liar.
(Don't believe in what he says.)"
When I enquired who this man was, I was informed that it is
Rasûlullah 's uncle Abû lahab." This Hadîth is mentioned in
Musnade-Ahmad and Mu'jame-Tabrânî. See Isâbah under the
chapter on Rabi ah bin 'Ibad dicail,. Hafiz Ibn Sayyidun-
Nâs also cites this Hadîth with his Sanad. This version of the
Hadîth says that Rasûlullah % was calling the people thus:
"O People! Allâh commands you to worship Him and to abstain
from ascribing any partner unto him."
Whilst Rasûlullah was engaged in inviting the people
towards Islam, Abû Lahab, walking behind Rasûlullah ,
would shout: "O People! This man is commanding you to
renounce the religion of your forefathers." ['Uyûn Al-Athar
page 101]
The most select of the entire creation # was inviting the people
towards Islâm and Darus-Salâm (Jannah) whilst Abû Lahab
was calling the people towards a fire of Lahab (blazing fire).
103 Ibn Ma'în says that the name is 'Ibad although there is another variation
of 'Abbâd but the first variant is correct. [Isabah]
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Qurayshî conference for hampering the spread of Islam
When the Quraysh witnessed Islam progressing day by day,
they assembled before Walid bin Mughîrah who was one of
their higher-ranking elders and said: "The Hajj season is almost
upon us and your eminence is celebrated throughout the lands.
Pilgrims from far-flung lands will soon ask you about this man
(Rasûlullah ). So we need to formulate a consistent opinion
about him. All of us should be unanimous in our opinion about
him. There should not be any conflict of view lest we falsify or
contradict one another. This will obviously not augur well for
us. O Abû 'Abdush-Shams! (This was Walid's appellation.)
Why don't you devise a cohesive verdict, which all of us will
adhere to? Walid said: "You put your thoughts forward, I will
listen and then I will formulate my opinion." Some people
suggested: "This man (Rasûlullah %) is, Allâh Ta'âlâ forbid, a
soothsayer." Walid commented: "you are wrong. By Allâh!
This man can never be a soothsayer. I have had an opportunity
to meet a number of soothsayers. This man neither has a single
hint of a soothsayer around him nor does his speech correspond
with the humming noises of the soothsayers." Some suggested
that Rasûlullah % is mad Walid replied: "No, he is not mad. I
am fully aware of the reality of insanity and mental illnesses. I
don't perceive a smidgen of insanity in this man." People said
that he is a poet. Walid remarked: "I am a poet myself. I am
thoroughly acquainted with the poetic rhythms and styles of
poetry. For instance, I am intimately familiar with the poetic
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meters of Rajz, Hajz, Maqbûd, Mabsût etc. His speech has no
parallel to poetical compositions." The people then suggested
that Rasûlullah % is a sorcerer. Walid commented: "He is not a
sorcerer. He does not blow or engage in incantations or fasten
knots like the sorcerers do." The people finally surrendered
saying: "O Abû 'Abdush-Shams! Then what can we assert?"
Walid replied: "By Allah! In Muhammad's
speech is an
extraordinary sweetness and alluring attraction. His speech is
embellished with a peculiar magnificence.104 And the roots of
his speech are incredibly fresh and its branches are fruit
bearing. (In other words, Islâm is like a wonderful tree. Its roots
are firm and the ground solid and its branches, laden with fruit,
are growing up to the sky.)"
Walid continued: "I know that whatever description you have
opted for, each and every one of them is baseless and fictitious.
I think that the description of 'sorcerer' would be most
appropriate. I suppose we should just let it be known to the
masses that this man is a sorcerer and his speech is also
bewitching. His speech triggers a rift between husband and
wife, between blood brothers and between members of the
same clan. This is after all the peculiarity of sorcery."
Saying this, the meeting came to a close. With the approach of
the Hajj season, as people started streaming into Makkah, the
104
According to the narration of Mustadrak, an addition to this statement
reads as follows: "His speech is dominating and it would never be
dominated. And it would crush everything in its path." [Mustadrak volume 2
page 507]
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Quraysh posted people onto every road leading into Makkah
dispensing the following words of caution to every foreign
pilgrim: "Beware of this man (Rasûlullah ) as he is a
sorcerer."
This malicious strategy of the Quraysh failed to harm Islam in
the least. In fact, the pilgrims coming into Makkah from far and
wide were, by now, well acquainted with Rasûlullah . ['Uyûn
Al-Athar volume 1 page 101]
'Allâmah Zarqânî says that this narration is cited by Ibn Ishâq,
Hâkim and Bayhaqî with a satisfactory Sanad (chain of
narrators). [Al-Bidâyah wa Al-Nihâyah volume 3 page 61]
In reference to the same Walid bin Mughîrah (mentioned in the
aforementioned incident) Allâh Ta'âlâ revealed the following
verse of Sûrah Muddhatthir:
"And leave me and he whom I had created alone. (I will deal
with him on my own. You don't bother yourself with him.)
And I granted him abundant wealth and sons who are in
attendance and I made life comfortable and smooth for him (by
bestowing upon him worldly honour). Then (in spite of all this)
he hankers after more. Never! He has been hostile to our signs
(verses or proofs). I will compel him to climb (a slippery)
mountain (of hell and then hurl him down). Verily, he
deliberated and plotted. So let him be cursed: how he plotted.
And again let him be cursed: how he plotted. Then he glanced
about. Then he scowled and assumed a furious countenance.
Then he turned away and displayed arrogance and said: 'This
(Qurân) is nothing but sorcery that is being transmitted
(through the generations). This is nothing but the word of a
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human being.' I will cast him into the fire of Hell
." [Sûrah
Muddatthir verses 11-25]
According to a Mursal narration, Rasûlullah % recited before
him the following verse that is the synopsis of good character. :
"Verily Allâh decrees justice, beneficence, and giving to the
relatives and He prohibits evil, abominable deeds and
oppression. He advises you that you may take heed." [Sûrah
Al-Nahl verse 90]
- رضي الله عنه Islam of Hamzah
Whilst walking near Mt. Safa one day, Rasûlullah % suddenly
came upon Abû Jahal who also happened to be passing that
way. The moment his eyes fell on Rasûlullah , he let off a
string of expletives and words of condemnation against
Rasûlullah. However, Rasûlullah didn't utter a word
against Abû Jahal's deplorable choice of words and wordlessly
departed from the scene. After all 'Silence is the best response
to a fool'. 'Abdullah bin Jud'an's slave girl was busy
witnessing this rather appalling spectacle. In the meantime,
Hadrat Hamzah رضي الله عنه, who was just returning from one of
105 Ibn Jawzî says that Hadrat Hamzah Lical, embraced Islam in the
sixth year of prophethood. And this is the most notable view. However,
Hâfiz Ibn Hajar writes in Isâbah that he embraced Islâm in the second year
of prophethood.
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his hunting jaunts happened to come that way clutching his
bow and quiver of arrows. The moment she laid eyes on him,
'Abdullah bin Jud'an's slave girl exclaimed: "Abû 'Ammarah!
If only you were around when Abû Jahal was busy uttering
obscenities and foul language against your nephew."
On hearing this, his sense of self-possessiveness suffered a
raging boost. From there, he set out in search of Abû Jahal. It
was the custom of Hadrat Hamzah رضى الله عنه that he would first
drop by the Haram whenever he returned from hunting. In
compliance with his routine, he came to the Haram first where
he saw Abû Jahal sitting with a few other members of the
Quraysh tribe. The moment he reached him, Hadrat Hamzah
struck him so severely with the bow on his head that he
suffered a serious head injury. He then yelled at him: "You
have the audacity to verbally abuse Muhammad (). In fact, I
am also an adherent of his religion." Some of the onlookers
wanted to come to Abû Jahal's aid but he himself prevented
them saying: "Yes, I am guilty; today I verbally abused my
nephew. Leave Hamzah alone." Some of those in attendance
addressed Hadrat Hamzah رضى الله عنه saying: "Hamzah! What,
have you also turned Sâbîe (irreligious)?" Hadrat Hamzah
replied: "Muhammad's رضي الله عنه
(4)
truthfulness and
credibility has been laid bare before me. I hereby testify that
Muhammad is the messenger of Allâh and I believe that
whatever he says is absolutely true. I will never ever forsake
this belief. Do whatever you can do!" Saying this, Hadrat
Hamzah returned home.
When he reached home, Shaytan embarked on a campaign of
waswasah (devilish insinuation)
against him. Shaitân
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insinuated: "Hamzah! You are one of the chieftains of the
Quraysh. How dare you tag along behind a Sâbîe? Why did you
renounce the religion of your forefathers? You rather perish
than doing this." This devilish insinuation threw Hadrat
Hamzah رضى الله عنه in a bit of uncertainty and doubt. Hadrat
Hamzah relates: "This is when I turned to Allâh Ta'âlâ in Du'â.
I pleaded with Allâh in the following words:
"O Allâh! If this is guidance, insert its conviction into the
depths of my heart otherwise devise a way out for me from this
situation." [Mustadrak volume 3 page 193]
According to another narration, he passed the night in this state
of anxious restlessness. He was unable to doze off even for a
moment. When he realised that he is unable to rid himself of
this agitation, he proceeded to the Haram and with utmost
humility he made the following Du'â:
"O Allâh! Open my heart to enthusiastically accept the truth
and liberate me from these doubts and misgivings." Hadrat
Hamzah relates: "I barely lowered my hands form the Du'â
when all my futile reservations disappeared and my heart was
swiftly infused with conviction and true faith. First thing in the
morning, I set out towards the blessed company of Rasûlullah
and gave him an account of what happened. Rasulullah
made Du'â for my staunch dedication and steadfastness upon
Islâm."
According to the narration of Mustadrak Hâkim, when Hadrat
Hamzah
appeared before Rasulullah , he رضى الله عنه
submitted: "I hereby testify that you are undeniably truthful. I
offer this testimony as a dedicated and perceptive believer."
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He went on further: "O nephew! Proclaim your religion
publicly now. By Allâh! Even if I am offered the whole world
and whatever is contained therein, I would certainly not
renounce this religion in favour of my ancestral creed." Saying
this, he composed the following stanzas:
"I praise Allâh Who has steered my heart towards Islam and
towards the Ibrâhîmî creed.
The religion that came to us from the venerable Lord, who is
sensitive and affectionate towards His servants.
When His messages are recited before us, the tears of the
intellectually gifted flow freely.
The messages brought by Ahmad for the guidance of the
people, messages that are unambiguous and clear-cut.
And Ahmad, the chosen one amongst us is to be obeyed. So do
not conceal it with coarse language.
By Allâh! As long as our swords do not make the final
judgement amongst us, we will never surrender him to
anyone." [Rawdul-Anf volume 1 page 186]
Hadrat Hamzah's رضى الله عنه embracing of Islam was a clear
sign to the Quraysh that from now on it wouldn't be as easy to
harass and persecute Rasûlullah .
Note: When 'Abdullah bin Jud'an's slave girl was busy
recounting Abû Jahal's denigration of Rasûlullâh , Hadrat
Hamzah رضي الله عنه flew into a passionate rage. The fury of
Hadrat Hamzah رضى الله عنه is related in Strat Ion Hisham,
Mustadrak Hâkim and 'Uyûn Al-Athar in the following words:
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"Hamzah رضي الله عنه plunged into a spell of rage because Allah
Ta'âlâ wanted to honour him with an esteemed reputation."
From this it appears that when Allâh Ta'âlâ wishes good for
someone, He casts within his heart a bolt of ferocious rage
against His enemies. The scales of Îman can only be optimally
balanced when the right pan containing love for the sake of
Allâh Ta'âlâ is equally balanced with the left pan of the scale
containing hatred for the sake of Allâh Ta'âlâ. As Rasûlullah
fittingly said: "He who loves for the sake of Allâh and hates for
the sake of Allâh has perfected his Îmân.
In the humble opinion of this nonentity (the author), there
seems to be a level of indivisibility between loving for the sake
of Allâh and hating for the sake of Allâh. The severance of one
from the other is impossible. The only difference is that
sometimes love for the sake of Allâh exhibits itself first whilst
sometimes hatred for the sake of Allâh exposes itself first.
Furthermore, love for the sake of Allah Ta'ala is the Maqsud
Biz-Zât (objective proper) whilst hating for the sake of Allâh
Ta'âlâ is Maqsûd Bil-'Ard (attributive objective). This is why it
seemed most appropriate to place love for the sake of Allâh on
the right pan of the Îmânî scale and hatred for the sake of Allâh
on the left pan of the scale. And Allâh Ta'ala knows best.
Proposal of the Quraysh chieftains to terminate Islam with
temptations of wealth and leadership and Rasûlullah
獎’s
response
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When the Quraysh realised that since Hadrat Hamzah
embraced Islam and the numbers of the Muslims are رضي الله عنه
progressively adding up, Abû Jahal, 'Utbah, Shaybah, Walîd
bin Mughîrah, Umayyah bin Khalaf, Aswad bin Al-Muttalib
and other chieftains of the Quraysh convened a meeting to
deliberate over this issue. Based upon the decision reached by
this consultative meeting, the members appointed 'Utbah bin
Rabî'ah as their spokesman to Rasûlullah %. He was a man
unrivalled by any of his contemporaries in sorcery, soothsaying
and poetry.
'Utbah came to Rasûlullah # and said: "O Muhammad! There
is no doubt about your distinguished lineage and superior status
but alas, you are guilty of rupturing the unity of our nation. You
condemn our idols and proclaim our forefathers as fools. This
is why I wish to make a statement." Rasûlullah % replied: "Go
ahead, Abul-Walîd, I am listening."
'Utbah said: "O Nephew! Why do you have to concern yourself
with these issues? If wealth is what you covet, we will amass so
much of wealth for you that even the richest man won't be able
to compete with you. If you wish to get married, we will get
you married to whichever woman you fancy and to how many
women you want. If leadership is what you crave for, we will
elect you as our leader. If you aspire to take on the reins of
government and kingship, we will designate you as our king. If
an evil spirit possesses you, we will provide the treatment to
exorcise it."
Rasûlullah replied: "O Abul-Walid! Are you over with
whatever you wanted to say?" when 'Utbah replied in the
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affirmative, Rasûlullah % said: "Okay, now listen to what I
have got to say. I don't crave for your riches and wealth and I
have no inclination towards your leadership and power. I am
the Rasûl of Allah Ta'ala whom He has sent to you with His
divine message. He has revealed a divine book unto me and has
charged me to issue His glad tidings of reward and warnings of
chastisement. I have conveyed His message unto you and as a
form of good counsel I have cautioned you. If you accept this
message, it would be a source of success for you in both the
worlds. However, if you fail to accept this message, I am
willing to exercise patience until Allâh passes judgment
between us."
Saying this Rasûlullah % recited the following verses:
"Bismillah ...
Hâ Mîm. This is a revelation from the beneficent and merciful.
This is a book whose verses are clearly detailed, a Quran in
Arabic for people who are aware. It (the Quran) is an issuer of
glad tidings and an admonisher. (Rightfully they should have
embraced this Qurân) but most of them turn away so they hear
not. And they say: 'our hearts are sealed against what you are
inviting us to and in our ears are plugs and between us and
between you is a screen (because of which we are unable to
understand what you say). So, you do (your work) whilst we
continue doing our work. Say! (In response to them O
Muhammad!) I am but a human being like you (but) divine
revelation is revealed upon me that your deity is only one. So
take a straight path towards Him and seek His forgiveness and
woe to the polytheists; those who do not pay Zakat and they
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Life of the Prophet
disbelieve in the hereafter. Truly, those who believe and do
righteous deeds, for them will be a reward that will never cease.
Say (O Muhammad!) Do you really disbelieve in the being
Who had created the earth in two days and you ascribe partners
unto Him? That is the Lord of all the worlds. And He placed
therein (in the earth) mountains above it (the earth) and He
blessed it (the earth) and He measured therein its sustenance in
four days equal (in duration) for those who enquire (about His
creation). Thereafter, he focussed upon the sky when it was
smoke and said to it (the sky) and the earth: 'Come both of you
enthusiastically or reluctantly.' Both of them replied: 'We
come enthusiastically.' So He completed seven skies in two
days and He transmitted to every sky its affair. And we adorned
the sky of the world with lamps (stars for adornment) and
protection (against the Shayâtîn by using the stars as projectiles
against them). Such is the strategy of the all-powerful, the all-
knowing. And if they turn away, then say (O Muhammad!) I
have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt that had
befallen 'Âd and Thamûd." [Sûrah Hâ Mîm Sajdah verses 1 -
13]
Rasûlullah continued reciting this Surah whilst 'Utbah was
sitting leaning with both his hands behind his back listening in
bewildered amazement to the recitation. When Rasûlullah
reached the final verse, 'and if they turn away', 'Utbah abruptly
placed his hand over Rasûlullah 's mouth and swearing an
oath surrendered: "By Allâh! For Allâh's sake, take pity on us."
Actually, 'Utbah was terrified lest the punishment of 'Âd and
Thamûd does not suddenly befall him. Thereafter, Rasûlullah
continued reciting right up the verse of Sajdah after which he
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Sîratul-Mustafa
Life of the Prophet
performed a Sajdah. Following his recitation, Rasûlullah
addressed 'Utbah saying: "Abul-Walîd! You have heard
whatever you have heard. The choice now rests with you."
'Utbah took his leave from Rasûlullah and returned to his
associates but the 'Utbah who returned was not the same
'Utbah who went. This is why Abu Jahal blurted out: "'Utbah
doesn't look like the same 'Utbah. Seems like 'Utbah has
transformed into a Sâbî." 'Utbah replied: "I have lent my ears
to his words. By Allâh! I have never come across such words.
His words are neither poetry nor sorcery nor soothsaying. It is
something totally alien to me. O People! If you would care to
heed my advice, leave Muhammad alone. By Allâh! The words
I have just heard are surely something to keep an eye on. If the
Arabs assassinate him, you have nothing to be anxious about
and alternatively, if he prevails over the Arabs, his honour will
be your honour and his reign will be your reign because after
all, he is a constituent of your own tribe."
To this the Quraysh chieftains responded: "Abul-Walid!
Muhammad has cast a spell of black magic over you." 'Utbah
replied: "My opinion will remain unchanged. You do whatever
you please!" ['Uyûn Al-Athar volume 1 page 105, Zarqânî
Sharah Mawâhib volume 1 page 257, Al-Khasâisu Al-Kubrâ
bolume 1 page 114]
Revelation of Qul Yâ Ayyuhal-Kâfirûn
280