The

NOBLE LIFE

OF

THE HOLY PROPHET (ﷺ)

By

M. A. HAI

Revised English VersionBY:

Aijaz Akhta

Islam or the message of Muhammad (ﷺ[1]) is the most magnificent reformatory movement of the world. This movement, that was earlier launched by several other Prophets during all times and in every part of the world, has no parallel. It has brought reformation not only in spiritual alone but in all aspect of human life. This is such a holistic movement that simultaneously encompasses the spiritual, moral, social, economic and political aspects of human life, and no aspect of human life has been left out of the purview of this movement.

There have been innumerable reformatory and revolutionary movements in the world. But Islamic movement is the most distinguished amongst them, due to its vast scope and other distinctive features. How did this movement evolve? How was it presented? What reactions did it evoke? Such questions arise in every mind when one who is introduced to this movement. Replies to these queries do not merely cater to the knowledge of history, rather their importance lies in presenting before one a complete and unified movement that even today has the capacity to resolve issues that humanity. This movement makes one realise the actual meaning of one's loss and profit and presents explicitly the realities of the eternal life that is the ultimate destination of a man. It gives a complete code of worldly life that not only adorns one's eternal life but shapes the worldly life too in such a manner that one gets rid of all the worries of life that have always been bothering the mankind.

This is the distinction of Islamic movement that has drawn attention of every student of religion and has prompted him to observe and attempt to understand this movement and to find out the truth behind the big claim that is made about it.

A large number of books have been written and shall continue to be written about the Islamic Movement that have helped in introducing the Islamic movement quite explicitly. But as the perception of light cannot be separated from the lamp nor the feeling of fragrance taken away from flowers, this magnificent movement cannot be perceived without its prime mover. As such, whenever there is a reference to this movement, people demand to know about the life and events of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as well as the meaning and the interpretation of Holy Qur'an that had been the real source of this movement, which is quite natural.

The greatest service to humanity is to instil values and moral training, to eradicate evils and to present before them such a complete code of life that, when followed, would make one succeed in life in its truest sense. Many people have worked for it in their own way. But most of them chose a specific field of reforms for this purpose and dedicated themselves in their chosen area. Some adopted morality and spirituality while others tried to reform the civilisation. Still others entered the vast field of politics. But the reformers who endeavoured to reform the whole gamut of life of human beings were none other than Prophets of God.

It is the greatest favour of the Creator of this universe that the teachings and message of the last Prophet and details of his life has been protected and preserved in an unparalleled manner. The biography of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was recorded in such a way that no other historical records could muster the grade of its authenticity. Moreover, the coverage and comprehensiveness of it is such that every event of his life, his dealings, the manners of his sitting, walking, eating, habits, even his style of sleeping, smiling and speaking are minutely preserved. In short, the details that are not available about the great men of recent past of one or two centuries are available about Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) even after nearly 1500 years.

Before we study the events of Prophet's life, we should consider that every work aught to be valued with reference to the circumstances in which it was done. Favourable circumstances soon lead a movement to flourish but wilt away in adverse conditions. Ordinarily it.takes sufficient time for a movement to gain ground and when someone rises for a cause, the masses show sympathy for the movement. In this way, the movement gets a momentum. For instance, take any freedom movement.  People get against the atrocities of the foreign oppressors and develop hatred towards them. But when a man of courage rises and gives a call for freedom, people join him. Even if the number of those who actually join the movement is small due to fear, but the sympathy and support of all countrymen is with the movement. Similar is the situation in case of economic movements. Economic exploitation compels people to fight the exploiters and black marketers. In short, every movement needs favourable conditions and the support of masses for its success. But the movements that are launched in unfavourable conditions soon get into rough weathers. If a person in a free land, for example, invites his countrymen to accept the slavery of a mighty nation, and if the masses love their freedom, then, think about the difficulties and sufferings that the person is going to face.

Nobody can gauge the real importance and the greatness of the task entrusted to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), the inviter to Islam, unless he keeps in mind the then prevailing conditions in Arabian Peninsula as well as in the rest of the world.

The essence of Islam is Tawheed (Oneness of God). But this was the very light that the Arabs and the whole world was deprived of. The human mind was devoid of the true concept of Tawheed. It is a fact that thousands of Prophets (peace be upon them all) before Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) illuminated every corner of the world with the message of unity of God, but to the misfortune of humanity, it had forgotten this true message and had started including the moon, sun, stars, jinns, angels, gods and goddesses, mountains, rivers, animals and even other human being into the folds of divinity. Thus the man had entangled himself in worshipping innumerable mortal objects and deprived himself of the peace and solace of worshipping one God.

There were two super powers on the face of the earth at that time. They were Persia and Rome. Persians were following Zoroastrianism which had its effect from Iraq to India. Romans had faith in Christianity. The whole Europe and African continent were under the impact of Christianity. Hindus and Jews were also two important religious sects. Everyone used to claim to be on the right path.

Worshipping of stars was common in Iran. The kings and elites also had religious status and the masses prostrated before them. They sang songs in their praise. In short, the whole nation was bereft of the concept of Tawheed.

After the cessation of Greek empire, Romans were considered to be the super power of the world. But by the end of 6th century C.E. this empire had reached its nadir. Misadministration, fear of foes, restlessness within the country, utmost degradation of moral values, limitless luxury and Epicureanism had become their identity. Some people were worshipping stars and idols. But those who embraced Christianity were also bereft of the concept of Tawheed. They believed in the divinity of Father and the Son, Holy Spirit and Virgin Mary. Hundreds of religious sects had cropped up and they used to fight amongst themselves. Worshipping of graves was a common practice. They prostrated before popes. Popes and subsequently other religious leaders had adopted imperial as well as divine powers. They used to decide the lawful and unlawful. Their words were considered divine by the masses. The best worship to them was to denounce the world and to deprive one's body devoid of all worldly comforts.

India was passing through Puranic age. This is considered the darkest period in Indian history. Brahmanism was once again gaining ground and Buddhists had almost perished. Polytheism had crossed all bounds. The number of deities had touched 330 millions. It is said that in Vedic ages, idol worship was not in practice, but it had now become common in temples. The priests were the moral degradation personified. Masses were vulnerable targets for these priests. Casteism had ruined the whole society though there was no such social discrimination in the beginning. Casteism now had distorted the entire social fabric in a manner that defied all senses of judgement. Privileges were given on hereditary and family grounds. Drinking was very common. Monastic life was considered essential part of religion. Superstitions and fantasies were on their peak. Innumerous rituals and faith in spirits had bound the man. Every weird thing was god for them. To prostrate before every mighty or strange thing was their religion. There were innumerable gods and goddesses. Women priest and devadasis (woman slaves) were submerged in the mire of moral degradation. Worst of all, all such heinous acts were done in the name of religion. Women were put at stake in gambling. Polygamy was a common practice. Widows were deprived of all worldly comforts. This inhuman attitude of society used to compel a woman to lay on the pyre of her husband. Female genocide was common due to fear of defeat and insult and this inhuman act was a matter of pride. Naked women and men were worshipped. They lost sense after drinking during religious festivals and all such acts and deeds were included amongst religious activities. In short, from moral, religious and social points of view, this land of Allah was a hotbed of satanic activities.

Being the bearer of the Allah's Deen (religion) Jews were the ones who could be expected to come forward for reform, but they too were submerged in the quagmire of sins. Their long history was replete with heinous acts. They were too sinful to bring about any reforms on their own. They martyred many Prophets sent by Allah for their reformation. They were of the view that they had a special relationship with Allah and He will not chastise them due to this relationship. They used to regard all heavenly blessings as their fundamental rights. For them, prophethood was their inherited legacy. The Jew scholars were worldly people and they enjoyed their worldly pleasures. They amended the religious laws day in and day out to please the elites and their rulers. They used to follow only those divine laws which they found easy and abandoned the rest. They used to engage in bickering. Greed had overpowered them to the extent that they did anything that might have had any adverse effect on their wealth or lives. Their moral state had deteriorated to its nadir. Polytheistic idolatry had made inroads among their beliefs. Witchcraft, superstitions, amulets, sorcery and evil practices had tarnished the real concept of Tawheed. When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) presented before them the clear concept of Tawheed, the Jews crossed all limits and said, that the polytheists of Arabia were better than Muslims.

Let's have a look at Arabia, the land from where the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) launched his movement and underwent all kinds of miseries and hardships.

A major part of Arabia, i.e., Valley of Qura, Khaiber and Fadk, was inhabited by the Jews. They were at the helm of power in Madinah as well. Rest of the country was engaged in polytheistic activities. They used to worship trees, idols, stones, stars, angels and jinns, although they did have a concept of a single God but they regarded Him as the greatest of gods. This belief too had so much weakened that they practically worshipped only these "smaller gods". They were of the view that their day-to-day problems were solved by these deities, so, they were mostly engaged in offering sacrifices and votive offerings before these deities. They used to think that they can please Allah by pleasing these "smaller gods". They used to regard the angels as the "daughters of Allah" and the jinns as His close relative and partner in divinity and sought their help. They had carved out idols of these "partners" in divinity and worshipped them. Idolatry had taken deep roots in their hearts. They were so fond of idol worship that if they found a beautiful stone, they would start worshipping it. If nothing else, they would make a mound of clay, sprinkle goat milk over it and an idol was ready for tem to worship. These were innumerable idols in Arabia. They worshipped stars as well. Among stars, they preferred sun and moon. Jinns and ghosts were also worshipped. Several tales were prevalent about them. All polytheistic superstitions were widespread.

Along with these religious distortions, infighting was order of the day. Trifle issues resulted in wars among tribes that lasted for generations. No other nation could come at par with them in gambling and drinking. Their poetry was nothing but praise of wine and the consequent obscene activities. They were beasts in human form due to their obsession for usury, plunder, cold bloodedness, blood shedding, fornication and other dirty acts. They buried their daughters alive. The height of their shamelessness had reached to the extent that naked men and women made circumambulations (Tawaaf) of Ka`aba in the name of religion. In short, Arabs had submerged their religion, morality, social values, politics and their all in a mire of sins.

Leave alone Arabia, the whole world was engulfed in a darkness of misguidance. The world desperately needed a guiding light which could dispel this darkness and show the right path to Allah's slaves gone astray. Why Allah chose Arabia to dispel this darkness did, needs a serious thinking:

Allah Almighty had chosen Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as the last Messenger for communicating His message of guidance that was to spread in the whole world. It is apparent that this gigantic task could not be completed by an individual, so, it was a must that the Holy Prophet organise a group of reformers who could carry this mission on even after the Prophet leaves the world. The qualities required for this gigantic task were common traits of Arabs. In addition to it, the geographical location of Arabia is such that it lies in the centre of the inhabited world and thus it was much easier to convey this message (of Islam) to the surrounding regions. Besides, the Arabic language was so evolved that it could express even a difficult matter in simplest words; no other language had that potential. The greatest virtue of Arabs was that they had never been under any foreign rule. They were not acquainted with the evils of slavery. They had Persian and Roman empires around them, but these empires could not make them bow to them. They were extremely chivalrous and fearless. They paid no heed to dangers. Wars were their favourite pastime. They were full of fervour and strong will power. They were free of ill will. They had sharp memory, had the ability to learn things fast. They were generous and had self-esteem and self-respect. Their difficult life style in desert had made them practical in their approach and when once accepted a thing, it was difficult for them to confine themselves to its appreciation from a distance. Rather, they involved their life in their chosen task.

Owing to the above qualities of Arabic language and Arabs as a nation, Allah decided to entrust them with the task of spreading His true message. On the other hand, the miseries that Holy Prophet (ﷺ) faced in reforming these people were no less. As stated earlier that to evaluate a work, it is essential to look into the circumstances in which it had been done. Flourishing of Islamic movement was the greatest achievement in terms of circumstances in which it was launched. Thus the way the Holy Prophet prepared this nation for Islamic cause is nothing but a miracle.

Without putting forth these adverse situations one can not guess the real greatness of this grand reformatory task accomplished by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Some of te main hardships faced by the Holy Prophets were:

Arabs were illiterate. They had no concept of Allah and His qualities, meaning of revelation, understanding of Allah's Book, concept of life hereafter and the real meaning of worship (Ibadah). They blindly followed their ancestral customs and rituals contrary to the true concept of Tawheed. that Islam presented and they never wanted to move an inch from their chosen path. All polytheistic evils had taken roots in them. Superstition had taken away their wits. Infightings were their hallmarks. They had lost the power of reasoning and serious thinking. Their thoughts revolved around wars and revenges. Their main occupation was loot and plunder. When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) invited them to Islam, they got amazed and infuriated. This invitation was against their ancestral faith and beliefs. Islam demanded them to abandon blood shedding and instructed them to lead a peaceful life. It proclaimed that loot is unlawful. It further demanded them to give up negative thinking, bad habits and unlawful activities to gain livelihood. It was an uphill task to persuade these people to give up what they have been practising for centuries. In short, the prevailing conditions in Arabia and in rest of the world, traits and tendencies of Arabs; apparently nothing was favourable for the movement. But when the result came, Islam rose like a tornado that took over the entire Arab. And this was the miracle that generates a desire to know each and every aspect of the Holy Prophet's life. The following chapters will take you face-to-face with this charismatic personality and his achievements.

The name of Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) father was Abdullah who was son of Abdul Muttalib. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is the sixtieth branch of Prophet Ibraheem's (peace upon him) family tree. The name of Prophet's dynasty was Quraysh. This dynasty was distinguished among dynasties of Arabs. Many persons like Na`dr, Fahr and Qusai Ibn Kalaab from this dynasty were prominent in terms of honour and wealth. Qusai was appointed as the trustee of the sanctuary of Ka`aba in his time, this added to their honour. Qusai did some commendable jobs like providing Hajjis with drinking water and food. Later on, these works were carried on by his successors. The trusteeship of Ka`aba and their making proper arrangements for Hajjis got this dynasty an honourable and distinguished place amongst other dynasties of Arabia. So much was the reverence of this dynasty that nobody dared to touch the caravans of this clan. Quraysh were comfortable in taking their merchandise from one place to another.

Hashim Clan was an eminent clan among Quraysh. This clan was then headed by Abdul Muttalib who had ten or twelve sons. But five of them gained fame due to their association with Islam or heathenism. One of them was Prophet Muhammad's father Abdullah, the second was Abu Talib who, though did not embrace Islam, acted as Prophet's guardian for a long time. Others were Hamzah and Abbas (RATAA[2]) who embraced Islam and gained a high status in Islamic history. Abdul Muttalib's fifth son was Abu Lahab who was notorious for his anti-Islamic activities.

Abdullah was married to Aamina, the daughter of Wahab Ibn Abd Manaf, She herself was an eminent personality in Quraysh tribe. Abdullah was 17 years of age at the time of tying nuptial knot. He stayed with his in-laws for three days as was their custom. Then, he set off for Syria for trade. On his way back to Makkah, he fell sick seriously and died in Madinah. Aamina was pregnant at that time.

It was the blessed morning of 9th day of Rabi-ul-Avval, the day was Monday, corresponding to 20th April 571 C.E.) that the Ra`hmat-al-lil-`Aaalameen (Mercy for the Worlds) opened his eyes on this blessed Earth. This was the light which was to dispel darkness of the world. This light of guidance was the greatest blessing of the Creator of the universe to this Earth to last till Doomsday. As father Abdullah had died, the grandfather Abdul Muttalib named him Muhammad (ﷺ).

First of all Aamina suckled him and then Abu Lahab's maid Thaubiya suckled the infant. It was customary for Arabs to send their infants to rural areas for lactating and upbringing, so that, they may get fresh country air and learn the eloquent way of speaking Arabic since the village lingo was regarded more eloquent than that of those living in towns. Women from rural areas used to visit the towns to take babies with them for suckling and fostering. So, after a few days, some women from Havazin tribe came to Makkah. Halima Sa`adia was among these ladies. She was the fortunate lady who when failed to get any other child, accepted the responsibility of suckling Aamina's orphan.

She came back to Makkah after two years to hand over Muhammad (ﷺ) back to his mother Aamina. But Makkah at that time was reeling under epidemic. Hence Aamina sent him back to the country. In this way, Muhammad stayed with Halima for six years.

When Muhammad (ﷺ) attained the sixth year, his mother Aamina took him to Madinah. Perhaps she went there to visit her husband Abdullah's grave or to meet her relatives in Madinah. She stayed there for one month. When she was going back to Makkah, she became ill and died at a place called Abwa'a. She was buried at the same place.

Muhammad's (ﷺ) grandfather Abdul Muttalib shouldered the responsibility of grandson's upbringing. He always kept grandson with him. But he too died after two years. Before leaving this mortal world, he entrusted Muhammad (ﷺ) to his son Abu Talib who performed his duty well. Abu Talib and Prophet's father Abdullah were from the same mother. Abu Talib had a deep love for Muhammad (ﷺ). He used to avoid his own children for Muhammad's pleasure. He took Muhammad (ﷺ) with him wherever he went.

Muhammad (ﷺ), at the age of 10 or 12, started grazing the goats with other children. Grazing cattle was a very common occupation of children even those from noble families grazed goats.

Abu Talib was a trader. According to the Quraysh customs, he visited Syria once a year. Dear Prophet (ﷺ) was in the twelfth year that Abu Talib intended to go to Syria. He did not want to take Muhammad with him due to the hardships of the desert journey. But as he was setting off, Muhammad (ﷺ) hugged him and insisted to accompany him. The affectionate uncle took the nephew with him.

A never-ending series of wars was on in Pre-Islamic Arab. Battle of Fijaar was one of those fierce and bloody battles. This battle was fought between Quraysh and Qais tribes. As the Quraysh were justifiably right, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) took side with Quraysh tribe. But he assaulted no one. Qais tribe dominated the battlefield initially, but they were later overpowered by Quraysh tribe. The war thus ended on a compromise.

The endless series of wars destroyed hundreds of households. There was no peace day in and day out. After the battle of Fijaar was over, some peace-loving people came forward and launched a reformatory movement. One of the Prophet's uncle Zubair Ibn Abdul Muttalib proposed that some concrete steps should be taken to keep the situation under control. As a result the elders of Quraysh sat face-to-face and a treaty was reached. It read:

1. We will eradicate restlessness from the country.

2. We will provide protection to travellers.

3. We will help the destitute.

4. We will stretch a helping hand to oppressed people.

5. We will not let any oppressor to operate from within Makkah.

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was also present in the treaty and loved being associated with it.  Once after his Prophethood, he said, "If I was offered with red camels for breaking this treaty I would have not accepted. If I get a fresh call for such a treaty, I will be there."

Ka`aba was then a roofless construction. The walls were not very high, the building was in low-lying area. The rainwater used to flow towards this direction. To check this, a dam was built but this dam was too weak to stop the gushing water and often it collapsed. The water used to damage the Holy structure. It was therefore decided to rebuild the Holy Ka`aba. All Quraysh tribes joined hands to rebuild it. The construction work was divided among the tribes because nobody wanted to be deprived of this noble deed. But the re-installation of `Hajar-al-Aswad[3] became an issue. Every tribe claimed the honour. The swords took the place of spades. This dispute lasted for four days. On the fifth day, an elderly Quraysh suggested that we should appoint a judge to solve this issue and the first person who enters the sanctuary in the morning would be the judge. By the virtue of Allah the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was the first to enter the Ka`aba next morning. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) asked all the claimant tribes to appoint their representatives and each tribe will send one man only. Then, he spread a sheet on the ground and put the holy relic on it and asked the representatives of all tribes to hold onto the corners of the sheet and raise it. When they lifted the stone in this manner up to the proper height, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) inserted the stone in its place. This way a bloody war was averted.

The new building of Ka`aba was roofed. But due to the insufficient construction material, a part of land was left out and new foundations were laid. This left-out part is today known as `Hateem.

Arabs and Quraysh in particular were traders since ancient times. Prophet's uncle Abu Talib was also a trader. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) also adopted trade as his profession. His first journey with his uncle gained him a lot of experience. When the Prophet (ﷺ) started business, the people found him an honest person in his dealings and they started investing money in his trade. As he was righteous, honest, fair in his dealings and kept his words, he was extremely respected amongst Quraysh. The people started calling him Saadiq (Truthful) and Ameen (Trustworthy). The Prophet made several trips to Syria, Basra and Yemen for trade.

Khadija was a rich and prestigious lady of Makkah. She was a remote cousin of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). She had married twice earlier but both her husbands died. Now she was again a widow. She was a decent and well-mannered lady having high virtues. People used to call her Tahirah (chaste lady). She was rich and operated her business through hired traders.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was 25 years old at that juncture. He had made several trade trips and had established himself as a man of high moral status and a trustworthy trader. Learning about these qualities of him, Khadija sent message to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and asked him to take her merchandise for trade with a promise that she would pay the same remuneration that she paid to others. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) accepted the offer and set off for Basra with her merchandise. He performed his job well and returned to Makkah. Three months after this, Khadija proposed him. He accepted the proposal and the date of their marriage was fixed. On the appointed day, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), accompanied by Abu Talib, Hamza and other elders of his clan reached Khadija's house. Abu Talib read out the Nikah sermon and the Nikah was solemnised on 500 gold dirhams. At the time of marriage, Khadija was 40 years old and had two sons and one daughter from her earlier husbands.

Prominent personalities have always shown signs of their bright future right from their birth. This is true with the persons who do some reformatory work in a particular field but the personality who was raised by Allah to be entrusted for providing guidance to the whole world and to reform each and every aspect of human life, was aught to show such signs in abundance. Many extraordinary events regarding Prophet Muhammad's life are mentioned in numerous biographies. But here we mention a few authentic events.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself narrated that, "while I was in my mother's womb, she saw a dream that a light originated from her body which illuminated the palaces of Syria". There are many narratives prevalent in this regard that in those days Jews and Christians were waiting for the arrival of an incoming Prophet and used to predict about him.

Another incident is related to Prophet's early childhood. Some construction work was on inside the sanctuary Ka`aba, children along with elders were fetching bricks. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was also among these children. His uncle asked him to untie his leg-sheet and put it on his shoulders in order to avoid the friction by bricks which was causing burning sensation. In Arabia, such behaviour was not uncommon even the elders felt no shame in exposing their bodies. But as Muhammad (ﷺ) did this, he fell unconscious due to the feeling of nakedness and his eyeballs sagged. When he came back to senses, he was uttering, "my leg-sheet, my let-sheet".  People around him tied the leg sheet around his waist. When Abu Talib asked about the reason of his felling unconscious, he replied, "I saw a man in white clothes who asked me to cover my body from naval to knee." Most likely it was the first hidden voice that Prophet (ﷺ) had heard.

Story telling was a common custom in Arabia. They gathered around fire at nights and a storyteller took the centre stage and narrated concocted stories throughout the night. Once Muhammad (ﷺ) also intended to be there but it so happened that there was a wedding in the way.  Muhammad halted at the place to see the marriage function and sleep overtook him. When he woke up, it was already the morning. Similar incident took place on another occasion. In this way Allah Almighty kept him away from this wasteful pastime and a bad company.

When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was a child, Makkah was the centre of idols. There were 360 idols in Ka`aba itself. Prophet's clan was the trustee of Ka`aba and his elders were priests. Despite that, Muhammad (ﷺ) never bowed before these idols nor he took part in polytheistic rituals. As far as such polytheistic customs were concerned, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) never sided with Quraysh or with his clan.

Now Muhammad (ﷺ) then started feeling a revolution in his life. His heart started inclining towards worshipping Allah in solitude and to think about the religious and moral degradation of his people. He was shocked as to how his people had made those idols their gods. He realised that their moral state is going from worse to worst. He thought of ways to eradicate these evils. He wanted to show them the right path. He pondered over the ways of worshipping the Creator of this boundless universe. Such thoughts hovered over his mind. He spent long hours in solitude pondering over these thoughts.

There was a cave at a distance of three miles from Makkah. Muhammad (ﷺ) stayed in this cave for hours worshipping Allah. He used to take eatables with him, when he ran out of food he came back to his house for provisions or Khadija used to send eatables for him.

One day Muhammad (ﷺ) was busy in worshipping Allah as usual. It was the month of Ramadan that an angel sent by Allah appeared before him. This angel was Jibra'eel[4] (peace be upon him) who enjoyed the most elevated status amongst angels and who has always been bringing Allah's messages to Allah's prophets. Jibra'eel appeared and asked the Prophet, "Read". Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) replied, "I am illiterate". Hearing this Jibra'eel started pressing the Prophet hard so much that he got tired. Then, Jibra'eel loosened his grip and said to Prophet again, "Read". The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) again repeated the same reply and Jibra'eel again pressed him and loosed his grip and asked him "read". But Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) again denied, then Jibra'eel pressed him the third time and after loosening his grip, he asked the Prophet to say:

This was the first revelation. Then Prophet (ﷺ) came back to his house, having a trembling heart[5]. He asked Khadija, "Wrap me in a blanket, wrap me up in a blanket." She wrapped him up in a blanket. When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) felt clam, he told Khadija about what had happened to him. He further added, "My life is in danger". Khadija solaced him and said, "no! never, there is no threat to your life, Allah will not disgrace you, you take care of your relatives, load yourself with the burden of others, help destitutes and feed them, entertain the travellers. You suffer on behalf of others for sake of justice". After these pacifications, she took him to Waraqah Ibn Naufal, an elderly Christian priest who read the Taurah. Khadija (RATA) narrated to him the whole incident of Cave Hira. Hearing all this, Waraqah said that, "This was the angel who knows the hidden secrets and who used to bring messages for Moosa (Moses in the Bible) also. I wish that I were alive when your people would banish you." The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "Will my people force me to leave my homeland?" Waraqah said, "Yes, what you have brought was brought by several other messengers too before you, but all of them had been targeted by their people. If I remained alive till that time, I would help you". But Waraqah died after sometime.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) continued visiting Cave Hira and pray there and there was no more visit from Jibra'eel. Six months passed after the first revelation, this gap helped the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) to overcome the effect of the first experience. Now, the Prophet (ﷺ) was curiously waiting for the descending of second revelation. Jibra'eel used to visit the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) to pacify him and assure him that he has been selected to shoulder this responsibility of conveying the message of Allah to his slaves. After some time Jibra'eel started frequenting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

The second revelation in Cave Hira was the initial ayahs[6] of Surah Al-Muddaththir (Chapter-74):

This was the beginning of prophethood. Now the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) got the command, "Arise and deliver the warning of the deadly end in hereafter in case they deviate from the right path, since there is no other way of success but the slavery of Allah. Whoever will tread on this path of slavery, will succeed. Give glad tiding of prosperity to him who treads on the right path. The basis of human life should merely be the slavery of Allah and admission of his greatness and magnificence. In this way the human life can be consecrated from all apparent and hidden desecrations. Worshipping someone else than Allah is the basic deviation that destroys the very fabric of human life. All should treat others well without having any deceit, greed or ulterior motives.

Henceforth the period of the invitation to the movement starts. We can divide this period into two major parts. The first one is the period that is called Makkan period and the second one is post-migration Madinite period. The first period spans over 13 and the second over 10 years respectively.

The Makkan period of invitational work is very significant from the point that it was the period during which Islamic seeds were sown in. This is the period which produced personalities that took the world by storm to establish Islam.

Makkan period is scantily mentioned in most available books on history and Prophet's biographies. To gauge the importance of this period one must go through that part of the Holy Qur'an which was revealed during his stay at Makkah. The Makkan chapters throw proper light on the nature of invitation, prevailing conditions, detail of events, arguments regarding Tawheed and hereafter, instructions for character building, and the details regarding the struggle between Islam and heathenism and the fervour of protagonists of Islamic cause. The Holy Qur'an plays a decisive role in providing all these details. We are mentioning some of these events briefly:

The part of Holy Prophet's life in Makkah prior to migration can be divided into four major segments according to the various phases of struggle between Islam and atheism.

First Period: This phase spans over three years when the invitational work was done secretly.

Second Period: It spans over two years. When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) proclaimed his prophethood, the people laughed at him, showered him with allegations and revile language. All efforts were on to curb the sapling of Islamic movement through false propaganda.

Third Period: When this sapling grew into a plant and all atrocities met rough weather, then, the neophytes were targeted. This phase spans over 5 or 6 years and Muslims faced excessive adverse treatment during this period.

Fourth Phase: The period after the demise of Abu Talib and Khadija, the Holy Prophet and his companions suffered the worst of calamities and agonies. This period spans over three years.

After conferment of Prophethood, the first step was to decide as to whom the message of praying only one God should be given first. We have already briefly mentioned about the prevailing social conditions in Arabia. It was a hard test for the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) to say something which was contrary to the beliefs and customs of Arabs. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) decided to invite those who were close to him and knew about the righteousness and piety of Muhammad (ﷺ). It was not possible for them to contradict Muhammad (ﷺ). Khadija (RATA) was of course the closest to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) being his dear wife. Then there were Ali, Zaid and Abu Bakr (May Allah be please with them) Ali was his cousin, Zaid was Prophet's slave and Abu Bakr was his close friend. All these were enjoying the Prophet's decent company for years. Thus, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) conveyed the message to Khadija and then to other three. All of them acted as if they were born Muslims and had always believed in the same message that was put forward now by Muhammad (ﷺ). They first embraced Islam. These were the first four Muslims. Then Uthman, Zubair, Abdur Rehman Ibn `Auf, Sa`ad Ibn Abi Waqaa`s and `Tal`ha entered the folds of Islam on the persuation of Abu Bakr (RATAA). In this way, Islamic invitation started like a secret mission and the number of Muslims started increasing.

The chapters of the Holy Qur'an that were revealed in this period were based upon phrases and short sentences. The style and arrangement of words were superb. Its literary impact was such that entered the hearts of listeners. Everyone who heard these ayahs wanted to recite them again and again.

These chapters of the Holy Qur'an described the realities of hereafter and the true concept of Tawheed and put forth such arguments that touched the hearts. The examples were taken from their surroundings with which Arabs were well acquainted. Things were explained to them with the help of events from their own history and their traditions. Mention was made to the deviation that has occurred in their own belief. The deterioration in their collective morality and the social evils in their society with which they were themselves aware were emphasised. That was the reason that whoever heard these ayahs was deeply impressed. Allah's Prophet (ﷺ) started the invitation to the movement alone, but then this was period of revelation of initial ayahs of Qur'an which immensely helped the movement that was slowly spreading.

Along with the convincing presentation of the concept of Tawheed, and life hereafter Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was also being prepared to take on this grand job of spreading the message of Islam. He was also being guided about the modalities of accomplishing this job.

Till now, all the activities were secret. Secrecy was uppermost priority in Islamic circle. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to perform `Salah in some valley in mountainous countryside. It happened one day that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) along with Ali (RATA) was performing `Salah in mountain pass. Then, Abu Talib, Prophet's uncle, appeared on the scene. He kept watching this new way of praying with astonishment. When the `Salah was completed he asked, "What is this religion?" Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) replied, "This is the religion of our grandfather Prophet Ibraheem." Abu Talib said, "Though I can't adopt it but you are allowed to follow it, nobody will resist you."

This was the period when embracing Islam and siding with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was like putting one's life at stake. The persons who embraced Islam in this period had some qualities that prompted them to advance in this field. These people were already fed up with polytheistic rites and were looking for the true guidance. These people were pious and believed in good moral values.

The invitation to the movement continued for three years secretly. But how long? How long the clouds could conceal the sun which was to illuminate the whole world with the light of guidance! The movement thus entered the second period.

Now Allah commanded Muhammad (ﷺ) to invite all openly to Islam. One day, thus, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) climbed `Safa hill and called out at the top of his voice, "Ya `Sabaa`ha". It was Arabs' custom that in case of a peril, someone used to climb an elevated place and call out these words and people gathered at this call. When the Prophet (ﷺ) called out these words atop the mountain of `Safa, a large number of people gathered there. Among them was Prophet's uncle - Abu Lahab. When people gathered, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O people! If I tell you that a grand army is waiting behind this mountain to attack you, will you believe me?" All replied, "Definitely, by all means, you have never told a lie and we regard you as truthful and trustworthy." Then, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O people! I call you towards praying God and I want you to refrain from the evils of idolatry. But if you deny Allah's religion, I warn you of a severe and painful chastisement".

Quraysh, hearing this, got incensed and Abu Lahab asked angrily, "Did you call us only to convey this?"

It was a general call to Islam. Now, Allah's Prophet (ﷺ) carried out the task openly and declared to all as to what was assigned to him by Allah. The Prophet (ﷺ) now proclaimed that Allah is the Sole Creator and Lord of this universe. He is the One Who created man and He is the Master of all creatures. Man is nothing more than being Allah's slave. It is man's duty to serve Allah and obey His commands. Allah has bestowed the honour of being a supreme creature to man, and so it is against his status if he associates other partners in Allah's divinity. Allah is the Creator, Ruler and Cherisher of the whole universe and its creatures. No one other than Allah deserves to be worshipped, or to be obeyed and adored. Allah has bestowed limited powers to man. This worldly life for him is a time-bound test. When the time of this test will be over, the man has to go back to his Lord. Then, Allah will decide his fate according to the good or bad deeds performed by him. The proclamation by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was not an ordinary one. The Quraysh and other people were extremely angry with the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) because he had hurt their "religious sentiments". Everyone in Makkah started talking about the invitation given by Muhammad and his claim of prophethood. A few days later, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) asked Ali (RATA) to make arrangements for a feast. All members of Abdul Muttalib's (Prophet's grandfather) clan were invited to this feast. His uncles `Hamzah, Abu Talib and Abbas, all were there. When the feast was over, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) stood up and addressed the gathering, "I have brought some thing that is sufficient for this world as well as the hereafter. Who will help me in conveying this message?" It was a tense moment because the "help" meant that the helper will have to face the enmity of the whole Arabia. All he gets for helping Muhammad (ﷺ) was the success in the hereafter and the honour before his Lord. No other benefit was in sight. A pregnant Silence dominated the scene. And then, to everyone's surprise, Ali (RATA) rose from his place and said, "Though my eyes are infected, my legs are thin and week and I am the youngest too, still I would actively support you." This show of valour and extraordinary determination by a 13- year old boy took the gathering by surprise.

By then there were little more than forty persons in Islamic fold. Then, one day, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) proclaimed Tawheed within the sanctum of Ka`aba. The polytheists of Makkah regarded it as the greatest insult for the Holy Ka`aba. This proclamation thus evoked a furore. All of them fell avidly upon the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). `Haarith Ibn Abi Halah (RATA) rushed to rescue him but became the target of scores of swords and succumbed to multiple wounds of swords and got martyrdom. This was the first martyrdom for the sake of Islamic cause. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) managed to escape and the tumult was somehow subsided.

This open invitation to Islam was most perplexing for Quraysh and they were opposing the call vehemently. Ka`aba was the source of honour and dignity for Makkah and the Quraysh were the trustee and caretaker of Ka`aba. So in a way, Quraysh were ruling the whole Arabia from the religious point of view. People sought their counsel in affairs regarding religion and regarded them reliable. And the first to get affected by Islamic invitation was the very religion followed by Quraysh. It was obvious that the blind faith in ancestral religion does not let the believers to listen to any word of reason. This was the reason that polytheists got exasperated on hearing the message of guidance. Quraysh elites and men of power were viewing the downfall of their "religious dominance", in case this new faith (Islam) takes roots. Therefore every one of them opposed the call to Islam with as much force as they had. Quraysh were also engaged in activities which were contrary to their religious status. The polytheistic religion did not prohibit them from these wrong doings and they were enjoying a lofty status among their people. The masses overlooked their misdeeds due to the status and dignity enjoyed by them.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), on one hand, enumerated the evils of idolatry and invited the people towards unadulterated Tawheed. He made them realise about the day when they would be presented before their Lord and would be questioned about their deeds. On the other hand, he (ﷺ) described their evil customs and warned them of their deadly end if they did not accept the true message of Islam. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) exposed the weaknesses of their moral values and warned them of their dreaded consequences.. This used to incite the respectable peoples amongst Quraysh, because they had no courage to give up their evil acts nor they could justify their actions. They rather felt that they were being disgraced before their own people who were criticising them behind their back. This was enough to make them perplexed. The Holy Qur'an was also warning these idolaters of painful chastisement. The Ayahs received by Muhammad (ﷺ)  at that time were explicit though presented in a simple manner, but the people understood clearly as to what they are referring to.

These cogent reasons were enough to oppose the Islamic movement and it was possible for those powerful people to physically annihilate the small groups of Muslims to settle the score once for all. But Allah willed otherwise. These handful neophytes were selected as the protagonists of Islamic movement and they were chosen to spread Islam far and wide in the world. These were some compulsions which prevented Quraysh from taking this extreme step.

Frequent battles in near past had broken Quraysh. After the war of Fijaar they got so much frustrated with wars that they started dreading any war. The small number of Muslims comprised of men from different tribes and killing them meant waging war against all those tribes. In those days, killing of one person from a tribe meant the disgrace of the whole tribe. This was the way these people took revenge. A single murder resulted into loss of hundreds of people, since they feared that the whole Makkah would turn into a battlefield. Quraysh therefore decided to adopt some other means to curb this movement.

They started making fun of the movement and its followers and tried to incriminate them wrongly. They showered the neo-Muslims with abuses. They invented novel ways of false propaganda. They called Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) insane, awarded him the titles of poet and sorcerer. They disturbed the gatherings where the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) invited the people to Islam.

The part of the Holy Qur'an that was being revealed in this period was full of instructions to cope with this situation. The objections of opponents were met with proper replies. For example, in chapter Al-Qalam, Allah Almighty pacified the Prophet:

This is a specimen from the verses of the Holy Qur'an that were revealed in this Makkan period of Islamic movement. It was made crystal clear that the inviter to Islam was neither a soothsayer nor a sorcerer. Compare the qualities of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) with the characteristics of poets, sorcerers and soothsayers. His lifestyle, his qualities, and the ayahs that have been revealed to him, all are contrary to the habits of poets, sorcerers and soothsayers. There is no similarity between the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and those showmen.

Quraysh's anti-Islamic propaganda was causing curiosity in the hearts of people, they wanted to see and listen to Holy Prophet's sermons so as to know the reality. The visitors to Ka`aba or the traders who visited Makkah, started visiting Holy Prophet (ﷺ) secretly.

Deeply touched by Prophet's compassionate persona and the divine ayahs, these people on return to their hometowns invited others to Islam in their respective regions. A large number of people from adjoining areas started pouring in Makkah only to have a glimpse of Holy Prophet (ﷺ). Abu Dharr's (RATA) incident is a good example.

Ghifar tribe was located on the route used by Quraysh to reach Syria. When the word about the Prophet (ﷺ) reached this tribe, Abu Dharr got curious to meet the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). First, he sent his brother Anees to Makkah to collect information about the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and his preaching. Anees did as his brother asked him to and told Abu Dharr, "The person (the Holy Prophet) bears a moral character, teaches good manners and invites people to one God and the ayahs he recite are quite different from poetic words." Abu Dharr could not contain his desire to meet the Holy Prophet. He got ready for the journey to Makkah. When he reached Makkah, he got frightened and could not ask anyone about the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). When he was in the sanctuary of Ka`aba, he met Ali (RATA). He stayed for three days with Ali, only then he could muster enough courage to fulfil the purpose of his journey to Makkah. Ali (RATA) took him in the benign presence of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). As a result of this meeting, he embraced Islam. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) ordered him to go back to his people but the effect of Tawheed had ward off all his fears and anxieties, so he reached in the Ka`aba and called out,

Hearing this, people fell on him from all directions. Allah Almighty sent Abbas at this time, he told the gathering that this man is from Ghifar tribe and they passed regularly by their area with their merchandise. So, if you kill him, they might stop you. This warning worked and they let Abu Dharr free.

Abu Dharr, when back amongst his people, invited them to embrace Islam, half of the tribe responded positively to his call and embraced Islam. Aslam tribe was located in the vicinity of Ghifar tribe. The people of this tribe also embraced Islam. In this way Islam started spreading. The spread of Islam was tormenting the infidels of Makkah. So, some elites and chiefs called on Abu Talib to complain about the Prophet (ﷺ). They told Abu Talib, "Your nephew insults our idols, calls our ancestors astray and termed all of us foolish and wrong doers. So, either you persuade him or permit us to settle the score with him once for all."

Abu Talib realised the gravity of matter, he knew that he couldn't face the Quraysh single handedly. He said therefore to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), "My dear nephew! don't burden me with the load that is unbearable for me." The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) realised that now Abu Talib is retreating. He said calmly to his uncle, "By Allah, if these people put the sun on my one hand and moon on the other, I will not feel shy from fulfilling my duty. Either Allah will accomplish the task or I will sacrifice myself for this noble cause." This determination and bold decision encouraged Abu Talib and he said to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), "Go on, nobody would be able to harm you."

Abu Talib was the last hope for Quraysh but he disappointed them. Quraysh then decided to use a soft option to finish this new movement. They sent `Utbah Ibn Rabee`ah to Holy Prophet. `Utbah asked the Prophet (ﷺ), "Tell us Muhammad, do you want to marry in a decent family? Is amassing wealth your target? We can provide you all this. We are ready to give Makkah under your rule and we will fulfil all your other demands as well. But give up inviting all of us to Islam."

The adversaries' intellect was too low to reach the height and loftiness of Islamic movement. For them materialistic greed was a must for any movement. They could not imagine that this person was doing all this to please his Lord and he was only obeying the commands of his Lord. They knew that a person puts his life at stake for the sake of wealth and power. They could not understand that some might do so for the success of eternal life in the hereafter. `Utbah was confident that his offers will prevent Muhammad (ﷺ) from his preaching. But the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) recited a few ayahs from Holy Qur'an to elaborate Tawheed, His message and his prophethood. Hearing this reply, `Utbah went back to Quraysh chiefs being impressed with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He told them, "The divine ayahs recited by Muhammad are not poetry. I request you people to leave Muhammad with his fate. If he succeeds, he will dominate the whole Arabia which will be a matter of pride for you; And if the reverse happened, Arabs would kill him."

Now Quraysh were left with a single option. It was to use full aggression to curb Islamic movement. So Quraysh decided to inflict all kinds of hardships. They resolved to tease and torture Muslims as and when they got an opportunity.

Until now, the Islamic Movement manifested into three forms:

1. Some fortunate persons had embraced Islam and were ready to serve the Islamic cause at every cost.

2. Majority of infidels had rejected the invitation due to their blinkered vision, selfishness, misconceptions and the blind faith in their ancestral religion of idolatry. These infidels continued to oppose the Movement.

3. The Islamic Movement was spreading outside Makkah and Islamic circle was expanding gradually.

Henceforth the struggle between the new Islamic movement and ancient ignorance began. Those who wanted to cling to their old customs were determined to kill the Islamic Movement with all their available resources. They inflicted all kinds of atrocities and cruelties on Muslims and tried their best to take them away from Islam. This is the period which saw the extremities of Quraysh's oppressions and endless series of atrocities and inhuman punishments.

We all are aware of the hot and dry climate of Arabia. The infidels forced Muslims to lie on the burning sand, they pressed their chests with heavy boulders. They branded them with hot iron rods, dipped them into water, relentlessly beat them. In short they crossed all limits of torture.

Historians have quoted some incidents of these cruelties. We are mentioning a few below:

Khabbab (RATA) was Ummi Ammar's slave. Only six or seven persons had embraced Islam till then, he followed suit and became the target of Quraysh's atrocities. One day, they laid him on burning coals and a man put his leg on his chest so that he could not turn from one side to other till the coals cooled down under his back. The burning marks were visible on Khabbab's back even after a long time.

Bilal (RATA) was Umayyahh Ibn Khalaf s slave. Umayyahh made him lie on burning sand at midday. He used to put a heavy stone on Bilal's chest and say to him "deny Islam otherwise you will die in this sand." But Bilal (RATA), even in this painful condition, uttered "A`had A`had" ("the One, the One"). Umayyahh tied a rope around his neck and handed over the other end to urchins who dragged him from one corner of the city to another.

`Ammar (RATA) was from Yemen. He was one of the courageous men who embraced Islam in the early days. When he embraced Islam, Quraysh made him lie on burning sand and beat him mercilessly till he fainted.

Labniah (RATA) was a bondswoman. `Umar (RATA), before he embraced Islam, used to beat her mercilessly till he himself used to get tired but this pious lady repeated the words, "If you don's embrace Islam, Allah will punish you."

Zubairah (RATA) was also a bondswoman in `Umar's clan. Once upon a time, Abu Jahl beat her so much that she lost her eyesight.

In short, Muslims were facing all kinds of inhuman punishments. Despite all these inhuman acts, Quraysh could not divert a single Muslim from Islam.

When atrocities were inflicted upon these helpless Muslims, people got curious about them. The patience and endurance of Muslims forced them to think as to what was the thing that was giving power to these Muslims to cling to their new religion. These infidels acknowledged that the dealings of these Muslims was fair and ideal and their only guilt was their proclamation that Allah is their Lord and they would not worship any one other than Him and that they would follow His commands. This firm-footing on part of these Muslims put a question mark before many of them. Apparently this was the common matter for us nowadays and we are astonished that why those Muslims were tortured too much. The reason behind it is that neither we know the complete meaning of the word "Rab" (Lord) nor we put before us all aspects of `Ibadah (Worship). But infidels knew the meaning of "Rab" i.e. Allah Almighty. They also knew the vastness of the words "Rab" and "`Ibadah". And both - the listener and narrator knew that:

(1)There is no god but Allah. So, the man should be thankful to him. He should pray and prostrate before him. No one deserves worshipping other than Allah.

(2) There is no Master but Allah. So, the man should accept His slavery. The slavery and subordination to anyone other than Allah is not proper.

(3) There is no Ruler but Allah. Hence, it is proper for man to obey Him and be thankful to Him.

Islam was the proclamation that banished the "divinity" of idols. These idols were being worshipped for a long time. Islam was an open revolutionary call against idolatry, so no religious leader or tribal chief was ready to tolerate it. More and more people were getting inclined to Islamic movement to watch it from close quarters. They were feeling a clemency in their hearts for these protagonists of Islamic movement. Atrocities on men of truth always provided a ladder to success. Thus, on one hand the Quraysh were increasing the atrocities and on the other hand Islamic movement was spreading fast. There was not a single house in Makkah which was bereft of Islam. This flourishing of Islamic movement was adding to the agony of opponents. In a matter of days their brothers, nephews, sisters, brothers-in-law, sons and daughters had embraced Islam. In addition to it, they were ready to cut off all their mundane relations for the sake of Islam. This was a vital blow for these infidels. Moreover, all the new entrants to Islam were the cream of Arabian society, their wit, moral values and general human qualities were well known. This kind of conversions compelled the masses to ponder over the authenticity of Islam and the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). They wanted to know that what was the thing which fuelled their spirits so much that Muslims were even ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Islam. The infidels witnessed that Islam has added to Muslims' piety, truthfulness, moral values and fair dealings. All these things were creating the grandeur of Islam in their hearts though many of them did not accept Islam.

The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) had entered the sixth year of prophethood and he realised the continuance of Quraysh's oppressions. Though he was sure that the Quraysh would not be able to turn away even a single Muslim from Islam but as the hardships were getting beyond their endurance and performing Islamic duties was becoming almost impossible in Makkah, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) decided that some Muslims should migrate to Abyssinia which is located on the eastern coast of Africa. A just and kind Christian king was at the helm of affairs in Abyssinia. This migration, on one hand provided solace to oppressed Muslims and on the other, it provided a golden opportunity to spread Islam in far off areas.

The first batch of 11 men and 4 women prepared for migration to Abyssinia. It was the month of Rajab in 5 N.Y.[7]. When they reached the port, two cargo ships were ready to leave and these people got aboard. The sailors charged nominal fair. When Quraysh came to know about this migration they gave a chase but, by the mercy of Allah, the ships had left the port by then.

The migrants got relief in Abyssinia and they started living in peace. When the news reached the Quraysh, they became very angry and decided to send a delegation to Negus, the king of Abyssinia (Arabs used to call him Najaashi) to request him for the extradition of these Muslim migrants. Abdullah Ibn Rabee`ah and `Amr Ibn Al-`Aa`s were selected as emissaries. They set off for Abyssinia. In Abyssinia, they first met the clergy of Abyssinia. They told them that these migrants follow a new religion and when we dealt them rudely, they took shelter in your country. They requested the clergy to recommend their case before the king and ask him to extradite these migrants.

When King Negus was presented with extradition request, he sent for Muslims and asked them, "What is that new religion you people have invented?" Muslims had chosen J`afar Ibn Abi Talib (RATA, Ali's brother) as their representative. In reply to Najashi's question, J`afar (RATA) delivered a lengthy speech elaborating Islam and faith in Allah. The gist of this speech as preserved in History is as follows:

The next day Quraysh played another trick. They planned to approach Negus again and request him to ask these Muslims about their belief regarding Jesus[8] (Peace be upon him). These Quraysh knew that Muslims call `Eesa (Peace be upon him), son of Mariam instead of son of God which was contrary to the belief of Christians. They presumed that when Negus would come to know about this, he would get angry with Muslims. When they executed this plot, Negus again sent for the Muslims. When confronted with this question, Muslims first hesitated but J`afar replied, "We will say what is truth regardless of consequences."

When asked, J`afar replied in the court full of courtiers, that, "Our Prophet has told us that `Eesa was a devotee and Prophet of Allah." Hearing this Negus picked a straw from the ground and said, "By God! whatever you said, `Eesa was not more than that by the size of this straw." In this way this trick of Quraysh too met with failure. Negus allowed J`afar (RATA) and his companions to stay peacefully in Abyssinia and certified the prophethood of Muhammad (ﷺ) and embraced Islam. he was named A`s`hamah. When he died, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) performed funeral prayer in absentia for Negus. Gradually 83 Muslims migrated to Abyssinia.

In Makkah, on one hand was the Quraysh's oppressions and on the other, was the patience and steadfastness of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his companions. Amid this struggle, the cream of Makkah was embracing Islam. Hamzah (RATA) was Prophet's uncle, but he had not embraced Islam yet. The merciless behaviour of infidels with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was soul-shattering, not only for his relatives but for strangers too. One day Abu Jahl showed extreme disrespect to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). Hamzah was out on hunting. When he came back, one of his bondswoman narrated this incident to him. Hamzah got incensed, took his bow and arrow and reached the Ka`aba and lambasted Abu Jahl angrily and said, "1 have embraced Islam." Though he had uttered these words overwhelmed with his love for Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) but his heart was still not ready to give up the ancestors' religion; he kept thinking all day long. At last the call to truth dominated him and Hamzah embraced Islam. This incident dates back to 6 N.Y. After a few days, `Umar (RATA) also embraced Islam. This is a very important event in the invitational history of Islam.

Before he embraced Islam, `Umar (RATA) was a bigoted enemy of Islam. The Quraysh chiefs were increasing day-by-day in opposing Islam and its presenter, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). On the other hand mercy and love for these people overwhelmed Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), who prayed to Allah for providing guidance to these deviated enemies. Abu Jahl and `Umar both were hide-bound enemies of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) but when all the attempts to take these two in Islamic fold failed, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) made a plea to Allah Almighty that, "0 my Lord, honour Abu Jahl or `Umar, whoever is dearer to you, with Islam." After a few days `Umar got the divine help to embrace Islam.

`Umar (RATA) himself narrates that, "One night, I came out of my house with the intention to tease the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ), was going to Masjid al-`Haraam (sacrecd mosque, The Ka`aba), he entered the mosque and started performing the `Salah (prayer). I was all-ears. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) recited Chapter Al-`Haaqqa. I was amazed to listen to the divine words. The order of words and diction was superb. It came to my mind that he (Holy Prophet, SAWS) is a poet. As soon as this idea crossed my mind, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) recited these ayah:

 إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلا مَا تُؤْمِنُونَ  (40)

"As I heard these verses, it came to my mind at once that this person (the Holy Prophet) had come to know what was in my mind. This person is a soothsayer. Then, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) recited this ayah:"

"The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) recited this Surah till end and I felt that Islam is nesting in my heart." But as `Umar was a man of firm nature, he overcame this emotional feeling and kept on moving on the path of enmity with Islam. One day fuelled by frenzy, he left his house with the intention to do away with Prophet Muhammad (SAWS, Allah saves us). On his way he met Na`eem Ibn Abdullah. Na`eem asked him, "Where are you going?" Umar replied, "Today I want to settle the issue with Muhammad (ﷺ). Na`eem asked him to know as to what is happening in his own house, he told him that his sister and brother-in-law had embraced Islam. Hearing this, `Umar (RATA) turned and landed straight at his sister's house. His sister was reciting Holy Qur'an. As she saw `Umar coming, she hid the Holy Qur'an. `Umar who had heard her reciting, asked her, "What were you reciting?" Saying that he has learnt that both of them had renounced the religion of their forefathers, he started beating his brother-in-law, and when the sister tried to intervene, `Umar gave her a sound beating too till both of them bled. But when both of them told him plainly that they had embraced Islam and any atrocity on his part can't divert them from the path of Islam, `Umar softened a little bit by their determination and said to his sister, "Okay, then let me see what you were reading". Fatima, (`Umar's sister) presented before him the parts of Holy manuscript. `Umar started reading, it was chapter `Ta`ha and when he read:

أَنَا اللَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ لِذِكْرِي

Overwhelmed with the efficacy of the Holy Qur'an, `Umar called out, "Laa ilaaha illallaah - There is no god but Allah"

He intended to meet the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and set off straight on. This was the time the Holy Prophet was staying with Arqam. When the companion saw `Umar coming with a naked sword, they hesitated but `Hamzah (RATA) said, "Let him in, better if he is with sound intention, otherwise I will behead him with his sword itself. `Umar entered the house, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) advanced and got hold on his garment and ordered, "Tell me `Umar, what brought you here?" Overawed, `Umar replied with extreme humility, "To accept faith." The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) spontaneously called out "Allahu Akbar" and his companions followed suit.

Islamic fraternity gained strength after `Umar (RATA) embraced Islam. Till then Muslims were not able to perform their religious duties openly and it was almost impossible to perform congregational prayers in Ka`aba. But things changed after `Umar's embracing of Islam. He made his acceptance of Islam that evoked a furore, but at the end of the day Muslims started offering congregational prayers in Ka`aba. Their community became more powerful. The whole world has witnessed that the supplication of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was granted so much favour and acceptance that today, after more than fourteen hundred years later, the history is a witness of the unparalleled honour and dignity bestowed by Allah, through `Umar's acceptance to Islam.

With Islamic movement gaining momentum, the chiefs of Quraysh tribe were getting inconvenienced and have been charting out plans to crush this movement. Thus, one day all the tribes unitedly reached an agreement that nobody would retain any links with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his dynasty, nobody would transact with them, no one would meet them and give them eatables until they hand over Muhammad (ﷺ) to be for slain by them. This written agreement was put up at the gate of Ka`aba.

Now the Hashim clan were left with two options, either to hand over Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to infidels or be ready to face the consequences as a result of this economic and social boycott. Hence, Abu Talib, with the whole Hashim clan, moved to a mountain pass which was their legacy.

In this mountain pass these people along with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) passed a harsh period of three years. Sometimes, they chewed leaves to put off the fire of hunger. Intensity of hunger compelled them to boil dry leather and eat it. Children's wailing due to hunger was a matter of joy for hard-hearted Quraysh oppressors. But there were some people who sneaked in some eatables.

Hashim Clan remained in this pathetic condition for three years. At last, Allah softened the hearts of these oppressors. They themselves took the initiative to break the agreement. Clemency entered the hearts of these people one by one. Abu Jahl and some of the people like him were put aside and they were allowed to come out of the Pass in 10th N.Y..

As stated earlier, the details of the struggle of Makkan period are rarely mentioned in the books of history and biography of Prophet (ﷺ). Details of how the work of call to Islam and its movement continued during this economic and societal boycott and what were the impacts of this movement, are not available. The revelation of Qur'an was on. The text, instructions and teaching of Surahs (Chapter) of this period are an evidence of the hardships faced by this movement.

The sermons, revealed by Allah Almighty, during this long and rigorous struggle, were full of fervour and efficacy. These sermons described religious duties of the faithful and directed them to follow it. They also told them how to elevate their character to heights. To practise piety, and elevate it was highly stressed upon. Moral elevation and improvement in behaviour were stressed in theses sermons. A collective sense and group morality was cultivated. Ways of propagating the true religion (Islam) were shown. Keeping patience in hardships and unbearable circumstances was repeatedly emphasised. The courage of Muslims was motivated with the promises of success and glad tidings of heaven. Sustenance on the rough and hard uneven path of religion and struggle with courage in the path of Allah were given prominence. Inculcating a passion for laying their lives and all kind of sacrifices enabled them to face any difficulty and bear every hardship.

On the other hand, adversaries and the ones who renounced the religion of Allah had been warned continuously of their deadly ends. They were admonished by stories of those nations who adopted the path of negligence and denial and ultimately met their deadly ends. Arabs themselves knew all about these people, their attention was drawn towards the ruins of those devastated settlements they used to pass by. Then they were presented with the concept of Tawheed (oneness of God) and the realities of the Day of Judgement with such clear signs that they could witness with their own eyes in their surroundings. Polytheism and its evil were made clear. They were warned of the consequences of waging war against Allah. Consequences of the denial of Doom's day were described openly. The losses to humanity due to blind following of ancestors were pointed out. All these advices were so logically presented that appealed to the minds and hearts.

Adversaries and non-believers were given proper replies to their objections. The suspicions created by them were cleared. In short all the confusions that had and that they created, were wiped off, but the hostility and enmity continued piling during this period.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came out of Pass of Abi Talib and got a temporary relief from affliction of Quraysh. Abu Talib died a few days later and then Khadija (RATA) left this mortal world. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to call this year "the year of sorrow". Opposition of Quraysh and their cruelties intensified after the deaths of these two. This was the hardest time for Islamic Movement. Now Quraysh started tormenting Muslims and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) with utmost cruelty.

Almost all Makkan elites and good people had joined Islam. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) then decided to go out of Makkah to spread the message of Islam. Following this programme he reached Ta'if. Ta'if housed many rich and influential people. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) went to them with invitation to Islam. But the wealth and status refrained the Ta'if people from accepting the truth, as it happens usually. One of them said, "Was there none other than you for Allah to make a Messenger?" Another said, "I cannot talk to you. If you are honest then out of respect but if you are liar (God save us) then you are too mean to talk." In short these "elders" took him lightly and incited rowdies and hooligans of the city against him. These goons intercepted the Prophet (ﷺ) and made mockery of his preachings and on one occasion they stoned him so much that he got wounded, and blood oozed down filling his shoes. But they continued stoning and abusing till the Prophet (ﷺ) took shelter in a garden.

One can easily guess the kind of courage and boldness is required to go alone in an alien city opposed to him and propagate religion and convey the message of Allah to the people. This is the highest example of one's complete faith and dependence on Allah and a worth-emulating model for future generations.

Different tribes used to come to Makkah at the time of Hajj, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) went to each tribe and invited them to embrace Islam. Likewise he visited the fairs and taking the advantage of crowds present there, he addressed the gatherings and put before them the concept of Islam. Abu Lahab and others of his kind from Quraysh also accompanied Prophet (ﷺ) and urged people not to listen to his sermons. They said, "Don't listen to him, he has deviated from the right path and tells lies." Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), at such occasions, narrated some ayahs of Qur'an. And the Qur'an touched hearts of masses who often embraced Islam. Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) such visits yielded multifarious success. Now, the call to Islam was not weird, it rather became familiar in remote areas. People who ultimately embraced Islam became active members of Islamic movement and started the work of spreading the message and inviting towards Islam in their respective regions.

Jinns are creatures out of God's numerous creations. They, like human beings, possess qualities of intention and discretion. On this basis they were entitled to God's message too. It is obligatory for them also to have faith in oneness of God (Tawheed), prophethood and the Day of Judgment. To follow Allah's commands is a must for them too. Based upon this, there are good and evil Jinns amongst them.

There have been different notions about the existence of Jinns and there used to be lot of talks amongst Arabs about Jinns, They were worshipped, their help was sought. Spiritualists claimed friendship with them. Varied kinds of stories were prevalent regarding Jinns. In brief, Jinns were considered to be a part of divinity like thousands of other gods and goddesses. Islam purified these ill beliefs. Islam proved that Jinns are creatures of Allah but they have no rights in divinity. Neither they can benefit someone on their discretion nor they can harm and like man, to be the slave of Allah, is a must for them too. There are Jinns obedient of Allah and there are those disobedient of Him. They would also be rewarded or punished of their deeds. The Jinns, like human beings, are helpless before the boundless powers of Almighty. .

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was spreading the complete religion bestowed by Allah Almighty and the world was at the receiving end. To follow this religion, was the duty of human beings as well as that of Jinns. Once upon a time Prophet Muhammad was on his mission of spreading Islam and was going to a popular fair `Ukaa`z. On his way to `Ukaa`z he stayed at Nakhlah at night. In the morning Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), along with some of his companions, was offering `Salah (prayer) and reciting Qur'an. At that moment a group of Jinns passed by there. They listened to Qur'an. This incident is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an's chapter Al-A`hqaf, like this:

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came to know of this incident by a revelation. The details of this incident are mentioned in the Surah Jinn.

Islam was spreading far and wide in Arabian Peninsula. It entered Madinah also. Jews had inhabited Madinah for a long time. They had built their castles near Madinah. Aus and Khazraj were two brothers whose native land was Yemen, but for a long period they had settled in Madinah. Their progeny later developed into two big dynasties which were called Aus and Khazraj, the same people, who were later called Ansaar. These people too had built castles in Madinah and its suburbs. These people, from the faith, were idol worshippers, but, due to the interaction with Jews, they were familiar with the concept of Prophethood, revelation, divine books and the beliefs regarding Dooms day. They had nothing divine of this sort of their own, so they were deeply impressed by Jews and used to give ear to them. They heard Jew scholars saying that a messenger was due to come in this world and whoever would support him, would be successful. The followers of this messenger would overcome the whole world. Due to these foretellings, people of Madinah got attracted towards Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his call to Islam.

Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) routine was that during the time of Hajj, he went to the chiefs of tribes. He made them familiar with the message of Islam. It happened in 10 N.Y. (10th year after the Prophethood) that Prophet (ﷺ) gave a call to join Islam and recited some verses from Qur'an before some people of Khazraj dynasty. The ayahs touched their hearts and they understood that, this was the Prophet (ﷺ) about whose arrival Jew scholars had been mentioning. They looked at each other and said, 'Lest it not happen that Jews take a lead over us in accepting the faith in this messenger". Saying this, they accepted Islam. They were six in number. In this way, it was the entry of Islam in Ansars[9] of Madinah and the settlement which was due to become, which ultimately became the cardinal point for Islamic movement.

Enmity and struggle increases with the expansion of every movement. But the tempest that expansion of the Islamic movement brought about was a hard test for the supporters of this movement. On one hand the Islamic movement was expanding and on the other, the conditions that Prophet (ﷺ) and his followers were facing got from bad to worse. Quraysh chiefs had decided that they would harass Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to an extent that he would give up inviting to Islam. All major chiefs of Quraysh were the neighbours of Prophet (ﷺ) and some were his great foes. These people laid thorns in Prophet's path, made fun of him while he prayed. While he was prostrating, they put tripe on his neck. They rolled a sheet around his neck and pull it so relentlessly that his blessed neck would become red with marks on it. They incited lads who abused him and clapped. When he delivered a sermon, they disrupted it and said, "This is a lie". In short, they adopted every possible and abominable trick to annoy and harass him.

The revelations sent by Allah on his messenger (ﷺ) during this period had all the means of guidance to cope with this kind of situation. Supporters of Islamic movement were being told that, apparently, the hardships faced by truth should not be considered as permanent. The worldly life is full of such odds. And the genuine test of success is not the worldly life but it is the life after the Day of Judgment. There is no doubt in it that the life after death would be much better for those who would adopt a life full of fear of God.

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was being addressed, "Though we know, whatever is happening to you is extremely painful but these people are really falsifying not you but Me and this is not something new. Prior to this, My messengers have been facing more or less the same situations. But those messengers endured it patiently and faced all kinds of hardships and miseries until My help reached them. You are passing through the same circumstances and you would have to cope with these situations." He (ﷺ) was repeatedly made to understand from different angles that in the struggle of good and evil, there is a definite law of Allah. Nobody can change it. From the point of view of this law, it is necessary that righteous people are tested for a long time. Their patience, piousness, selflessness, loyalty, devotion and firmness of belief are tested. This was to assess that how strong they were in their reliance on Allah and faith in Him. This struggle created in them the qualities that helped them later in being the supporters of the religion of Allah. When these people proved them worthy in this test, the help from Allah would come on its time. Nobody can fetch it.

Twelve men came in the presence of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and took the oath of allegiance and expressed the desire that they wanted someone who could teach them Islamic rules and regulations. Mu`s`ab Ibn `Umair (RATA) was sent with them. He visited each and every house in Madinah. He recited ayahs of Holy Qur'an before them and invited them towards Islam. One or two used to embrace Islam daily. Slowly Islam started spreading outside Madinah. The chief of Aus tribe Sa'ad Ibn Mu`aadh also embraced Islam on the invitation of Mu`s`ab. The whole Aus tribe followed him and converted to Islam.

Seventy-two men came the next year during the Hajj period and converted to Islam in the presence of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). They did not tell their companions about it. They promised to be with Islamic movement whatever be the circumstances. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) selected twelve out of these persons and appointed them as chiefs. Nine of these twelve were from Khazraj tribe and the rest three were from the Aus. They took the oath of allegiance with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that:

(i)  They will worship only Allah.

(ii) They will not steal.

(iii) They will not commit fornication.

(iv) They will not kill their children.

(v) They will not bring false allegation against anyone.

(vi) They will not feel shy from following any of the Prophet Muhammad's good commands.

After their taking oath of allegiance, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said to them, "if you comply with these conditions, then there is glad tiding of heavens for you, otherwise your matter is in the hands of Allah, He can forgive you or chastise you."

While the people were taking oath, As`ad Ibn Zararah (RATA) stood up and said, "O brethren! Do you know the meaning of taking this oath? Keep it in your mind, this is like declaration of war against Arabs and non-Arabs." All of them replied, "Yes we are taking the oath keeping everything in mind". Some other persons also made similar enthusiastic speeches. An agreement was reached between these neophytes and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). According to this agreement if Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came to Madinah, these people would stand by his side till the last gasp. At this juncture, Bara'a (RATA) had said, "We have been brought up under the shadow of swords."

In terms of religion, a miracle means acts which Allah shows before the eyes of people to prove the claim of a Messenger's prophethood. Miracles are the acts that are against the laws of Nature. For instance, fire must burn but if it fails to burn, the river is supposed to flow but if it comes to a dead stop, the tree normally remains fixed at its place, but if it starts moving, a dead body becomes alive or the stick turns into a snake etc. In this world, the real cause of every function is God's omnipotence and His Will. There are certain rules that govern certain function which happen normally and continuously. In the same way, some other functions, under Allah's omnipotence, may occur contradicting the normal principles, and when Allah wills, they happen. Most of the Prophets were bestowed with miracles to prove their prophethood. But these miracles rarely caused the infidels to accept faith. Miracles are beyond reasoning. When people denied a prophet even after a miracle, they have been chastised by Allah and their existence has been erased from the face of the earth. Infidels of Quraysh asked the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to show such miracles. This demand of theirs was being dilly-dallied because it had been the divine system that if nations are shown a clear miracle then they would be left with one of the two options -  accept faith or be perished. But Allah Almighty had not willed to kill them yet. That is why this demand of them was being evaded continuously. But ten long years had passed over the invitation to Islam and all attempts had failed to persuade the infidels. Sometimes, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and other Muslims wished that some signs appear from Allah causing the infidels to accept faith in Allah and that sign would convince them. But Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) wish was responded as, "Do not be impatient, go on inviting people to Islam the way We want. Miracles are the last options. Had We willed so, We would have softened hearts of each and every infidel and compelled them to take the path of guidance, but it has not been Our method. Neither a man's intention and discretion can be tested this way nor does it evoke that moral and spiritual revolution. But if you find that their avoidance and denial have become unbearable and you are unable to face them, then do whatever you can. Plunge into the earth or climb over the sky and bring a miracle."[10][11]

But it is not that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) did not get miracles. The greatest miracle bestowed to Prophet is the Holy Qur'an itself whose details are discussed later. In addition to this, Prophet (ﷺ) showed numerous miracles at appropriate times. The two most important miracles were of splitting of the moon (Shaqqal Qamar) into two halves and the Prophet's excursion to the skies (Mi`raaj or Isra'a). Apart from it, many prophesies, raining due to Prophet's prayer and people finding guidance, at time of need a little becoming sufficient, cure of ailments, oozing of groundwater etc. were some of the other miracles which took place from time to time.

Splitting of the moon is a very important miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in ending the arguments of the infidels of Makkah. Abdullah Ibn Mas`ood (RATA) narrated this incident which is mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim[12]. He was present at the time of occurrence. He himself witnessed the moon splitting into two halves. He says, "We were with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in Mina and saw that the moon split into two parts. One of its two pieces moved towards the mountain. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Be a witness".  But as stated earlier, it is not necessary that miracles cause infidels to accept faith in Allah. Rather it is so, that miracles are demanded by those whose minds and souls have been filled with denial and obstinacy. In this way, they look out for excuses. But for those who have the ability to accept faith and are not entangled in vested interests and selfishness, the Prophet himself and his teachings are not less than miracles. They always lead in accepting the truth.

Seeing the splitting of moon, the infidels said, "O! This is magic and such things always happen by the power of magic." This way, these people did not get guidance but a sin added to the list of their evils that they falsified Allah and His messenger (ﷺ) after such an open sign.

Mi`raaj means ascension, climbing up. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used this word to describe his celestial sojourn. This journey is therefore called "Mi`raaj". The other name of this journey is Isra'a. Isra'a means a night journey. Since the Mi`raaj was a night-long journey, it is called Isra'a too. In Holy Qur'an too, it is termed as Isra'a.

Duties of prophets included inviting, propagating and firm-footing on the path of religion. This required solid faith and belief. Thus, it was essential for them that they witness these realities with their own eyes that they were to propagate. Then whatever they say, they say it forcefully and with emphasis before the people. They say to the people that, "You are denying a thing only on the basis of analogy and suspicion, but we are describing the truth which we have seen with our own eyes. You have suspicion, we have knowledge". Angels appeared before most of the Prophets (AMS[13]). Prophets have been made to witness the divine and worldly rules. They have been made to see hell and paradise and what happens after death in their worldly lives. Mi`raaj or Isra'a in one of such incidents. During this journey Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) saw all those realities that are believed by a Muslim, without seeing, only on the words of Prophet (ﷺ).

The exact date of this journey is not known. But by putting forth different version, historians say that this incident occurred one and a half year prior to Hijrah (Prophet's migration to Madinah). If we see the versions of Bukhari and Muslim, the complete detail is as follows:

One morning Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) narrated:

"Last night my Lord honoured me. I was sleeping when Jibra'eel came and woke me up and took me to the precincts of Ka`aba. Here, he slit my chest and washed it with the water of Zam Zam (Zam zam is a blessed well near Ka`aba) and filled it with faith and wisdom. Then, he presented before me an animal to ride which was a little smaller than a mule and was white in colour. Its name was Buraq. It was very fast. As I rode it, it took no time and we were at the Dome of Rock. We tied Buraq at the entrance of the mosque. I offered the prayer of two Raka`at[14] (a bending of torso from an upright position, followed by two prostrations). Then, Jibra'eel (peace be upon him) extended two bowls to me. One was filled with wine and the other was with milk. I preferred the bowl containing milk and denied the bowl of wine. Jibra'eel, seeing this, said, "You adopted the Natural religion by accepting milk bowl".

"After that, the journey to the skies started. We reached the first sky (sky of world), Jibra'eel said to the custodian angel to open the gate. He asked, "Who is with you?" Jibra'eel told him, "He is Prophet Muhammad. (ﷺ)" The angel asked, "Has he been invited?" Jibra'eel replied positively. The angel opened the gate and said, "Such a personality is most welcome." When we entered in, we met Adam (AS). Jibra'eel said to me, "He is your father (remote ancestor of human race) Adam, salute him." I saluted him. He replied to my salute and said, "O my noble son and noble messenger, Welcome." Then, we reached the second layer of sky and faced the same questions as we faced on the first layer of sky. The gate opened and we entered inside and met Yahya[15] and `Eesa (AMS). Jibra'eel introduced me with them and said, "Salute them." I saluted. Both of them replied, "Welcome O noble brother and noble messenger." Then we reached the third layer. Here we met Prophet Yusuf[16] (AS). We exchanged salutes. On the fourth sky we met Prophet Idrees (AS). On the fifth sky we met Prophet Haroon[17] (AS) and on the sixth sky we met Prophet Moosa[18] (AS). We met Prophet Ibraheem[19] (AS) on the seventh sky. In response to my salutation, Prophet Ibraheem (AS) said, "Welcome O noble son and noble messenger." Then, I was taken to Sidratul Muntaha[20]. On this tree innumerable angels were shining like glow-worms."

Here in the seventh heaven, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) observed a lot of things. He also conversed with Allah Most High. Allah imposed fifty prayers (`Salaat) in a day and night. When the Prophet (ﷺ) came back after these observations, he met Prophet Moosa (AS). He asked, "Say what have you brought from Allah's place?" Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, "Fifty prayers in a day". Moosa (AS) said, "Your followers will find it too much, go back and ask Him to lessen them." Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) went back and pleaded Allah and got a part slashed. But Prophet Moosa (AS) sent him back again and again and got a slash every time. At last this number came down to five prayers in a day and night. Moosa (AS) was still not satisfied and asked him to get some more slash, but at this point Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, "Now, I am feeling too shy to utter a word." The voice of Allah came, "We slashed the number from 50 to 5 but those who would perform five prayers a day will get the reward of fifty prayers".

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) got two other gifts from Allah, one of them was revelation of the last ayahs of Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter-2) which described the Islamic beliefs and the completion of faith and had the glad tiding that the period of hardship was about to be over. The Second good news was that whoever would avoid polytheism, would be absolved.

In this journey, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) saw hell and heaven and what would happen after death and what kind of situations one would have to pass according to one's deeds, it was all portrayed before his eyes.

When Prophet (ﷺ) descended back to the Dome of Rock, he saw a gathering of Prophets (AMS). They all performed congregational prayer again. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was the Imam (leader) of the `Salaat. Then, he came back to his place and woke up at the same place in the morning.

When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) narrated this incident in the morning, the infidels of Quraysh called him a liar (God save us). Those who had faith in Prophet they certified each and every word and said, "We regard the words of Prophet as true". So, this incident of Mi`raaj was a test for people's faith and verification of prophethood and on the other hand it was a means of witnessing the innumerable hidden truths for Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Simultaneously it was prelude to the incoming revolution the Islamic movement was to face soon. The details of this indication are found in Surah Isra'eel mentioning the Mi`raaj. The open signs found in this chapter are as follows:

Israelites[21](Jews) were still the heirs of Allah's religion and were authorised to give the world the message of Allah. But they did not fulfil this duty. They themselves became victims of worldly evils and they were in no position to perform the duty of spreading Allah's religion. It was therefore decided by Allah to handover this noble cause to Ismailites. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was commissioned out of this dynasty. Until now Israelites had not been addressed directly. Now, they were told through this Surah Al-Isra`a,[22] "You had committed too much sins and had been tried two times prior to this, but you did not mend yourselves. And now, after the commissioning of this Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) you have a chance. If you follow him, you will succeed." It was a glad tiding for those who were leading a miserable and humiliated life in Makkah. This tiding proved to be true later on.

Infidels of Makkah crossed all limits in committing atrocities and they repeatedly used to say that if he is the Prophet of Allah, why it is that they have not been chastised though he (Prophet SAWS) warned us. They were told that Allah does not punish a nation having no prophet. When a messenger is sent among them, the elites and upper caste people oppose the movement of truth. Ordinary people cooperate with them except a few who have the ability to understand the truth and come forward and accept it. Then the struggle start in the two groups of people, ultimately help comes from Allah. Time is fixed for such help. But since man is hasty in nature he sometimes asks things that are not good for him, rather they are evil. He does not think that actions of Allah Almighty are all fixed in terms of time. Ponder over day and night, they are the signs of Allah, and come one after the other following a fixed routine. Have a look at past history; so many nations after Noo`h (AS) have been perished. God is fully aware of the conditions of his followers. He rewards them according to their merits. The infidels of Makkah should keep it in their minds that the attitude they would now adopt towards the invitation of Allah's messenger, would determine the way they shall be dealt with. A decisive time was about to come.

Difficult time for Islam was about to be over and the society based upon Islamic principles was in the offing. Hence, the fundamental principles for Islamic way of life that were to serve as the guiding principles for the Islamic system were also dictated in Mi`raaj. They were:

1. There is no God but Allah. None should share with Allah in His right of devotion, life, obedience and sovereignty[23].

2. Parents should be respected and obeyed (but if there is clash between parents' obedience and obedience of God, then, parents are not to be obeyed)[24].

3. Rights of relatives, poor and travellers should be accomplished. Right of one human being on another should not be ignored. Without accomplishing other's rights, no society can survive[25].

4. Don't be an extravagant. Abuse of divine blessings is a satanic act. A society in which people either spend lavishly or become miser, can never be prosperous. A middle way should be adopted in spending or stocking the wealth[26].

5. Don't kill your children, fearing the poverty. Allah provides sustenance, He arranges it. Don't kill your offsprings due to immense poverty. It is a very bad act and equivalent to suicide for the society[27].

6. Don't even go near fornication. Avoid not only this dirty act, but also end those stimulants which provoke this heinous act. The society which will not be free from this curse, will undermine itself and will soon meet its deadly end[28].

7. Don't kill anyone without a reason. The society, not providing the guarantee of life, can never be a prosperous society. Peace is the essence of every civilisation. Providing security of life and property is a basic need[29].

8. Behave with orphans in a good manner. Weak people and those, who cannot defend their rights, deserve help. The society that cannot defend the rights of such people, cannot progress[30].

9. Fulfil your promise. You will be questioned about it. Here we mean mutual accords and promises of people and the pledge, one takes while having faith in God[31].

10. Balance your scales and correct your measures while weighing and measuring. Fair dealing and peaceful co-existence are must for a peaceful society. Where there is mistrust among people and they generally snatch each other's rights, there will be no mutual trust and prosperity in the society[32].

11. Do not pursue a thing, about which you have no knowledge. Do not form a new opinion on hearsay and speculation but base it on knowledge, else it results in a mess. An ideal society should be bereft of this evil. Man should always keep it in mind that he would be questioned on all his senses, heart, mind and eyes[33].

12. Do not be proud and arrogant. These evils lead to deterioration of moral values. A man into this evil is extremely detrimental to the society. It is necessary for congenial relations that people do not regard others as inferior and do not treat others in an inhuman manner[34].

It has been the custom of Allah Most High that when He sends a messenger to a people, He grants them chances to listen to the invitation of the messenger, understand and accept it. Few accept this call but the majority, having vested interests, continue blind pursuit of their ancestors and their carnal desires, refuse to accept this invitation and resolve to oppose it. There comes a time, when it becomes clear that those who have the ability to accept the truth (Islam), have accepted it and none is left in their nation who would listen to the invitation and would ponder over it. At this stage, people ask for miracles and often they are obliged with miracles. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was also asked for miracles. Miracles appeared from his holy self but the non-believers kept on denying them. It was therefore decided that Prophet (ﷺ) should desolate this nation so that they could be punished. This chastisement comes in the form of natural processes prevailing in sky or earth like earthquakes, floods or storms. And sometime faithful begets this punishment. Allah Almighty explained this method in Surah Al-Isra'a and ordered clearly that these infidels would soon be an extremity of callousness and would force people to migrate from Makkah. And if so happened, Allah also warned that they too would not be able to live peacefully. This had been the practice with messengers sent by Allah earlier and this custom remains unchanged.

Along with these conditions, Allah directed the Prophet (ﷺ) to cope with the prevalent conditions, to perform prayer especially Tahajjud prayer (this prayer is made after midnight) and Allah persuaded the Prophet (ﷺ) to pray for migration, and ask like this, "O my Lord, send me to a better place and help me in migration and victory over enemies." After this the Prophet (ﷺ) got the glad tiding that Untruth is due to finish and truth will prevail. False is bound to perish if the truth wages a war against it.

The obstinate objections of the infidels of Makkah were met with proper replies. In this way they were made satisfied. Then events related to Prophet Moosa (AS) have been mentioned for their admonition.

 The chapters of Qur'an which were being revealed in this period, according to the conditions, had these characteristics:

1. Dependence on Allah and Patience: It is human nature that when he struggles for something and the result are not in accordance with his expectations, he gets disappointed. This is the most delicate stage for the supporters of the invitation of truth (Islam). If they, God forbid, get disappointed, then, this is regarded as the greatest failure for them as well as for their mission (of Islam). A firm faith is required at this stage for a strong footing, leaving everything on Allah and concerted efforts with complete reliance on Allah. In this last period, Allah Almighty sent particular instructions. After 12 years of continuous struggle, the result could have been discouraging for a low-spirited person. After such a long time the hardship that Muslims continued to face was to strengthen the hearts of faithful and make them firm on the path of righteousness.

In this regard, the text of chapter `Ankaboot (Spider) is a good example. The faithful have been told clearly in it that testing and trial are must in the way that you have adopted. This is the touchstone that tests the claim of faith and distinguishes between truth and untruth. But this test of faithful does not mean that infidels are really gaining ground; they should keep this in their minds that they cannot win against Allah. Truth would prevail in the end. But there was a condition that those having faith, prove themselves worthy of Allah's help by showing patience and persistency. Muslims were told about the impeding hurdles in their way. But they need not to be disgusted. Allah's slaves, who raised themselves for Islamic cause, came across the same circumstances. They were reminded Prophet Noo`h[35]'s (AS} incident that how he faced the hostility of his people for nine and half years, with patience and firmness. Similarly, Prophet Abraham, Prophet Loot, Prophet Shu`aib, Prophet `Sale`h and Prophet Moosa (ASM) came across more or less the same conditions. At last, the truth prevailed and the false fled away.

2. Qur'an as a Miracle: It has been mentioned earlier that when the infidels asked for miracles, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and other Muslims desired, "Would that something miraculous happen causing these people to believe? The advice from Allah Most High in response to this desire has also been mentioned earlier. On this occasion, Allah clearly indicated the greatest miracle bestowed to the last Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He said, "You people demand miracles, you should go and see that miracle which is ever lasting and has means of guidance for every person who has wit and wisdom. This miracle is Qur'an". This is the reality that Qur'an is the greatest miracle out of the miracles bestowed to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Surah `Ankaboot, which descended during this period described that everyone knew that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was 'Ummi', neither he knew how to read and write nor he had any education, yet the ayahs he was reciting were so eloquent and full of wisdom that nobody could bring forth such a work. What a wonder, an illiterate person is flowing the sea of eloquence before them. So, why did these people want a miracle. Tell them that the happening of miracle is on the discretion of your Lord. I am here merely to warn you of your end. You should ponder over the divine ayahs which I read out to you, are not they enough evidence of my prophethood? Ponder over these ayahs, you will come to know that they (ayahs) are entirely a source of mercy and advice.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself termed the Holy Qur'an as the greatest miracle. He ordered that "Allah Almighty has bestowed each and every Prophet so many miracles that caused masses to believe. But the miracle I have been bestowed with is revelation (the Holy Qur'an) which has been granted to me, so, I hope that on the Doomsday, my followers will be in great majority." Qur'an is a perennial miracle in contrast to miracles to other prophets that were temporary. They are over now. But this miracle would be here till the Day of Judgement and would continue to attract people towards itself. The Holy Qur'an is full of rhythm of words, eloquence, rhetoric and concealed truths and prophesies. No human mind could reach them. Its power of efficacy, rules and teachings are so useful that till date no better system of life could come forth for human society. Despite the vastness of the topic, it is free of contradictions and metaphorical differences. The person who was reading out these ayahs was an illiterate person. All these things were great arguments in proving the Holy Qur'an a miracle. These arguments even today are enough for us to feel satisfied over the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

3. Decisive Talk: The speciality of chapters of this period is that the infidels were being addressed decisively in a manner that the time of persuasion, was over. This was the last chance; they must have accepted the truth then and now must get ready to face the consequences.

Thus, it was told, "I (Prophet) am unwavering on clear guidance coming from my Lord, but you are disbelieving and are inviting the chastisement. But I tell you that, I don't possess the power to command for the chastisement. It is up to Allah. If it would have been in my hand the matter would have been settled by now. Allah has the knowledge of hidden things. He knows the time of occurrence of different things. He can chastise you at His Will". Then, Allah further advised his Prophet (ﷺ) about the people who took their religion lightly and were lustful in worldly life. "Leave them for now. But keep on reading out Holy Qur'an to them, if they do not still reform, tell them to do whatever they wanted to do, I (Prophet, SAWS) am fulfilling my duty. Soon they would come to know as to who was on the right track."[36].

This was the style of ayahs of Qur'an during this period. In a sense, it was a proclamation that the matter was in the decisive phase.

4. Preparation for Migration: The ayahs of this period also indicate towards migration of Muslims from Makkah to Madinah. It was advised in Surahb`Ankaboot that "O My servants who believe! Truly, spacious is My Earth: Therefore serve ye Me - (and Me alone)! [37]" It means that the relationship of slavery with Allah must never break even though you might have to desert your homeland. Death is the greatest fear for every animate, believe it that everyone has to die and all would return to Me. So, if you die in My way, there is nothing to fear. Whoever comes to me laden with wealth of faith and good deeds, would be accommodated in gardens where lakes would be flowing beneath them and it would be one's eternal abode. How good this reward is for those who are pious. These were the righteous people who kept their feet firmly fixed on the path of Allah in most adverse conditions and they continued relying on Allah in their struggle period.

Then, it was told that the second fear in leaving one's native land was of monetary losses. Their faith was strengthened by telling them that the matter of providing sustenance was in the hands of Allah. It was indicated that there are many living beings, but all of them do not carry their food themselves. Allah provides them with sustenance and feeds them. So, why do you get disappointed of His providence or do you think that he would not provide you with sustenance? Apart from it, in one of this period's chapter, Surah Isra'a, supplication for migration was taught. It was like this, "O my Lord! take me to a better place and take me out (of Makkah) in a good manner and give us victory over foes. O' Prophet, proclaim that the truth prevailed and the false erased. The false was to be erased[38]."

In short, this and many other indications are found in this period's chapters. These chapters, on one hand, pointed towards the incoming storm and on the other hand were drawing attention towards the preparedness that was required to cope with these conditions. Some other characteristics were firm belief in the hereafter, uprooting the worldly delicacies, keeping in mind the requirements of genuine Tawheed, dependence and solid faith in Allah, presenting the divine advices without lessening or adding, and to offer prayer to get strength for all these purposes. The Muslims were being trained and were also being advised to propagate Islam in these hard times.

In Islamic terminology 'Hijrah' (Migration) means to leave one's native land and travel to some other place only to accomplish the requirements of religion. It is not proper for a Muslim to cling on to a place for the sake of trade, house, property or for the proximity of near and dear when living an Islamic life and propagation of Islam were not allowed.

This is to be understood that a faithful Muslim can live in a country governed by infidels, only on two conditions. First, that he keeps struggling for the dominance of Islam and changing the infidel regime into an Islamic system. Muslims were continuously working for the same cause in Makkah and they were braving all atrocities for this cause. Second, one does not find a way out, or has no other place where one can lead an Islamic life and could work to bring an Islamic system. Thus when one finds a place where one could perform one's religious duties, as were possible with Madinah, one must migrate. Only those who were extremely handicapped or helpless or were not able to take the journey due to illness or poverty, were exempted from migration[39].

After sufficient propagation of Islam in Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) granted permission to common Muslims who were being victimised by infidels to migrate to Madinah. Seeing this, the infidels stepped up their oppressions and tried their best to keep these migrating people in the claws of their atrocities. But Muslims, at this juncture, preferred to endanger their souls, wealth and children for the sake of Islam. Temptations and pressures could not resist them. Slowly, a sizable number of companions (RATAA) migrated to Madinah. Among prominent companions, only Abu Bakr and Ali (RATAA) were left in Makkah with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) or there were some Muslims who were unable to travel due to poverty.

With the advent of thirteenth year of prophethood (13 N.Y.) lot many companions (RATAA) had migrated to Madinah. It was a matter of worry for Quraysh when they observed that Muslims were getting more and more powerful in Madinah and Islam was fast spreading there. They therefore started charting out plans to abolish Islam. They had a fixed place called "House of Counselling" for discussing local issues. All senior chiefs representing each tribe gathered there and discussed the ways to abolish this movement. Some of them were of the view that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) should be chained and confined in a lonely house. But others rejected this idea and said, the companions of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) would rescue him and they may even defeat us. Some others opined that Muhammad (ﷺ) should be banished, but this was also rejected on the ground that wherever he would go, his words would attract people and they would follow him and the movement would gain momentum. At the end, Abu Jahl said, "Select a youth each from every tribe and make a group, this group would kill Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). In this way all tribes would be involved in his murder and it would not be possible for Hashim dynasty to wage a war single-handedly against all the tribes". All gave assent to this plan and a night was fixed for this purpose and it was decided that on that night the gang of youths will besiege the house (of prophet SAWS) and when he stepped out in the morning, they would kill him. Arab used to avoid entering anybody's house at midnight. Allah made Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) aware of this secret plan and this was the time that Prophet (ﷺ) got the order through revelation to migrate from Makkah to Madinah. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) consulted Abu Bakr (RATA) two or three days prior to the migration and it was settled that Abu Bakr (RATA) would accompany Prophet Muhammad. (ﷺ). Camels for this journey were also arranged.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) called Ali (RATA) on the very night that had been fixed for Prophet's murder by infidels, and told, "I have got the command for migration to Madinah. Tonight I would set off for Madinah. I have been entrusted with the deposits of many people, return these deposits in the morning to them and lie on my bed tonight, so that the enemies may get satisfied about my presence in the house."

Infidels of Makkah were thirsty of Prophet's blood but despite this, they regarded him trustworthy and honest and used to entrust with him their wealth and belongings. Infidels besieged Prophet's house at night. When the night progressed, the Prophet (ﷺ) came out of the house calmly and satisfactorily and he was reciting the ayahs of Surah Yaseen[40]. Then, he uttered, "Shahtil Wujuh" (May God deface them) and threw a fistful of dust towards infidels and passed away among them. At this time, by the power of Allah, those besieging the house lost their senses and could not see the Prophet (ﷺ) treading away. Then, Prophet (ﷺ) took Abu Bakr (RATA) from his house and along with him took refuge in the Thaur Cave.

Abdullah. the son of Abu Bakr (RATA), was a minor at that time. He stayed with them at night and in the morning he would come to Makkah and collect information about the planning of infidels and convey to both the elders. Later at night, a slave of Abu Bakr (RATA) fetched goat milk or some food. The two friends stayed there for three nights.

In the morning, when infidels came to know that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had migrated from Makkah, they got worried and started looking for him here and there. At one time, they reached near the Thaur Cave where Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr (RATA) were hiding. Abu Bakr (RATA) got perplexed, hearing the sound of footsteps. He was not worried for himself but he was worried for the safety of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) lest somebody harms him. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) seeing his condition, solaced him calmly and said, "Have no fear, for Allah is with us"[41]. (Surah Taubah).

And it so happened that by the decree of Allah, some signs[42] appeared at the entrance of cave. The infidels saw them and thought that nobody has entered the cave. The infidels also announced a reward of 100 camels for the person who arrested Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) dead or alive. Many people set off in search of Prophet (ﷺ) after this announcement of reward.

On the fourth day Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came out of the Cave Thaur and travelled throughout the night and day. For this journey Abu Bakr (RATA) had trained two fine she-camels. A guide had also been appointed. On way to Madinah, on the second day, when the sun got too hot in the noon, they halted near a cliff to take rest. There they met a shepherd who gave them milk to drink. Suddenly, as the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was to depart, a man named Saraqa Ibn Ja`sham saw him. This man was out in search of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to get reward. He galloped riding his horse, but the horse stumbled and fell down. He tried again to attack Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). As he advanced the next time, by Allah's command, the legs of his horse submerged up to knees in the ground. Now, Saraqa panicked and sensed that this was something extraordinary. He could not attack Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and got frightened and surrendered to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and pleaded for mercy. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) forgave him and gave him amnesty. This incident was also one of the miracles of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

The news of Prophet's arrival in Madinah had spread before his arrival. The whole city was eagerly waiting for his arrival. Children and elders used to come out of the city in the morning everyday and would go back in the afternoon. And then, one day that blessed occasion arrived these people were waiting for. They saw the rising dust and the whole city resounded with Takbeers (praise of Allah). Everyone became happy- Quba is a place near Madinah, at a distance of three miles. There was an Ansar settlement. The family of `Umar Ibn `Auf was most distinguished. Kulthoom Ibn Alhadam was the chief of this dynasty. He was the lucky person to receive the honour of hosting Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) stayed at his house in Quba. Ali who followed Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) by a gap of three days, reached Quba and stayed there too. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) reached Quba in the 13th N.Y., on 8th, in the month of Rabi`-al-Awwal (corresponding to September 20, 622). During his stay at Quba, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) desired to build a mosque so, he laid the foundation and with his blessed hands, and along with other companions (RATAA), constructed the mosque. After a few days Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) set off for Madinah. It was Friday. By early afternoon they reached Bani Salim locality. It was time for `Zuhr (early afternoon) prayer. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gave his very first Friday sermon and performed the very first Friday prayer that he led (performing imamate). Every devoted person wished to to get honour to accommodate Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Every tribal would plead, "This is your house, please stay here." All laid a red carpet and every one was full of enthusiasm. On the terraces, women were singing:

"Full moon has appeared

From the valleys of Wida`a Hill

Thanking Allah is obligatory for us

As long as worshippers pray"

Innocent girls were playing on the small tambourine and singing:

"We are the daughters of Najjar dynast

What a good neighbour is Prophet Muhammad

The Prophet (ﷺ) asked these girls, "Do you have affection for me?" They replied, "Yes". The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I too love you."

Who would get the honour to host the Prophet (ﷺ)? This was a difficult decision. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ordered, "The house where my she-camel would halt, I would stay in. Abu Ayyub Ansari (RATA) got this honour. Ayyub's house was near the site where the Prophet's Mosque now stands. It was a two-storied house. Abu Ayyub offered upper storey but Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) preferred lower storey to facilitate interaction with people, Abu Ayyub (RATA) and his wife shifted to the upper storey.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) stayed in this house for seven months. Then, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) shifted to the newly constructed rooms near Masjid-al-Nabawee. Within a few days Prophet's relatives also arrived in Madinah.

After settling in Madinah, the Prophet's most important mission was the construction of a mosque. There was a fallow land near Prophet's staying place which belonged to two orphans. They were paid, the land was acquired and the construction began. Prophet (ﷺ) himself worked at the site as any other labourer and fetched stones. This mosque was built in a simple style. Mud bricks were used for walls and dry date leaves for thatched roofs and date trunks as pillars. The Qiblah (direction ii which Muslims turn in prayer) was in the direction of Dome of Rock (Baitul Maqdis) because till then it was the Qiblah for Muslims. Later, the direction of Qiblah was changed to Ka`aba, the same change took place in Masjid-al-Nabawee too. The floor of mosque was uncemented. Rainwater resulted in mud and sludge. After some time they paved the floor with stones. In one corner of the mosque, was a covered platform called `Suffah. This was a staying place for homeless Muslims. After the completion of mosque, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) got some rooms constructed near the mosque for his holy wives. These rooms were also made of mud bricks and had thatched roofs. The size of these rooms was 7 x10 feet. The roofs were 6 feet high, blanket curtains hanged on doors.

The prosperous Ansar neighbours sent milk to Prophet (ﷺ) or sometimes curry etc. The life was going on with these scanty provisions.

All those Muslims who left Makkah had no means of livelihood, some of them had to leave their belongings in Makkah. They managed to rescue their lives only. Though all these migrants were there as hosts of Ansars, but it was being felt that their permanent settlement was necessary. These people preferred a self dependent life. Thus when the construction of Prophet's Mosque completed, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent for some Ansars and ordered them, "These migrants are like your brothers." Then he called out an Ansar and a migrant by their names and ordered, "Both of you are brothers from now on." And in this way a brotherhood was established among these neophytes. These sincere slaves of Allah considered each other even more than brothers. Ansars declared all their movable and immovable properties and made these migrants their partners of fifty-fifty. Earnings from orchards, crops, utensils, house, property, in short, every thing was divided among them and the plight of these homeless migrants could be made to live comfortably. Some of them started business and bought shops. Others adopted different professions. In this way, these migrants settled as businessmen and traders. This was the loftiest example of brotherhood and sacrifice.

Prior to migration, polytheists of Makkah were being given invitation to Islam. It was a new thing for them. After migration, Muslims came across Jews, they were convinced of Tawheed (oneness of God), Prophethood, hereafter, angels and revelation etc. Being disciples of Prophet Moosa (AS) they were bound to accept divine laws. In principle, their religion was itself Islam towards which Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) invited. It was another thing that the negligence for centuries had created innumerable evils in them. Their life was bereft of genuine divine laws and bounds. Passing time created innovations and un-Islamic customs in their society. They had Taurah (the book revealed on Moosa, AS), but they had amended it and interpreted the divine laws with ulterior motives and elucidations. They had a feeble relation with Deen (religion) of Allah. Their society had such deep-rooted evils that had made them incorrigible. They were in no position to listen to a reformer (ﷺ) sent by Allah and regarded him their greatest foe and tried best to silence him. Though, these people, according to their origin, were Muslims, but they were too spoiled to recall their genuine religion.

Therefore, Islamic movement had two motives. One was to impart the basic knowledge of Islamic principles and the second task was to rejuvenate the spirits of these people with Islam who were "Spoilt Muslims". Besides this, then Muslims from all directions were heading towards Madinah. With these migrants and Ansars of Madinah, a small Islamic state was taking its shape. Till that period Islamic movement had an agenda based upon the invitation of principles, reformation of beliefs and moral teachings, But now the task at hand was reformation of mode of the Muslims' life, administrative laws and laws to reforms mutual relations. Therefore, this these new needs were attended to..

Another notable change was that, till now, Muslims had been inviting infidels to Islam and therefore bearing the brunt of oppressions of infidels. But now a small Islamic state had taken its shape, surrounded from all sides by hot beds of infidelity. Now it was not a matter of teasing and annoying, rather the infidels were collectively trying to erase this commune of Muslims from the face of the earth. They feared that if this Islamic Centre gained momentum, they would find no ground under their feet to stay. Thus, in order to survive for this small group and it's Islamic movement, it was necessary that they must:

1. Propagate Islam with a gush of fervour and prove its genuineness with arguments, and to change public opinion about Islam.

2. Prove the misconception of adversaries' beliefs with arguments so that the person having reasoning ability may find it easy to find the truth.

3. Make proper arrangements for those who had migrated to this new Islamic state, leaving behind their property and business. They should be armed with such power of faith and morality that in case of poverty, hunger and restlessness, they could face the happenings with great patience. They should not be stumbled in facing worse to worst conditions.

4. Muslims would be enabled to face the adversaries with full might despite weakness and lack of means. The genuineness of Islam and dependence on Allah would help them to stay in the battlefield.

5. Fill the protagonists of Islamic cause with such a passion that might uproot every hurdle that comes in the way of establishing an Islamic system of life.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), therefore, paid good attention towards these aspects after making arrangements for Prophet's Mosque, and some other important buildings and providing permanent shelters for migrants. A major part of Surah Baqarah was revealed in this period, and the same points were stressed upon in this part of the chapter.

Madinah city was surrounded by Jew settlements. It was the need of hour to invite these Jews to Islam and establish political contacts with them, because infidels of Makkah were not sitting idle after the migration of Muslims. When these infidels realised that Muslims were becoming a well organised group in Madinah, they started charting out plans to raze this Islamic Centre (Madinah) forcefully. So, it was obligatory for Muslims to establish political contacts clearly with Jews living around Madinah. So, that it may be assessed whether in case of war with polytheists of Makkah, they will get the support of these Jews. Hence, Muslims started negotiation with tribes living between Madinah and the coast of Red Sea. Some tribes agreed that they would be non-aligned in case of Quraysh or any other tribal attack on Madinah. Some other tribes agreed that they would help Muslims in time of need.

The issue of hypocrites was an important one among the issues that Islamic Movement was confronted with. In the last stage of Makkan period, some people who joined Islamic group and regarded the invitation to Islam as true found it difficult to cut off their relations with their people due to the weakness of faith. The prohibitions of relations, trade or cultivation often used to hinder them from fulfilling Islamic duties. But now some non-believers, in the garb of hypocrites joined Islamic groups, just to create a stir amongst believers. Thus, there were some people who used to pose as Muslims. Their hearts were not convinced to Islam, but they were compelled to join the Muslims by their people as majority of their tribe had embraced Islam. There were some other opportunists who had plunged into Islamic groups to gain worldly privileges and on the other hand, they had good relations with infidels. They were of the view that if Islam dominated heathenism they would get amnesty within Islamic circle and if infidelity wins, their interests will remain safe. These hidden enemies were a matter of concern for Islamic movement and it was not easy to bring them out. How these mischievous people were dealt with, would be described later. At this time it was the need of hour to identify polytheists and separate them from true Muslims. It was greatly felt that those bigots who were still following anti-Islamic customs or whose faith was weak, should be distinguished from Muslims, since the Islamic movement was to face a critical turn of events.

The Dome of Rock was still the Qiblah for Muslims. Muslims used to face it while performing prayer. Jews, too faced it while offering their prayer. It was 2 A.H. and the month of Sh'aban that Allah transmitted the order to change the Qiblah from the Dome of Rock (Baitul Maqdis) to Ka`aba right when `Salah was on. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who was performing prayer at that time, turned his face towards Ka`aba and continued praying. It was a very important event of Islamic history. The divine words described the importance of this event, " and We appointed the QiblaH to which thou wast used, only to test those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (From the Faith). Indeed it was (A change) momentous, except to those guided by Allah[44]." It was also the proclamation of the fact that Jews who were bearer of the responsibility to give the world moral and spiritual guidance, had been dethroned because they did not fulfil their duty and did not value this blessing. From now onwards this responsibility was being entrusted to Muslims and they would fulfil this.

The impact of this incident was that the people whose hearts were bereft of faith, criticised the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and their status among Muslim became clear. In this way many such Muslims deserted Islamic group and to a greater extent, Muslim groups got rid of such useless people.

When some people of Madinah became disciple of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) at `Aqabah in Makkah and invited him to come to Madinah with his disciples, it was feared that this covenant (or Oath of allegiance, Arabic Bai`aah- ritual to become a disciple) was, in a sense, a big challenge from the people of Madinah to the whole Arab Nation. As one of the participant of Covenant of Al-`Aqabah Abbas Ibn Ubadah (RATA) had addressed his companions during the covenant. He said, "Do you know the meaning of this allegiance? You are waging a war against the whole world by taking this Oath of allegiance. So, if you are thinking that you would hand over this person to enemies when you sense your wealth was in danger or your nobles were in the jaws of death, leave him right now. Because, then it would be defamation of this life and hereafter; and if you are true in your intentions and you really intend to remain faithful to him even if you lose your wealth and your nobles, then invite him and hold his hands. By Allah, this would be virtuous for life and hereafter." On this occasion all the delegates collectively announced, "We are ready to endanger our lives and our elders for the sake of this person. (Muhammad, SAWS)" Now a time had come to test the people of Madinah in their claim.

The migration of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and other Muslims to Madinah meant that Islam had acquired a settling ground. Muslims who had been tested for their patience and uprightness time and again, had taken the shape of an organised group. It was a peril for Quraysh people and they were seeing it clearly that the Islamic movement was a message of destruction for their centuries old barbarian[46] set-up. Another aspect that had made them restless was that their economy largely depended on their trade with Yemen and Syria and Madinah was situated along the trade route to Syria that went along the Red Sea. Muslims were in powerful position in Madinah. Their trade was in danger. Quraysh could use this route, on two conditions. Either by establishing friendly ties with Muslims or by crushing their might completely. This was the reason why Quraysh tried their best, prior to migration, to stop Muslims from gathering in Madinah. But their planning met with failure. Now, they decided to abolish this upcoming danger at any cost.

Abdullah Ibn Ubai was a chief in Madinah. Prior to migration, people of Madinah wanted to make him their king. But when people of Madinah started embracing Islam and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) along with other Muslims migrated from Makkah to Madinah, this scheme failed and Abdullah Ibn Ubai lost all his hopes. People of Makkah wrote to him a letter which read, "Your people have given shelter to our enemy, we swear by Allah, either you fight with him and send him out of Madinah or we will attack you and kill your men and take your women under slavery". This letter proved to be a sop for Abdullah Ibn Ubai's broken hopes. But Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) convinced him at the right time and asked him, "Will you fight you own brethren and sons." As the majority of Ansars had accepted Islam, Abdullah had to shun his evil designs.

At that very time a chief of Madinah, S'ad Ibn Mu'aadh went to Makkah to perform `Umrah (off-seasonal "minor Hajj"). At the entrance of the Holy Ka`aba, he met Abu Jahl. He (Abu Jahl) said to him "You give shelter to our apostates (Muslims) and expect that we let you circumambulate in the Holy Mosque. If you had not been the guest of Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, we would not have spared you." Hearing this S'ad replied, "I swear by Allah, if you hinder me from doing this (tawaaf, circumambulation) I would desist you from passing through Madinah on your way to Syria." In a way, it was a proclamation that if Quraysh did any mischief, they would have to close their trade route which passes by Madinah.

Quraysh had evil designs for Islamic movement and were trying their best to abolish this movement. In order to make them look down and raze them, Muslims had no other option but to except grabbing this key way to close the trade of Quraysh people. Only this pressure could make them bow. As stated earlier, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had already managed to make agreements with Jews living near this key way. Small troops of Muslims had already started intercepting convoys only to warn them. But these troops neither looted nor shed blood of any of infidels. However, this step of Muslims was a clear indication to Quraysh that they should trim their sails according to the prevailing wind. A fight with Muslims will cause mutual losses.

During this very period, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) continued to remain alert about his surroundings so as to know the type of conspiracies that Quraysh were hatching against him. It was second year of migration in the month of Rajab, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent a group of thirteen Muslims under the leadership of Abdullah Ibn `Hajash, towards Nakhlah. This place is situated between Makkah and Ta'if. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered while handing over a letter to Abdullah, "Open it after two days". Abdullah opened it after two days, the message was, "Stay in Nakhlah and get information about Quraysh and inform me." Accidentally, some Quraysh traders were coming back from Syria through this route to Makkah. Abdullah attacked them, in which one person `Amr Ibn Al `Ha`darmi was killed and two were arrested with a lot of booty. Abdullah came to Madinah and narrated this to the Prophet (ﷺ) and presented him the booty. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) expressed extreme displeasure and said, "I did not allow you to loot and kill." He did not accept the booty as well. The person killed and the two arrested were elites of Makkah. This incident provoked Quraysh and set a trend of revenge henceforth.

It was second year of migration, the month of Sh'abaan (February or March 623 C.E.) a very large caravan of Quraysh having merchandise worth 50 thousand guineas, passed the region which was under the control of Muslims. There were 30 to 40 guards with caravan. Abu Sufiyaan was the leader of the caravan. Sensing the fear of attack by Muslims, he sent a messenger towards Makkah to bring reinforcement. This man, when reached Makkah, raised an alarm that the caravan was being looted by Muslims and tat they should rush for the help. The merchandise belonged to many of those in Makkah, it therefore became a common issue. All the major chiefs set off for a battle and an army of one thousand enthusiastic youths marched towards Madinah with pomp and show. They had resolved to settle the issue once for all to avoid these day-to-day troubles. They had the desire to save their wealth on one hand and severe enmity and passion of bigotry on the other in their hearts. In short, they rushed towards Madinah with a frenzy and splendour.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was fully aware of these developments. He anticipated that if Quraysh succeeded in their evil designs on Muslims and defeated them, then it would be difficult for the Islamic movement to flourish and overcome these infidels. Hardly two years had passed in Madinah and the migrants still had all their belongings in Makkah and were empty-handed. Ansars were novice in the matters of battle. Many Jew tribes were now raising their heads against Islam. Presence of hypocrites and polytheists in Madinah was another matter of concern. In these circumstances, the danger of defeat of Muslims in case of attack by Quraysh was looming large. And even if they just extricate their caravan forcefully, the Muslims would lose their credibility and in future, it would be very easy for nearby tribes to demean Muslims and put them in tight corner, acting on Quraysh's directions. On the other hand, Jews, polytheists and hypocrites of Madinah would raise their heads and challenge Muslims. Hence Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) decided to face them in battlefield with all available resources. He (ﷺ) wanted to make it clear as to who deserved the survival.

After making this decision Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gathered all migrants and Ansars and informed them with all that had happened. In the north of Madinah was a mercantile caravan and from the western side, the army of Quraysh was advancing. Allah told Prophet (ﷺ) that they could get on to only one of them. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked them as to whom they wanted? In response to this query, most of the companions expressed the desire that the caravan should be attacked, first. But the Prophet (ﷺ) had a different picture before his eyes, so he repeated his question. Then, one of the immigrants, Maqdaad Ibn `Umroo (RATA) stood up and said, "O the Prophet of Allah, we are with you, act according to Allah's command. We shall never say no to you, as the Israelites had said to their Prophet "Go away, you and your Lord fight (enemies), we are sitting here[47]." But before reaching a final decision, it was necessary to know the opinion of Ansars. So, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) directly addressed them and repeated his question. Then S'ad Ibn Mu'aadh stood up and said, O' Prophet of Allah! We have complete faith in you and we have certified your prophethood. We have witnessed that whatever you have brought, is true. We have taken oath to obey you, so, O' Prophet of Allah! Do what you want to do. We swear by Him (Allah) Who has sent you with truth that if you take us to sea and enter into it, we will dive into it with you. No one of us will turn his back. We will be firm-footed in the battlefield. We will exhibit true devotion and if God willed we will please you by our valour and courage. So, depending on the omnipotence of Allah, take us with you."

After these speeches, it was concluded that the army of Quraysh will be attacked first. It was not an easy task. Muslims were less in number and poorly armed. They were a little more than 300 in number, only two or three of them possessed horses and only 70 camels, only sixty Muslims had chain armours. Hence, most of the Muslims were frightened and they had the feeling as if they were knowingly going in the jaws of death. Following ayahs from Surah Al- Anfaal depict this picture:

Despite this lack of means, on 12 of Ramadan in the year 2 A.H., Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) with faith in Allah, marched with three hundred Muslims from Madinah in southwest direction. The army of Quraysh was advancing from the same direction. The Prophet (ﷺ) reached at a place called Badr on 16th of Ramadan. Badr is the name of a village which is situated at a distance of 80 miles in the southwest direction of Madinah. On reaching here, they came to know that the army of Quraysh had reached the other end of the valley. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) asked Muslims to camp there.

On the other hand, Quraysh were heavily armed. Their army consisted of more than one thousand soldiers and almost hundred commanders. They had a very good supply of provisions. Utbah Ibn Rabi'ah was the supreme commander of their army. After reaching close to Badr, Quraysh got the information that their mercantile caravan is out of the reach of Muslims. Hence the chiefs of Zahra and `Adi tribes said, "It is not necessary to fight now" but Abu Jahl did not acknowledge them. People of Zahra and `Adi tribes went back due to this and the rest of the army kept advancing.

Quraysh were best positioned in the battlefield, the ground they occupied was solid. But Muslims were on sandy part of the battlefield. All took rest at night. But Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) kept praying throughout the night and on 17th of Ramadan, after offering Fajr prayer, Prophet addressed Muslim soldiers and addressed them about Jihad (The Holy war). Then, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) arrayed the troops according to the strategy of war. Fasts had been imposed in this very year. And it was a strange test of Muslims that they, in their very first month of Ramadan, were going to fight an army which was three times more powerful than them. Two pleasant things happened that night which symbolised Allah's grace. One was that Muslims enjoyed a sound sleep and woke up refreshed in the morning, secondly it rained that very night which hardened the sandy land beneath their feet. The part where Quraysh army camped became muddy and their feet used to get submerged in the ground. Muslims could store water in ponds for bathing and ablution. Muslims were now ready for the fight; their hearts were satisfied and free from fear.

When both armies came face-to-face it was a strange sight. On one side, were 313 poorly armed Muslims who had full faith in Allah, and on the other were well armed one thousand infidels who had come with a determination to silence the voice of believers completely. At this occasion Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) extended his hands for prayer with extreme humbleness. He prayed, "O Allah! they are arrogant Quraysh and they are here to falsify me. O Allah send Your help which You had promised me. O Allah! If these handful of Muslims perish , then there would be none left to worship You"

The migrants in this war were in a difficult test, they were going to face their own brothers, sons and relatives. Their father, sons, uncles and brothers were within ranges of their swords. They were to shed blood of their own dear ones. Only those who had taken full allegiance to Allah could prove themselves worthy of this trial. They were determined to establish relations only with those having faith and abandon the rest. But Ansars were evenly balanced in this trial. Untill now, their "guilt" in the eyes of non-believers and polytheists of Arab was that they had given shelter to Muslims, their arch-rivals. But now, they were helping Islam openly and had drawn their swords against polytheists of Makkah. This meant that the whole Arab was now the enemy of Madinah. The population of Madinah was not more than one thousand. But the affection for Allah and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and faith in the hereafter enabled them to take such a drastic step. Nobody could dare to put his wealth, property and dependants in danger with the enmity of whole Arabia.

This was a stage in belief that undoubtedly brought help from Allah, Allah therefore helped this weak party of 313 Muslims and gave Quraysh a back-breaking defeat. About 70 people of Quraysh died in this battle and an equal number was taken into custody. Those killed included all major chiefs. Among them Shaibah, `Utbah, Abu Jahl, Zam`ah, `Aas and Umayyah Ibn Khalaf etc. are worth mentioning. The killings of their chiefs broke the morale of Quraysh. Among Muslims, six migrants and eight Ansars got martyrdom. The prisoners of war were distributed among the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) and they were being directed to behave well with these prisoners. The companions provided them with all facilities, even though they themselves suffered on occasions. This good behaviour made their hearts soft for Islam. This was the greatest success for Islamic movement. Later, some of these prisoners were released on ransom and some who were poor were released on the condition that each of them would make ten Muslim children literate.

The battle of Badr was important from the point of its consequences and impacts. In fact, it was the first instalment of punishment for non-believers from Allah, for denying the invitation to Islam. This battle made it clear as to who deserved the survival more? Islam or heathenism and how the things would take shape in future. This first battle in Islamic history was thus a grand one. A detailed commentary on this battle finds its place in the Holy Qur'an in Surah Anfaal. But the commentary is different from the one given by kings and generals after they win a battle.

The characteristics of these comments compel us to have a glance over them. These comments throw light on the nature of Islamic movement and the programme of training for Muslims:

(1) As stated earlier, wars were the hobby of Arabs in pre-Islamic period. They were keenly interested in the booty of wars. Often this lust of wealth caused a trifle among themselves. But Islamic concept of war was beyond wealth and booty and it was necessary to make Muslims realise this very concept. Battle of Badr was first of its kind which tested Muslims as to if the concept of Islamic war and moral values had gone well in their minds and hearts or the concepts and motives of pre-Islamic wars still resided there in their hearts.

After the battle of Badr, some people kept the booty in their own possessions, as it was a pre-Islarnic tradition but some others who remained busy in chasing infidels or giving protection to Prophet Muhammad ­(ﷺ) got nothing. This led to unpleasantness among them. The time had come that the callers to Islamic cause should be imparted proper training. So they were told plainly that the booty is not the reward of this war. They should accept it as "Anfaal" viz gift from Allah which is given in addition to remuneration. The genuine reward for fighting in the way of Allah will be bestowed by Him on the Day of Judgement. What you get here is not an individual's property, rather it was a bonus. Hence, the question of possession did not arise. All this booty still belonged to Allah and his Prophet (ﷺ). The distribution principles were constituted in this regard. It was a great moral reformation. Muslims were asked to draw swords only for the reformation of moral degradation and to unchain the slaves of Allah from the slavery of idols, A true Muslim never uses his sword to gain worldly benefits, rather, he uses it when he sees that the evil powers are trying to gag him and then a Muslim uses his power to curb those who put obstacles in reformation through invitation and propagation. Therefore a Muslim should not aim at material benefits that one gets in the preliminary stage of this cause.

(2) Obeying the commands is as important as the presence of soul in the body. So, the stress was given on obeying the command unhesitatingly. At the time of distributing the booty, complete obedience was asked for and Muslims were informed that all this belonged to Allah and His Prophet (ﷺ) and their decision about it was final and all should comply with their decision.

(3) It is a trend that most of the movements describe the achievements of disciples and activists with exaggeration to boost their morale and incite their emotions to gain familiarity and popularity. This kind of exaggeration motivates them to offer sacrifices. After getting victory in battles or gaining achievements they present titles and medals to their heroes and protagonists and bestow rewards. They make arrangements for the upgradation of their status, in order to please them so that they may show their valour time and again. These rewards inspire others to gain high status like them. Islamic movement had chalked out a different route. Despite the fact that 313 poorly-armed Muslims defeated the army of one thousand heavily-armed infidels, while they had inadequate means and provisions, they (Muslims) were told that, they should not think that this was their achievement. It was the virtue of Allah's mercy that enabled them to defeat and make the enemies flee from the battlefield. Their original power is dependent on Allah and not on means of physical strength. They should always have faith in Him while facing the foes in the battlefield. At the very time of attack Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) threw a fistful of sand towards the enemies saying, "Shaahatul Wujooh" (May Allah deface them) and after that Muslims swooped down the enemies and their feet lost the ground. This could be an opportunity to gain popularity for others. But neither Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) did something like that nor his disciples. But Allah Almighty made it clear in Qur'an and said to Muslims, "It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah" and to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), "When thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah's, in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself." (8:17) Muslims passed through this test successfully. Muslims were made to understand that Allah arranges all affairs of the world and whatever happens in the world, is the result of His command and intention. A Muslim always has trust in Allah and obeys Him and His messenger (ﷺ) in whatever the circumstances are. Here lies his test.

(4) Jihad (Holy war) is the touchstone in Islamic movement which ultimately examines every protagonist of the movement. When struggle between Islam and heathenism reaches to its climax where a believer has no choice but to enter the battlefield, in order to carry on this religious duty of invitation to Islam and propagation. There is no way out for him. If a person flees from battlefield leaving his duty to serve the cause of Islam, it can only mean that:

(a) Life is dearer to him than the cause of the battle.

(b) He has no faith that life and death are dictated by Allah and nobody dies until He wills, and when He wills death is inevitable.

(c) Some other desire than Allah's pleasure and success in hereafter is flourishing in his heart. It means that he did not devote himself for establishing the Deen (religion) of Allah.

If any of the above things find place in one's heart then, his faith is not complete. Thus, on the occasion of this first important battle, all Muslims were told that a true Muslim never shows his back in the battlefield. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ordered that there are three sins which mar every good deed. They are (i) polytheism (ii) usurping the rights of parents and (iii) fleeing from war fought in the way of Allah.

(5) Unnecessary interest in mundane relations also hinders a person from advancing in the way of Allah; wealth and progeny become obstacle in this path. Allah Most High at this occasion defined the real status of wealth and one's family, "And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial; and that it is Allah with Whom lies your highest reward." (8:28)

Allah Almighty put believers in trial by bestowing wealth whether they use it fairly or not. Or to see whether the wealth stops a Muslim from putting his life at stake for the cause of Allah or make him tardy in terms of struggle for Islam. In the same way, progeny is also another test for him; on one hand a believer is to fulfil their children's rights in a way that the qualities of obedience and devotion for Allah may become their hallmark. Secondly it is to see that the natural affection for them bestowed by Allah may not hinder a believer from treading the His path; this is the dual trial regarding wealth and progeny that every believer should be well prepared for.

(6) Patience is the essence of every movement. But for Islamic movement, it is as necessary as the presence of soul in the body. This quality was given prominence in Makkah for Muslims who were passing through inevitable circumstances. But the situation there was that Muslims were left with no option but enduring the atrocities. Now, the Islamic movement was entering the second phase. It was feared that Muslims might commit excesses. That is why Muslims in these changed circumstances were being asked to increase and maintain this quality of patience. In divine words:

Patience may thus be said to include:

(1) Desires and emotions to be kept under control

(2) Haste, panic and fear should be avoided.

(3) Avarice and improper passions may not be in one's heart. Act cool-headedly yet decisively.

(4) One should not retreat while facing hardships and dangers.

(5) Ire, fury and provocation may not compel one for wrong doings.

(6) One should keep his cool while facing hardships and miserable conditions.

(7) Excessive eagerness to achieve the target should not compel one to act according to an ill devised plan.

(8) Worldly benefits may not lure the Muslims to incline towards these benefits. Muslims were required to give the test of their patience through some other modes also, in the changed circumstances.

Sometimes, the passion to achieve the target, dominates one's heart. Placed before this passion, one does not take adequate care of truth and justice and justifies his lapses. But Islamic movement which is absolutely based upon fundamentals of truth, does not allow its disciples to step over truth and justice. Muslims at this critical juncture of struggle between Islam and heathenism were therefore being advised to reach political pacts with adversaries in addition to the instructions regarding their moral training. The essence of these instructions is that Muslims should never make victory, defeat or material benefits a base to breach their pacts. They should always have trust in Allah and respect these pacts with complete honesty even if it compels them to refrain from helping their own brethren.

These are some of the chief characteristics of the comments given on battle of Badr in the Holy Qur'an. These comments are an evidence of the distinction of Islamic movement over other movements and makes it clear as to how the Islamic movement trains its disciples.

Though Muslims came back victorious from Badr but it was like the stirring hornet's nest. The battle of Badr was the first war between Muslims and infidels and Muslims faced them fiercely and defeated them. This incident cautioned the whole Arabia against Muslims and the arch rivals of this movement got infuriated. The relatives of deceased Quraysh chiefs were also waiting in the wings to take revenge. A single murder used to cause battles for many generations and those killed in Badr were not ordinary people, their blood was very costly. The signs of a storm were apparent; few tribes who had aligned with Muslims infringed the pacts. They, despite having belief in Allah, prophecy, hereafter and divine books, attached their sympathies with polytheists of Quraysh. They openly started inciting polytheists for war against Muslims especially the chief of Nuzair tribe K'ab Ibn Ashraf showed extreme meanness and severe enmity. It therefore became clear that Jews will leave no regard of neighbourhood and the pacts reached with Muslims and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Now, this small town of Madinah was surrounded by enemies on all sides and the financial condition of its inhabitant too was very weak. Now, after the war they faced many more problems. All major chiefs of Makkah had vowed to take revenge and they were amid the flames of frenzy. Jews further blew the fire of revenge and incited the infidels of Makkah for a war against Muslims Hardly one year had passed that news started trickling in Madinah that polytheists of Makkah are ready with a very strong army to launch a massive attack on Madinah.

In the first week of Shavval 3 A.H., Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent out two men to gather information. They returned and informed that the army of Quraysh had reached the vicinity of Madinah and their horses have wiped off a pasture of Madinah. Now, the Prophet (ﷺ) discussed the matter with his companions. The question was whether to face Quraysh from within Madinah or should they fight outside Madinah? Some companion opined that we should face them staying within Madinah but some youths who were keen to get martyrdom, insisted that the battle should be fought in the open. This insistence made Prophet's mind to fight in the open.

Quraysh camped at the Mount U`hud near Madinah on a Thursday. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) marched with one thousand companions towards U`hud the next day after offering Friday Salah. Abdullah Ibn Ubai, a hypocrite, was among the companions overtly though he was a deadly enemy of Muslims secretly. Several hypocrites who were under the influence of Abdullah too were initially present there. After going a bit ahead Abdullah along with his three hundred other hypocrite followers deserted Muslims. Now there were 700 companions with the Prophet (ﷺ). Such a desertion at this critical stage would have been a strong psychological setback for Muslims but their hearts were filled with faith in Allah, hereafter and the desire to get martyrdom in the way of Allah. They therefore paid no heed. This incident could not leave an adverse effect on them and they kept advancing, having dependence on Allah.

On this occasion Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) reviewed his companions and sent back minors. Two minors, named Raafi` and Samrah, were also among Muslims. When minors were being separated, Raafi` stood on his toes to look taller. This trick paid and he was included. But Samrah could not get the permission. On being rejected, Samrah said, "You included Raafi` so I should also be granted permission because I defeat him in wrestling bout. To test his claim, a wrestling competition was held between the two. Samrah defeated Raaf`i and hence was also included in the army. This is a small incident but enough to estimate their spirit to sacrifice their lives in the way of Allah.

Mount U`hud is at a distance of about 4 miles from Madinah. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) arrayed the army in such a manner that on their back was the mountain and they were face to face with Quraysh army. There was a pass on the back from where Muslims could be attacked. Therefore, Prophet (ﷺ) deployed fifty arrow men there under the leadership of Abdullah Ibn Jubair and directed them, "Let no one come through this pass and never move from this position even if you see preying birds tearing our bodies.

Quraysh were well equipped this time. They were almost 3000 in number, all well-armed. It was a custom of Arabs that women used to take part in wars to encourage their army and the soldier used to fight fiercely thinking that if they lose war, their women will be disgraced. On this occasion of U`hud, several women were present with Quraysh army. Many of their women had lost their sons and relatives in the battle of Badr. These women had pledged that they would quench their thirst of revenge with the blood of the enemies.

Quraysh army was well trained. When the war started, women started playing on tambourine and started singing encouraging songs to provoke the sense of honour so that the soldiers recall the sorrow of Badr's deceased soldiers and their zeal of revenge gets strength. In the beginning, Muslims were dominant and killed several soldiers of Quraysh and their army scattered. Muslims took it as their victory and in this early stage of victory itself, started collecting booty. The soldiers deployed at the mountain pass thought that the war had ended and they joined those looting the booty. Their leader Abdullah Ibn Jubair tried to prevent them and reminded them the order of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) but all left the pass except a few.

Khalid Ibn Waleed was commanding a cavalry unit for infidels. He did not let this golden opportunity slip from his hands. He took a turn and attacked Muslims from the backside. Abdullah Ibn Jubair along with a few soldiers tried to stop the ambush but they failed and were killed. The enemies suddenly charged Muslims from the back. Those infidels who were fleeing the battlefield also came back and attacked Muslims from both sides. This change of complexion of the war panicked Muslims and they got scattered and started running here and there. Amid this hullabaloo, even Muslims started attacking their fellow Muslims. The spreading rumour that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had acquired martyrdom devastated their morale. Muslims lost their presence of mind and they lost all their hopes.

At this time ten to twelve companions had escorted Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who was wounded. The companions took Prophet (ﷺ) to a cliff and other Muslims got the information that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was safe and sound and present in the battlefield. All gathered around the Prophet (ﷺ) but Allah knows what happened on this occasion that infidels turned back and left the battlefield without completing their victory.

When they moved out of battlefield, they said to each other, we missed a golden opportunity to crush the power of Muslims, we lost it and came back. They halted at a place and discussed whether to attack Madinah again but they could not dare to do so and went back to Makkah. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was also of the view that enemies might come back, so he gathered Muslims and ordered to chase the infidels. It was a critical situation but those having a true faith got ready to take the risk and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) chased the enemies up to a place called Humra'ul Asad. This place is at a distance of 8 miles from Madinah. But when they came to know that Quraysh have gone back, they all came back to Madinah.

Seventy companions acquired martyrdom in U`hud battle, most of them were Ansars. Every house of Madinah was the house of mourning. On this occasion Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) directed that wailing and lamentation did not suit a Muslim.

The early defeat of Muslims in U`hud's battle was due to hypocrites' planning and tricks but there were some weaknesses on behalf of Muslims as well. They could not get the proper training. It was their second chance of fighting in the path of Allah. That is why they committed some mistakes. They were guilty of negligence from their duty, disobeying the commands and collecting booty before disarming the enemy. So, after this war also, Allah Most High commented on it and explained all errors in Muslims from Islamic point of view and He gave all necessary instructions. These instructions are mentioned in the last part of the Surah Aal-i-`Imraan. Some of these instructions are being mentioned here so that the status of war in Islamic movement might be better understood and that how the events of war and other happenings are interpreted from Islamic point of view.

When Muslims went out for fighting infidels, their number was about one thousand, while the number of enemies was 3000. Then, 300 hypocrites deserted them and they were only 700 left compared to 3000 infidels. They had insufficient arms and their one-third army had already cheated them. At this point some people gave up hope. The only force that enabled Muslims to get ready for fight was that of Allah Almighty, The solace given by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to Muslims is mentioned by Allah Almighty in Holy Qur'an:

Muslims were finally made to understand that a Muslim should not rely upon their physical power; the source of their genuine power is faith in Allah and dependence on His aid.

The main reason for defeat of Muslims in U`hud was that they fell for wealth during the war. They got attracted towards wealth before driving away the enemy completely. Even those deputed on the security of mountain pass, became negligent and the happenings turned in favour of infidels, Thus at this very occasion, to purify the hearts of Muslims from the love of wealth, Allah Almighty forbade the usury that creates love for wealth. People, who charge interests, develop greed of wealth which makes them unworthy for any noble cause. This creates avarice, misery, selfishness in one section of the society, which results in hatred, anger, malice and envy in other section.

If there is no stimulus to energise human being then, successive failures lower the morale. Muslims were defeated in U`hud. This could have resulted in the lowering of the morale. Hence now the Muslims were guaranteed victory if they do not panic and show courage and should remain unwavering in their faith and fulfil its requirements. They were commanded, "Do this part of yours and leave the rest to Allah, surely He will drive away your worries and sorrows. Lose not hearts nor fall into despair. For you would ultimately gain victory if you are true in faith and fulfil its requirement. In so far as the small problems and hurdles are concerned they are also equally faced by the rival groups. When they do not loose courage even while on a wrong path why do you bother, when you are on a right path. You are desirous of paradise but do you think that you would get it as such. You have not been tested yet by Allah as to who would sacrifice himself for Allah and who would endure with him during these difficult times.

Every movement has a central figure which is the essence of the movement. But the survival and progress of a principle based movement never depend on an individual; they rather depend on the truth and firmness of those principles. It is not difficult to understand the importance of the noble prophets (peace be upon them all) for such Islamic movements, but to establish that this movement was based upon principles and its survival and flourishing depended purely on the power of those principles which Islam puts forth, it was necessary to tell Muslims lest they may think that they are required to rise for the cause of Allah only as long as their prophet is alive and when they are deprived of his direct guidance, they would adopt some other way. Thus, when the rumour of Prophet Muhammad's martyrdom spread in the battlefield of U`hud, some Muslims lost their heart and they thought that it was of no use to fight without the Prophet (ﷺ) .To rectify this assumption they were told that:

It is not necessary that to follow and to establish the truth (Islam) that you have consciously chosen for yourself that Prophet (ﷺ) would be always with you. It is a barter of your own success and prosperity. If you remain steadfast you would gain. The real power of this Deen (religion) is the truth it represents. It's progress neither depends on your efforts nor on any personality.

The root of all human weaknesses is death. They were reminded at this hour that fleeing the death is of no avail. No one dies before the time of his death, fixed by Allah. Nobody can live or die after or before this fixed time. So fear not the death. What one should worry is to see whether he was serving the right purpose of his life? We should think whether we are spending our life according to Islamic laws. If one seeks the material things he gets them in his lifetime. But one, who works for the reward in hereafter, Allah would reward him for his good deeds. This opportunity should be availed by these who have had the blessings of embracing Islam, following its duties and establishing the truth (Islam). They should put forth their best for the cause. They would get good reward in the form of eternal success. Those who thank Allah for His blessings would be rewarded by Allah with best of His blessings and best of bestowals.

Except one or two tribes, the whole Arabia was against the surging Islamic movement. This movement was affecting their ancestral religions and customs. Islam wanted to raise moral values and make the disciples to avoid evils which were prevalent in Arabia. These evils included wine, gambling, fornication and robberies. Prior to the battle of Badr, these tribes pondered over the ways to eradicate Islam. But the defeat of Badr lowered their morale and they were in a dilemma as to how to face the believers. But after the battle of U`hud they got back their lost stamina and a lot many tribes challenged Islam. Some of these events are as follows:

 (i) In Muharram 4 A.H., a tribe named Jufaid of Qutn region intended to attack Madinah. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent a small army under the leadership of Abu Salmah to face them. The attackers turned to heels and fled away.

(2) After that in this very month a tribe La`hyan of `Arna Hill Ranges attacked Madinah. Abdullah Ibn Anis was sent to repulse them. Their chief Sufiyan was killed and his men fled away.

(3) In `Safar 4 A.H., Abu Bara', the chief of Kalaab tribe, came to visit Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and said, "Send some preachers with me, I and my people want to listen to Islamic preaching." Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent 70 companions with him. Most of them were `Suffa[48] people. These companions were killed by the chief of the tribe Aamir Ibn Tufail and his aides. It was a shocking incident for Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He cursed these killers after Fajr `Salah throughout the month. Aamir spared one of these 70 companions saying, "My mother took a vow to free a slave. Go away I free you for this vow." When `Amr Ibn Umayyah was returning to Madinah, he met two men of Aamir's tribe. Umayyah killed them and got the sop that he at least took some revenge. When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came to know about this incident and disliked it because he had promised immunity to this tribe and these killings were against this resolution. He therefore ordered to pay blood-money for these two persons.

Two more tribes followed suite. The Prophet (ﷺ), on their request, sent 10 companions with them to impart religious education, but these oppressors breached the promise. Seven of these ten companions got martyrdom by fighting these infidels and three were taken into custody. Khubaib and Zaid (RATAA) were among these prisoners. The enemies sold them out in Makkah. Khubaib (RATA) had killed Haarith Ibn `Aamir of Quraysh in the battle of U`hud. The son of `Haarith bought Khubaib so that he kill him to take revenge. They martyred him after a few days. Similarly `Safwaan Ibn Umayyah bought Zaid and martyred him.

Such mischief was also created by many other neighbouring tribes and the adversaries committed excesses. Muslims were at the receiving end. At the same time there were also some matters with Jews which were cause of anxiety to Muslims.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had reached various pacts with Jew tribes when he migrated to Madinah. These tribes, through these pacts, were assured that they and their properties would be protected. They would have the freedom to practise their religion. Despite these pacts, the rise of Islamic movement was making them perturbed and they had reasons for it:

(1) Until now Jews had an upper hand from religious point of view. All other tribes respected them for their religiosity and their love for God, but with the advent of Islam the hollowness of false religiosity and professional god-fearing was being exposed. Prophet Muhammad's preachings made the people understand the real meaning of religiousness and piety. The "market" of these savants and saints was facing a recession.

(2) Open criticism on the dealings of Jews especially their scholars and pious people, was being revealed through the Holy Qur'an. For example, "(They are fond of) listening to falsehood, of devouring anything forbidden. If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere. If thou decline, they cannot hurt thee in the least. If thou judge, judge in equity between them. For Allah loveth those who judge in equity." (5:42) and, " Many of them dost thou see, racing each other in sin and rancour, and their eating of things forbidden. Evil indeed are the things that they do." (5:62) or "That they took usury, though they were forbidden" (4:161). Such comments are present in Surahs Al-Baqarah, Al-Ma'ida and Aal-i-`Imraan. These warnings made them angry and they indiscriminately used to start tormenting Muslims.

(3) With Islam spreading rapidly, they feared that they would have to give in to Islam one day or the other.

The above were the reasons that made the Jews staunchly against Islam.

After the battle of Badr, Jews first took notice, as they feared that Islam would become a powerful religion. Just after Badr, in Shawwal in the year 2 A.H., the Jew tribe of Banu Qainuqa' declared a war against Muslims and infringed the pact that they had with Muslims. The instant reason for this battle was that a Jew had molested a Muslim woman. Her husband killed a Jew in anger. The Jews retaliated and killed this Muslim. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) tried to assuage the matter. But Jews replied that they were not like Quraysh who fled away from Badr and that they would give a good fight. Disregarding the Pact, they therefore announced war. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) retaliated. Jews confined themselves in a fort. After a siege that lasted 15 days, it was settled that Jews be exiled. As a result 700 Jews were banished.

K'ab Ibn Ashraf was a famous Jew poet. He composed verses after the battle of Badr that were very provoking against Muslims in Makkah. Poets had a lot of influence during those days. He composed two elegies for the Quraysh's deceased in Badr and recited them in Makkah in a manner that made everyone wail and cry. Then he came to Madinah and recited satirical verses about Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and incited people through different means. On one occasion he invited Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) for a feast and hatched a conspiracy to kill him. The Prophet (ﷺ) discussed this situation with his companions and with his assent Muhammad Ibn Muslimah murdered K'ab in the month of Rabi`ul Awwal, in the year 3 A.H.

The tribe of Nuzair committed several breaches and conspired many times to assassinate Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). They had also been incited for this purpose by Quraysh. When they became a nuisance, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ordered to lay a siege around their fort which lasted for 15 days. At last they agreed to vacate the fort with as much belongings as they could carry on their camels. According to this agreement many of their chiefs took the way to Khaibar. They carried almost all essential items with them. Now both the enemies of Muslims joined hands, they were polytheists of Arabia and Jews. They started charting out plans and decided to attack Madinah unitedly. In the beginning, whenever information of attack trickled in, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) went out with Muslims to face them but the enemies turned to their heels and ran away. On one occasion in Muharram 5 A.H., he chased them up to Dhatur Riqa`a and second time in Rabi`ul Awwval in the year 5 A.H., he chased them up to Doomat-ul-Jandal.

People of Banu Nu`dair tribe reached Khaibar. Here they hatched a dire conspiracy against Muslims. They instigated nearby tribes against Muslims and made Quraysh agree for a battle and said, "If we attack them untidily, we can crush this movement". Quraysh were already prepared for a war. Thus, a grand army of almost 10000 soldiers from various tribes of Jews and infidels of Makkah, was constituted.

When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came to know that infidels are preparing to attack Madinah on such a large scale, he counselled his companions. Salmaan Farsi (RATA) was of the view that it is not proper to fight with such a large number in open field. They should choose a proper place to dig trenches around that place so that, the enemy might not attack them directly. This suggestion was unanimously accepted.

Madinah was surrounded by houses and oasis on three sides, only one side was open. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) deployed three thousand companions on digging a trench. This digging started on 8th of Dhul-Q`adah 5 A.H. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself dug the ground and gave ten yards of land to everyone for digging. These 3000 Muslims dug this 5 yards deep trench in 20 days. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) himself took interest in digging the trench. During the digging a rock became a hurdle, it was too hard to break. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came forward and hit the rock with a violent blow of pickaxe, the rock shattered to pieces. This was also a miracle of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

The infidels divided their army in three contingents and attacked Madinah from three sides. This fierce attack has been depicted in the Holy Qur'an as:

This was the time of trial. On one hand was biting cold, lack of provisions, continuous starvations, sleepless nights, restless days, fear of life hovering, wealth and offspring being the target of enemies, and a strong army of enemy at offence. All these were horrifying. But the believers remained steadfast with the power of their faith. It was not a matter to bear for those with a weak faith and those who were hypocrites. These hardships easily exposed them and they started complaining. "Allah and his messenger promised us nothing but delusions" (33:12). They started offering excuses to save their lives, 'Ye men of Yathrib! ye cannot stand (the attack)! therefore go back!"' (33:13). They asked Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to grant them permission to stay in their houses and protect them as their houses were unsafe. But the condition of those whose faith was firm and who were true in their claim of faith, was different:

This siege lasted one month and it was so intense that Muslims starved continuously for three meals. The siege was adding to the hardships and miseries. Infidels could not get across the trench so they kept waiting on the other side. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had deployed Muslims on various positions. The infidels pelted stones and shot arrows from the other side of trench. Muslims gave proper replies. In the meantime infidels they launched stray attacks too. Sometimes Muslim had to use their complete might in repulsing the surging attacks of infidels. Sometimes, Muslim had to delay their Salahs.

As the siege was prolonging, the morale of infidels was lowering. It was not an easy task to provide provisions to 10,000 soldiers. And the inclemency of weather was unbearable. In the meantime the violent stormy wind uprooted the tents of the enemy. Their whole army got scattered. This storm was chastisement from Allah for infidels and a cause of blessing for Muslims. Allah has described it as his favour:

The infields could not brave this condition and their power broke. First it were Jews who evaded and when Quraysh remained desolate, they found it better to go back. The clouds of hardships that were hovering over Madinah drove away and this happened only with the virtue and hidden help from Allah. This battle is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and the aspects of Muslims' training and admonition have been mentioned here.

The real power rests with Allah, it is the faith of a believer. Whatever happens is due to His will and pleasure. A believer does not regard his achievement a result of his own power or his efforts rather he regards it, as the reality is, as Allah's kindness and mercy. In Ahzab, the army of 10000 infidels could not inflict the harm to Muslims and they went back disappointed. It was such an occasion that Muslims might have thought that this victory was due to their course of action i.e. digging of the trench. It could have been a good opportunity for Muslims to feel proud. But Allah, at this occasion, ordered to save Muslims from this weakness:

This was the mental training required for the protagonists of Islamic movement. A believer should always have full faith in Allah. He should keep it in his mind that Allah is the true accomplisher and with this they should keep on advancing to establish the Deen heedless of the might and power of opponents.

A Muslim is tried of his faith in the times of calamities. He himself knows the degree of his faith and others can also see how deep they are in water. In ordinary circumstances, it is difficult to estimate that how far one can go in making efforts to get his goal. Often one mistook oneself. But during hard times it is easy to differentiate between pure and impure. The same thing was done by Ahzab battle. A sizeable number of hypocrites and those with a feeble faith were mixed with Muslims and it was necessary that Muslims should identify them. Thus when the digging of trench started, these people were exposed. Continuous digging, working for 24 hours regardless of rest, and facing such a strong army and then remaining firm in an atmosphere charged with fear and harassment. These were the hardships which differentiated between true Muslims and hypocrites. The hypocrites called out, "The Prophet promised us victory but now the defeat is imminent, we understood that, 'Allah and His messenger promised us nothing but delusions' (33:12)".

Some of them started offering excuses and left the battlefield on the pretext of saving their houses. But those whose faith was stern, took these things in a different way. When they saw the enemies coming down on them they called out, "This is what Allah and his Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger told us what was true." And it only added to their faith and their zeal in obedience." (33:32).

Fear of life and loss of property are man's greatest weaknesses. Islam asks a Muslim to have faith in Allah and His qualities. The Basic belief is that life, death, profit, loss and everything is from Allah. Nobody can change the life into death of profit into loss. This very belief and faith is the basis of Muslim's strength. The weakness of one's faith would be apparent in one's deeds. So, it was told clearly to Muslims:

If this belief is in one's heart then why one would turn away? A man should always test his faith. More often he remains in the dark about himself. When there is a test, he gets correct estimate about himself.

Amid the mentioning of this war, Muslims were directed that the life of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was a worth-following example for you. But those who have belief in the rewards of hereafter and meeting with Allah, can be right person to profit themselves and those who recall Allah more often. The example of Prophet's patience, dependence on Allah, determination, perseverance, are enough for believers to keep their hopes aloft, strengthening the heart in inevitable, circumstances and dependence on Allah with complete perseverance and it is an example that the believers can follow till the end of this world. Those who are determined to establish Islam should stroll on this path. This example must be put before them at every turning in their life. This is the guiding light for them.

It is mentioned earlier that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had signed several treaties with Jew tribes. The Jews honoured these treaties in the beginning but they started to breach them later. Due to these breaches, Nuzair tribe had been banished. But Qurai`zah tribe made a new agreement and Prophet (ﷺ) allowed them to live with peace in their castles.

At the time of Ahzab battle, many Jew tribes provoked Qurai`zah tribe and they joined the confederate forces. They paid no heed to the treaties reached with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). When the battle of Ahzab was over, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) first of all paid heed to the tribe of Qurai`zah and decided to punish them for the breach of the treaty. They made this breach at a critical time when the whole Arabia surged over Muslims and apparently it was felt that Muslims had no escape. Qurai`zah had proved that they were snake of grass. They made agreements with Muslims, satisfied them but deceived them at the time of need. They joined others to annihilate Muslims. So, their castles were besieged. And the siege lasted for a month and at the end of the day Quraizahs surrendered. It was decided, in accordance with the rules in Torah, that those who were fit for war should be slaughtered and the rest should be arrested. Their wealth and belongings were forfeited. Thus 1400 persons were slaughtered including a woman whose guilt was that she dropped a stone from the fort over a Muslim that killed him.

Ka`aba was the original centre of Islam. Prophet Ibraheem and his son Isma'il (AS) had constructed it when Allah ordered them so. Muslims were away from this centre for six years, Hajj was an important component of the basic tenants of Islam. Now, Muslims' ardent desire was to visit Ka`aba for Hajj.

Arabs engaged in wars throughout the year but they used to announce a ceasefire for four months to provide a safe passage to people for visiting Ka`aba In the month of Dhul-Q`adah in the year 6 A.H., Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) intended to visit Ka`aba. A large number of companions were also curious for this felicity of visiting Ka`aba. A total of 1400 Muslims got ready for the journey. They performed initial ritual of sacrifice at Dhul-`Hulaifa. It was a clear indication that their intention is just to visit Ka`aba. They are not going to attack infidels of Makkah. Despite this Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sent a man to bring information regarding Quraysh's intentions. He brought the news that Quraysh have gathered all tribes and had announced that they would not let Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) enter Makkah. They were ready for a confrontation. They had started deploying their army outside Makkah and were ready for a fight.

The Holy Prophet got this information but he kept moving and halted at `Hudaibiyah, a place near Makkah. `Hudaibiyah is the name of a well and the village is also named after it. Chief of Khaza`ah tribe met the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) here and informed him about the preparations of Quraysh. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered him, "Go and tell them that we are here to perform `Umrah. We do not want a fight and just want to visit and circumambulate the Holy Ka`aba." Quraysh got this massage. Some mischievous persons said, "We need not listen to his message." But a sober man named `Urvah said, "No, you believe me and I would go and talk to Muhammad (ﷺ)". `Urvah came to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) but the matter could not be settled. In the meantime, Quraysh sent a detachment to attack Muslims. These soldiers were arrested but the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) showing mercy, forgave them and they were released later. It was decided that `Uthman (RATA) should be sent to Makkah for negotiations. He went to Makkah and negotiated with Quraysh but they remained adamant that Muslims would not be allowed to visit the Holy Ka`aba rather they detained `Uthman (RATA).

The word spread here that `Uthman has been martyred. This news made Muslims restless. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ), hearing this news, ordered that it was necessary then to take the revenge of his blood. Saying this, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) sat under an Acacia tree and took oath of allegiance from his companions (RATAA) that they all would take revenge at any cost. This oath enthused a strange spirit amongst Muslims. All of them, overwhelmed with the desire to get martyrdom, prepared themselves to take revenge from infidels. This oath is termed as Bai'atur Ri`dwan and is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. At this occasion, Allah has expressed His pleasure for those lucky persons who pledged with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Quraysh got the information about this oath and the spirited Muslims. On the other hand, Muslims came to know that the news of the killing of `Uthman (RATA) was wrong. Quraysh sent Suhail Ibn `Amr as their envoy for negotiations. These negotiations lasted a few hours and at last the conditions for compromise were settled. Ali (RATA) was called in to scribe the treaty. When he wrote that this treaty is from Muhammad Rasoolullah (Allah's Prophet, ﷺ), Suhail objected to this and said that the word "Rasooullah" should be removed, they disagree over this. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) sustained his objection and deleted word "Rasoolullah" with his holy hand and declared, "By Allah! I am Allah's Prophet, whether you believe it or not." The conditions of this treaty were as follows :

1. Muslims would go back this year.

2. They would come next year and stay only for three days.

3. They should not carry arms. Only a sheathed sword would be allowed on the condition that it would not be unsheathed.

4. The Muslims who are still in Makkah, would not be allowed to go to Madinah and if any Muslim wants to come back to Makkah, he would not be stopped from doing so.

5. If an infidel or a Muslim goes to Madinah (from Makkah) he would be extradited but if a Muslim goes to Makkah, he would not be extradited.

6. All other tribes of Arabian peninsula would be free to align themselves with Muslims or infidels.

7. The tenure of this treaty would be 10 years.

Apparently all these conditions were against the interests of Muslims and it was felt that Muslims compromised with these conditions.

It is a matter of chance that when the treaty was being written, the son of Suhail, Abu Jandal managed to flee from Makkah and reached the place `Hudaibiyah. He was chained, he fell down before Muslims and narrated his woes and told them about the hardships and woes he was facing as he accepted Islam. Abu Jandal pleaded the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "Rescue me from the claws of infidels and take me with you." Suhail objected and said, "This is against the treaty, you can not take him to Madinah." It was a testing time, on one hand there was a neophyte who was being tortured for accepting Islam and was crying out for assistance and on the other hand was the treaty and its conditions. All Muslims got uneasy. Even `Umar (RATA) said to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), "When you are the true messenger of Allah, why shall we suffer this disgrace at the hands of infidels". But Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that, "I am the messenger of Allah and I can not disobey His command. He would help me." In short, the writing got completed and Abu Jandal had to return back to Makkah in accordance with the treaty and followers of Islam succeeded in their test of following the Prophet (ﷺ). On one side it was an apparent insult of Islam, the bad condition of Abu Jandal and on the other hand it was a total acceptance of Prophet's command. Prophet (ﷺ) told Abu Jandal to have patience and assured him that Allah would find a way for him and others oppressed. We cannot get back to our commitment. Abu Jandal had to return back chained.

The Prophet (ﷺ) stayed for three days in `Hudaibiyah after the treaty. On his way back to Madinah, Allah revealed Surah Fat'ha (victory). In this chapter Allah hinted towards the incident of this treaty and termed it as "Fat'h-i-Mubeen" (an open victory). And the events that followed this treaty clearly explained that this treaty (of Hudaibiyah) was really a prelude to a great victory in Islamic History. Its details are as follows:

Until that time, there was a war like situation but now Muslims and non-Muslims started interacting. They started establishing commercial and ancestral relations. Non-Muslims came to Madinah fearlessly and stayed there for months and interacted with Muslims. In this way they found an opportunity to view the Islamic movement from close quarters. They were being affected strangely. They found Muslims, for whom they had hatred and anger, much better than their own people in moral values, dealings and behaviour. They found that Muslims, who were their arch rivals, had no malice and enmity with them rather they hated their wrong beliefs and customs. Every word of Muslims was full of sympathy and humanity. Despite many battles that were fought between them, Muslims always nicely behaved with them. They (infidels) discussed their objections and doubts regarding Islam with Muslims and got satisfactory answers. They realised their errors and their misconceptions about Islam started fading away. Within two years of this treaty, a large number of people had embraced Islam; even some major chiefs of Quraysh were affected by Islam and, abandoning infidels, embraced Islam. Khalid Ibn Waleed and `Amr Ibn Al `Aa`s (RATAA) entered the folds of Islam in this period. The sphere of Islam was expanding and it was all set to overwhelm the world. The leaders of infidels were taking it as an end to their barbarian beliefs. Quraysh felt that they were losing ground against Islam. They found no other option except to breach the treaty as soon as possible and try their fate against the Islamic movement whole-heatedly. They wanted to build dams to stop this surging flood of Islam. The breach of this treaty would be mentioned on proper occasion in the chapter on victory over Makkah.

The Treaty of `Hudaibiyah provided satisfaction to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). Now he decided to pay some more attention to invitation and propagation of Islam. One day the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) addressed the companions and said, "O people! Allah has sent me in the world as a messenger of mercy (my message is for all and it is a mercy for the whole world). Now do not contradict me like the apostles of Christ. Go and convey the message of truth (Islam) to all."

In this very period i.e. in the end of 6 A.H. or in the beginning of year 7 A.H., the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) wrote invitation letters to many kings and emperors and these letters were delivered to kings of several nations by his companions. The specimens of some of these letters, whose details are available in the history, are as follows:

Letter to Hercules, the Caesar of Rome delivered by Di`hyah Ibn al-Kalabi (RATA)

Letter to Cyrus[50], king of Persia delivered by Abdullah Ibn Khuzafah (RATA)

Letter to King of Egypt delivered by `Haatib Ibn Abi Balta`ah (RATA)

Letter to Negus[51] king of Abyssinia delivered by `Amr Ibn Umayyahh.

The letter sent to the Hercules, Caesar of Rome was as follows:

In the name of Allah, The most beneficent and merciful

On behalf of Muhammad, who is a slave and messenger of Allah, to Hercules the king of Rome.

May Allah grant him salvation who follows the guidance. After this I invite you to Islam. Be a faithful and obedient slave of Allah to get salvation. He would reward you two folds. But if you do not obey Allah, then the sins of your people would also be on your shoulders (because of your denial, the invitation to Islam would not reach them).

O the bearer of a Holy Book! Come towards what is common between us that we would not worship anybody except Allah, nor shall we attribute anyone to Him and none of us would make anyone his lord except Allah. But if you turn down this offer, (We clearly say) Be a witness that we are Muslims (that is we obey Allah and worship Him)

Di`hyah Ibn al-Kalabi delivered this letter to Harith Ghassani in Basra who was the governor of Syria appointed by Caesar of Rome. He despatched it to Caesar. The Caesar read the letter and ordered his men to bring an Arab before him. In those days Abu Sufiyan was in this region on a commercial trip. His men presented Sufiyan in the court. Their conversation is as follows:

Caesar   : What kind of dynasty, does the caller to Islam belong to?

Abu Sufiyan : He belongs to a noble dynasty.

Caesar   : Had anybody claimed prophethood in this dynasty before him?

Abu Sufiyan : No, never.

Caesar   : Are the people who accepted this faith rich or poor?

Abu Sufiyan : They are poor people.

Caesar   : Is the number of disciples increasing or decreasing?

Abu Sufiyan : The number of disciples is increasing continuously.

Caesar   : Has anyone of you people found him telling a lie?

Abu Sufiyan  :  No, never

Caesar   : Does he break his promise?

Abu Sufiyan  He never says anything contrary to his commitment and resolution. He reached a fresh treaty (of `Hudaibiyah). It is to see whether he keeps his words in this regard.

Caesar   : Have you ever fought against him?

Abu Sufiyan  : Yes, we fought a battle.

Caesar   : What was the result?

Abu Sufiyan  : He defeated us twice and we defeated him once.

Caesar   : What does he teach?

Abu Sufiyan: He asks to worship only one God, never make a companion to Allah, offer `Salah, be pious, speak truth, behave with each other with compassion and mercy.

After this conversation he said, "Prophets are always born in noble dynasties. If someone else in his dynasty had claimed prophethood then it was possible that his claim was influenced by his family. And if there had been a king in his dynasty then it might be understood that he was doing all this to get the reigns of power. When it is proved that he never told a lie then how it is possible that he might have concocted such a great lie about Allah (that he is the Prophet of Allah). This is also a fact that the early disciples of any Prophets are from poor sections of the society. A true religion keeps on expanding. This is true that Prophets never cheat or deceive. You say that he insists on `Salah (prayer), piety and God-fearing. If all this is true, I am sure some day or other his empire would engulf my empire too. I had the knowledge that a Prophet is due to come but I had not imagined that Arab would get this honour. If I could go there, I would have washed his feet."

These comments of Caesar exasperated his courtiers, popes and scholars and it was feared that they might not revolt against him. This fear engulfed light of guidance emerging in the heart of Caesar. It is a fact that wealth and authority always become a hurdle in accepting the truth.

The letter to the king Cyrus Parvez was as follow:

"In the name of Allah, the most beneficent and most merciful, from Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah to the king Cyrus of Persia. Peace be upon him who follows guidance and have faith in Allah and His Prophet and gives the witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the messenger sent by Allah for the human beings so that I may warn everyone of his deadly end (if one disobeys Allah). If you too become an obedient and loyal slave of Allah, you would be in peace. Else the burden of Zoroastrians will be on your shoulders ".

Cyrus Parvez was a king of pomp and show. To him the style of letter was very painful. The letter had the name of Allah, then the name of sender and then the name of king and that too in a simple way without titles, appellations and respect and without the particular style of letter writing that was prevalent in Persia. Cyrus got angry and said, "He is my salve and dares to address me like this" Saying this he tore the blessed letter. He ordered the governor of Yemen to present this claimant to prophethood before him.

The governor of Yemen sent out two men in the blessed audience to request him for paying a visit. In the meantime the son of Cyrus Parvez killed him and captured the power. When these two men were presented in the blessed audience, they were unaware of the murder of their King. Allah Almighty had informed Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) about this murder. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) informed them of this incident and commanded them, "Go back and tell your governor that Islamic rule would expand to the capital city of Cyrus's empire." When these men went back to Yemen, they learnt that the information regarding the murder of Cyrus was true.

Similar letters were sent to the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and the King of Egypt. Negus, in response to the letter, v/rote back, "I give witness that you are the true messenger of Allah" Negus embraced Islam in the presence of Ja'far who had migrated to Abyssinia.

Though the king of Egypt did not accept Islam but he gave respect to the bearers and sent them back with gifts.

When Nuzair tribe were banished from Madinah they settled in Khaibar. Khaibar is situated in the north-west of Madinah at a distance of 200 miles. They built a few castle in Khaibar. It was the largest centre of Islam's adversaries and a constant danger for Islam. These very Jews stimulated the tribes for the battle of Ahzab. They did not succeed in this conspiracy. But they did not give up hope and remained busy in hatching conspiracies to harm Muslims. In order to achieve this purpose they conspired with various other tribes of Arabs especially Quraysh and instigated the hypocrites of Madinah to step up their undermining of Islam from within so that Islam is banished forever by an external attack. All these efforts of Jews were in the knowledge of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He tried his best to reach a proper agreement with Jews in order to make them give up their anti-Islamic activities but to no avail. Jews did not give up conspiring. They even lured other tribes that if they agreed to launch a joint attack on Madinah, they would start giving half of the produce of their oasis to them every year. In short, as a result of these intrigues, many tribes gave in to the temptation and agreed to launch a joint attack on Madinah.

Until now Muslims were fighting for their defence, every time the enemy forced war on them, they used their weapons to defend themselves. Allah helped them and they defeated their opponents. But now the things were changing and it was the need of the hour that whereever a danger to Islam emerged, it was to be curbed before it could galvanise itself into a big force against Islam. A defensive war is needed for the protection and establishing of Islam, but when necessary an offence against the enemy is also a must. Islam is a system of life, a complete code of life and to safeguard it, it is not enough to defend in case of an attack by the anti-Islamic forces. Rather, it is also essential to make efforts to undermine anti-Islamic systems, to establish Islam.

After the battle of Ahzab Islamic movement had entered a phase where defensive wars were not sufficient. The time had come to plunge into the arrays of enemy to remove their threat. That is why the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), after the battle of Ahzab, said, "Now it would not be so that people attack us, rather we would come out to attack them."[52]

The time had come to curb the mischief of Jews. Thus Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) started making arrangements for the attack on Khaibar. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came out of Madinah in Muharram, 7 A.H. to prevent the likely attack of Jews. There were 1600 soldiers with him, out of which only 200 were cavaliers, the remaining infantry.

There were 6 forts in Khaibar housing 20000 soldiers. When, it became certain that Jews wanted to fight and they would not agree for any pact or compromise, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gave an address to the companions and urged them to put their lives at stake for the sake of Allah. After a siege that lasted for 20 days, Allah gave victory to the Muslims. In all 93 Jews were killed and 15 Muslims embraced martyrdom in this war. A strong Jew wrestler named Mar`hab was killed by Ali (RATA). It was a great incident for Muslims, as Jews were very proud of his strength.

After the victory, Jews made the plea that if Muslims leave their fields in their possessions they would give half of the yields to Muslims. Their offer was accepted by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). In coming years, to get this 50 percent yields, Muslim rulers made justice with Jews which won over the hearts of Jews. The officers used to pile up the crops into two equal heaps and allowed Jew farmers to choose their share.

Post U`hud scenario depicts the extent of dangers that Islam was facing. To appreciate these dangers, the battle of Ahzab and its consequences are enough. This was a period of dilemma but Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), on one hand, was acting like an alert general to settle these issues and on the other, he was training the protagonists of Islamic movement in his capacity of their patron and a moral guide. Rules and regulations for this new Islamic society were being enacted. If we go through Surah An-Nisa' and Ma'idah that were revealed during this period, we come to know that prominence was being given on building Islamic character and rules and regulations for the Muslim society.

Surah Nisa' was revealed on different occasions in 4 and 5, A.H. It can be easily gauged how Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) organised this new Muslim society on the new moral values, cliques, social values and mode of life and rectified the new Islamic society from barbarian customs. Muslims were being bestowed clear instructions as to how they should organise their social life as well as their individual life on the principles of Islam. They were told the principles to organise the family, they were being given clear instructions about Nikah (matrimony) and divorce. Many evils were being removed from the society by determining the rights of men and women. The protection of orphans' and destitutes' rights was given prominence. Rules for the inheritance were enacted. Ways to solve domestic quarrels were elucidated. Consuming liquor was banned Directions for cleanliness and purity were given Muslims were told about the kind of relation a person should have with Allah and His slaves. People of Books (Jews, Christians and Sabians) were criticised for their misconducts and improper ways of living and they were told about their inaccuracies and on the other hand Muslims were made to understand that they should avoid these evils.

Islamic movement could have never succeeded against falsehood had it lacked the reformation on these aspects. Protagonists of Islamic movement should always keep their individual status high only in terms of their morals alone but Muslims should present an ideal society which would prove its supremacy over non Islamic Society. To attain this purpose, imitation or conscious efforts were not needed rather it comes naturally when the protagonists become God-fearing and kind. The Prophet's reformatory and revolutionary movement is distinguished from all other movements from this point of view. A Prophet pays more attention to the education, training and rectification of his disciples than his anxiousness to propagate the Deen. This exclusive quality is mentioned in the text of Surah Nisa'. On one hand laws regarding society, civilisation and morality are described, on the other, the aspects of invitation (to Islam) and propagation are also illustrated. Polytheists and people of Book are being invited towards the true religion (Islam).

After the Treaty of `Hudaibiyah, Surah Ma'idah was revealed in the year 7 A.H. Due to the conditions of `Hudaibiyah, Muslims could not perform `Umrah in this year. Rather it had been settled that Prophet (ﷺ) would come the next year to visit Ka`aba. Therefore, at this juncture, rules and rituals regarding the visit to Ka`aba were laid and they were taught not to commit any excess even if the infidels committed the same.

By the time of revelation of Surah Ma'ida, conditions of Muslims had changed. This was not the time that Islam was surrounded by enemies on all sides as the post-U`hud condition were. Now Islam had a power of its own and the Islamic state had expanded. The tribes surrounding Madinah up to a distance of 150 to 200 miles had given in and the constant danger of Jews to Madinah had faded now. Jews who were still there had accepted the subordination to the State of Madinah. It had become clear that Islam was not a collection of some beliefs which in general terms is called a "religion" which is related only with one's heart and brain. Rather, Islam was a complete system of life which encircles all aspects of human life like society, politics, peace and war. And it was also crystal clear that Muslims were in a position to follow their own chosen religion, without any restriction whatsoever. There was no hindrances from any other system or laws. They were free to call others towards Islam.

Muslims had developed a culture of their own by now, which was distinguished from others. Their moral values, mode of life, transactions, in short the whole structure of their life was taking shape in accordance with Islamic principles. They had an apparent supremacy on other. They had their own rules and regulations regarding civil and criminal matters; had their own courts. They had their ways of dealings and commercial transactions. They had a complete law for inheritance. They had laws about Nikah, divorce and Hijab (veil) and other similar matters. Even they had clear instructions regarding etiquette, behaviour and relationships. All these made the Islamic society and Islamic way of life distinguished from all other non-Islamic societies. And this was all due to the continuous efforts and training being imparted by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that resulted in increasing virtues in the life of Muslims. Surah Ma'idah contains directives regarding manners and rituals for Hajj journey, distinction between `Halaal (Permissible) and `Haraam (prohibited) in eatables, rules of ablution, bath and dry ablution, prohibition of liquor and gambling as unlawful, instructions regarding witness, emphasis on justice etc. All those aspects which were essential for re-construction of Islamic society, were being paid full attention.

According to the conditions of `Hudaibiyah treaty in the year 7 A.H., Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) along with a large number of Muslims visited Ka`aba and performed `Umrah. The companions of Prophet (ﷺ) were charged with a strong feeling of happiness and enthusiasm. This scene fanned the flames of envy and bigotry in the hearts of infidels of Makkah. Now, they found the same `Hudaibiyah treaty, which was heavily in their favour, as insignificant.

According to the countenance of Hudaibiyah Treaty, Arab tribes were free to align with Muslims or Quraysh. Khaza`ah tribe entered in an alliance with Muslims and Banu Bakr tribe allied themselves with Quraysh. For around one and a half year this agreement was followed but thereafter, a war broke out between Khaza`ah and Banu Bakr tribes which were traditional enemies of each other. This all happened when Banu Bakr launched an attack on Khaza`ah. Quraysh helped Banu Bakr tribe as they were angry with Khaza`ah due to their pact with Muslims. Both Quraysh and Banu Bakr started killing Khaza`ah so much so that even when they took shelter inside Ka`aba, they were not spared and shed their blood inside the sanctuary of Ka`aba.

Hence, Khaza`ah tribe under compulsion, informed Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) of this cruelty and sought help on the basis of the pact that they had with the Prophet (ﷺ). When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) heard the miseries of Khaza`ah, he got shocked. He sent an envoy to Quraysh asking them to stop this blood-shed and he set three conditions:

(l) Khaza`ah tribe should be paid blood-money for their deceased. Or

(2) Quraysh stop backing Banu Bakr tribe. Or

(3) Breach of `Hundaibiyah treaty should be announced

In reply to these conditions one amongst Quraysh Qartah Ibn `Umar, said, "We accept only the third condition." After the envoy set-off, Quraysh got worried and sent Abu Sufiyan as an envoy to get `Hudaibiyah treaty renewed. But Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) on the basis of his knowledge of the situation and their attitude of Quraysh till now had no confidence and he did not accept the proposal of Abu Sufiyan.

The Holy Ka`aba was the centre of Tawheed (oneness of God) that was built by Prophet Ibraheem (AS) with the sole purpose to worship Allah. But this centre of Tawheed was still in the possession of infidels and had become the greatest centre of polytheism. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was the caller to that very religion that was brought by Prophet Ibraheem (AS) and was a protagonist of Tawheed. From this angle, it was the need of hour that this centre should be cleansed of all descriptions of polytheism. But until that time the circumstances were not favourable for this purpose. But now the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) assessed that the time had come that this House of Allah be preserved for His worship alone and this House be purified from all the evils of idolism. Thus, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) sent messages to all ally tribes with whom he had alliances. All this was done secretly to that the Quraysh might not get the wind of it. When all preparations for the attack were completed, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) marched towards Makkah on 10th of Ramadan in 8 A.H. A grand army comprising of 10,000 venturesome soldiers was with him. The allies were joining in his way to Makkah.

When Islamic army neared Makkah, Abu Sufiyan who was stealthily assessing the army, was arrested and presented before the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). This was the very Abu Sufiyan who was a front-runner in opposing Islam. He had repeatedly conspired attacks on Madinah and had even plotted to kill the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). All such guilts were such that he should have been instantly killed, but the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was mercy personified. He said, "Go, today no explanation would be sought from you. May Allah forgive you and He is the most Merciful." It was a strange behaviour which opened the eyes of Abu Sufiyan and he became aware of the fact that this person (the Prophet, (ﷺ)) was not thirsty of their (infidel's) blood nor he, like other kings, was proud and arrogant. Moved by this Abu Sufiyan embraced Islam and did not go back to Makkah and joined the army of the devotees of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Now the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) ordered Khalid Ibn Waleed to enter Makkah from one side and instructed him not to kill anyone, and was allowed to kill only in case some one attacks. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) entered from the other side. Some Quraysh tribes shot arrows on Khalid's army and martyred three Muslims. Khalid had to retaliate. Thirteen attackers were killed and the rest took to their heel. When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) got the information of this attack, he sought explanation from Khalid, but when he knew the reality, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah willed so." On the other hand Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) entered Makkah without facing resistance and nobody was killed by his army.

The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) as he entered Madinah, announced amnesty to all those persons:

(l) Who shuts his door and stays inside

(2) Who enters the house of Abu Sufiyan.

(3)Who takes shelter in Holy Ka`aba.

But 6 or 7 persons were exempted from this amnesty, as they had exceeded the limits in opposing the Islam and whose slaughter was a must.

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) entered Makkah in a grand style that his banner was of white colour and the flag was of black colour. There was a helmet on his head covered with black turban. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was reciting "Inna Fata`hna" (We made you victorious) loudly. He was much bent on his camel due to fear of God and humility that his blessed face touched the back of the camel.

When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) entered the Holy Ka`aba, the first order that he gave was to remove and throw all the Idols out. There were 360 idols in Ka`aba at that time. The walls were covered with pictures. All the idols were removed and the pictures were erased. In this way, the House of Allah was consecrated from the evils of polytheism. Then he recited Takbeers (Allahu Akbar, Allah is Great), circumambulated the Holy Ka`aba and offered `Salah at the Station of Ibraheem (name of a place in the precincts of the Holy Ka`aba where lies the stone on which Ibraheem rested his feet while building the Holy Mosque). This was the exultation of victory that surprised the infidels. They saw that these people were neither boasting nor exaggerating, nor there was any pomp and show after such a grand victory. Rather they were bowing before their Lord with extreme humbleness and humility and were busy in praising and reciting Takbeers. Every one of infidels was uttering, "Neither it is monarchy nor conquest, it is something else."

After the conquest of Makkah the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) gave a very important historical sermon. Some portions of the sermon are:

"There is no god but Allah. There is no partner of Allah. He made true His promise. He helped his slave and dispersed all groups single handedly. Listen O people! All glories, killings of past and revenges and all blood-money are under my feet. Only the supervision of Holy Ka`aba and quenching the thirst of Hajjis are exceptions. O people of Quraysh! Now Allah has erased the Barbarian arrogance and pride of lineage. All of us are the progeny of Adam who had been created out of clay."

Then, the Holy Prophet recited these ayahs from the Holy Qur'an:

This is the style of speech delivered by the Islam's greatest conqueror. It had no expression of anger, no hatred, nor did it contain any mention of achievements and there was no praise for the protagonists of Islam. Whatever the praise it had, was only for Allah. Nothing happens but with His virtue.

Taking revenge of murder was very important for Arabs Often these revenges used to result in wars. They had made it a matter of prestige to take revenge. The fathers used to inherit revenge to his son and the son to his son. In this way, this barbarian custom had taken its roots in Arab tribes. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) abolished this custom of taking revenge or in other words, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) granted them a life full of peace and security. There was a chronic disease of feeling proud on one's lineage in Arabs. Islam does not allow such racial discriminations. God-fearing is the scale to determine one's piety and nobility in Islam. The only distinction in Islam is on the basis of one's obedience for Allah and His Prophet (ﷺ). There is no concept of nobility of lineage in Islam. The dynasties are only for mutual identification and introduction. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) provided a permanent cure for this disease by announcing equality among all human beings which no other religion granted to its followers.

The gathering which was being addressed by the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) included many headstrong persons of Quraysh and those who included had pledged to finish Islam and also those who had tormented Muslims so much that they were compelled to leave their mother land. It included those who had usurped the properties of Muslims. It also included those who had abused Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and had laid thorns on his path and those who threw garbage on him and had even tried to kill him. It included the killer of Holy Prophet's uncle who had taken out his liver and chewed it up. It included also those who had slaughtered neophytes (Muslims) as their only 'guilt' was that they acknowledged only one God. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) looked at all of them and said, "Do you know, how I would deal with you?" These people had seen the way the Prophet (ﷺ) had entered Makkah and how he dealt with situation. They immediately called out, "You are a noble brother and the son of a noble brother." Hearing this, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) declared, "Today I remit all your sins, you all are free." Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) did not ask infidels to vacate the houses they had usurped. Rather, he asked migrants to give up their claims.

This extraordinary behaviour of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) made Quraysh tyrants to fall on to his feet. They proclaimed that, "You're the true messenger of Allah not a conqueror and your invitation is nothing but truth."

This was the scenario of the conquest of Makkah. It was not a victory over land, property or wealth rather the hearts were won and this was the greatest victory.

Prophet Muhammad's merciful behaviour and the interaction between Muslims and infidels resulted into a wide acceptance of Islam by a large number of infidels. On the other hand this victory shunned the misconception of all tribes about the prophethood. They realised that the inviter to Islam (the Holy Prophet, SAWS) was not hungry of power or wealth; he was rather the messenger of Allah and the traits of Islam were before their eyes. The whole Arab now realised the reality of Islam and those who had the capacity is their heart, knew that this was the truth, nothing but truth. That were the reasons that, just after the victory over Makkah, delegations from various tribes started pouring in to embrace Islam. This situation for those who had anger and hatred against Islam was uncomfortable. The flames of bigotry and opposition flared in their hearts. Hawazan and Thaqeef were two tribes leading in this aspect. They were very fond of wars. The spread of Islam made them extremely perplexed. They understood that they were the next target. The chiefs of these two tribes discussed the gravity of the matter and decided that whatever happened, Muslims ought to be challenged to prevent this danger from spreading further, otherwise they would themselves perish. They chose Maalik Ibn `Auf Na`dri as their king and started preparations for war. They also aligned with many other tribes.

When the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was apprised of these developments, he counselled with his companions and it was decided to suppress this increasing menace in time. On 10th of Shawwal in the year 8 A.H., the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) set out with a strong army of 12000 soldiers to curb this danger. Muslims were certain that the enemy would take to heels seeing the strong and well-armed army. Hence some of the Muslims started exaggerating, "No one can dominate us" But it is against the dignity of a Muslim to feel proud of his power. Rather a true believer should never rely on his power but should always rely on Allah and His kindness. Allah pronounced in the Holy Qur'an:

`Hunain is the name of valley between Makkah and Ta'if. This battle was fought here. When the Muslim army entered the valley, the enemy started shooting arrows on them relentlessly from the surrounding hillocks. Muslims were not ready for this ambush. Their arrays got dispersed and for some time they lost the ground. Many Beduin tribes turned their back in retreat, most of them were those who had embraced Islam in the recent past and their spiritual training was not yet complete. Amid this chaotic situation, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) remained steadfast and called Muslims to show valour. This steadiness of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and the firmness of a large number of companions around the Prophet (ﷺ) reinforced Muslims and then every one of them proved that he was a soldier with valour. Allah Most High has termed this patience of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions as his calm (state of satisfaction and tranquility) bestowed by Allah to him. As a result, the tide of war turned in favour of Muslims and they had a comprehensive victory over infidels. Seventy infidels were killed and thousands of them were taken into custody.

The rest of the infidels' army took refuge in Ta'if. This place used to be considered a safe haven. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) gave them a chase and laid siege around Ta'if. Ta'if had a strong and famous fort in which the infidels had taken refuge. The siege lasted for 20 days and when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was sure that the enemy was broken and they were not in a position to offer any resistance, lifted the siege and humbly made request to Allah for Thaqeef that Allah guide them and make their minds to surrender to him (the Holy Prophet). So was the Prophet's compassion and mercy that used to compel him to pray even in the favour of his enemies.

To the north of Arabian Peninsula, was the Roman Empire. Even before the victory over Makkah, the relations with Romans started getting sour. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had sent a delegation of Muslims to invite those tribes living in the north near the border of Syria. Most of these people were Christians and were under influence of Roman Empire. These tribals killed 15 delegates, and only the leader of the delegation K'ab Ibn Ghafari managed to escape and reached Madinah. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in this very period sent message to Islam to Shirjeel ruler of Basra, but he also killed the Prophet's envoy Haarith Ibn `Umair. This ruler of Basra was also a subordinate to Caesar of Rome. Due to these reasons, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) sent an army of 3000 soldiers towards Syria in Jamadi ul Oola in the year 8 A.H., so that Muslims in this region are not considered weak and harassed. When Shirjeel heard of the arrival of this army, he came out with a strong army of 1,00,000 soldiers to confront with Muslims. But Muslims continued to advance despite this news. Caesar of Rome at that time was at `Hama`s. He also sent 1,00,000 soldiers to help Shirjeel under the command of his brother Theodore. But Muslims continued advancing and at last 3000 spirited Muslims clashed with such a big Roman army at a place Motah. Apparently, the result of this situation would have resulted in complete annihilation of this small Muslim group in the hands of the big Roman army. But by the Grace of Allah, the Roman army could not harm the Muslims. It was such an extraordinary incident that Muslims became a terror to the nearby tribes and those living in far-flung areas got attracted towards Islam. This resulted into conversion of thousands of them to Islam.

The most impressive incident was that a commander of the Roman army, Farwah Ibn `Amr Al-Jazaami, got attracted toward the teachings of Islam and became a Muslim. And then he gave a strong proof of his faith, as when Caesar of Rome asked him either to reconvert to his previous religion i.e. Christianity and get reinstated or be ready for execution. But, he spurned his rank and status and announced that the success in hereafter is dearer to him than the mundane leadership. As a result, he was killed. This incident was such that thousands of the people understood the real importance and moral strength of Islam and they realised that it was not easy for them to cope with the surging flood of this new movement.

The next year, Caesar started deploying his army on the border of Syria to take revenge of the battle of Motah. He started collecting troops from his subordinate tribes. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was apprised of these preparations. It was a critical situation for Islamic movement. A little slackness at this hour would have spoiled everything. On one hand all those Arab tribes who were defeated recently in `Hunain and Makkah would have rebelled. And on the other, the hypocrites of Madinah who were continuously conspiring with anti-Islamic forces would have created problems from within. This would have resulted in a very difficult situation for the movement and organisation. And then it would have been difficult to face a powerful attack by Roman Empire. It was feared that Islamic movement would have succumbed to these three attacks. Keeping all these things in mind the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) with his God gifted sagacity and vision and decided to clash with mighty Caesar, because at this juncture lack of courage would have spoilt the entire work.

To prepare for war at this hour war was a very difficult test for the Muslims. There was a famine in the country, the summer season was on its peak, the crops were about to ripen, and the armoury was insufficient. The journey was very long and the fight was with a very strong power. Despite these situations and fully appreciating the difficulties, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) declared a war and clearly told where to go and for what purpose.

This should be kept in mind that till that time Islamic movement was openly facing the external enemies who had weakened after the defeat of the war of 'Hunain and Makkah but the internal enemies i.e. hypocrites were being avoided and this was because the movement was not so stable as to face internal and external enemies, simultaneously. Moreover amongst the hypocrites, all were not of the same category. They included many who still had a weak faith or had doubts about Islam and needed a reprieve for the time being to get rid of their scepticism. Ultimately only those were to be left who deliberately wanted to harm Islam. Hence for a long period these people were made to understand with clemency and rudeness. Resultantly, those who had a little faith ultimately adopted the right path. All these issues were settled. Muslims had overpowered their opponents to a large extent. Now, they were starting their struggle with the mighty outside powers. It was therefore now necessary to crush the internal enemies first, as there was an apprehension that they would conspire with the outside enemies to harm Muslims.

It was necessary to expose hypocrites and to unveil their faces which were covered with the mask of treachery and betrayal so that their real faces are shown to the society. They should be deprived of any say in the matters of Muslims that they were enjoying by posing themselves as Muslims. The declaration of the war of Tabuk proved very useful in unveiling these so called Muslims. All the true believers got ready for Jihad (the holy war) when the money was needed they brought out their belongings and presented them. And when some of them could not accompany the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) due to lack of conveyance, they broke into tears out of desperation. In this way, it became clear as to how many were sincere amongst the Muslims. In comparison, all those who had no faith got frightened with the declaration of War. They started offering different excuses and tried to get exemption. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) showed a soft attitude and granted them permission to stay back from war. The hypocrites also started inciting and persuading others to refrain from the battle. They said that the heat was unbearable and going to war this situation was similar to going for a suicide. In short, this declaration of war proved a touchstone on which the hypocrites and Muslims were fully exposed. Now a stern action against all such people was possible. As such, the arrangement that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) made for them after his return from Tabuk would be discussed at a proper, occasion.

In Rajab in the year 9 A.H., the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) left Makkah with 30000 strong army. There were ten thousands camel riders. The number of camels was so low that many took turns in riding them. But the believers showed extreme sincerity of faith, obedience for the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) curiosity to lay their lives in the way of Allah. Allah liked it and gave them their target without a blood-bath. When they reached Tabuk, they came to know that Caesar had withdrawn his army from the border and there was none to fight. Actually it was so that when Caesar came to know that Muslims despite knowing about his army are on their way to Tabuk, he thought it fit to call back his troops because he had seen the chivalry of Muslims in the battle of Motah, when 3000 Muslims clashed with a strong army of 2 lakh Romans. And now when he came to know that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was himself coming with an army of 30000 soldiers, he decided not to confront this flood of Muslims lest that things turn upside down ceasing his credibility.

This retreat of Caesar was enough for the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and instead of chasing him, he preferred to strengthen his influence in this area. He stayed there for 20 days. During this period many small states situated between Islamic State and Roman Empire were made to accept subordination to Islamic government. Till now they were under Roman influence. These states agreed to pay tax to Muslims. And the tribes whose loyalties were with Romans until now, became helper of Islamic government.

When, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) departed for Tabuk, all those Hypocrites who were not Muslims but had joined the Islamic Movement for their selfish motives were left behind in Madinah. They were sure that the Muslims would not come back safe from this expedition. Some would succumb to inclemency and hardships of weather and the rest would be slaughtered by the strong army of Caesar. These hypocrites had also built a mosque (`Daraar mosque), where they used to meet avoiding Muslims and discussed their anti-Muslim agenda. On this occasion, they hatched numerous conspiracies to harm the Islamic Movement. They even decided to make Abdullah Ibn Ubai as the next king of Madinah after the defeat of Muslims, of which they were sure.

But Allah had willed otherwise. The time was fast approaching that the dreams of all the hypocrites were going to be shattered completely. When the news of this warless triumph of the Muslims reached the enemies, they suffered a heavy blow. The lost all hopes.

After returning from Tabuk Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had programmes before him:

(i) Implementations of a clear policy about hypocrites and to develop a system of complete safeguard from their conspiracies.

(ii) Training of true believers and the completion of task of their character building, without which it was not possible for them to shoulder the ensuing great responsibility of the affirmation of truth.

(iii) Proclamation of the clear political theory of Darul-Islam (house of Islam) on which this new Islamic state was to be built.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was on his way to Madinah, that Allah Most High revealed Surah Taubah and gave his Prophet (ﷺ) many directives, which he was to follow on his return to Madinah. Till now, hypocrites were dealt with a soft-hand policy on the basis of which their excuses for not going to Tabuk were accepted. Allah ordered the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) to change this moderate policy and deal with them strictly. If they offered financial aids for to proving their false claim of faith, it should not be accepted. If any one of them dies, the Prophet (ﷺ) was not to offer his funeral prayer. Muslims should not deal with them sincerely and friendly on the basis of individual or blood relations.

Before the arrival of Prophet (ﷺ) in Madinah, a Christian monk Abu `Aamir was very famous, due to his sainthood and knowledge. People had firm belief in him. When, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) came to Madinah, this monk should have taken initiative and embraced Islam. But the misconception of knowledge and fear of Allah and the show of traditional and customary piety hinder one's way and do not let one follow the light of true guidance. This was the case with Abu `Aamir too. He felt that his professional piety and showmanship would no longer be safe and he would not be able to rule over the hearts of people, therefore he became a staunch enemy of the Islamic movement.

In the beginning, Abu `Aamir thought that it was transitory glory and people would no longer desire such piety and sanctions. But when Quraysh were defeated in Badr, he got incensed and he used all his energies in his to incite Quraysh and other tribes against Islam and whatever Muslims faced in U`hud and Ahzab battles was the result of the efforts of this man. He left no stone unturned to conspire with polytheists and tried his best to put off the lamp of Tawheed (oneness of God). But when the verdict of Allah came clearly that "this lamp could not be put off with blows" and that Islam would be the most dominant religion of the whole Arab, then, this "God-fearing monk" became extremely restless. Now he set off for Rome to warn the Caesar and ask him to do whatever he could to face his surging flood of Islam.

A gang of hypocrites of Madinah was involved with Abu `Aamir in his anti-Islamic activities. These people used to hatch conspiracies to harm Islam. On the advice of Abu `Amir, some of these hypocrites decided to build this separate mosque and it became the centre of their anti-Islamic activities.

There were two mosques in Madinah at that time - one was Quba' Mosque in one corner of the city and the other was the Holy Mosque of the Prophet (ﷺ) situated in the centre. Thus, no third mosque was required but these hypocrites put forth the excuse that some elderly and physically-challenged people find it very difficult to go to these two mosques and hence the need for this third mosque. They pleaded with the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) to once lead a prayer so that this mosque may become a blessed one. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) replied, "Presently I am busy in preparations for Tabuk, let us see after I come back." But when the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was on his way back to Madinah, Allah revealed those Ayahs wherein he was clearly commanded not to perform his Salah in this mosque and he was clearly informed told that this place was being used as a centre to conspire against Muslims and was not a proper place for the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform Salah. Hence, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ordered some men to go and demolish that mosque prior to his arrival in Madinah. The demolition of the mosque was an open declaration of Muslims' future agenda against hypocrites, which was followed scrupulously later on.

Now the Islamic movement was entering the phase of international struggle and it was the time, when these Arab Muslims were going on a mission to convey the message of Allah to the Non-Muslim world. At this juncture, even a minor weakness could have resulted in a major hindrance for Muslims. That is why at this juncture, full attention was given towards the completion of believers' training. Each weakness of their faith was therefore sorted out and Muslims were asked to remove all these weaknesses. At the time of Tabuk, whereas those who had absolutely no belief in Islam were left behind, there were some true believers who could not go due to weaknesses or laziness, even when they were true Muslims. For reforming these people, it was necessary to deal with them a tough hand to stop the recurrence of such things. In this context, the incident of three companions namely K'ab Ibn Maalik, Hilal Ibn Umayya and Murarah Ibn Rabi` (RATAA) who were true believers is very educative and tells us about the quality of the training basis provided to Muslims. Those three companions were true and tested believers but they could not accompany Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) out of laziness. They were therefore dealt very rudely. And when back in Madinah from Tabuk, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ordered all Muslims not to talk with them. And after forty days their wives were also asked to stay away from them. At last Allah accepted their penitence and granted pardon to them, which is mentioned in Surah Taubah. The incident of one of them K'ab Ibn Maalik (RATA) has been comprehensively reported by him, which is very much inspiring. He narrates:

'When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was preparing Muslims for Tabuk, I too intended to accompany and started preparing but the laziness was overpowering me and I used to say that there was still plenty of time and it would take no time to get ready when the time came. The matter remained pending, when the time of departure came, I was not ready. I thought "let the army move, I would start one or two days later and would join them". In short, I could not go due to laziness.'

'When I saw that the people with whom I was left behind were either hypocrites or those who were physically challenged, then, I felt ashamed and had pity on myself.'

'When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) returned back from the journey he, as was his routine, first offered two Raka`at Salah in his Mosque. Then he sat to meet others. Now, the hypocrites started narrating their excuses and tried to convince the Prophet (ﷺ) of their compulsions. They were a little more than eighty persons. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) listened to their concocted tales and accepted their apparent excuses and left their matter to Allah, and forgave them. Now it was my turn. I advanced and saluted him. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) looked at me, smiled and said. "Tell me what hindered you?" I humbly said, "If I were present before a man of world, I might have made him agree by concoction. But regarding you, it is my faith that if I make you agree by offering excuses, then Allah would make you angry with me but if I tell you the truth, whether it displeases you, I am sure Allah would lake some way for my forgiveness. The fact is that I have no excuses to put forth. I had the capability to accompany you." At this, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He is the person who spoke truth, Well, now stand up and wait till Allah decides your fate." I got up and joined people of my tribe. Two other persons (Murarah Ibn Rabi` and Hilal Ibn Umayyah) also narrated the truth as I did. After this the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) passed the order that nobody would talk to all three of us. Those two confined themselves in their houses. But I used to come out and perform congregational Salah, move in the markets but nobody talked with me. I used to feel that the world had changed. I had become a stranger here and had no acquaintance. I went to Mosque for prayer and saluted the Prophet (ﷺ) and kept waiting to see if he replied to me. While making Salah, I looked at the Prophet (ﷺ) stealthily to see how he looked at me. But the situation was that as long as I was offering the prayer, he used to look at me but as soon as I finished Salah, he sidetracked. One day out of perplexity I went to my cousin and a childhood companion Abu Qatadah and got onto the wall of his garden and saluted him but to my worry he did not reply to me. I said, "I make you swear by Allah and ask you, do I not have ardent love for Allah and His Prophet? He remained silent. I again asked, but there was no reply. Then, on the third time he just said, "Allah and His messenger know best." At this reply I broke into tears and got down the wall.'

'During those days, I was once passing by the market that a Syrian gave me a letter of Emperor Ghassan. I opened the envelope and read, "We heard that your master is torturing you, you are no mean person nor you are such a man to be wasted like this. Come to us, we would give you proper respect." I said, "Oh! Yet another trouble" and at the same moment threw the letter into the fire.'

'Forty days passed in this manner when suddenly the word came from the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), "Desert your wife too" I asked, "Do I divorce her?" I got the reply, "No, just leave her." I sent my wife to my in-laws and said, "Wait till Allah sends his verdict."'

'On the fiftieth day, after offering Fajr Salah I was sitting on the roof of my house. I was feeling very uneasy that suddenly someone called me and said, "Congratulations K'ab Ibn Maalik!" Hearing this, I fell into prostration as I was certain that it must have been the word for my forgiveness. Then, there was a melee; everyone was competing with other for greeting me that my penitence has been accepted. I rose and moved towards the Prophet's Mosque. I saw that the Prophet's face was gleaming with pleasure. I saluted him. He said, "Congratulations to you, this is the best day of your life." I asked "Is this forgiveness from you or from Allah?" The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, "From Allah" and recited those verses of Surah Taubah, mentioning the acceptance of penitence.'

'I humbly said, "O Prophet of Allah! It is a part of my penitence that I give all my wealth in charity." He said, "Retain some, it is better for you." According to it I retained my property in Khaibar and gave the rest in charity. Then I promised Allah that I would remain steadfast on the truth for which Allah forgave me throughout my life. I never say anything wantonly contrary to the rules and I am hopeful that Allah would save me from this in future.'

The details of this incident depict the scenario of the venerable companions' society and some of its characteristics which are such that every Muslim should keep before them. It tells of the kind of temperament the Islamic movement provides to its protagonists.

First of all, what comes to mind is that when there is a struggle between Islam and heathenism, it is time of believers' hard test. A minor negligence can spoil the achievements of one's whole life. And if a believer leaves the movement at this juncture, whether with a bad intention or not or it is his first mistake of life, it is feared that this negligence may not spoil his lifetime worships and good deeds. There is no room for a believer that he, in such a case, could support heathenism in place of Islam. If a Muslim acts in an un-Islamic way, it gives boost to anti-Islamic powers. This situation becomes more critical when Islamic movement exists against these evil movements and the believers use their capabilities for a non-Islamic cause.

Secondly, when it is time to fulfil one's duty, negligence is not a proper thing. A person wastes one's time and the excuse of laziness does not benefit him that he was not doing it with a bad intention.

The situation, here is that on one hand the hypocrites were offering excuses, and every one knew that they were telling lies but the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) forgave them because they were not expected to show sincerity. On the other hand, there were true believers who have time and again given proofs of their true faith and sincerity, they never concoct and admit their errors straightforwardly. But they are dealt so sternly that the whole society boycotts them, not because there was any doubt about their sincerity but for the fact as why they did an act similar to those of hypocrites. The interesting aspect is the way the leader givers punishment and the disciple bears it and the way the whole community follows commands, all these have no match. The punishment is rigorous but there is no anger or hatred but besides punishment, there is an ardent love. This is as if a loving father punishes his guilty son and hopefully expects that he would be reform and then he would again hug him. The disciple is mentally perplexed due to hardship of the punishment but his obedience and affection for the leader do not let hatred or rebellion to enter his heart nor is there a complaint. He does not seek applause for his previous achievements. Then, one can observe the extremity of the spirit of obedience of the leader. Here no sooner the words have come for boycott, it seemed that the boycotted person had no relatives or friends in the town. And as the word of forgiveness trickles in, every one gets enthused and competes with one another in congratulating the person.

This is an example of the obedience for Prophet (ﷺ) which the Holy Qur'an preaches to its followers. Such devotion for its leader or a chosen authority is essential for those working for the religion. The guilty sees that the hypocrites are lying but they are being forgiven and he who spoke the truth, got such a severe punishment but this does not evoke any anger or displeasure in him. He endures the punishment for 50 days and, even for a single moment, this does not come to his mind that he was being victimised and his previous achievements were being undermined or his faith and sincerity was being doubted. Though he did not have an ill-will nor his heart was bereft of the ardent love for the Prophet (ﷺ) and for Allah. He did not hatch any conspiracy in the community nor did he spread any disgust among other people. He did not try to spread dissension in the party nor he attempted to form a new group. Rather, he endured all the mental torture calmly and waited eagerly for the word of His forgiveness. This was the exemplary behaviour due to which Allah Almighty declared the word of forgiveness in a very pleasant manner. This is the greatest success that Allah bestows this virtue to whom He desires.

Claim of faith and Islam devolve a lot of responsibilities upon a Muslim. To explain it, it was clearly reminded that the reality of this claim is that "Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise)" (Surah Taubah 9:111). If a believer does not have this concept of faith in his mind, he would always show laziness in attending to the religious duties. Allah has termed the faith as a covenant which a believer has with Allah. According to the covenant, a believer in a way sells his person and goods to Allah and in return accepts Allah's promises that in the ever-lasting life after death, he would give him paradise.

In view of this promise, everything that a man has belongs to Allah. He created every thing and He is the owner of all. And what a slave has that he can sell to his Master. Thus there is no question of buying and selling, but Allah has bestowed one thing to every slave of His and left it to his discretion as to how he uses it. And this is the freedom to intend and choose. It is on the discretion of the slave to regard his person and goods as his own possessions or the property of Allah, as is the reality. Allah has given him the will power to choose what he wants and he is totally free to take the path of piety or the path which leads to the mire of sins. But a true believer always takes these things as the gifts of Allah's Grace and he uses all his resources to serve the cause of Allah and his slaves. He keeps in his mind the reality that whatever he has, is to go back to Allah and he is not the sole authority to use it.

This little freedom of will and discretion is the grace of Allah that He calls it sale and purchase. If a slave uses his powers for a noble cause and the deposits which has been entrusted to him, he does not defalcate and uses the deposit as directed by the master then, his Lord would bestow him in his eternal life, the endless blessings in the heaven. And the person who accepts this demand of Allah and determines to serve his whole life in Allah's cause and would be ready to take heaven in the hereafter, is a true believer. And his such dealing that Allah termed as sale and purchase is in fact a recognition of his faith. And the person who acts contrary to it and uses his person and goods for the purposes contrary to the will of Allah in a way, he does not accept Allah's deal and that amounts to denial of Allah.

At the time of battle of Tabuk, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) ordered all those who declared them as true believers and in a way all these people were these who had struck the deal with Allah, described above. But when their claim was tested, some of them retreated and did not live up to the expectations. They abstained from the way of Allah. Most of them were hypocrites and whose claim of faith was false, and they had embraced Islam due to some compulsion or purpose. But there were some others who committed this mistake just because of laziness. Therefore these people were openly criticised and were told plainly that just acknowledging Allah and His oneness is not faith. Faith is rather the admission that Allah is the Sole Possessor of our souls and our possessions. And if a person acknowledges Allah in such a way and spends his wealth for other purposes, he in fact, proves that he is false in the claim of faith. Hence all the believers should put forth this reality of their claim of faith and they should not fight shy of struggling for the cause of Allah.

In the beginning of Islamic movement, people who used to incline to the movement were those who used to convert to Islam by heart, after pondering over all the aspects. But when Islam started spreading rapidly, hordes of people started embracing Islam and it was apparent that among them, only few knew Islam completely. Most of them accepted Islam without learning its fundamentals. Apparently these mass conversions were adding power to Islam. But when a group does not fulfil the requirements of Islam or is not ready to abide by the sanctions imposed by Islam, then such a group becomes a cause of weakness for Islamic system. This happened at the time of battle Tabuk. In order to save the Islamic movement from this inner weakness, a very important instruction was given that some people from among these neophytes must come to the centres of Islam i.e., Makkah and Madinah and learn true Islamic spirit in details. They must absorb the true Islamic spirit into their souls and back home they must make arrangements for training of other neophytes so that all of them might learn these basic rules imposed by Allah and all of them develop true Islamic spirit in them.

This general awareness drive did not just aim at educating the people to read and write, its aim was to develop an understanding of Deen and the sense of discrimination in them to distinguish between Islamic and un-Islamic ways of life. The main purpose was to develop a proper sense of Deen and education was only a means to an end and was never an end in itself.

After the success of Tabuk, the hopes of those having evil designs on Islam, had shattered. Now they were left with no choice but to take shelter in Islam. And if they did not benefit themselves much, at least, their future generation might acquire the true colour of Islam.

At that time, the entire Arab was under Islamic rule and there was no mighty opponent before them. Now the time had come to clearly announce the internal policy of Islamic State. Therefore, this policy was announced in the following terms:

The polytheism would be completely erased from Arabian Peninsula. The ancient polytheistic system would be abolished completely and Arab converted to a pure Islamic Centre. For this purpose, the polytheists would be avoided and all treaties with them would be abrogated.

In the 9th year A.H., at the occasion of Hajj the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) got it announced through Ali (RATA) before the general gathering of Hajji's that:

(1) No such person would enter the paradise who refuses to accept Islam.

(2) No polytheist would be let in to perform Hajj, after the current year.

(3) None would be allowed to circumambulate the Holy Ka`aba in the nude.

(4) The treaties of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), with those who did not breach them, would continue on the same terms and conditions for the duration they were originally envisaged.

(5) But those who infringed the treaties and conspired against the Islamic movement, were informed that only four months were granted to them. During this period either they should decide their fate through a battle with Muslims or leave the country, or they can embrace Islam conscientiously and enter the Islamic fold.

(6) The administrative affairs of the Holy Ka`aba would be handed over to Muslims. Polytheists would have no say in it and they would not be allowed to perform any polytheistic ritual in the Holy Ka`aba. The polytheists would not even be allowed to come near the Holy Ka`aba.

In the tenth year of migration, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) planned for Hajj. It was announced that the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is proceeding for Hajj. This news spread throughout the Arab. The whole Arab gushed forth to perform Hajj with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) on this auspicious occasion. In the end of Dhul Q`adah, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) departed from Madinah and on 4th of Dhul Hijjah reached Makkah in the morning. First of all, he circumambulated the Holy Ka`aba and then performed two Raka`at prayer at station of Ibraheem (AS). Then he went atop Mountain `Safa and from there to Marwah. During this, he kept on praising Allah and praying. After performing Tawaf (circumambulation) and the Sa`i (seven rounds or trips between Safa and Marwah), on Thursday 8th of Dhul Hijjah, the Prophet (ﷺ) stayed with all Muslims in Mina. The next day on 9th Dhul Hijjah, after performing Fajr Salah the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) headed for `Arafaat (a plain twelve miles from Makkah, where major Hajj rite is performed). Here at `Arafaat, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) read out the historical sermon of Hajj depicting the Islam with all its grandeur and splendour. The salient features of this sermon given here.

"Listen O people, all barbarian customs are under my feet. Arabs and non-Arabs are equal, none of them is superior to another. All of you are Adam's sons and Adam was created out of clay ".

"All of you Muslims are each other's brothers. Your Slaves! They are your slaves, give them what you eat and wear yourselves"

"All barbarian revenges have been nullified, nobody has any right to take revenge of old murder First of all I rescind the revenge of the blood of Rabi`ah Ibn Al-`Harth son"

"All barbarian usuries have also been revoked. Nobody has any right to demand usury. First of all I remit my dynasty's usury of Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib".

"Have fear of Allah regarding women's affairs. Both of you have liabilities towards each other."

"Your goods and your blood are `Haraam for each other till Doomsday. In the same manner in which this day, month and this city are sacred."

"I am leaving a gift among you, if you follow it firmly you would not go astray and that gift is the Holy Book of Allah (Qur'an)."

After this the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) described many fundamental divine laws and asked, addressing the people, "What would be your reply before Allah when you would be asked about me?"

The venerable companions (RATA) said, "We would say that, "You conveyed Allah's message and fulfilled your duty." The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) raised his finger towards the sky and repeated three times, "O Allah! Be a witness." At this very occasion, these ayahs were revealed:

At this time of Hajj, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) also trained the believers how to perform the rituals for Hajj and commanded them, "Learn all rituals, I do not know whether I would be here next time (of Hajj)."

He also told the Muslims on this occasion, "Everyone who is present must convey all this (message) to those who are not present here."

It was 18th or 19th of `Safar in the year 11 A.H. that the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) felt some uneasiness. It was Wednesday. Till Monday it took the shape of a serious illness. The Prophet (ﷺ) continued to lead Salah till he had the capacity to do it. The last Salah that he made was the Maghrib (post sunset prayer). He had head-ache, and came with a handkerchief tied on his forehead and recited the Surah Mursilaat in the Salah. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) could not come at the time of `Isha' (night prayer) due to weakness and asked Abu Bakr to lead the Salah for next few days.

One day the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) felt better, he took a bath and came to the Mosque and gave a sermon. This was the last sermon of Prophet's life. The Holy Prophet said:

"Allah granted an option to a man, he was free  to choose earthly blessings or opt for whatever he might get in the hereafter. But He chooses the blessings of hereafter." Hearing this, Abu Bakr (RATA) understood to whom the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is signalling; he broke into tears. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) kept on saying, "I am most grateful to Abu Bakr for his company and wealth. If I could make someone my friend among my disciples it could be Abu Bakr. But the relation of Islam is enough for friendship. And listen O people! The nations prior to you, started worshipping the graves of their messengers and saints. I forbid you from doing this. Do not attribute lawful and unlawful to me. I differentiated between lawful and unlawful according to Allah's will."

And during the illness one day the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) addressed his family members and said, "O the daughter of Allah's messenger Fatima! and the aunt of Allah's messenger Safia! do something that would benefit you on the Day of Judgement. I cannot save you from Allah."

One day he felt severe pain, sometimes he covered his face with sheet and sometimes used to turn it, in this very condition `Ai'shah (RATA), his blessed wife heard him uttering these words, "May Allah's curse be on Jews and Christians. They worshipped the graves of their messengers."

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) had entrusted some guineas with `Ai'shah. At this time of indisposition the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "`Ai'sha! Where are those guineas? Would Muhammad meet Allah as a distrustful? Go, and give them as charity in Allah's way."

The indisposition used to get relieved sometime and at other times it aggravated. On the day of demise i.e., Monday, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) was apparently feeling at ease, but as the day advanced unconsciousness overtook him and in this condition of repeated fainting, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) uttered these words.

"With those to whom, Allah bestowed His reward." or "Allah is the greatest companion. Now I need no one but the greatest companion."

While uttering these words, the Holy Prophet's condition started worsening and the Holy spirit reached the sacred world.

The year of demise is 11 A.H., the month was Rabi`ul Awwal and the day was Monday. Generally it is understood that the date was 12th but there are certain disputes on it. In accordance with the research of Maulana Sayyid Sulaiman Nadvi, it was the first day of Rabi`ul Awwal.

The next day the obsequies were completed and the holy body was entrusted to the earth in the same room where he expired.

Aijaz Akhtar (Aijaz Ubaid)

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