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Introduction
The Prophets Life: A brief description. How many wives did the Prophet have? Please give their names, including divorcees, if any. Could
you tell me something about the Prophet's children and grandchildren. Is the Prophets lineage and his descendancy from Ismail and Abraham known?
"Those
who follow the Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned
in their own (Scriptures); In the Law and the Gospel; For he commands them
what is just and forbids them what is evil; He allows them as lawful what
is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He
releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yaks that are upon
them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow
the light which is sent down with him. It is they who will
prosper". (VII :157). "It
is He who hath sent His Apostle with guidance and the Religion of truth.
To proclaim it over all religions even though the pagans may detect
(it)". (IX : 33).
The
Prophets Life: A brief description.
Answer: Mohammad:
The PRAISED ONE: the final messenger and Apostle of Allah, and the Prophet
of Islam, was the posthumous son of Abdullah by his wife Aminah. The
grandson of Abdul Mutlib from the tribe of BANI HASHIM, which was the
noblest tribe of the Quraish and said to be directly descended from Ismail
the son of Prophet Abraham and his wife Hajira. The
Prophet of Islam was born in Mecca the eternal Holy City. It is understood
by modern historians to be on the night of Monday 23rd April 571 AD (12th
Rabiul Awwal the third month in the Lunar calendar). His mother was died
when he was six years old, and was brought up by his grandfather and then
his uncle Abu Talib. When
Mohammad was 12 years old he was taken by his uncle on a mercantile
journey to Syria and proceeded as far as Basra. It was at Basra that
Mohammad met the Christian Monk BUHAIRA, who is related to have said to
Abu Talib "Return with this youth and guard him from the hatred of
Jews, for great dignity awaits this your brother's son". When
Mohammad had reached his twenty fifth year, on the recommendation of his
uncle, Abu Talib, entered the service of Khadijah, a rich widow of Mecca. Mohammad
having proved himself faithful in the commercial ****** of his mistress,
was soon awarded with her hand in marriage. When Mohammad married her she
was a widow of forty years of age. The house of Mohammad and Khadija was a
happy one, and their marriage fortunate and fruitful. Two sons and four
daughters were born to them. Their eldest son Qasim, died when he was two
years old, whence Mohammad was sometimes called Abu- ul-Qasim. The other
son Abdullah died in infancy. The four daughters were Zainab, Ruqaiyah,
Umm Qulsum and Fatimah. During her life she died at the age of 65,
Khadijah was Mohammad's only wife and he always looked back to this period
of his life with fond remembrance. The
first revelations the Prophet received were in his fortieth year. It was
in the form of two dreams. He never dreamt, but it came to pass as
regularly as the dawn of day. After this the Prophet went into retirement
and he used to seclude himself in a cave in Mount Hira. It was in this
fortieth year of his life, that as he lay wrapped in his mantle, during
the silent watches of the night, that he heard a voice calling him by
name. Uncovering his head, there suddenly broke in upon him a flood of
light. Then the revelation came down to him "Read" said the
Angel "I know not how to read". "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 beautiful;
He who taught (the use of) the Pen; Taught man that which he knew
not" (XCVI : I-6) Nay but man transgress all bounds". Then
the Prophet repeated the words with a trembling heart. And he returned
from Hira to Mecca to Khadijah and said "wrap me up, wrap me
up", and she wrapped him up in a garment until his fear was dispelled
and he told Khadijah what had occurred. The
first vision was followed by a considerable period during which no further
revelation was given. Mohammad
then believed himself to be a commissioned Apostle, the messenger and the
Prophet of God, sent to reclaim fallen people to the knowledge and service
of their God. His revelations were God's Book, and His sayings the
utterances divine inspiration. The
first converts to Islam was his faithful wife Khadijah, the two next, Ali
and Zaid his adopted son, and afterwards his old trusted friend, Abu Bakr
"The True". In
the sixth year of his mission, the cause of Mohammad was strengthened by
the occasion of two powerful citizens Hamzah and Umar. In
the beginning of the tenth year of his mission, and in the fiftieth of his
life, Mohammad lost his faithful and devoted wife Khadijah. Abu Talib, the
Prophet's uncle and guardian died a few weeks afterwards. In
the 12th year of his mission Mohammad (PBUH) related the history of his
night Journey (Maraj) from Masjid-e- Haram to Masjid-e-Aqsa (Jerusalem)
and thence to heaven on the creature called Burraq (XVII - I). While
Mohammad's nocturnal journey was the subject of warm discussion at Mecca,
Yathrib (now the city of Medina) resounded with his praises. Upon this the
Quraish of Mecca employed assassins with the view of redding themselves of
the Prophet of Islam whose popularity and influence was daily increasing. The
secret of the conspiracy being betrayed to Mohammad, he and Hazrat Abu
Bakr escaped in the silence and darkness of night and took refuge in one
of the caves of Mount Thur (Sur) at a short distance from Mecca where they
remained for three days. Abu Bakr's son and daughter would bring supplies
of food and intelligence while thus lying concealed. This year of the of
the departure from Mecca to Madina is considered as the 1 year of Hijra or
migration by all Muslims. In
the 2nd year of Hijra, Mohammad had to fight against the unbelievers of
Mecca, the Quraish at the first battle the Muslims had to fight in belief
of their faith and is called the Battle of BADR. Where with an army of
three hundred and five followers, of which two thirds were citizens of
Madina. Mohammad routed a force three times their number. The
fourth year of the Hijra (AD 625) opened with the despatch of 500 Muslims
against the tribe of Asd, who were making preparations to invade Al-Madina.
The enemy fled at the appearance of the Muslims troops and the place was
sacked. It
was during the sixth year of Hijra that Mohammad conceived the idea of
addressing foreign sovereigns and princes and of inviting them to embrace
Islam. On
the 1st January 630 AD the Prophet decided to march and attack the city of
Mecca. Mohammads March commenced and after eight days through unfrequented
roads and defiles the army swelled to number ten thousand men, halted and
lighted their camp fires on the height of Marruz-Zahrain a days march from
the sacred city. The Prophet had been joined on his march by his uncle Al-
Abbas, and on the night of his arrival Abu-Sufyan again presented himself
and be sought an interview. On the it was granted. "Has the time not
yet come, O Abu Sufyan, cried Mohammad "for thee to acknowledge that
there is but one god and that I am His Apostle. Knowing that Mecca was at
the mercy of the Prophet, he repeated the cried of Islam and was sent to
prepare the city for the Prophets arrival. During
his fortnight stay at Mecca, Mohammad sent small detachments of troops
into the district, who destroyed the temples of Al-UZZA, SUWA and MANAT
the famous idol temples of the neighboring tribes. It
was in 632 AD that the Prophet of Islam set out on what is known as the
HAJJAT-UL-WADAH. The
excitement and fatigue of this journey took its toll on his health, which
for some time had been showing signs of failing. Till
the third day before his death, he regularly performed the ceremonies of
his public worship, but when he was so ill so as not able to enter the
mosque, he ordered his faithful friend Abu Bakr to preach the service. Mohammad
died on the 13th Rabi-ul-Awwal the first day of the eleventh year of his
Hijra (8th June 632 AD) at the age of 63 years, during the last 23 of
which he had assumed the character of Prophet.
How
many wives did the Prophet have? Please give their names, including
divorcees, if any.
Answer: The
Prophet (PBUH) married several women, the first of whom was Khadeejah bint
Khuwailed, whom he married when he was 25, i.e. 15 years before his
receiving his first revelation. She remained his only wife until she died
25 years later. His second wife was Aisha bint Abu Bakr, who was young
girl in her early teens when the marriage took place Sawdah
bint Zim'ah, who was an elderly woman, was his next wife. The Prophet
(PBUH) also married Umm Salamah, Hind bint Abu Umayyah. Then he married
Hafsah bint Umar, before marrying, on clear instructions from Allah,
Zainab bint Jahsh. The story of his marriage to Zainab has been related
fully in our column "Life of the Prophet". Surah 33 "The
confederates" include clear comments on this marriage. The
Prophet also married Umm Habeebah, Ramlah bint Abu Sufian, who was at the
time an immigrant in Abyssinia, deputized for the Prophet in the
arrangement of this marriage. The Prophet also married Juwairiyyah bint
Al-Harith and Safiyyah bint Huyai, who was a Jews. Both daughters of enemy
chiefs with whom the Prophet had just gone to war, achieving a clear
victory. Also,
the Prophet married Zainab bint Khuzaimah, Maria, the Egyptian girl, whom
Al-Muqauqis, the Egyptian ruler, sent as a present to the Prophet was the
mother of his last son, Ibraheem, who died in infancy. Only
Khadeejah and Zainab bint Khuzaimah died before the Prophet. All the
others survived him. The
Prophet also arranged to marry two other ladies, but the marriage in each
case was not consummated. He divorced both women before the consummation
of the marriage. The first was Asmaa bint Al-Nu'man, whom he discovered to
be suffering from leprosy. He gave her generous gifts before sending her
back to her people. The other was Amrah bint Yazeed. She became a Muslim a
very short period before her marriage to the Prophet (PBUH). When she
arrived at Madinah and saw the Prophet, she appealed to Allah for refuge
from the Prophet. The Prophet (PBUH) then sent her back to her people. In
short, there were 13 women the Prophet married, two were divorced before
the consummation of the marriage, two died before the Prophet, and nine
survived him. As
you realize, the Prophet (PBUH) was exempt from the legislation which
restricts the number of wives a Muslim may have to four only at any one
time. There were varying reasons for his marriages, some were political,
others were legislative, and some of his marriages took place for social
reasons. In all cases, the Prophet had in mind the well-being of the
message of Islam and the Muslim community.
Could
you tell me something about the Prophet's children and grandchildren. Answer: The
Prophet had six children born to his first wife, Khadeejah. The two boys,
Al-Qassim and Abdullah, died in early childhood. After the Arab tradition,
the Prophet used to be called Abul-Qassim, meaning "father of Al-Qassim". Khadeejah
also gave the Prophet (PBUH) four daughters; Zainab, the eldest was
married to Abu-Ass ibn Ar-Rabie and gave birth to one boy, Ali, and one
girl Ummamah. Zainab died in the eighth year of the Islamic calendar, i.e.
two years before the Prophet (PBUH). The
Prophet's second daughter Ruqayyah, was married to Uthman ibn Affan, who
later became the third caliph. She travelled with him to Abyssinia in the
first Muslim emigration. She gave birth to one boy, Abdullah, who died at
the age of six. Ruqqayah died at the time when the Muslims fought the
battle of Badr. The Prophet's third daughter was Umm Qulthum, who was
married to Uthman after her sister's death. She did not have any children
and died in the ninth year of the Islamic calendar, about eighteen months
before the Prophet (PBUH). Fatima
was the Prophet's youngest daughter. She married Ali and gave birth to two
sons, Al-Hassan and, Al-Hussain, and two daughters Umm Qulthum and Zainab.
Fatima died six months after the Prophet (PBUH). As
has already been mentioned, all six children were born to Khadeejah, the
Prophet's first wife. The only other child born to the Prophet was
Ibraheem, whose mother Maria, was the Coptic woman sent as a gift to the
Prophet by the ruler of Egypt. The Prophet (PBUH) freed her and married
her. She gave him this son who lived only sixteen months.
What
is the Proof that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was a messenger of Allah? and
why was he sent to the Arabs?
Answer: The
Prophet presented his credentials to his people even before he began to
receive his revelations. In a society which was governed by tribal
affiliations and selfish interests, without any thought of accountability
of what a person may do in this life, the Prophet was the most trustworthy
of persons. Indeed he was given the title "the trustworthy" by
his people in admiration of his conduct, honesty and faithfulness. He
lived for forty years among his people and no one ever accused him of
telling a lie, or misrepresentation. Three years after the beginning of
the Quranic revelations and secret preaching the Prophet was commanded by
Allah to take his message into the open and call on people publicly to
believe in Allah, He stood at the top of the hill known as As-Safa and
called all the clans of the Quraish to come to him for he had something to
communicate to them. When they gathered around him, he asked "If I
were to tell you that there is an army beyond this valley which is to
launch a raid against you, would you believe me" ? They all answered
that he was always to be trusted, for they had never known him to tell a
lie. He said "I have to warn you against a would doom unless you
believe in the oneness of Allah". They immediately turned against him
and abused him before leaving him standing alone. In
this incident, we have the very proof that Mohammad was a messenger from
Allah. If he had never told a lie to people and he never uttered an
untruth when such a lie might have benefited him in some sort of material
way, would he ever contemplate making a false claim against Allah himself
? The Prophet's conduct and behavior is certainly a proof of his
truthfulness and of the fact that he was the messenger of Allah, that
however could only have been witnessed by his companions and
contemporaries. Although we have a very detailed record of what the
Prophet did or used to do on various occasions, and although such a record
cannot be given of the life and behavior of any other person throughout
history, that man may be only partially accepted as a proof of his
message, by people who do not belong to Islam. Therefore a further proof
is needed. It
is mentioned by Muslims that the Qur'an itself is proof. Its beauty of
style, its description of the events of the past. present and future and
its accounts of creation of man and the challenge given in the Qur'an to
the Arabs of all generations to produce anything similar to the Qur'an.
This is certainly valid as far as it goes. However, there is a further
proof of the fact that Mohammad was Allah's messenger. That is his message
as it is contained in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah. The
Prophet has given us a complete system which takes care of all aspects of
life and provides the appropriate legislation to deal with all problems
that may face any human generation, that could not have been worked out by
any human being on his own. We have only to compare the Islamic system
with any human philosophy, ancient or modern in order to appreciate the
perfection which is characteristic of Islam. To my mind this is the true
miracle of the Qur'an, much more than its exceptionally refined style. We
must not forget in this connection the fact that the Islamic legislation
is very consistent. It is not merely detailed to cater for all aspects of
life. It caters for them in a balanced and mutually complementary way
which leaves no room for friction or conflict between various interests.
How could have all that been worked out by a person who did not read and
write, unless he had guidance from the Divine Being. A
further proof can be derived from the very legislation which the Prophet
enunciated. There are many examples which show that a legal system like
his could have never developed out of the Arabian environment on the
social conditions which prevailed at his time. An important example is
that which relates to the status of woman, In Arabs, as almost everywhere
else in the world, women were looked down as much inferior to men. In a
tribal society, which witnessed military engagements for the most trivial
of reasons, women could not have aspired to any position of equality with
men, because unlike them, they were ill-treated and their rights if any,
abused. Perhaps the worst aspect of the ill treatment received by women
was that young girls were buried alive by their fathers who did not wish
to take upon themselves the burdens of feeding them. A widow was inherited
as part of her deceased husbands estate. If that was a good cause for a
social change or even a revelation. there was absolutely no sign of any
such change approaching. People took such matters as absolutely natural.
And women did not even question whether the treatment accorded them was
fair. Against such background, Islam declared the equality of men and
woman, and established the rights of women to life, freedom, ownership and
the choice of husband on an absolutely equal footing with men. Of course
there remained differences which were necessitated by the biological and
functional status of women. However as human beings and with regards to
duties and privileges, they were equal. Had Mohammad not been a messenger
of Allah, he would never have dreamed up such legislation. How could he
when no other thinker or philosophy ever advocated a system which was
totally different from the prevailing conditions when there was NO
DISSATISFACTION with such
conditions ? That should be to us perfect proof that the legislation given
to us by Mohammad were not his own. He was only a messenger conveying to
us the message entrusted with him. The legislator was Allah. Yet
another proof may be found in the way certain legislation or principles
were established. If Mohammad was not a messenger from Allah, we would
have been a reformer who aspired to a position of leadership. No leader
and certainly no aspirant to leadership, would ever think of issuing
himself a reprimand for misconduct and to announce that in public. But in
the Qur'an we read that such an admonition was issued to the Prophet in
connection with an incident, which by all standards was reasonably
justified. The
Prophet was once speaking to a number of the chiefs of Quraish, hoping to
persuade them to follow Islam, when he was interrupted by a companion of
his who was poor, blind and carried very little
weight in society. He wanted the Prophet to teach him something of
the Qur'an. Irritated by this interruption, the Prophet allowed an
expression of displeasure to appear on his face. Certainly, the blind man
could not see it. The Prophet had great hopes that if he would be able to
persuade those people to follow Islam, then the cause of Islam would
triumph. In other words, the Prophet was totally engaged with his mission
and he felt that the task of teaching one of his followers could be
delayed for a short while. For this reason the Prophet was admonished that
a single believer, regardless of his social status, was for more important
than the chiefs of disbeliever. A censure in the Qur'an would continue to
be recited by believers for the rest of time. (Sura Abasa : LXXX : 1-12).
They read it in their prayers, To Allah, however , the issue was greater
than turning away from a blind man, it was the establishment of an
essential principle which treats all people as equal, regardless of their
social position. To my mind that is something that only a messenger from
Allah could have announced his own censure as a quranic revelation for the
recital of which people earned a reward from Allah.
That can come only from Prophet and a messenger, such as Mohammad
certainly was. As
to the second part of the question. Mohammad was sent as a messenger to
all mankind in all generations. All has guaranteed to keep his message
intact and to preserve it for all generations. He was not sent to a
particular group or for a particular generation. If you look at Muslims
today, you will find that the Arabs form only a small percentage of them.
15 percent or even less. All mankind in all generation are called upon to
accept Islam. Hence the whole question is not valid. If Allah sent several
messengers to several areas in the world carrying the same message, the
effect would be the same, in as far as conveying the message is concerned.
There are obvious disadvantages in such a method, which is unnecessary in
the first place Hence, the message of Mohammad (PBUH) was sufficient and
there was no need for other messengers.
Is
the Prophets lineage and his descendancy from Ismail and Abraham known?
Answer: There
can be no certain information on the point. Biographers of the Prophet and
scholars of Hadith agree that the lineage of the Prophet can be stated
with a good measure of accuracy up to 21 generations ending with Adnan. We
have a Hadith which states that those who trace lineage beyond Adnan are
bound to get confused. We find that whenever an attempt to trace the
Prophet's lineage beyond Adnan is made, the scholar concerned gives a word
of warning to say that the information he is supplying is by no means
certain. It is often preceded by the words "it is said" or
similar words to indicate uncertainty. It is needless to say that tracing
the lineage of the Prophet back to Prophet Abraham or to anyone else has
no bearing in the religion of Islam. It is only in response to readers
that we give below the lineage as mentioned in biographies of the Prophet,
adding to it the necessary caution: *
Mohammad ibn Abdullah, ibn Abdul Mutlib, ibn Hashim, ibn Abd Munaf, ibn
Qussai, ibn Kilab, ibn Murrah, ibn Ka'ab, ibn Luai, ibn Ghalib, ibn Fahr,
ibn Malik, ibn An-NADHR, ibn KINANAH, ibn KHUZAIN, ibn MUDRIKAH, ibn
ILLIAS, ibn MUDHAR, ibn NIZAR, ibn Mo'idd, ibn ADNAN, ibn UDD, ibn MUQAWIN,
ibn NAHOOR, ibn TAIREH, ibn Ya'ARUB, ibn YASHJUB, ibn NABIT, ibn Ishmail,
ibn Abraham. From
the Islamic point of view, we simply have no knowledge of the exact time
when or how long did Prophet Abraham live. It may be assumed that he lived
2000 years BC, but I imagine that the Ka'aba which was built by Abraham,
had been there much earlier than that. This is no more that a personal
impression.
Infallibility
of the Prophet? We know that the Prophet never committed a sin. We also
know that he had never made a mistake as far as religion teaching are
concerned. Did he ever make a mistake in worldly matters?
Answer: As
far as the infallibility of Prophet is concerned, Muslim scholars are
unanimous that Allah has protected his prophets and messengers against
committing any grave sin, either before or after their prophethood. The
overwhelming majority of scholars are also agreed that all prophets and
messengers have been also protected against committing any trivial sin,
although such sin do not affect their honorable position or distract from
their honor. The fact is that Allah has made prophets man of exemplary
conduct. Allah directs us to follow their example in all ways avoiding
anything which is unbecoming of a man, of the highest moral standards. He
says in the Qur'an: referring to prophets: "those are the men Allah
has rightly guided. Then, follow you their guidance". Hence according
to the majority of Muslim scholars, all prophets have been protected by
Allah against committing any sin, grave or trivial. Worldly
matters, however are left to personal discretion Our respect of the people
Allah has chosen to be prophets, should prevent us from speaking of any
action made by a prophet in such matters is a mistake. We know, for
example that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) used his discretion and expressed his
opinion on any ordinary matter. In the battle of Badr, the Prophet chose a
certain spot for the Muslim army to encamp. That spot was not suitable
from the strategic point of view. One of the companions asked him
"Messenger of Allah, has this spot where you have encamped been
chosen for you by Allah, or is it your personal choice ?" When the
Prophet informed him that it was the latter, the man counseled the Prophet
to move to another spot, explaining his reasons for his own choice. The
Prophet recognized that the mans advice was sound and he gave the order to
his army to move in accordance with that advice. The
same applies to the incident when the Prophet suggested to farmers that it
might be better if they left palm date trees without doing a particular
thing they habitually performed on them. When they complained later that
the trees did not yield as they normally did, the Prophet said his widely
quoted statement, "You know the affairs of your world better."
These two incidents belong definitely to the realm of worldly affairs in
which religion gives us no instruction. In such matters we use our own
discretion. The same applies to the Prophet. Not
so the story of the blind man, he was a believer who asked the Prophet to
teach him Islam when the Prophet was busy with a group of the Quraish
leaders trying to explain to them the nature of his message and impressing
on them the need to become Muslims. The Prophet was not happy about being
interrupted by the blind man and his face changed colour. Obviously the
blind man could not see that. Allah reproached the Prophet for doing so,
informing him that he should have attended to the person who has already
accepted the faith in preference to those high class people who had not.
This is a matter which is directly relevant to the attitude of the
Prophet, or indeed any advocate of Islam, in situations where his
attention is claimed by conflicting consensus. Allah gives us the
instruction to follow, making it absolutely plain that a poor, blind
believer who may be looked upon by others as a man of no importance must
be gives priority over non-believers, regardless of their high position in
society. It is a matter concerned with values. Hence, it is Allah who
rules on this. Some
people misrepresent this incident so as to quote it in order to prove that
the Prophet committed a sin. Indeed when the Prophet went out of his way
to explain the message of Islam to those unbelievers, he was only
fulfilling the duty Allah had imposed on him. At no time did he ever think
that the blind man had no claim on his attention. He simply wished that he
could have waited a little until he had finished with the people to whom
he was talking. The Quranic verses (LXXX : 1-6) which describe the
incident do not suggest in any way that the Prophet committed a sin or an
offence ? They simply direct the Prophet to the proper course of action
and inform him that the people to whom he was talking would not accept the
message of Islam.
The
Prophets final sermon to Muslims at Arafat on the HUJJAT-UL-WADDAH (HIS
LAST HAJJ) before his death.
Answer: "All
praise to be Allah, We glorify him and seek His help and pardon; and we
turn to Him. We take refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and
from the evil consequences of our deeds. There is none to lead him astray
whom Allah guides aright, and there is none to guide him abright whom He
leads astray. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone; having
no partners with Him, and bear witness that Mohammad is His bandsman and
His messenger. I admonish you, O bandsman of Allah, to fear Allah and I
urge you to His obedience and I open the speech with that which is
good". "Ye
people ! listen to my words. I will deliver a message to you, for I know
not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you, here again. O
people ! verily your blood, your property and your honor are sacred and
inviolable until you appear before your Lord, as this day and month is
sacred for all. Verily you will meet your Lord and you will be held
answerable for your actions. Have I not conveyed the message? O Allah!
be my witness". "He
who has any trust with him, he should restore it to the person who
deposited it with him. "Beware,
no one committing a crime is responsible for it but himself. Neither the
son is responsible for the crime of his father, nor the father responsible
for the crime of his son." "O
people ! Listen to my words and understand them. You must know that a
Muslim is the brother of the Muslim and they form one brotherhood. Nothing
of his brother is lustful for a Muslim except what he himself allows
willingly. So you should not oppress one another." O Allah ! have I
not conveyed the message ? "Behold
! All ******* of paganism and ignorance are now under my feet. The blood
revenges of the days of ignorance are remitted. The first claim on blood I
abolish is that of Ibn Rab'iah ibn Harith who was nursed in the tribe of
Sa'ad and whom the Hydhayl killed. "Usually
I forbidden, but you will be entitled to recover your principal. Do not
wrong and you shall not be wronged. Allah has decreed that there should be
no and I make a beginning by remitting the amount of interest which Abbas
ibn Abdul Mutlib has to receive. Verily it is remitted entirely." "O
people ! Fear Allah concerning woman. Verily you have taken them on the
security of Allah and have made their person lawful unto you by words of
Allah ! Verily you have got certain rights over your woman and your women
have certain rights over you. It is incumbent upon them to honor the
conjugal rights and, not to commit acts of impropriety which, if they do,
you have authority to chastise them, yet not severely. If your wives
refrain from impropriety and are faithful to you, clothe and feed them
suitably." "Behold
! Lay in junctions upon women but kindly." "O
people ! Listen and obey though a mangled Aby ****** slave is your amir if
he executes the ordinance of the Book of Allah among you." "O
people ! Verily Allah has ordained to every man the share of his
inheritance. The child belongs to the marriage-bed and the violators of
wedlock shall be stoned. He who attributes his ancestry to other than his
father or claims his clientage to other than his masters the curse of
Allah, that of the Angels and of the people be upon him. Allah will accept
from him neither repentance nor righteousness." "O
People ! Verily the Satan is disappointed at never being worshipped in
this land of yours, but if he can be obeyed in anything short of worship
he will be pleased in matters you may be disposed to think of little
account, so beware of him in your matters of religion." "Verily.
I have left amongst you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Apostle,
which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray." "And if you
were asked about me, what would you say ? They replied, "We bear
witness that you have conveyed the message, and discharged your
ministry." THE
PROPHET ADDRESSED THE ASSEMBLY AGAIN THE NEXT DAY (DHUL HUJJAH 10 AM), and
besides repeating some of the important points of the previous address, he
threw a good deal of light on some new questions. As usual, he opened his
oration praising Allah and expressing his gratitude to Him. "O
people ! verily the intercalation (of a prohibited month) aggravates
infidelity. Thereby the unbelievers are led to wrong. For they make it
lawful one year and forbid it in another year to be in conformity with the
number (of months) which Allah declared unlawful so they consider violable
that which Allah declared to be inviolable and they consider inviolable
what Allah declared to be violable." "Verily
the time has revolved in its own way from the day when the heavens and the
earth were created. The number of months to Allah is twelve of which four
are sacred. Three are consecutive DHUL QADAM, DHUL HUJJAH, MUHARRAM and
RAJAB which is between JUMADAH AND SHA'BAN. "O people! Do you know
what day it is, what territory it is. what month it is ?" To
THIS THE PEOPLE ANSWERED. "The day is the day of sacrifice, and the
territory is the sacred territory, the month is sacred month." at
each reply the Prophet said: "So
I apprise you that your lives, your property and your honor must be as
sacred to one another, as the sacred day, in the sacred month, in the
sacred town." "And
your slaves ! See that you feed them with such food as you yourself eat,
and clothe them with the clothes that you yourself wear, and if they
commit a fault which you are not inclined to forgive, then part with them
for they are the servants of Allah and are not to be chastised.
"Behold ! Listen to me, worship your Lord, offer prayers five times a
day, observe fast in the month of Ramadan; make pilgrimage to the House (Ka'aba)
pay readily the Zakah on your property and obey whatever I command you,
only then will you get into the heaven. "Let
him that is present convey it unto him who is absent. For happily. many
people to whom the message is conveyed may be more mindful if it then the
audience." THE
PROPHET TOOK UP THE THREAD OF THE ORATION THE NEXT DAY ALSO AND ADDED. "O
people ! Verily your Lord is one and your father is one. All of you belong
to one ancestry, that of Adam, and Adam was created out of clay, there is
no superiority for an Arab over a Non-Arab and for a non- Arab over an
Arab; nor for white over the black nor for the black over the white except
in piety. Verily the noblest among you is the one who is the most pious. "Behold,
the nearer ones of you should convey the message to the remote ones. I
have conveyed the message." THEN
LOOKING UP TO THE HEAVEN, he said, "O LORD" I have delivered the
message and discharged my ministry. "YES" cried all the people
crowding recede him. "Yes, verily you have". "O
Lord ! I beseech thee hear there witness unto it". AND
WITH THESE WORDS THE PROPHET CONCLUDED HIS ADDRESS. HE ALIGHTED FROM HIS
CAMEL AND PERFORMED THE NOON AND AFTERNOON PRAYERS TOGETHER. IT WAS AT THE
TIME THAT THE VERSE REGARDING THE COMPLETION OF RELIGION WAS REVEALED TO
HIM: "This
day I have perfected for you your faith and completed my favor upon you,
AND I am well pleased with Islam as your religion (V :3) The
PROPHET IMMEDIATELY RECITED THE VERSE TO ALL THOSE WHO WERE PRESENT ON THE
OCCASION. |