النبي القائد prophet muhammad as commander

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

من دلائل عظمة الشخصيات نجاحها في مختلف الميادين
وعظمة نبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم في نجاحه
كزوج واب وقائد

موجز لشخصية النبي القائد

ــــــــــــــــ

نبي الرحمة العالمين
الإسلام يعني السلام والخلاص
الجهاد في سبيل الله
الظروف في الأيام الأولى في المدينة المنورة
البعثات العسكرية
a التقييم العام للالبعثات
غزوة بدر
غزوة أحد
مراحل غزوة أحد
أسباب النكسة في الشنيعة بغزوة أحد
المرحلة الأخيرة من غزوة أحد وحملة 'الحمرا الأسد
نحو معركة الخندق
معركة الخندق
نحو غزو مكة
غزو ​​مكة
معركة حنين
البعث إلى تبوك
منجزات العسكري لرسول الله
له تعيين أشخاص أكفاء
حكمة رسول الله
حل لمشكلة العنصرية
الكلمة الأخيرة في قيادة النبي

The Prophet of Universal Mercy


The beginning of existence was an act of mercy and compassion. Without mercy the universe would be in chaos. Everything has come into existence through compassion and by compassion it continues to exist in harmony.
God created the world as a theatre where His Names are manifested. He introduces Himself, first of all, as the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. Muslims utter In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, All-Compassionate, before whatever good they do. The subsistence of the world is also through the Name, the All-Merciful. This Name manifests itself, first of all, as the All-Provider so as to secure the subsistence or survival of living creatures through food or nourishment. Besides, life is the foremost and most manifest blessing of God Almighty, and the true and everlasting life is the life of the Hereafter. Since man can deserve this life by acting in a way to please God, God sent Prophets and revealed Scriptures out of His mercy for mankind. For this reason, while mentioning His blessings upon mankind in the surah al-Rahman (the All-Merciful) in the Qur'an, He begins:
Al-Rahman (the All-Merciful). He taught the Qur'an. He created man. He taught him speech. (al-Rahman, 55.1-4)
All aspects of this life are a rehearsal for the afterlife and every creature is engaged in action to this end. In every effort order is evident and in every achievement compassion resides. Some 'natural' events or social convulsions in the human order which seem to man disagreeable at first sight should not be regarded as incompatible with compassion. They are like dark clouds or lightning and thunder, which, although frightening for man, bring us good tidings of rain. Thus, the whole universe, from minutest particles to gigantic galaxies, sings the praises of the All-Compassionate.
The universe is, in the language of Muslim sages, God's 'created book' issued from His Attribute of Will. To write a book which no one could understand would be an exertion in vain and God is absolutely beyond such futility. So, He created Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, one who would instruct people in the meaning of the universe. Second, He taught man His Commandments through Muhammad in the Qur'an. Only by acting in accordance with these Commandments can man gain an eternal life of happiness. The Qur'an is the ultimate and most comprehensive form of Divine Revelation, Islam is the last, perfected and universal form of Divine Religions, and the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is the embodiment of Divine Compassion, one whom God sent not save as a mercy for all the worlds.
The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is like a spring of pure water in the heart of a desert, or like a source of light in the darkness enveloping the universe. Whoever appeals to this spring can take as much water as to quench his thirst and is purified of all his dirt or pollution, spiritual or intellectual, and illumined with the light of belief.
Mercy was a like a magical key in the hands of the Prophet Muhammad, who is the last Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings. He opened with this key the doors of the hearts so hardened and rusty as one thought it was impossible to open them, and lighted a torch of belief in them.
God's Messenger preached Islam, the religion of universal mercy. Despite this, some so-called 'champions of humanism' accuse Islam of being 'a religion of the sword'. However, this is a sheer deception. They seem to wail over an animal killed in some part of the world or raise their voices whenever one from them is harmed, but they do not bat an eyelid when others are massacred. Their world is built on personal interest. It should be pointed out that the abuse of the feeling of compassion is as harmful and sometimes more harmful than being devoid of compassion altogether.
The amputation of a gangrenous limb is an act of compassion to the rest of the whole body. Likewise, oxygen and hydrogen, mixed in the proper ratios, form one of the most vital of substances. However, when this ratio changes, each element resumes its original combustible identity. It is likewise of great importance to apportion the amount of compassion and to identify who deserves it. 'Compassion for a wolf sharpens its appetite, and not being content with what it receives, it demands even more.' Compassion for a rebel makes him more aggressive, encouraging him to offend against others. Compassion rather requires that one should be prevented from doing wrong. God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, says: Help your brother whether he be just or unjust. The Companions asked: 'How shall we help our unjust brother?' He replied: You help him by preventing him from doing injustice. So, compassion also requires that those who take pleasure in poisoning like a snake should either be deprived of their poison or prevented from poisoning. Or else, the administration of the world will be left to 'cobras'.
The compassion of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, encompasses every creature. Indeed, he was also an invincible commander and an able statesman. He knew that to leave the world to blood-stained, blood-thirsty people would be tyranny of the most terrible kind to all the oppressed and wronged people. His compassion therefore required that lambs should be able to live in the utmost security against the attacks of wolves. He desired, of course, the guidance of everyone. This was his greatest concern, as stated in the Qur'an:
Yet it may be, if they believe not in this Message, you will consume yourself, following after them, with grief. (al-Kahf, 18.6)
But what could he do for those who persisted in unbelief and actually waged war against him in order to destroy him and his Message? He had to fight against his enemies out of his universal compassion that encompasses every creature. It was because of this compassion that when he was severely wounded in the Battle of Uhud, he held his hands open towards God and prayed: O God, forgive my people, for they do not know. (1)
In Makka, his people inflicted on him every kind of suffering eventually forcing him to emigrate to Madina, and then fought against him for five years. However, when he conquered Makka without bloodshed in the twenty-first year of his Prophethood, he asked the Makkan unbelievers, awaiting his decision about them: How do you expect me to treat you? They responded unanimously: 'You are a noble one, the son of a noble one.' He announced to them his decision:
You may go away! No reproach this day shall be on you; may God forgive you. He is the Most Compassionate of the Compassionate. (2)
The same announcement was made by Mehmed, the Conqueror, the seventh Ottoman sultan, to the defeated Byzantines, when he conquered Istanbul, eight and a quarter centuries later. Such is the universal compassion of Islam.
The Messenger's compassion towards the believers was of the utmost degree. The Qur'an describes his compassion in the following verse:
There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is your suffering; anxious is he over you, full of concern for you, for the believers full of pity, compassionate. (al-Tawbah, 9.128
He lowered unto believers his wing of tenderness through mercy (al-Hijr, 15.88), and was the 'guardian' of believers and nearer to them than their selves (al-Ahzab, 33.6). When one of his Companions died, he asked those present at the funeral whether that Companion had left any unpaid debt. On learning that he had left a debt, he mentioned the above quoted verse and announced:
I am his guardian. Let the creditors appeal to me to collect their debt. (3)
The compassion of God's Messenger even encompassed hypocrites and unbelievers. Although he recognized the hypocrites of his time, he never disclosed them so that they could enjoy the rights of full citizenship to which their outward confession of faith and practice entitled them. Since they lived among Muslims, their unbelief in eternal life after death may have been reduced or changed to doubt, and therefore their fear of death and the pain caused by the assertion of eternal non-existence after death might have been diminished. As for unbelievers, God removed the collective destruction from them. He had eradicated many peoples before. God says:
But God would never chastise them while you were among them; God would never chastise them as they begged forgiveness. (al-Anfal, 8.33)
This verse refers not only to the unbelievers in the time of God's Messenger, but also to all those coming later. God will not destroy peoples altogether so long as people who follow the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, continue to live in the world. Besides, He has left 'the door of repentance' open until the Last Day. Anyone can accept Islam or beg God's forgiveness, however sinful he is. For this reason, a Muslim's enmity towards unbelievers is, in fact, in the form of pitying them. When 'Umar, the second Caliph, saw a priest of eighty years, he sat down and sobbed. When asked why he was sobbing, he replied: 'God assigned him so long a life span, but he has not been able to find the true path.'
'Umar was the disciple of God's Messenger, who said:
I was not sent as one to call down curses on people, but I was sent as a mercy. (4)
He also said:
I am Muhammad, and Ahmad (praised one), and Muqaffi (the Last Prophet); and I am also Hashir (the final Prophet in the presence of whom the dead will be resurrected); and the Prophet of repentance (the Prophet for the cause of whom 'the door' of repentance will always remain open), and the Prophet of mercy. (5)
The archangel Gabriel also benefited from the mercy of the Qur'an, which was revealed to God's Messenger. Once he asked Gabriel whether he had any share in the mercy contained in the Qur'an. Gabriel answered, 'Yes, o God's Messenger,' and explained,
I had not been certain about my end. However, when the verse (One) obeyed, and moreover, trustworthy and secured (al-Takwir, 81.21) was revealed, I felt secure about my end. (6)
When Ma'iz was punished for a serious crime, one of the Companions reproached him saying: 'He disclosed the sin he had committed secretly and died like a dog.' God's Messenger frowned at him and said:
You have backbitten your friend. His repentance and asking God's pardon for his sin would be enough for the forgiveness for all the sinners in the world. (7)
A member of the clan of Banu Muqarrin beat his maidservant. The poor woman referred the matter to God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, who sent for the master and said to him: You have beaten her without any justifiable right. So, set her free. ( Setting a slave free was far better for his or her master than being punished in the Hereafter because of the slave.
God's Messenger was particularly compassionate towards children. When he saw a child crying, he sat beside him or her and shared his or her feelings. He felt the pain of a mother for her child more than the mother herself. Once he said:
I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear the cry of a child and cut the prayer short for the anxiety which the mother is feeling. (9)
He took children in his arms and hugged them. He was once hugging his beloved grandsons, Hasan and Hussayn, when Aqra ibn Habis told him: 'I have got ten children. So far, I haven't kissed any of them.'
God's Messenger responded:
The one with no pity for others is not pitied. (10)
According to another version, he said:
What can I do for you if God has removed from you the feeling of compassion? (11)
Once, he said:
Take pity on those on earth so that those in the heavens should have pity on you. (12)
Sa'd ibn 'Ubada once became ill. God's Messenger visited him in his house and, on seeing his faithful Companion in a pitiful state, he was moved to tears. Then, he said:
God does not punish because of tears, nor because of grief, but he punishes because of this, and he pointed to his tongue. (13)
When 'Uthman ibn Mad'un died, he wept profusely. During the funeral, a woman remarked: ' 'Uthman flew, like a bird, to Paradise.' Even in that mournful state, the Prophet did not lose his balance and corrected the woman:
How do you know that he went to Paradise while even I do not know, and I am a Prophet? (14)
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, always protected and supported, both prior to and during his Prophethood, widows, orphans, the poor and disabled. When he returned home in excitement from Mount Hira after the first revelation, his wife, Khadija, told him:
I hope you will be the Prophet of this community, you always tell the truth, fulfil the trust, support your relatives, help the poor and weak, and feed guests. (15)
His compassion encompassed not only human beings, but also animals. We hear from him that a prostitute was guided to truth by God and ultimately went to Paradise because she gave water to a poor dog dying of thirst, whilst another woman was condemned to the torments of Hell because she left a cat to die of hunger. (16)
Once on return from a military campaign, a few Companions took away the chicks of a bird from their nest to stroke them. The mother bird came back and, when it could not find its chicks in the nest, it began to fly around screeching. When informed of the matter, God's Messenger became angry and ordered the chicks to be put back in the nest. (17)
Once he told his Companions that one of the previous Prophets was reproached by God because he set on fire a nest of ants. (18)
He was in Mina when some of his Companions once attacked a snake to kill it. However, the snake managed to escape. Watching this from afar, God's Messenger remarked: It was saved from your evil, as you were from its. (19)
As reported by Ibn 'Abbas, when God's Messenger once saw a man sharpening his knife directly before the sheep he would slaughter, he said to him: Do you desire to kill it many times? (20) 'Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrates:
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, once went to a garden in Madina with a few of his Companions. There was a very scrawny camel in a corner. On seeing God's Messenger, it began to shed tears. The Messenger went to the camel and, after staying beside it for some time, severely warned the owner to feed the camel properly. (21)
The love and compassion of God's Messenger for all kinds of creatures was not of the kind claimed by today's 'humanists'. He was sincere and balanced in his love and compassion. He was more compassionate than any other person. He was a Prophet raised by God, the Creator and Sustainer of all beings, for the guidance and happiness of conscious beings – mankind and jinn – and the harmony of existence. So, he lived not for himself but for others; he is a mercy for all the worlds.
As a reflection of his mercy and compassion, God's Messenger was extremely mild and gentle, he was not harsh and stern. Due to his mildness, God's Messenger gained many converts to Islam and surpassed numerous obstacles on his way to ultimate victory.
After the victory of Badr, the Battle of Uhud was a severe trial for the Muslim community in Madina. Although God's Messenger was of the opinion that they should face the enemy on the outskirts of Madina, the majority of the Muslim army urged him to go out into the open for a pitched battle. When the two armies met each other at the foot of Mount Uhud, God's Messenger positioned fifty archers in the pass of 'Aynayn and ordered them not to leave their place without permission, even if they saw that the Muslims had won the victory decisively.
The Muslim army, one third of the enemy in number and equipment, had almost defeated the Makkan polytheists at the beginning of the battle. Seeing the enemy fleeing the battlefield, the archers forgot the Prophet's command and left their positions in pursuit of them. However, Khalid ibn Walid, the cavalry commander of the Makkan army, saw this and, riding round the mountain, attacked the Muslim army from behind. The fleeing enemy soldiers turned back, and as a result, the Muslims, caught in the cross-fire, experienced a reverse. More than seventy Muslims were martyred and God's Messenger was wounded. He might have reproached those who urged him to come into the open for a pitched battle and the archers who left their place contrary to his orders. But he did the reverse and showed leniency to them. The Qur'an says:
It was by the mercy of God that you were gentle to them; if you had been harsh and hard of heart, they would have dispersed from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult with them in the affair. And when you are resolved, then put your trust in God; surely God loves those who put their trust (in Him). (Al 'Imran, 3.159)
This verse shows, besides the need for leaders to be mild and lenient to those who make well-intentioned mistakes, the importance which Islam attaches to consultation in public administration.
The mildness and forgiveness of God's Messenger was a reflection of God's Names, the All-Mild, the All-Clement and the All-Forgiving. God does not stop providing for people despite their rebellion or unbelief. While the vast majority of people disobey Him either in unbelief and explicit or implicit association of partners with Him or transgression of His Commandments, the sun continues to send them its heat and light, clouds come to their aid with their tears – rain – and the earth never stops feeding them with its various fruits and plants. This is because of the Clemency and Forgiveness of God Almighty, which God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, reflected through his compassion, mildness and forgiveness.
Like the Prophet Abraham, whom he used to say that he resembled, God's Messenger was mild, imploring, clement and penitent (Hud, 11.75), and also gentle to believers and full of pity and compassionate for them (al-Tawbah, 9.127). Abraham, upon him be peace, was never angry with people, however much they tormented him. He wished for good even for his enemies. He implored God and shed tears in His Presence. Since he was a man of peace and salvation, God made the fire into which he was thrown cool and safe for him (al-Anbiya', 21.69). Like him, God's Messenger, upon him be peace, was never angry with anybody because of what was done to him. When his wife 'A'isha, may God be pleased with her, was made the object of a slander, he did not think to punish the slanderers even after 'A'isha was cleared by the Qur'an. Bedouins often came to his presence and behaved impolitely, but he did not even frown at them. Although extremely sensitive, he always showed forbearance towards everybody, whether friend or foe. His sensitivity was such that if, for example, a needle pierced his finger, it would give him more pain than others feel when speared. Despite this, he tolerated all the impudence of people.
As recounted earlier, he shared out the spoils of war after the Battle of Hunayn, when a man named Dhu l-Huwaysira objected, saying: 'Be just, o Muhammad!' This was an unforgivable offence against the sacred character of a Prophet whose role was to establish justice in the world. Unable to endure such offences against God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, 'Umar reacted: 'Let me kill this hypocrite, o God's Messenger!' But the Messenger did nothing other than say:
Who else will show justice if I am not just? If I do not show justice, then I have been lost and brought to naught. (22)
According to another version, he said:
If I am not just, then, by following me, you – the people – have been lost and brought to naught. (23)
In addition, he implied that that man would later take part in a seditious movement, which came true during the Caliphate of 'Ali. Dhu l-Huwaysira was found dead among the Kharijites killed in the Battle of Nahrawan.
As related by Anas ibn Malik, who served the Messenger for ten years, during which he was never reproached by him, a Jewish woman offered a roasted sheep to God's Messenger after the conquest of Khaybar. Just before he took the first morsel to his mouth, God's Messenger stopped and told the others at the meal not to eat of it, saying: This sheep tells me that it is poisonous. Nevertheless, a Companion, named Bishr, died immediately after he took the first morsel. The Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, sent for the woman and questioned her on why she tried to poison him. The woman replied:
If you are really a Prophet, the poison will not affect you. If you are not, I wanted to save people from your evil.
God's Messenger forgave the woman for her conspiracy to kill him. (24)
While the Prophet was once returning to his house after talking to his Companions in the mosque, a Bedouin pulled him by the collar and said rudely: 'O Muhammad! Give me my due! Load up these two camels of mine. For you will load them up with neither your own wealth nor the wealth of your father.' To this impertinence, God's Messenger gave the response, without showing any sign of offence: Give that man what he wants! (25)
Zayd ibn San'an narrates:
Once, God's Messenger borrowed some money from me. I was not yet a Muslim then. I went to him to collect my debt before its due time, and insulted him, saying; 'You the children of 'Abd al-Muttalib, are very reluctant to pay your debts!' 'Umar became very angry with this insult of mine and shouted; 'O enemy of God! Were it not for the treaty between us and the Jewish community, I would cut off your head! Speak to God's Messenger politely!'
However, God's Messenger smiled at me and, turning to 'Umar, said;
'Umar, pay the man his debt! And add to it the amount of twenty gallons because you have frightened him!
'Umar relates the rest of the story:
'We went together. On the way, Zayd spoke to me unexpectedly;
O 'Umar! You got angry with me. But I have found in him all the features of the Last Prophet recorded in the Torah, the Old Testament. However, there is this verse in it: 'His mildness surpasses his anger. The severity of impudence to him increases him only in mildness and forbearance.' In order to test his forbearance, I uttered what I uttered. Now I am convinced that he is the Prophet whose coming the Torah predicted, so, I believe and bear witness that he is the Last Prophet. (26)
The mildness and forbearance of God's Messenger sufficed for the conversion of Zayd ibn San'an, who was one of the Jewish scholars of the time.
God's Messenger himself was extremely meticulous in practising the religion. Nobody could imitate him in performing supererogatory prayers. Despite being sinless, he spent more than half the night praying in tears, and sometimes fasted two or three days successively. Every moment, he took a further step towards the 'praised station' set for him by God. However, he was very tolerant towards others; in order that his Ummah should not be put under a heavy burden, he did not perform the supererogatory prayers in the mosque. When a complaint was circulated about an imam (prayer leader) because he prolonged the prayer, the Prophet climbed the pulpit and said:
O you people! You cause aversion in people from prayer. Whoever among you leads a prescribed prayer should not prolong it, for there are among you people who are sick or old or who are in urgent need. (27)
Once his congregation complained to the Prophet about Mu'adh ibn Jabal that he prolonged the night prayer. The Prophet's love for Mu'adh did not prevent him from reproaching him, saying, Are you a trouble-maker? Are you a troublemaker? Are you a trouble-maker? (28)
The mildness and forbearance of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, captured the hearts and preserved the unity of the Muslims. As stated in the Qur'an, if he had been harsh and hard-hearted, people would have dispersed from about him. But those who saw him and listened to him attained the rank of sainthood. For example, Khalid ibn Walid was the general of the Quraysh who caused the Muslims to experience a reverse in the Battle of Uhud. However, when he was not included in the army that went out for a military campaign on the day following his conversion, he was upset and sobbed.
Like Khalid, Ikrima and 'Amr ibn al-'As were among those who did great harm to God's Messenger and the Muslims. When they believed, each served Islam sincerely as commanders or governors. Ibn Hisham, the brother of Abu Jahl, converted to Islam shortly before the death of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. He became so sincere a Muslim that just before his martyrdom at the Battle of Yarmuk two years after the death of God's Messenger, he did not drink the water that Hudayfa al-'Adawi offered him, asking him to take it to the one lying nearby groaning for water. He died, having preferred his Muslim brother over himself. (29)
Those people attained high ranks in the enlightening atmosphere of God's Messenger, upon him peace and blessings. They were included among the Companions, those regarded and respected as the most virtuous people after the Prophets by almost the whole body of the Muslim Ummah since the earliest days of Islam. In order to explain their greatness, Said Nursi, the great Muslim revivalist of the twentieth century, says:
I had been wondering why even the greatest of saints like Muhyi al-Din ibn al-'Arabi are unable to attain the rank of the Companions. One day God Almighty enabled me to perform in prayer a prostration, which I have succeeded in doing only once during my life. I concluded that it is impossible to attain the ranks of the Companions because all the prostrations of the Companions were like that in meaning and merit. (30)
It was God's Messenger who brought up the Companions. It is enough to establish the greatness of the Companions that they succeeded despite their small number in conveying Islam to the farthest areas of Asia and Africa within a few decades, and Islam was rooted in those areas so deeply that, despite the concerted efforts of the global enemy powers for centuries backed with all kinds of machinery and technological facilities, to remove it from the surface of the earth, it continues to gain new momentum every passing day and is the sole alternative for the future salvation of humankind. The Companions, may God be pleased with them all, developed from the wretched state of the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance to being guides and teachers of a considerable part of mankind until the Last Day, and the vanguard of the most magnificent civilization of history.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was a man of absolute balance. His universal compassion did not prevent him from executing Divine justice, and his mildness and forbearance did not go to extremes of overlooking injustices and breach of rules or self-humiliation. For example, in a military campaign, Usama ibn Zayd threw an enemy soldier to the ground. When he was about to kill him, the man confessed belief. However, judging that confession to be due to fear of death, Usama killed the man. When informed of the incident, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, became so angry with Usama that he reprimanded him severely, saying: Did you cleave his heart open and see (whether his confession of belief was due to fear of death)? He repeated this so many times that Usama said later: 'I wished I had not yet become a Muslim on the day I was scolded so severely.' (31)
Likewise, one day, Abu Dharr got angry with Bilal and insulted him, saying: 'You, the son of a black woman!' Bilal came to God's Messenger and reported the incident in tears. The Messenger reproached Abu Dharr, saying: Do you still have a sign of Jahiliyya? Repentant of what he did, Abu Dharr lay on the ground and said: 'The head of Abu Dharr will not be raised (meaning he will not get up) unless Bilal put his foot on it to pass over it.' Bilal forgave him and they were reconciled. (32)
Such was the brotherhood and the humanity Islam created between once savage people.
1. Bukhari, Anbiya', 54; Muslim, Jihad, 104.
2. I. Hisham, Sirah, 4.55; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.344.
3. Muslim, Fara'iz, 14; Bukhari, Istiqraz, 11.
4. Muslim, Birr, 87.
5. I. Hanbal, 4.395; Muslim, Fada'il, 126.
6. Qadi 'Iyad, al-Shifa', 1.17.
7. Muslim, Hudud, 17-23; Bukhari, Hudud, 28.
8. Muslim, Ayman, 31, 33; I. Hanbal, 3.447.
9. Bukhari, Adhan, 65; Muslim, Salat, 192.
10. Bukhari, Adab, 18.
11. Bukhari, Adab, 18; Muslim, Fada'il, 64; I. Maja, Adab, 3.
12. Tirmidhi, Birr, 16.
13. Bukhari, Jana'iz, 45; Muslim, Jana'iz, 12.
14. Bukhari, Jana'iz, 3.
15. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1.195;
16. Bukhari, Anbiya', 54, Musaqat, 9; Muslim, Salam, 153; I. Hanbal, 2.507.
17. Abu Dawud, Adab, 164, Jihad, 112; I. Hanbal, 1.404.
18. Bukhari, Jihad, 153; Muslim, Salam, 147.
19. Nasa'i, Hajj, 114; I, Hanbal, 1.385.
20. Hakim, Mustadrak, 4.231, 233.
21. Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra', 2.95; Haythami, Majma', 9.9.
22. Muslim, Zakat, 142, 148; Bukhari, Adab, 95, Manaqib, 25.
23. Bukhari, Adab, 95; Muslim, Zakat, 142.
24. Bukhari, Hibah, 28; Abu Dawud, Diyat, 6.
25. Abu Dawud, Adab, 1; Nasa'i, Qasamah, 24.
26. Suyuti, al-Khasa'is, 1.26; I. Hajar, al-Isabah, 1.566.
27. Bukhari, 'Ilm, 28, Adhan, 61.
28. Muslim, Salat, 179; Nasa'i, Iftitah, 71; Bukhari, Adab, 74.
29. Hakim, Mustadrak, 3.242.
30. Said Nursi, Sozler, 459.
31. Muslim, Iman, 158; I. Maja, Fitan, 1.
32. Bukhari, Iman, 22.

Islam Means Peace and Salvation


Islam is the religion appointed by God for the welfare of mankind, individually and collectively, in both worlds. It is based on belief in and worship of God, without associating with Him any partners whatsoever.
Belief in and worship of God requires on the part of a believer deep concern with creatures, animate or inanimate. The deeper one's belief in and submission to God is, the deeper one's concern for all creatures. Belief in the Unity of God allows no one on the earth to enjoy and exercise absolute freedom in dealing with creatures.
Islam, being a word derived from the root SLM, meaning salvation and peace as well as submission, is the expression of God's grace flowing in the arteries of the universe. Islam being the Divine system to which all creatures except man have willingly submitted themselves, there is no disorder observed throughout the universe. That is why Islam is, first of all, the religion of the universe. Everything in the universe is 'Muslim' for it obeys God by submission to His laws. Even a man who refuses to believe in God, or offers his worship to someone or something other than God, has perforce to be a Muslim as far as his bodily existence is concerned. For his entire life, from the embryonic stage to the body's dissolution into dust after death, and every tissue of his muscles and every limb of his body follow the course prescribed for each by God's law.
The principle of Tawhid (Divine Unity) in Islam implies the necessity of man's being in harmony with the world around him. The vast realm of the universe, which is in submission to One God only, displays a coherence and harmony of which the human world is also a part. Although the human world is subject, in addition to the general laws of nature, to a particular set of laws special to itself, yet it is also in harmony with other laws governing the rest of the phenomena beyond it. Man, unlike his fellow creatures who tread 'the path of nature', is endowed with the power of free will. He carries the gift of freedom together with the obligation to harmonize his life with the rest of nature – a harmony which is also the path of his exaltation and progress. This is the path upon which God has originated the nature of mankind:
Set your face to the religion, a man of pure faith – God's original nature in which He originated mankind. There is no changing God's creation. That is the right religion, but most men know it not. (al-Rum, 30.30)
Islam is the universal order, the integral religion of harmony and the unique system which is able to harmonize the physical with the metaphysical, the rational with the ideal, and the corporeal with the spiritual. All dimensions of man's earthly life have particular places of their own within the matrix of Islam in such a way that each can perform its own function and enable man to be at peace with himself, his community and nature, and ultimately to gain happiness in both worlds.
In order to be able to harmonize his life with the rest of nature, man should, first of all, realize his own personal integrity. This requires his application of his free will to his energies to keep them within the correct limits established by God. If he does not recognize any limits to his desire, he may, for example, usurp the property of others, seek illicit sexual relations, and so on. If, again, he does not recognize any limits to the use of his intellect, he may exploit it to deceive others. That is why man's powers must be held in check: his intellect must be exercised with 'wisdom', and his desire and anger restrained by lawfulness and moderation. We should remember too that man is a social being; if he does not restrain himself as demanded by God, certainly wrongdoing, injustice, exploitation, disorder and revolutions will occur in society.
God does not approve wrongdoing and disorder. He wills that human beings should live in peace and, accordingly, that justice should prevail amongst them. It is, therefore, incumbent upon those who believe in One God and worship Him faithfully to secure justice in the world. Islam calls this responsibility jihad, a term which can be rendered in English the best as struggle or, as some call it, the holy struggle in the way of God.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 June 2006

The Holy Struggle in the Way of God


Jihad denotes, literally, doing one's utmost to achieve something. It is not the equivalent of war, for which the Arabic word is qital. It has a wider connotation and embraces every kind of striving in God's cause. A mujahid is a person who is sincerely devoted to his cause, who uses all his physical, intellectual and spiritual capacity to serve it and employs all the force he commands in confronting any power which might stand in its way, and, whenever necessary, does not shirk risking his very life for it. All this is jhad. Jihad in the way of God is that striving in which man engages exclusively to win God's good pleasure, to establish the supremacy of His religion and to make His Word prevail.
Besides the holy struggle, the principle of amr bi'l-ma'ruf wa nahy an al-munkar (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) seeks to convey the Message of Islam to all human beings in the world and to establish a model Islamic community on a world-wide basis. The Islamic community is introduced by the Qur'an as a model community, one that is required to make every effort in either communicating to mankind what the Prophet communicated to them, or in exemplifying in their own lives what the Prophet, by his own conduct, translated into actual practice: Thus, We have made you a community justly balanced, that you might be witnesses for all mankind, and the Messenger may be a witness for you (al-Baqara, 2.143).
Aspects of the holy struggle in the way of God
The first Revelation which came to God's Messenger was the command read!. This command, coming as it did at a time when there was nothing yet to read, meant that a believer should exercise all his faculties, intellectual and spiritual, in discerning God's acts in the universe and His laws in the creation and operation of the universe. Through this discernment, he is to purify himself, his mind, of all the superstitions coming from ignorance and, through observation and contemplation, equip himself with true knowledge.
Man is not a being composed of only the mind; God has endowed him with many faculties each of which needs satisfaction. So, while feeding his mind, on the one hand, with Divine 'signs' manifested in the universe, he will cleanse his 'heart', on the other, of all his sins. He will live a balanced life in awareness of being supervised by God and continuously ask for His forgiveness. He will break, through seeking God's forgiveness, the desires of his carnal self for forbidden things, and, through prayer, he will ask God to enable him to always do good deeds.
The command read!, thus signifies an action. For God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, it meant that, since God's Messenger was absolutely pure in spirit and had no superstitions at all, he would have to start his mission as a Messenger of God. He was to recite to people the Revelations of God, and instruct them in His signs in the universe, and by doing that, he would purify their minds of all the superstitions of the Age of Ignorance and their hearts of all their sins. He would enlighten them, intellectually and spiritually, by instructing them in both the 'Revealed Book of God', the Qur'an, and His 'Created Book', that is, the universe:
We have sent among you, of yourselves, a Messenger who recites to you Our signs, purifies you, and instructs you in the Book and in the Wisdom, and also instructs you in what you know not. (al-Baqara, 2.151)
Men are in some sense like raw minerals to be worked upon by the Prophets, who purify and refine them by removing the seal from their hearts and ears, and by lifting the veils from their eyes. Enlightened by the Message of the Prophets, men are enabled to understand the meaning of the Divine laws of nature, which are signs of the existence and Unity of God, and to penetrate into the subtle reality of things and events. Only through the guidance of the Prophets can mankind attain the high status expected of them by God.
In addition to teaching the signs, the Prophets also instructed men in the Book and in Wisdom. As the Qur'an was the last Revelation to the Last Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, God means the Qur'an when He speaks of the Scripture, and the Sunnah when He speaks of Wisdom. One must therefore follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah, the example of the Prophet, if one desires to be rightly guided.
The Prophet also teaches us what we do not know and humanity will continue to learn from the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, until the Day of Judgement. We learn from him how to purify ourselves of sins. By following his way, many great saints have attained their distinctions as saints. Among them 'Ali says that his belief in the Unseen and the essentials of Islam is so firm that even if the veil of the Unseen were lifted, his certainty would not increase. Many others such as Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, Imam Ghazali, Imam Rabbani, Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, Ibrahim ibn Adham and Bishr al-Khafi might well have been endowed with Prophethood, if God had not already set a seal on Prophethood.
The dark clouds of ignorance were removed from man's intellectual horizon through the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, and many more advances will be made in science and technology as a result of the light he brought from God.
A believer keeps his belief vigorous and active by means of the holy struggle in the way of God. Just as a tree keeps its leaves as long as it yields fruits and is fed from earth, so a believer can preserve vigour as long as he struggles in the way of God. Whenever you encounter a hopeless pessimist, you will soon realize that he is one who has abandoned this struggle. Whoever continues to struggle in the way of God never loses his enthusiasm and always tries to increase the scope of his activities.
There are two aspects of jihad. One is fighting against superstitions and wrong convictions and also against carnal desires and evil inclinations, and therefore enlightenment both intellectually and spiritually, which is called the greater jihad; the other is encouraging others to achieve the same objective and is called the lesser jihad.
The lesser jihad, which has usually been taken to mean fighting for God's cause, does not refer only to the form of striving done on battlefields. The term is comprehensive. It includes every action from speaking out to presenting oneself on the battlefield – provided the action is done for God's sake. Whether speaking or keeping silent, smiling or making a sour face, joining a meeting or leaving it, every action taken to ameliorate the lot of humanity, whether by individuals or communities, is included in the meaning of the lesser jihad.
While the lesser jihad depends on the mobilization of all the material facilities and is performed in the outer world, the greater jihad means a person's fighting against his carnal self. These two forms of jihad cannot be separated from each other. Only those who triumph over their carnal selves can perform the lesser jihad, which, in turn helps man to succeed in the geater jihad.
Although the man who abandons the lesser jihad is liable to spiritual deterioration, he may recover. Everything in the universe praises and glorifies God with its every breath and is, accordingly, a sign of the existence and Unity of God: a man may be guided to the Straight Path through one of these signs. For this reason, it is said that there are as many paths leading to the Straight Path of God as the breaths of all His creatures. A man returning from the lesser jihad is vulnerable to worldly weaknesses. Pride, love of comfort and ease may captivate him after a victory, and he may think it is time to relax and indulge in such things. These are some of the perils awaiting one who has returned from the lesser jihad. It is for this reason that the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, warned us through his Companions: returning to Madina after a victory, he said: We are returning from the lesser jihad to the greater. However, to secure God's help and protection and be successful in the greater jihad, in fighting against animal desires and impulses, depend upon supporting His religion. If anyone wants to be safe from going astray, then his aim in life must be striving for God's sake, and his actions, including the simplest – eating, sleeping, choosing and training for an occupation, etc. – must be directed towards this objective. God declares in the Qur'an:
O believers! If you help [the religion of] God, God will help you and make your feet firm [in practising your religion and against Satan, your carnal selves and enemies]. (Muhammad, 47.7)
The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, combined these two aspects of jihad in the most perfect way in his person. He displayed monumental courage on battlefields. 'Ali, who was one of the most courageous heroes of Islam, confesses that the Companions took shelter behind the Prophet at the most critical moments of the fighting. To give an example, when the Muslim army experienced a reverse and began to scatter in the first phase of the Battle of Hunayn, he urged his horse towards the enemy lines and shouted to call back his soldiers who were retreating: I am a Prophet, this is no lie! I am the grandson of 'Abd al-Muttalib, this is no lie!
As he was the most courageous of all human beings on battlefields, so he was the most devoted in worshipping God. He was consumed with love and fear in his prayer, and those who saw him felt great tenderness towards him. He frequently fasted every other day or even in successive days. Sometimes he would spend almost the whole night in prayer and his feet would swell up as a result of long periods of standing in prayer. As recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, once 'A'isha thought his persistence in prayer excessive, so she asked him why he exhausted himself so much considering that all his sins had been forgiven. Shall I not be a slave grateful to God? came the reply.
The Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings, sometimes got up to pray without wakening his wife since he did not want to disturb her sleep. Traditionists such as Muslim, Tirmidhi and Haythami relate, again, from 'A'isha that one night she woke up to find the Messenger was not beside her in bed. Thinking that he might be visiting another of his wives, she became jealous. She started to get up, when her hand touched the Prophet's feet in the darkness. He was in prostration and saying in his prayer: O God! I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and with You from You. I am not able to praise You as You do praise Yourself.
Like the Prophet Muhammad himself, upon him be peace and blessings, his Companions, may God be pleased with them all, were also as fierce as lions on battlefields on the one hand, and as sincere and humble as dervishes in worshipping God on the other. Those victorious warriors used to spend their nights in prayer to God. Once, as Ibn Hanbal relates, when night fell during a battle, two of them had to take turns in standing guard. One took his rest while the other began to pray. Having become aware of the situation, the enemy shot a shower of arrows at him. He was hit and bled profusely but did not abandon his prayer. When he finished his devotions, he woke his friend, who asked him in amazement why he had not woken him sooner. His reply was: 'I was reciting surah al-Kahf, so I did not wish the deep pleasure I found in this prayer to be interrupted.'
They were very sincere in their deeds; they did everything for God's sake only, and never failed to discipline themselves. 'Umar was once giving a sermon, when he suddenly introduced the following words without any apparent reason: 'O 'Umar! You were a shepherd pasturing your father's sheep!' When asked after the prayer why he had said that, he answered: 'It came to my mind that I was the Caliph, so I became afraid of feeling proud.' One day he was seen carrying a sack upon his back. When asked why he was doing that, he replied: 'I felt some pride within me, so I desired to get rid of it.'
Only jihad performed by such perfect souls as these produce effective results. Those who have not been able to get rid of pride, self-regard and insincerity, will most probably bring much damage to the cause of Islam and will never obtain the hoped for result. Jihad needs self-control on the one hand, and preaching of the truth on the other. It requires both the overcoming of one's carnal desires and animal impulses and the encouragement of others to do the same in order to obtain God's good pleasure. To neglect the former produces anarchy in the society, while neglect of the latter results in laziness. The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, expresses these two aspects of jihad together in one of his sayings: The eyes of the two persons will never witness the fire of Hell: The eyes of the soldier who keeps guard at frontiers and on battlefields and the eyes of the man who sheds tears for fear of God.
In surah al-Nasr, the Qur'an describes both types of jihad: When the help of God comes, and victory, and you see men entering God's religion in throngs, then glorify the praise of your Lord, and seek His forgiveness; for He is Relenting, Merciful.
When the believers performed the lesser jihad whether by fighting on battlefields against those who waged war on them or tried to prevent them from worshipping One God only, or preaching the truth and enjoining the right and good and forbidding the wrong and evil, God's help and victory came, and men began to enter Islam in throngs. At that moment the Almighty decreed that His praises should be glorified and His forgiveness should be sought. As all success and victory are from God, it is only He who must be praised and worshipped.
Stages of the holy struggle in the way of God
After he received the first Revelation, the command read!, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, returned home in excitement. He was sleeping wrapped in a cloak, 'enwrapped' by the suffering of people and the heaviness of his responsibility, when God commanded him:
O you enwrapped one! Keep vigil the night long, save a little (a half of it, or diminish a little, or add a little), and chant the Qur'an in measure. For We shall charge you with a word of weight. (al-Muzzammil, 73.1-5)
The short period between the first revelation and the beginning of the communication of the Message to the others, the period marked by verses such as those above was of a preliminary kind for God's Messenger. He had to prepare himself to perform the duty of conveying God's Word of Weight, the Qur'an. He was to keep vigil the night long and recite the Qur'an in measure, because the vigil of the night is a time when impression is more keen and recitation more penetrating.
As was explained above, the holy struggle in the way of God entails, besides conveying the Message to others, a believer's struggle with his carnal self to build his genuine, spiritual character, overflowing with belief and inflamed with love. A believer's struggle in the way of God, with these two dimensions of it, continues, in the individual sphere, until the believer's death, and up to the Last Day in the collective sphere. So, a short while after God's Messenger received the order to keep vigil the night long, the following revelation came to him:
O you enshrouded one, arise and warn! Your Lord magnify; Your robes purify and defilement flee! And show not favour, seeking worldly gain! For the sake of your Lord, be patient! (al-Muddaththir, 74.1-7)
By these revelations, the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, was ordered to begin the preaching of Islam. He started from his relatives of the nearest kin and, after the command, Warn your tribe of nearest kindred (al-Shu'ara', 26.214), his call encompassed his tribe. This was followed by public preaching and, predictably, by reactions such as derisions, threats, tortures, offers of the most alluring kind and boycotting.
In Makka, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, never resorted to, nor allowed, retaliation. For Islam came not to make mischief nor to cause dissensions among people. It came, in the words of Amir ibn Rabi', the Muslim envoy to the Persian commander in the war of Qadisiyyah during the caliphate of 'Umar, to bring people out of the darkness of unbelief into the light of belief, to free them from 'servanthood' to servants to make them the servants of One God, and to elevate them from the pit of 'earth' to the height of 'heaven'. Also, as stated earlier, Islam, literally meaning peace, salvation and submission, came to establish peace, first, in the inner worlds of human beings themselves, making them at peace with God, nature and themselves, and, then, in the entire world and universe. For this reason, peace and order are fundamental in Islam. It always seeks to spread in a peaceful atmosphere and refrains from resorting to force as much as possible. Islam never approves injustice in whatever form it is, and severely forbids bloodshed. According to the Qur'an:
Whoever slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had slain all mankind, and whoever 'gives life' to a soul, it shall be as if he had 'given life' to the whole of mankind. (al-Ma'idah, 5.32)
Coming to eradicate injustice and corruption on the earth, and to 'unite' the earth with the heavens in peace and harmony, Islam seeks to call people with wisdom and fair exhortation, and does not resort to force until those who desire to maintain the corrupted order they built on injustice, oppression, self-interest and exploitation of others and usurpation of their rights, resist it to prevent its preaching. Thus, Islam allows the use of force in the following cases:
1. If unbelievers or polytheists or those who make mischief and corruption on the earth resist the preaching of Islam and try to block its way of conquering the minds and hearts of people. Being a God-revealed religion of truth, Islam aims to secure the well-being and happiness of mankind in both worlds and therefore has the right to enjoy the freedom of presenting itself to people. In case it is resisted or prevented, it offers its enemies three alternatives: either they will accept Islam, or allow its preaching or admit its rule. If they reject all three alternatives, Islam allows the use of force.
2. God permitted His Messenger to resort to the 'sword' only after he emigrated to Madina and established an independent state there. This permission was given because the Muslims were wronged (al-Hajj, 22.39). The verses revealed to express this permission are worth mentioning in order to understand the true nature of war in Islam and for what purposes it was made lawful:
(Fighting is) permitted to those who are fought against, because they have been wronged; and surely God is able to give them victory. Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: 'Our Lord is God'. For had it not been for God's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the Name of God is much mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Assuredly God helps one who helps Him [His religion]. Surely God is All-Strong, All-Mighty. Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish worship and pay the poor-due and enjoin the good and forbid the evil. And God's is the sequel of events. (al-Hajj, 22. 39-41)
It is clear from the verses above, and has been witnessed by history, that Islam resorts to force in order to defend itself and establish the freedom of belief. So, under the rule of Islam, the followers of other religions – Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, etc. – are free to practise their religion. It is a historical fact which has been acknowledged even by many Western writers, that Christians and Jews have lived the most prosperous and happiest period of their history under the rule of Islam.
3. Islam, being the true religion revealed by God, the Lord of the Worlds, the All-Just and All-Compassionate, never approves any injustice in any part of the world. Besides, as declared in the verse, Surely We have written (decreed) in the Psalms after the Torah (and remind once more in the Qur'an) that My righteous servants will inherit the earth. (Al-Anbiya', 21.105), the righteous servants of God are charged with the duty of submitting the earth to God's rule, which depends on absolute justice and worship of only One God. They are also obliged to strive until persecution and the worship and obedience of false deities and unjust tyrants come to an end. For this reason, Islam orders its followers to fight for the cause of the feeble and oppressed among world people:
How should you not fight for the cause of God and of the feeble and oppressed among men and women and children, who are crying: 'Our Lord! Bring us forth from out of this town whose people are oppressors! Oh, give us from your presence some protecting friend! Oh, give us from Your presence some defender!' (al-Nisa', 4.75)
Some rules of the struggle in the way of God
A believer cannot transgress the limits established by God. Therefore, he must observe the rules prescribed by God for fighting. Some of these rules which we have deduced from the Qur'an and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, are as follows:
1. A believer is one from whom God has bought his life and wealth in exchange for Paradise (al-Tawbah, 9.111). He has dedicated himself to the cause of God and intends only to gain His good pleasure. So, whoever fights for other causes such as fame or material gain, or for racial or other ideological considerations of similar nature, he will not be regarded as a fighter with whom God is pleased.
2. God decrees in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of God against those who fight against you, but do not transgress. God does not love transgressors. (al-Baqara, 2.190)
The believers are told that they should not take up arms against those who are not in opposition to the true faith, and that they should not resort to unscrupulous methods or to the indiscriminate killing and pillage which have characterized the wars of every era of ignorance, whether in the past or at present. The excesses alluded to in the verse above are acts such as taking up arms against women and children, the old and the injured, mutilation of the dead bodies of the enemy, devastation through the destruction of fields and livestock, and other similar acts of injustice and brutality. The verse stresses that force should be used only when its use is unavoidable, and only to the extent that is absolutely necessary.
3. Where fighting is absolutely necessary and inevitable, the holy Qur'an exhorts believers not to avoid fighting. To this end:
a) They must not show any neglect in making the necessary preparations and taking the required precautions. They must prepare themselves morally and attain the spiritual state that twenty of them can overcome two hundred of the enemy:
O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast men they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred steadfast they shall overcome a thousand of those who do not believe, because they [the unbelievers] are a folk without understanding and sound judgement. (al-Anfal, 8.65)
Those who knew that they would meet their Lord exclaimed: 'How many a little company has overcome a mighty host by God's leave! God is with the steadfast.' (al-Baqara, 2.249)
In order to attain such a rank, the belief and trust of a Muslim in God should be very strong, and he should do his utmost to refrain from sins. Belief and God-fearing are two unbreakable 'weapons' of a Muslim, his two sources of inexhaustible power :
Faint not nor grieve, for you shall surely gain the upper hand if you are true men of faith. (Al-'Imran, 3.139)
The sequel is for the God-fearing people. (al-A'raf, 7.128)
b) Besides the moral strength coming from sound belief and God-fearing, believers should also equip themselves with the most sophisticated weaponry. Force has an important place in obtaining the desired result, so believers cannot be indifferent to it. Rather, they must be much more advanced in science and technology than unbelievers so that they should not allow unbelievers to use 'force' for their selfish benefit. According to Islam, 'right is might'; so, in order to prevent might from being right in the hands of unbelievers and oppressors, believers must be mightier than others. This is explicit in the Qur'an:
Make ready for them all you can of armed force and of horses tethered, that thereby you may dismay the enemy of God and your enemy, and others beside them whom you know not, God knows them. Whatever you spend in the way of God it will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged. (al-Anfal, 8.60)
An Islamic state should be so powerful as to discourage the party of unbelief and oppression from attempting to attack it, nor should they be able to contemplate subjugating weak states of the world. It should be able to secure peace and justice in the world and no power should have the courage to make corruption in any part of the earth. This will be possible when Muslims equip themselves with a strong belief and righteousness in all their affairs, and also with scientific knowledge and the most sophisticated technology. They must combine science and technology with faith and good morals and use them in the service of humankind. For, as stated at the beginning of the chapter, belief in God calls for serving people and the deeper one is in belief in God, the deeper one's concern for the created. When Muslims attain to this rank, God will never give unbelievers any way (of success) against the believers (al-Nisa', 4.141). Otherwise, what the Prophet predicted will happen. (The forces of unbelief) will be united to make a concerted attack upon you. They will snatch the morsel out of your mouths and pillage your table. (1)
c) When fighting is unavoidable, Muslims must not hesitate to take up arms and hasten to the front. The Qur'an exhorts Muslims to fight when necessary and severely reprimands those who show reluctance in mobilizing in the way of God:
O you who believe! What ails you that when it is said unto you, 'Go forth in the way of God', you sink down heavily to the ground. Are you so content with the life of the world, rather than the world to come? Yet the enjoyment of the life of the world, compared with the world to come, is a little thing. If you go not forth, He will afflict you with a painful doom, and instead of you He will substitute another people; and you will not hurt Him anything. God is powerful over everything. (al-Tawbah, 9.38-39)
God loves those who battle for His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure. (al-Saff, 61.4)
O you who believe! Shall I show you a commerce that will save you from a painful doom? You should believe in God and His Messenger, and should strive for the cause of God with your wealth and your lives. That is better for you, if you did but know. He will forgive you your sins and admit you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, and to dwelling places goodly in Gardens of Eden. That is the mighty triumph; and other things you love, help from God and a nigh victory. Give you good tidings to believers. (al-Saff, 61. 10-13)
d) A community is like a 'body' in structure and functioning; like a body, it demands a "head" having intellect. Therefore, obedience to the 'head' is of great significance for the prosperity of the community.
When God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was raised in the desert of Arabia, the people resembled the scattered beads of a rosary. They were unaware of the importance of obedience and the benefits of collective life. God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, inculcated in them the feeling of obedience – obedience to God, His Messenger and to their superiors – and used Islam as an unbreakable rope to unite them:
O you who believe! Obey God, and obey the Messenger and those of you who are in authority; and if you have a dispute concerning any matter, refer it to God and the Messenger if you believe in God and the Last Day. That is better and more seemly in the end. (al-Nisa', 4.59)
O you who believe! When you meet an army, hold firm and remember and mention God much, that you may be successful. And obey God and His Messenger, and dispute not one with another lest you falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! God is with the steadfast. (al-Anfal, 8. 45-46)
It was because of the consciousness of obedience which God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, developed in his Companions that when he appointed a young man of eighteen, the son of his emancipated slave, as a commander over an army in which many elders like Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman were present, none of the Companions thought of objecting to him. (2) Likewise, in a military expedition, the commander ordered his soldiers to throw themselves into the fire they lighted. This was not an Islamic order, but some attempted to obey it. However, the others prevented them from committing a suicide and persuaded them to refer the matter to God's Messenger and ask him whether they had to obey even the un-Islamic orders of the authority. (3) Although it is unlawful to obey sinful orders, obedience is of vital importance in the collective life of a community, particularly to become victorious in a war.
e) One of the important points to be mentioned concerning jihad is that a believer cannot flee the battlefield. He must be steadfast in fighting and must not turn his back on the enemy in battle. Concerning this, the Qur'an decrees:
O you who believe! When you meet in battle those who do not believe turn not your backs to them. Whoever on that day turns his back to them, unless manoeuvring for battle or intent to join a company, he has truly incurred wrath from God, and his habitation will be Hell – an evil homecoming! (al-Anfal, 8.15-16)
Fleeing on the battlefield is one of the seven major, perilous sins. For the one who commits this grave sin causes disorder in the Muslim ranks and demoralizes the others. He cannot be regarded as having firm belief in God and the Hereafter and his action means that he prefers the world over afterlife. A believer may leave the battlefield only to manoeuvre in battle or as a tactic or to join another company to fight in more appropriate conditions.
In the Battle of Yarmuk during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, 20 thousand valiant men fought against 200 thousand Byzantines, and won the victory. Qabbas ibn Ashyam was one of the heroes of this battle. He lost one of his legs around noon, but he became aware of it only hours later when he dismounted from his horse. Years later, his grandson introduced himself to the Caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, saying: 'O Caliph! I am the grandson of the one who lost his leg at noon but became aware of it towards evening.'
The Muslim army was made up of three thousand valiants in the Battle of Muta which they fought against the Byzantine army of about 100 thousand men. They fought heroically, and both of the armies retreated at the same time. Despite this, the Muslim soldiers regarded themselves as having fled the battlefield and were ashamed to go in the presence of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. However, the Prophet welcomed them and consoled them, saying: You did not flee. You retreated to join me. You will collect strength and go to fight with them again. (4) It happened just as God's Messenger foretold when the Muslim army formed by himself just before his death raided the southern part of Syria and two years later the Muslims dealt the Byzantines a deadly blow in the Battle of Yarmuk.
1. Abu Dawud, Malahim, 5; I. Hanbal, 5.278.
2.Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 63; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah, 336.
3.Muslim, 'Imarah, 39; I. Maja, Jihad, 40.
4.Abu Dawud. Jihad, 96; Tirmidhi, Jihad, 36; I. Hanbal, 2.70, 86.

The Circumstances in the Early Days in Madina


With the arrival of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, in Madina, the struggle between Islam and unbelief entered a new phase. As Mawdudi, a contemporary Muslim scholar from Pakistan, elaborates in the first volume of his Tafhim al-Qur'an (Towards Understanding the Qur'an), in Makka the Prophet devoted himself almost exclusively to expounding the basic principles of Islamic faith and to the moral and spiritual training of his Companions. After the Emigration, however, people belonging to different tribes and regions of Arabia, who had embraced Islam, began to concentrate in Madina. Although the Muslims held only a tiny piece of the land, the whole of Arabia, under the leadership of the Quraysh, moved against them, bent upon their extermination.
In these circumstances, the very survival, let alone the success, of this small group of believers depended upon several factors. First, that they should propagate their beliefs with the utmost conviction in order to convert others. Second, that they should demonstrate the falsity of their opponents' standpoint so convincingly that there could remain no justifiable ground for any intelligent person to entertain any doubt on the question. Third, that they as the followers of the Prophet should not become disheartened because they had been driven out of their homes and were faced, through the hostility and opposition of the whole country, with economic stringency, hunger, and constant insecurity and danger, but that they should confront the situation with patience and fortitude. Fourth, that they should be able to find a way to retake all their wealth and goods usurped by the Makkans during Emigration. Fifth, that they should be prepared to resist with both courage and the force of arms the violent assault by which the enemy intended to frustrate their movement, and that in this resistance they should not heed the enemy's superiority in either numbers or material resources.
In addition to the threats coming from Makka and its allied tribes, there were, in Madina itself, three tribes of the Jews. As explained earlier, the Jews held the control of the economic life of the city. Although they had been waiting for the emergence of a Prophet, they severely opposed God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, because he did not appear from among them, among the descendants of the Prophet Isaac. They felt constrained to sign a pact with God's Messenger but, entertaining feelings of hatred against him, they never refrained from conspiracies to exterminate Islam. For example, among their poets, Ka'b ibn Ashraf composed poems to satirize God's Messenger and instigate his enemies against him.
In Madina, another element of enmity against Islam also began to emerge in the form of hypocrisy. One group of hypocrites consisted of those who had no faith in Islam but had entered the ranks of the Muslim community merely in order to create mischief. Another group of hypocrites, conscious of the political dominance of the Muslims in Madina, considered it advantageous to gain acceptance as fellow-Muslims. At the same time, they maintained contacts with the enemies of Islam so that they could secure all the advantages of friendship with the two opposite camps and thus remain safe from any hostilities. There was still another group of hypocrites – those who were in a state of ambivalence and indecision between Islam and Ignorance but who had accepted Islam because the majority of their tribe or family had done so. The final group consisted of those who, although they believed Islam to be true, found it difficult to forsake their inherited way of life, their superstitions, their customs and usages, and to discipline themselves to observe the moral restraints and fulfil the obligations prescribed by Islam.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 June 2006

In such severe circumstances, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, dispatched, as military measures, expeditions into the heart of the desert. In dispatching them, he had several aims, some of which are as follows:
1. Unbelievers tried to extinguish the Light of God 'with their mouths' but, although they were averse, God willed to perfect His Light (al-Saff, 61.. So, God's Messenger desired to demonstrate that it was impossible for unbelievers to exterminate Islam, and to show that Islam was a reality that could not be ignored.
2. Makka enjoyed a central position in the heart of the Arabian peninsula. It was the most formidable power of the time in Arabia and all the other tribes felt some sort of adherence to it. By dispatching military expeditions to neighbouring areas, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, also desired to demonstrate the power of Islam and to break the dominance of the Quraysh in Arabia.
During human history, the concept of 'might is right' has usually been a norm. This has been so because 'right' has usually not had enough power to hold the dominance of the world. The case was the same fourteen centuries ago in Arabia. Since the Quraysh enjoyed might and wealth, the neighbouring tribes obeyed them. However, Islam came to make right might, and, in order to demonstrate this and to break the pressure of the Makkan polytheists on neighbouring tribes to prevent them from embracing Islam, God's Messenger dispatched military expeditions through the desert one after the other.
3. The mission of God's Messenger was not restricted to a fixed period, nor to one nation only; rather, he was sent as a mercy for all the worlds. So, he was charged to communicate the Message of God as far as the remotest corners of the world. However, since he began his mission in Arabia, he had, certainly, to know the conditions surrounding him. These expeditions were, therefore, vanguards to be acquainted with those conditions and pave the way for the preaching of Islam in the peninsula.
4. One of the most effective ways of crushing the enemy is to stir them to unpremeditated, premature movements and thereby to always have the initiative. God's Messenger was surely informed of the contacts the Quraysh established with 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the head of the hypocrites in Madina, to frustrate him in his mission, and he was alert to their possible attacks on Madina. Meanwhile a military force of the Quraysh was able to penetrate as far as the suburbs of Madina and, after a plunder, returned to Makka. So, by dispatching military expeditions, God's Messenger, upon him be peace, also desired to agitate the Quraysh to an unprepared, unpremeditated action against Madina to nip their plots in the bud.
5. The Quraysh lived on international trade. They sent trade caravans to Syria and to the Yemen. So, it was a vital importance for them that their trade routes should be absolutely secure. However, thanks to the situation of Madina, God's Messenger was able to threaten their trade and, therefore, while strengthening his position in Madina on the one hand, he was, on the other, dispatching military expeditions to paralyze the hopes and plans of the Quraysh to deal him any blow.
6. Islam guarantees security of life and property. Its commandments aim to guarantee the security of life, the security of property, the security of, in addition to physical health, mental and spiritual health, the security of chastity, and the security of belief. Therefore, it strictly prohibits murder, theft, robbery and plundering, and also usurpation and interest or usury and gambling, alcohol, every kind of illicit sexual intercourse, anarchy and propagation of atheism. The Arabic original of 'belief' is iman and means giving security. Therefore a mu'min (believer) is the one who never cheats and from whose tongue and hand all people are in utmost security. He never lies, never breaks his word, and never breaches a trust. Also, he never conceives of earning his life by stealing or other un-Islamic ways like usurpation and interest-involving transactions. He is convinced that the one who has killed a man is as if he killed the whole of humankind.
When God's Messenger was raised as a Prophet, there was in Arabia no security, neither of life or property, nor of chastity or health, nor of belief, nor indeed in the rest of the world. However, he had to establish absolute security in every aspect of life. Once, he had said to Adiy ibn Khatam:
A day will come when a woman will travel, riding in a litter, from Hira to Makka and fear nothing except God and wolves. (1)
By dispatching military expeditions through the desert, God's Messenger also aimed to establish security therein and wanted to show to everyone, friend and foe, that security was not possible but by Islam.
Expeditions
The first military expedition sent after the Emigration was toward Sif al-Bahr. When Hamza, the commander of the expedition, reached Sif al-Bahr, a trade caravan of the Quraysh was returning from Damascus. The Quraysh had usurped all the possessions of the Emigrant Muslims left in Makka, and used them in trade. In order to threaten their trade, and weaken them economically, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, desired to make a show of power in the desert. No clash took place in this first confrontion with the Quraysh, but the desert tribes witnessing the incident showed an inclination to acknowledge a second power in the peninsula besides the Quraysh.
This first expedition was shortly followed by the second sent under the command of 'Ubayda ibn Harith. With the same purpose as in the first expedition, 'Ubayda went as far as Rabigh, a valley on the route to Makka. The Muslim expedition of sixty cavalrymen met there with a force of the Quraysh consisting of two hundred armed men. An exchange of arrows took place between the parties; in the end, fearing a possible defeat, the Makkan troops withdrew towards Makka. (2)
Military expeditions followed one another, some of them commanded by God's Messenger himself, upon him be peace and blessings. In two of the expeditions he commanded, he went to Abwa and Buwat respectively and aimed to threaten the trade caravans of the Quraysh and intimidate them. (3) In the former, he also had the purpose of signing a treaty with Banu Damra. According to the conditions of the treaty, neither of the sides would take up arms against the other, and the tribe of Banu Damra would not help any aggressive force against the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings.
Shortly before the Battle of Badr, God's Messenger sent an expedition of about ten persons under the command of 'Abd Allah ibn Jakhsh to Nakhla, a place between Makka and Ta'if, a few miles away from Makka. He ordered them to follow the movements of the Quraysh and gather information about their plans. While they were staying in Nakhla, a trade caravan of the Quraysh coming from Ta'if halted there. Something happened unexpectedly and the Muslims killed one of the Makkans and captured the rest except one, and their belongings, and took them to Madina. They did this at a time when the month of Rajab was approaching its end and Sha'ban about to begin. It was, therefore, doubtful whether the event took place in Rajab, one of the sacred months, or not. But the Quraysh, and the Jews who were secretly in league with them, as well as the hypocrites, made great use of this as a weapon in their propaganda campaign against the Muslims. They claimed that the Muslims shed blood in a sacred month, when bloodshed is forbidden.
Since the incident had taken place without his approval, God's Messenger expressly pointed out to those who had participated in the campaign that he had not ordered them to fight. Also the other Muslims reproached them for doing something not commanded. However, the verses revealed consoled them on account of their purity of intention with hope for the mercy of God:
They question you concerning the holy month, and fighting in it. Say: 'Fighting in it is a heinous thing, but to bar from God's way, and unbelief in Him, and denying entry into the Holy Mosque, and to expel its people from it – that is more heinous in God's sight; and persecution is more heinous than killing.' They will not cease to fight with you till they turn you from your religion, if they are able; and whoever of you turns from his religion and dies unbelieving – their works have failed in this world and the next; those are the inhabitants of the Fire; therein they shall dwell forever. But the believers, and those who emigrate and struggle in God's way – those have hope of God's Mercy; and God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate. (4) (al-Baqara, 2.217–
The verses aimed to answer the objections raised by the Quraysh and the Jews and hypocrites. The essence of the matter is that fighting during the holy months is an evil act. However, those people who had continually subjected the believers to indescribable wrong for thirteen years merely because they believed in the One God could have no right and justification to make such an objection. They had not only driven the Muslims from their homes, they had closed to them the way to the Holy Mosque, a bar which had not been imposed by anyone during the course of some two thousand years. With this record of mischief and misconduct it was not for them to raise such an outcry at a small incident, and especially so when the incident had taken place without the approval of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings.
1. Bukhari, Manaqib, 25.
2. Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 63; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah, 6.336.
3. Muslim, 'Imarah, 39; I. Maja, Jihad, 40.
4. I. Hisham, Sirah, 2.252

A General Evaluation of the Expeditions


Until the Battle of Badr, which took place two years after the Emigration, God's Messenger arranged around twenty military expeditions. By these expeditions he seized control of the desert and paralyzed the morale of the Makkan polytheists. Second, most of the desert tribes began to acknowledge the power of Islam and take the side of God's Messenger. In none of the expeditions, except one, did the Muslim warriors shed blood, nor did they wound anyone. They neither plundered the caravans nor usurped something from desert peoples. They showed in practice that Islam is the guarantee of security.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, formed an intelligence network and was informed of everything happening in the desert and in Makka itself. So sophisticated a system did he establish that probably none of his Companions in Madina even knew that, for example, his uncle, 'Abbas, was left in Makka as a member of his intelligence service. When he set out on a military campaign, no one knew, up to a certain point, his real intention and where they were going. (1) Besides, he used couriers in communication with his soldiers fighting at the front. A courier carried the news to some certain point, where he trusted it to another one waiting to carry it to the other station. With this system, he got the news of his expeditions in the shortest time possible.
All the expeditions he dispatched until the Battle of Badr consisted of the Emigrants exclusively. For first of all, the Quraysh were at war with the Emigrants. They did not want them to be sheltered in Madina. Besides, those who were driven from their homes with everything they had left behind were the Emigrants. Second, the Helpers had sworn allegiance to God's Messenger so that it was expected that the Helpers should perceive by themselves the necessity of taking part in any military action in the way of God.
The military genius of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, showed itself also in his choice of commanders of the expeditions. His uncle, Hamza, was appointed the commander of the first military expedition. Besides his courage and strength, Hamza was a man of sound judgement, good opinion and high administrative ability. In addition, until the whole of his community appropriated his ideas and adopted his opinions, God's Messenger chose to practise them in the persons of his relatives. Since the military dimension of his mission showed itself for the first time in Madina, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was to put his own relatives on the front line until everyone was wholly accustomed to it. It should, however, also be noted that all of the commanders he chose were able and eminent generals and highly qualified for the job. They were, in addition, very upright persons wholly devoted to the cause of Islam.
Hamza was martyred in Uhud after having killed more than twenty soldiers of the enemy. 'Ubayda ibn Harith was martyred because of the wounds he received in the Battle of Badr. Before his martyrdom, he asked God's Messenger: "O God's Messenger, I did not die in fighting at the front. Am I regarded then as having died a martyr?" (2)
Hamza was the uncle of the Prophet; 'Ubayda his cousin. The commander of the expedition he sent to Nakhla, 'Abd Allah ibn Jakhsh, was the son of his paternal aunt. In the second stage of the Battle of Uhud, he fought heroically. He came across Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and told him: 'Come; you pray and I'll invoke 'Amen' for your prayer. Let me pray, and you invoke 'Amen' for my prayer.' Sa'd prayed: 'O God, make me encounter one of the strongest soldiers of the enemy, and let me overcome him!' Ibn Jakhsh invoked 'Amen' for this prayer, and then himself prayed: 'O God, let me encounter one of the strongest soldiers of the enemy. After I wounded him severely, let him kill me, and cut my ears and nose and lips so that I shall come to Your Presence bleeding profusely. You ask me, "Abd Allah, where are your ears, nose and lips?" and I'll answer You: "O God, I was ashamed to come to Your Presence with my members with which I had sinned, and I sacrificed them while fighting in the way of Your Beloved One." When the battle ended, 'Abd Allah was found lying with his ears, nose and lips cut off and his abdomen lanced. (3)
Lastly, by sending military expeditions one after the other, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, agitated the Quraysh to an unpremeditated action, and, as will be explained below, on the pretext of securing the return of their trade caravan, they formed an army of one thousand and left Makka for Badr some ninety miles to the south of Madina.
1. I. Hissam, Sirah, 4.39-42; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.332-5.
2. Hakim, Mustadrak, 3.188; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 3.334.
3. I. Hajar, al-Isabah, 1.286–7

The Quraysh always felt their trade route to Syria under serious threat because of the Muslim concentration in Madina. They first threatened the Madinans, in a letter addressed to 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, to kill their males and enslave their females unless they expelled God's Messenger from Madina. The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, put a timely end to the mischief which Ibn Ubayy inclined to cause. Besides, when Sa'd ibn Mu'adh went to Makka to perform minor pilgrimage (Umrah), he was stopped at the entrance of the Ka'ba and prevented from performing circumambulation. Also, the Makkans quite regularly sent invading parties. In such circumstances, the Muslims were left no choice but to gain and consolidate control over that trade route in order to force the Quraysh and other tribes unfriendly to the Muslims to reconsider their hostile policy. It was also time for the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, to give a lesson to the Quraysh and the tribes allied to them, as well as the Jews and hypocrites in Madina, that it was impossible for them to bar the spread of Islam, let alone eradicate it from the hearts of people and the surface of the earth. The front or pact of polytheism and unbelief would undoubtedly surrender to the light of Islam.
It was, at last, at the beginning of 624, two years after the Hijra that a large caravan of the Quraysh, escorted by no more than 40 security guards en route to Makka from Syria, arrived at a place within reach of the Muslims. Fearing that the Muslims would attack their caravan, Abu Sufyan, the leader of the caravan, rushed a messenger to Makka and sought help and reinforcements.
This caused an uproar through Makka. The leading chiefs of the Quraysh decided to wage war on the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, and about 1000 fighters moved out of Makka with much pomp and show. They had decided to deal a crushing blow to the rising power of the Muslims. They also wanted, as always, to terrorize the neighbouring tribes so as to ensure the safety of their trading caravans in the future.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, who always kept himself abreast of developments which had any bearing on his mission, realized that if an effective step was not taken right then, the preaching of Islam might suffer a blow from which it might be very difficult for it to recover. Had the Quraysh taken the initiative and launched an attack on Madina, it might have put an end to the existence of the small Muslim community in that town. Even if the Quraysh restricted themselves to taking their caravan to Makka safely by dint of their military strength, this would have adversely affected the political and military prestige of the Muslims. Once their prestige had been undermined, their lives, property and honour would have been jeopardized.
Having decided to use the resources available to him, the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, left Madina. Although he may have been intent upon a decisive battle with the Quraysh, most of the Muslims desired to capture the caravan. In order to inform his Companions of the situation, the Prophet gathered them and told them that the trading caravan of the Quraysh was in the north whereas the invading Quraysh army was in the south and moving towards Madina. He also informed them that God had promised the Muslims that they would be able to seize any of the two parties they wished (al-Anfal, 8.7) Now it was for them to make the choice whether they wished to attack the trading caravan or the approaching army. Aware of the Prophet's intention, Miqdad ibn 'Amr, one of the Emigrants, replied as follows:
O Messenger of God! Proceed as God has commanded you to. We are with you wherever you go, even as far as Bark al-Ghimad. We shall not say as the Children of Israel said to Moses: 'Go forth, you and your Lord, and fight, We shall remain here sitting!' We rather say: 'Go forth, you and your Lord, and fight, and we shall fight on your side as long as the eyelid of any one of us keeps moving.' (1)
1. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 3.162.
Until the Battle of Badr, God's Messenger had not sought help from the Helpers in military expeditions. This was the first occasion when the Helpers would prove their commitment to support Islam. Without addressing them directly, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, again put the same two alternatives before his audience. Realizing that God's Messenger aimed to ascertain the views of the Helpers on the question, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh rose and spoke as follows:
O Messenger of God! I think your question is directed to the Helpers. We have believed in you, affirmed the veracity of your claim to be the Messenger of God, and borne witness to the truth of your teachings. We took the oath of allegiance to you that we would hear and obey you. O Messenger of God! Do as you wish! By the One Who has sent you with the truth, if you were to take us to the sea and plunge into it, none of us should remain behind. So take us along to the battlefield with God's blessings. (2)
The decision was given in favour of fighting. This was also the decree of God:
God promised you that one of the two hosts would be yours, and you wished that the one with no power should be yours. But God willed to establish the truth through His words and to annihilate the unbelievers to the last remnant, that He might prove the truth to be true and falsify falsehood, even if the sinful are averse. (al-Anfal, 8.7-
The Makkan army consisted of 1000 fighters, including 600 soldiers in coats of mail, and 200 cavalry. They were accompanied by singers and dancers. Whenever the army halted, dancing and drinking parties were held. Also the army arrogantly vaunted its military power and numerical strength before the tribes and localities which fell on the way, and boasted of its invincibility. (3) What was even worse was that they were not fighting for any lofty ideal.
Against the force of the Makkan army, the Muslim army was made up of 313 fighters. Of these, 86 were Emigrants and the rest, the Helpers. Such was the scarcity of resources that only two or three Muslims had horses. The number of camels was no more than 70 so that three or four persons took turns on each camel. God's Messenger himself took turns with two persons. When they asked him to ride the camel to exclude themselves from the turns, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, answered: You are no better in strength than me. Concerning the reward, I am not in less need of it than you. (4)
The Muslim soldiers were fully devoted to the cause of Islam and were fired with the zeal to sacrifice their lives for their cause. In order to accomplish what He had already decreed, God made the Makkan army appear as small in number in the dream God's Messenger had, just as He made the number of the Muslims appear smaller in the eyes of the Makkans (al-Anfal, 8.44).
The two armies finally encountered each other at Badr. The Makkan army outnumbered the Muslims by three to one. Moreover, the Muslims were scantily equipped. However, they would fight for the most sublime of causes, to establish God's religion based on belief, good morals and justice. They were deeply convinced of the truth of this cause and accordingly ready to sacrifice their lives. They had reached the battlefield earlier than their opponents and been positioned around the wells. Apart from that, the heavy downpour which had come the previous night, was to the advantage of the Muslims. It had provided them with an abundant water supply which they quickly stored in large reservoirs. Rain had also compacted the loose sand in the upper part of the valley where they had pitched their tents. This helped the Muslims plant their feet firmly and facilitated their movement. But in the lower part of the valley, where the Quraysh army was stationed, the ground had turned marshy. In addition to all those Divine blessings, God brought on them drowsiness and gave them a feeling of peace and security (al-Anfal, 8.11).
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, positioned his army in the upper part of the valley overlooking the whole of the battlefield, and divided them into three parts, one centre and two flanks. The central force consisted of the leading figures among the Emigrants and Helpers, who were foremost in devotion to God's Messenger. Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr was carrying the standard of God's Messenger. Mus'ab belonged to one of the richest families of Makka. He had accepted Islam as an adolescent. He was very handsome, and when he used to go out, before his conversion, in silken clothes, the Makkan girls used to stare at him from the windows of their houses. However, after he embraced Islam, he became a whole-hearted follower of God's Messenger. He sacrificed whatever he had in the way of God and finally died a martyr at the Battle of Uhud, during which he was again the standard-bearer of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings. When he lost his right arm, he took the standard in his left hand, and when a blow of an enemy sword took it away too, he was left with a 'head' to protect God's Messenger, before whom he was finally martyred. (5)
2. Muslim, Kitab al-Jihad, 83; I. Hisham, Sira, 2,266; I. Kathir, al-Bidaya, 3.322.
3. Tabari, Tarikh al-Umam wa l-Muluk, 2.430.
4. I. Hanbal, 1.411, 418.
5. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 3.120.
The flanks were commanded by 'Ali and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. 'Ali was famous for his courage and deep devotion to God's Messenger. He was only nine or ten years old when he answered God's Messenger, 'I will help you', when the Messenger gathered his kinsmen to call them to Islam at the outset of his mission and asked them: 'Who among you will help me in this affair?' (6) Again, on the night of the Prophet's Emigration, he slept on the Prophet's bed in order that God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, might be able to leave Makka in safety. (7) Those who surrounded the house of the Prophet had thought that it was God's Messenger who was sleeping in the bed and waited until daybreak. By the time they rushed into the house only to find 'Ali in the Prophet's bed, God's Messenger had already reached the Cave of Thawr outside Makka. 'Ali was a man wholly dedicated to the cause of God.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, had not neglected to take all the necessary precautions and perfect all the preparations for the war. He had mobilized all the resources available to him and chosen his best and most qualified men as commanders. He had stationed his army at the upper part of the valley and pitched his tent at a place from where he would be able to see the whole of the battlefield and have all his commands conveyed to his soldiers instantaneously. And, as the final prerequisite, for the desired result, he outstretched his arms and prayed with great earnestness and humility:
O God! Here are the Quraysh who in their vainglory seek to deny and cry lies against Your Messenger. O God! Support us with the help You promised me. O God! Were this small group of Muslims to perish, none in the whole earth would remain to worship You. (
After the prayer, he threw a handful of dust at the enemy saying: May their faces be scorched! (9)
The Battle of Badr was a severe test for all the Muslims. They would either gain the victory or be martyred. They were not to flee the battlefield. Although they were not forbidden to retreat in orderly fashion under strong pressure from the enemy provided the retreat was resorted to as a stratagem of war – for example, seeking reinforcements or regrouping with another party in the rear (al-Anfal, 8.15) – any disorderly flight because of cowardice and defeatism was strictly forbidden. That kind of retreat takes place because the deserter holds his life dearer than his cause, and such cowardice has been characterized as one of the major deadly sins.
The battle began. In the first frontline of the Quraysh were 'Utba ibn Rabi'a and his brother, Shayba, and his son, Walid. They challenged the Muslims to single combat. Three young men of the Helpers went forward against them. 'We will not fight with the farmers and spherherds of Madina,' 'Utba shouted out of an arrogance which would cause their perishing. This was, in fact, what God's Messenger expected. He ordered 'Ali, Hamza and 'Ubayda ibn Harith to go forth for single combat. Hamza, may God be pleased with him, advanced against 'Utba and killed him. 'Ali killed Walid with two blows. 'Ubayda, who was old, marched against Shayba. They exchanged blows, and the sharp edge of Shayba's sword struck 'Ubayda's knee and cut it. However Hamza and 'Ali rescued him from Shayba. They killed Shayba and carried 'Ubayda away. (10)
The Quraysh were shocked at the beginning of the war. The belief and sincerity of the Muslims won them God's help. The Quraysh, who had exulted in their power, suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of the ill-equipped Muslims. Seventy of the Quraysh were killed. The two young brothers, 'Awf and Mu'awwidh, from the Helpers, together with 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, killed Abu Jahl, who had been described by God's Messenger as the Pharaoh of the Muslim Ummah. (11) Almost all the leaders of the Quraysh, including Abu Jahl, Walid ibn Mughira, 'Utba ibn Rabi'ah, 'As ibn Sa'id, Umayya ibn Khalaf, and Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid were killed. Prior to the battle, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, had indicated the spots where they were killed, saying: 'Utba will be killed here; Abu Jahl here, Umayyah ibn Khalaf here, and so on. (12)
Another seventy of the Quraysh were taken as war prisoners. God granted the Muslims permission to accept ransom for them. God's Messenger released some of them in return for ransom, and the others who knew how to read and write, on the condition that they should teach the unlettered Muslims how to read and write.
Such treatment of the captives proved very beneficial for the Muslims. For those people who had expected execution welcomed the chance to pay ransom and paid it. Second, the rate of literacy in Madina was very low, and, in order to propagate Islam, the Muslims had to know how to read and write. Besides, the Muslims had to be culturally superior to the polytheists. Third, those who were kept in Madina to teach the Muslims how to read and write would be able to learn Islam better than before and find the opportunity to be in close contact with the Muslims. This was certain to soften their hearts toward Islam and accelerate their conversion, together with that of their families. Fourth, the families and relatives of those captives had despaired of their lives. But, when they saw them before them unexpectedly, their enmity to Islam was considerably lessened or broken.
The decisive victory gained at Badr made Islam a force to reckon with across all of Arabia, and many hardened hearts were inclined to accept the message of Islam.
6. I. Hanbal, 1.159.
7. I. Hisham, 2.127.
8. I. Hisham, 1.621
9. I. Hisham, 1.668; I. Hanbal, 1.368.
10. I. Hisham, 2.277.12. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 3.120.
11. I. Hisham, 2.280–7; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 3.350.
12. Abu Dawud, 2.53; Muslim, 5.170

The Stages of the Battle of Uhud


God's Messenger, accompanied by a thousand warriors, left Madina for Uhud, a volcanic hill only a few miles from the western outskirts of Madina, with a plain stretching before it. However, half way to the destination 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul broke away along with his three hundred men. (1) This, happening as it did just before the commencement of the battle, caused such perplexity and confusion that the people of Banu Salama and Banu Haritha wanted to turn back, but were persuaded not to.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, advanced with the remaining seven hundred Muslims, much less in number and equipment than their enemies, and lined up his troops at the foot of Mount Uhud in such a manner that the mountain was behind and the Quraysh army in front of them. There was only a mountain pass from where the Muslims could be subjected to a surprise attack. God's Messenger posted fifty archers there as guards under the command of 'Abd Allah ibn Jubayr, instructing him neither to let anyone approach nor to move away from that spot, adding: Even if you see birds fly off with our flesh, still you must not move away from this place. (2)
The standard of God's Messenger was again in the hands of Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr. Zubayr ibn 'Awwam commanded the cavalry and, Hamza, the infantry. The army was ready to begin the battle. In order to encourage his Companions, the Prophet had brought forth a sword and asked: Who would like to have this sword in return for giving its due? Abu Dujana asked: 'What is its due?' It is to fight with it until it is broken, the Prophet answered. Abu Dujana took it and was engaged in fighting. (3) Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh prayed to God to make them encounter the strongest soldiers of the enemy. Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet and who was known as the Lion of God, wore an ostrich feather on his breast. The verse revealed to describe the godly persons around previous Prophets pointed also to them:
Many a Prophet there was, with whom a large number of God-devoted men fought. They fainted not for anything that befell them in the way of God, neither weakened, nor did they abase themselves. God loves the steadfast. Nothing else did they say but, 'Our Lord, forgive us our sins, and that we exceeded in our affair, and make firm our feet, and help us against the people of the unbelievers.' And God gave them the reward of the world and the good reward of the Hereafter. God loves the good-doers. (Al 'Imran, 3. 146–
In the first stage of the battle, the Muslims defeated the enemy, so easily so that Abu Dujana, with the sword the Prophet had given him, advanced as far as the central part of the Quraysh army and, encountering Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, who was the commander of the Quraysh army, attempted to kill her but, 'in order not to dirty the sword given by the Prophet with the blood of a woman', spared her life. (4) 'Ali had killed Talha ibn Abi Talha, the standard-bearer of the enemy. Those who took hold of the standard of the Quraysh one after the other had all been killed by either 'Ali or 'Asim ibn Thabit or Zubayr ibn 'Awwam. After that, the self-sacrificing heroes of the Muslim army like Hamza, 'Ali, Abu Dujana, Zubayr ibn 'Awwam, and Miqdad ibn 'Amr thrust themselves into the ranks of the enemy and put them to flight.
When the enemy began to flee the battlefield, the Muslims occupied themselves with the spoils. The archers on the mountain pass saw their brothers collecting booty, and said to themselves. 'God has defeated the enemy, and our brothers are collecting the spoils. Let us go and join them.'
'Abd Allah ibn Jubayr tried to persuade them not to leave their posts by reminding them of the Prophet's directive, but they answered: 'He ordered us to do that without knowing that the matter would come to what we now see'. Except a few who remained at their posts, they took part in collecting booty. Khalid ibn Walid, who was at that time an unbeliever and who commanded the Quraysh cavalry, seized this opportunity. He rode with his men around Mount Uhud and attacked the flank of the Muslim army through the pass. 'Abd Allah ibn Jubayr's depleted forces tried unsuccessfully to resist the attack.
1. I. Hisham, 3.68.
2. Bukhari, Jihad, 164; Abu Dawud, Jihad, 6.
6. Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 128; I. Hanbal, 3.123.
4. Haythami, Majma' al-Zawa'id, 6.109.
The fleeing soldiers of the enemy also returned and joined the attack from the front and the scales of the battle turned against the Muslims. The suddenness of these attacks by outnumbering forces, from both the rear and the front, caused great confusion among the Muslim ranks. The enemy forces wanted to either seize God's Messenger alive or kill him, and attacked him from all sides, striking with swords, thrusting with spears, shooting arrows and hurling stones. Those who defended him fought heroically.
Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, had lost her father and brothers in the Battle of Badr and urged Wahshi, a black slave, to kill Hamza. When the scales of the battle turned against the Muslims, Hamza thrust himself into the ranks of the enemy like a furious lion. He had killed almost thirty of them when the lance of Wahshi struck him just above the thigh and pierced it. Hind came forward and ordered Hamza's stomach to be split open. She mutilated his body and chewed his liver. (5)
Ibn Kami'a martyred Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, the standard-bearer of God's Messenger and who had been fighting before him. Mus'ab resembled God's Messenger in build and complexion. This resemblance led Ibn Kami'a to announce that he had killed God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. Meanwhile, the Messenger himself had been wounded by a blow of the sword and stones hurled at him. He fell in a pit and, bleeding profusely, stretched his hands and prayed: O God, forgive my people, because they do not know (the truth). (6)
The rumour that the Prophet had been martyred led many Companions to lose courage. But, in addition to those like 'Ali, Abu Dujana, Sahl ibn Hunayf, Talha ibn 'Ubayd Allah, Anas ibn Nadr and 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, who fought self-sacri-ficingly, some Muslim women, having heard the rumour, hastened to the battlefield. Of them, one from Banu Dinar, called Sumayra, had lost her husband, father and brother, but she was asking about God's Messenger. When she saw him, she said: 'All the misfortunes mean nothing to me as long as you are alive, O God's Messenger!' (7) Another one, named Umm 'Umara, fought before the Messenger so heroically that the Messenger told her: Who else can endure all that you endure? That pride of womanhood took this opportunity to ask the Messenger to pray God for her: 'O Messenger of God! Pray to God to join me in your company in Paradise!' The Messenger prayed: O God, join her with me in Paradise! She responded to this prayer: 'Whatever happens to me from now on, I will not care it any more .' ( Anas ibn Nadr heard the rumour that God's Messenger had been martyred. He fought so valiantly that he suffered eighty wounds. (9) They found Sa'd ibn Rabi' giving his last breath. He had received seventy wounds. His last words were 'Convey my greetings to God's Messenger. I sense the fragrance of Paradise from behind Uhud.' (10)
Besides Abu Dujana and Sahl ibn Hunayf, 'Ali stood in front of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, and defended him during the battle. Once, the Messenger pointed to him some of the enemy who had come down from the hill. 'Ali repelled them. Then, the Messenger pointed to him some more of the enemy. Again he attacked them and put them to flight. The Prophet then pointed to him another group of the enemy. Yet again 'Ali attacked them and put them to flight. (11)
Despite the indescribable resistance of the Muslim warriors around God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, defeat seemed inevitable until Ka'b ibn Malik, seeing God's Messenger, shouted: 'O Muslims! Good tidings for you! This is God's Messenger, here!' The scattered Companions advanced toward him from all sides, rallied around him, and led him to the safety of the mountain.
5. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 3.12; Waqidi, Maghazi, 221.
6. Qadi 'Iyad, Shifa', 1.78–9; Kanz al-'Ummal, 4.93.
7. I. Hisham, 3.99.
8. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 8. 413–5.
9. I. Hanbal, 3.201; Bayhaqi, Sunan, 9.44.
10. I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.35–6.
11. Tabari, Tarikh, 3.17; I. Athir, al-Kamil, 2.74; I. Hisham, Sirah, 3.100

The Reasons For the Setback at Uhud


Before passing on to explain the reasons for the setback suffered at Uhud, it should be pointed out that the Companions have, after the Prophets, superiority over all the other people in virtue. They were honoured with being the comrades and trainees of the greatest of the whole creation, one for whose sake the universe was created and who was sent as a mercy for all the worlds, that is, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Therefore, according to the rule, the greater the blessing, the greater the responsibility, they had to be the most sensitive in obeying God and His Messenger. We read in the Qur'an that, for example, whoever of the Prophet's wives commits manifest indecency, the punishment for her will be doubled because they are not like any other women (al-Ahzab, 33. 30, 32). Likewise, a sin committed by the Companions, small as it may be, deserves severe punishment. They are all included in those 'foremost in belief and nearness to God', and they are the ones whose conduct is an example followed by later generations, so they should be pure in belief and intention, sincere in worship and devotion, upright in conduct and extremely careful in refraining from sins and disobedience.
Secondly, God has raised the Community of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, as the best community who enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and believe in One God (Al 'Imran, 3.110) and also appointed them as a 'middle nation' so that they may be witnesses to mankind, and that the Messenger may be a witness to them (al-Baqara, 2.143). But, in the first years of the Madinan era, the community of the Companions consisted of true believers and hypocrites, so God wanted to sift those who were truly His witnesses against all mankind, and also to see who among them strove hard in His Way and remained steadfast (Al 'Imran, 3. 141–2). The Battle of Uhud, therefore, became a decisive test to sift out the sincere and steadfast from the hypocritical and wavering ones, and served to make the Islamic community more stable and formidable than before.
After these preliminary notes, we can summarize the reasons for the reverse which the Muslims experienced in the second stage of Uhud.
1. God's Messenger, being the Commander-in-chief of the Muslim army supported by Divine Revelation, was of the opinion that they should stay within the confines of Madina, but the younger Companions, inexperienced and full of excitement, urged him to march out of the city. This was a mistake, even though for the sake of obtaining the rank of martyrdom in the Way of God, since the Messenger tended to apply different tactics in battles and knew in advance that the Quraysh army was coming to fight in an open field.
2. The second disobedience on the part of the Companions showed itself when the archers whom the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, had posted to defend the army against any attack from the rear, left their posts. They misinterpreted the order of God's Messenger that they should not move away from their places even if they saw birds fly off with the flesh of their brothers fighting on the battlefield, and took part in collecting booty.
3. The hypocrites numbering three hundred, one third of the whole army, cut themselves off from the army half-way and returned to Madina. This undermined the morale of Banu Salama and Banu Haritha, who were only persuaded with difficulty not to leave. Moreover, there was still a small group of hypocritical people who demoralized the Muslim ranks during the course of the battle.
4. A number of the Companions did not remain sufficiently patient. They acted, in certain respects, in a manner inconsistent with the dictates of piety and were lured by material wealth.
5. There were some among the believers who had thought that as long as God's Messenger was in their midst and as long as they enjoyed God's support and help, the unbelievers could never triumph over them. However true this was, they came to understand by the setback they suffered that deserving God's help requires, besides belief and devotion, deliberation and strategy, and steadfastness. They also perceived that the world is a field of testing and trial:
Many ways of life and systems have passed away before you; journey in the land, and behold how was the end of those who did deny (the Messengers). This is an exposition for mankind, and a guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing. Faint not, nor grieve, for you shall gain mastery if you are true believers. If a wound has touched you, a like wound already touched the (unbelieving) people (at Badr); such days We deal out in turn among men, that God may see who are the believers, and that He may take witnesses from among you; and God loves not the evil-doers; and that God may prove the believers, and blot out the unbelievers. (Al 'Imran, 3. 137-141)
6. Those who had not taken part in the Battle of Badr sincerely prayed God for martyrdom. They were deeply devoted to the cause of Islam and longed for their meeting with God. Some among them like 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, Anas ibn Nadr, Sa'd ibn Rabi', 'Amr ibn Jamuh and Abu Sa'd Haysama, tasted the pleasure of martyrdom and the martyrdom of the others was delayed. The Qur'an sings the praises of them as follows:
Among the believers are men who were true to their covenant with God; some of them have fulfilled their vow by death (in battle), and some are still awaiting, and they have not changed in the least. (al-Ahzab, 33.23)
7. Any success or triumph lies in the hand of God, Who does whatever He wills and cannot be questioned concerning His acts. Belief in the Unity of God requires that a believer must always ascribe to God his accomplishments and never appropriate for his self anything good. If the decisive victory of Badr gave some of the Muslims some sort of self-pride and if they imputed the victory to their own prudence and wise arrangement or some material causes, this, too, would have taken a part in their setback in Uhud.
8. There is an important point worth mentioning concerning the setback the believers suffered in Uhud. Among the Quraysh army there were some eminent soldiers and commanders such as Khalid ibn Walid, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, 'Amr ibn al- 'As and Ibn Hisham, each of whom had been destined by God to serve Islam very greatly in the future. They were the ones most esteemed and respected among the people. For the sake of their future service for Islam, God may not have willed to hurt their feelings of honour completely. So, as expressed by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the Companions of the future defeated the Companions of the present in the second stage of Uhud. (1)
Finally, the following verses are to explain the reasons of that setback together with its aftermath, and the lessons which should be taken from it:
Did you suppose you should enter Paradise without God seeing who of you have struggled and who are patient? (Al 'Imran, 3.142)
Muhammed is naught but a Messenger; Messengers have passed away before him. Will you, if he should die or is slain, turn back on your heels? If any man should turn back on his heels, he will not harm God in any way; and God will recompense the thankful. It is not given to any soul to die save by the leave of God, at an appointed time. Whoso desires the reward of this world, We will give him of this; and whoso desires the reward of the other world, We will give him of that; and We will recompense the thankful. (Al 'Imran, 3. 144–5)
God fulfilled His pledge to you when by His leave you blasted them, until you lost heart, and quarrelled about the matter, and disobeyed, after He had shown you that you longed for. Some of you sought this world and some of you sought the next. Then He turned you from them, that He might try you; and He has pardoned you; and God is bounteous to the believers. When you were going up, not twisting about for anyone, and the Messenger was calling you in your rear; so He rewarded you with grief after grief that you might not sorrow for what escaped you neither for what smote you; and God is aware of the things you do. (Al 'Imran, 3. 152–3)
Those of you who turned away on the day two hosts encountered – Satan made them slip because of some of their lapses; but God has pardoned them; God is All-Forgiving, All-Clement. (Al 'Imran, 3. 155)
O believers, be not as the unbelievers who say concerning their brothers, when they journey in the land, or are upon expeditions, 'If they had been with us, they would not have died and not been slain' – that God may make that an anguish in their hearts. For God gives life, and He makes to die; and God sees the things you do. If you are slain or die in God's way, forgiveness and mercy from God are a better thing than what they amass; surely if you die or are slain, it is unto God you shall be mustered. (Al 'Imran, 3.156–
If God helps you, none can overcome you; but if He forsakes you, who then can help you after Him? Therefore in God let the believers put all their trust. (Al 'Imran, 3. 160)
Why, when an affliction visited you, and you had visited twice over the like of it, did you say, 'How is this?' Say: 'This is from your own selves; surely God is powerful over everything'. And what visited you, the day the two hosts encountered, was by God's leave, and that He might mark out the believers; and that He might also mark out the hypocrites, to whom it was said: 'Come, fight in the way of God, or repel!' They said, 'If only we knew how to fight, we would follow you.' They that day were nearer to unbelief than to belief. (Al 'Imran, 3.165–7)
Count not those who were slain in God's way as dead. They are alive with their Lord, by Him provided, rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them, and joyful in those who remain behind and have not joined them yet: that no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow, joyful in blessing and bounty from God, and that God leaves not to waste the wage of the believers. (Al 'Imran, 3. 169-171)
God will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, till He shall distinguish the corrupt from the good, and God will not inform you of the Unseen; but God chooses out of His Messengers whom He wills. Believe you then in God and His Messengers; and if you believe and are God-fearing, there shall be for you a mighty wage. (Al 'Imran, 3.179)
1. Said Nursi, Lemalar, 28

The Last Stage of the Battle of Uhud and the Campaign of Hamra’ al-Asad


After the confusion at Uhud, his Companions rallied around the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings. He was wounded and fainted, and many of his Companions were also wounded. They had retreated to the safety of the mountain. When the Quraysh army began to leave the battlefield, thinking they had taken revenge for the defeat at Badr and seeing that they were unable to crush the resistance of the Muslims, they mounted their camels and, only leading their horses (not riding), they headed for Makka.
God's Messenger was apprehensive that the Makkan polytheists might return and launch a second attack on Madina. On the second day of Uhud, therefore, he ordered those who had taken part in the Battle of Uhud the day before to gather and urged them to pursue the unbelievers. Although some people from Banu 'Abd al-Qays, appointed by Abu Sufyan, tried to discourage the Muslims to confront the Quraysh once more, saying. 'The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them,' this only increased the heroes of Islam in faith, and they answered: 'God is sufficient for us; what an excellent Guardian He is!' (Al 'Imran, 3. 173). (1)
Most of them were seriously wounded; some were even unable to stand and were carried by their friends. (2) At this highly critical moment, they girded up their loins and were prepared to lay down their lives at the behest of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. They accompanied him to Hamra' al-Asad, eight miles from Madina.
The Makkan polytheists had halted and were deliberating among themselves about launching a second attack on Madina to crush the power of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. However, when they saw the believers, whom they thought they had defeated so shortly before, coming towards them, they failed to muster sufficient courage and carried on to Makka.
It was the prudence and military genius of God's Messenger that a defeat resulted in a victory. The enemy could not find the courage in themselves to march upon Madina, a few miles away, and had to go on towards Makka in the face of the resolution showed by the believers. God revealed the following verses in praise of the Muslim heroes who had participated in this campaign:
Those who answered God and the Messenger after the wound had smitten them – to all those of them who did good and feared God, shall be a mighty wage; those to whom the people said, 'The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them'; but it increased them in faith, and they said, 'God is sufficient for us; what an excellent Guardian He is!' So they returned with blessing and bounty from God, untouched by evil; they followed the good pleasure of God; and God is of bounty abounding. (Al 'Imran, 3. 172–4)
1. I. Hisham, 3.120–1; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.43.
2. I. Hisham, 3.101.

Towards the Battle of the Trench


The Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir were originally sworn allies of the Muslims in Madina but they secretly intrigued with the Makkan pagans and the Madinan hypocrites. They even tried treacherously to take the life of the Prophet while he was on a visit to them, breaking both the laws of hospitality and their own sworn alliance. God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, asked them to leave the strategic position which they occupied, about three miles south of Madina. They agreed to this but when 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy, the chief of the hypocrites, assured them that his party would help them in case of war, the Banu Nadir demurred.
The Muslim army then besieged them in their fortresses and, seeing that neither the Makkan polytheists nor the hypocrites in Madina stirred a finger to help them, the Banu Nadir had to leave the city. They were dismayed but their lives were spared, and they were given ten days in which to remove themselves, their families, and such goods as they could carry. Most of them joined their brethren in Syria and the others in Khaybar.
While returning from the Battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyan had challenged the Muslims to another encounter at Badr the following year. (1) But when the appointed time arrived, Abu Sufyan's courage failed him to fight against God's Messenger. As a face-saving device he sent an agent, Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud, who was then an unbeliever, to Madina who spread the rumour that the Quraysh were making tremendous war preparations and that they were gathering a huge army which no other power in the whole of Arabia would resist. However, when the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, reached Badr with an army of fifteen hundred fighters, they found there no one to fight with them. They stayed at Badr for eight days awaiting the threatened encounter, and when no sign of the Quraysh army appeared, they returned to Madina. This campaign was called Badr al-Sughra (Badr the Minor).
In the fifth year after the Hijra, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was informed that the desert tribes of Anmar and Tha'laba had decided to attack Madina. Accompanied by 400 fighters, he reached Zat al-Riqa' and hearing that the enemy tribes had fled, returned to Madina. (2)
After this campaign, God's Messenger marched upon Banu Mustaliq, a pagan tribe of Arabia. Banu Mustaliq had made preparations of war against the Muslims. With an army of 700 warriors, God's Messenger attacked them and defeated them. (3) On the way back to Madina, the intrigues of the hypocrites to bring about dissension between the Emigrants and Helpers were brought to naught. The verses sent down revealed all their secrets and how polluted their inner world was (al-Munafiqun, 63. 1-11).
1. I. Hisham, 3.94; I. Sa'd, 2.59.
2. I. Hisham, 3.213.
3. I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.178–9.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 June 2006

The Battle of the Trench


The Battle of the Trench took place after the campaign against Banu Nadir, who had been expelled from Madina for their treachery and who had mostly joined their Jewish brethren in Khaybar.
In the fifth year of Hijra, a group of those Jews including Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq and Huyayy ibn Akhtab, together with a number of Banu Wa'il, left for Makka. They urged the Quraysh to make war on the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, and promised help and support.
The Jewish group then went to the tribes of Ghatafan and Qays Aylan and guaranteeing them help also, encouraged them to fight against God's Messenger. (1)
These intrigues of the Jews resulted in the formation of a great confederacy against Islam. It consisted of the Makkan polytheists, the desert tribes of central Arabia, the Jews previously expelled for treacheries from Madina, the Jews (Banu Qurayza) remaining in Madina, and the hypocrites led by Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. The last two constituted a treacherous network within Madina.
When God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, heard, through his intelligence service, of the gathering of the allies or confederates (ahzab) against him, and the strength of their desire to fight against him, he consulted his Companions, as he always used to do. It was their unanimous view that they should remain in Madina and fight from there. Salman al-Farisi suggested to God's Messenger that they should dig a trench around Madina.
The trench took six days of feverish work to dig. God's Messenger had divided them into groups of ten people and put them to a competition. It was a hard task and time was restricted; what was more, hunger struck them all; yet all the Companions worked enthusiastically. In order not to feel hunger, each fastened a rock around his belly. While digging they recited:
We are those people who
Took the oath of allegiance to Muhammad;
Therefore we shall fight in the way of God
As long as we live.
By God, if God had not enabled us to,
We would have neither been guided
Nor given alms, nor performed prayers.
Send down unto us calmness and tranquillity
And make our feet firm if we confront the enemy! (2)
The Messenger, who dug alongside them, and had fastened around his belly two rocks, answered them with the couplet:
O God, the real life is the life of the Hereafter
So, forgive the Helpers and the Emigrants. (3)
The allies advanced against Madina in the hope of destroying the Muslims in a battle to be fought in an open field. However, when they faced a new strategy of God's Messenger, they took the first blow. Numbering around 20,000 men, they camped near the ditch. The Madinan fighting strength was no more than 3,000, and the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza and the Hypocrites were a source of weakness as they were treacherously intriguing with the enemy. As stated in the verses of the Qur'an (al-Ahzab, 33.12–20) when the Hypocrites first saw the enemy, they were already in a defeatist mood. Not content with disloyalty themselves, they tried to infect others, who made paltry excuses to withdraw from the fight. If the enemy were to gain entrance, they were ready to betray the city to the enemy.
The sagacity and military genius of God's most noble Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, showed themselves once more during the Battle of the Trench. He had kept them confined within the city and stationed them in a way that they could safeguard their homes against possible attacks from Banu Qurayza. It was the most critical moments of the war when Banu Qurayza sent a man into the city to spy into the conditions of the Muslim women. However, when this man was killed by Safiyya, the Prophet's aunt, their hopes were frustrated. (4)
1. I. Hisham, 3.225–6; Waqidi, 441.
2. Bukhari, Manaqib al-Ansar, 9, Maghazi, 29; Muslim, Jihad, 123–5.
3. Bukhari, Manaqib, 9; Muslim, Jihad, 127.
4. I. Hisham, 3.239.
While the war was continuing with exchanges of arrows and stones, God's Messenger did not neglect to make diplomatic attempts to disunite the Allies. He contacted the leaders of Ghatafan and, offering them peace, urged them to withdraw with their people from the war. Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud was one of the leaders of the Allies, who before the battle, had come to Madina to sow discord; instead, he then began to incline towards Islam. During the battle, he secretly entered Islam and, ordered by God's Messenger, proceeded to stir up Banu Qurayza. Nu'aym set Banu Qurayza against the Quraysh by telling them that they would be abandoned by the Makkans and should refuse to help unless they were given hostages from the Quraysh. To the Quraysh, on the other hand, he said that Banu Qurayza would not fulfil their promise to help and would attempt to stall by asking for Qurayshi hostages to share their plight in the case of defeat. This stratagem succeeded. Dissension among the Allies grew. (5)
God's Messenger, supported by the mountain Sal behind, had ordered a point in the trench to be made narrower. He had expected that leading horsemen of the Quraysh would try to cross the trench through that narrow spot. It happened as he had expected, and some of the most renowned warriors of the Quraysh attempted to cross the trench and volunteered for single combat with Muslim fighters. Among them were 'Amr ibn 'Abd Wudd, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, Hubayra ibn Abi Wahb, Durar ibn al-Khattab and Nawfal ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mughira.
Boasting of his strength and fighting ability, 'Amr ibn 'Abd Wudd dismounted from his horse in the face of 'Ali, who was ordered by the Messenger to fight against 'Amr. 'Amr advanced towards 'Ali with his sword drawn. He brought his sword quickly against him but he got his sword caught in the shield of 'Ali. 'Ali, in return, struck a fierce blow against 'Amr and the dust rose up around them. Then the words, Allahu akbar – God is the Greatest - were heard: Ali had killed his opponent. (6)
Dirar, Hubayra and Nawfal were also killed by 'Ali. (7) The attempts of other horsemen or generals of the Quraysh to cross the trench were all brought to naught.
The siege lasted 27 days. It caused the Muslims much suffering, from hunger, cold, an unceasing shower of arrows and stones, and attempts and concentrated assaults to cross the trench, and betrayals and intrigues within the city. The Qur'an describes this situation as follows:
When they come against you from above you and from below you, and when your eyes swerved and your hearts reached your throats, while you thought thoughts about God; there it was that the believers were tried, and shaken most mightily. And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is sickness, said, 'God and His Messenger promised us only delusion.' And when a party of them said, 'O people of Yathrib, there is no abiding here for you, therefore return!' And a party of them were asking leave of the Prophet, saying, 'Our houses are exposed'; yet they were not exposed; they desired only to flee. (al-Ahzab, 33. 10-13)
After a close investment of four weeks, during which the enemy were disheartened by their ill success and the believers proved their steadfastness and loyalty, there was a piercing blast of the cold east wind. The enemy's tents were torn up, their fires were extinguished, the sand and rain beat in their faces, and they were terrified by the portents against them. They had already well nigh fallen out among themselves. Hudayfa al-Yamani, who was sent by God's Messenger to spy on the movements of the enemy, heard Abu Sufyan's shouting: 'Come on, we are returning!' ( The Muslims were victorious by God's help; there were hidden forces – the Angels – that helped them:
O believers, remember God's blessing upon you when hosts came against you, and we loosed against them a wind, and hosts you saw not; and God sees the things you do. (al-Ahzab, 33.9)
5. I. Hisham, 3.240–2.
6. I. Hisham, 3.235–6.
7. I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.123.
8. I. Hisham, 3.243.
While digging the ditch, the Companions had been unable to break a huge rock and referred the matter to God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. The Messenger struck the rock with the pickaxe in his hand. In the light of the sparks caused by the blow, he predicted: I have been given the keys to the Kingdom of Persia; my Community will conquer it. He struck the rock a second time and, again in the light of the sparks caused by the blow, declared: God is the Greatest. I have been given the keys to the Empire of Byzantium. My Community will conquer it. (9)
The Battle of the Trench was the last attempt of the Quraysh to destroy Islam and the Muslims. Following their withdrawal in defeat and humiliation, God's Messenger declared: From this moment we will march upon them; they will no longer be able to raid us. (10)
When the Allies were routed and turned their backs in flight from the Muslims, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, turned his attention to Banu Qurayza. They had betrayed their agreement with God's Messenger and been allied with the Quraysh against the Muslims. They had also given asylum to the leaders of Banu Nadir, like Huyay ibn Akhtab, who had been expelled from Madina, and never refrained from conspiracies against the Muslims.
No sooner had God's Messenger arrived home from the Battle of the Trench than Archangel Gabriel came and said to him: 'I have not taken off my coat of mail, and I am going upon Banu Qurayza'. (11)
God's Messenger ordered his Companions to march upon Banu Qurayza and had his tent pitched opposite their fortresses. If Banu Qurayza had asked the Messenger for forgiveness, he would have forgiven them, but they preferred resistance. The Messenger remained besieging Banu Qurayza for twenty-five days. At last they asked the Messenger for surrender terms, agreeing that they should submit to the judgement of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, who decreed the sentence according to the Torah. This was the end of the conspiracies of Banu Qurayza, as well as the Jewish presence in Madina. (12)
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was among the leaders of the Helpers. He had been wounded in the Battle of the Trench and prayed to God: 'O God! If I am able to fight once more beside God's Messenger, make me live. Otherwise, I am ready to die'. So, he died a martyr shortly after the Jewish conspiracies ended. (13)
The Treaty of Hudaybiya which took place in the sixth year of Hijra and is presented as a manifest victory by the Qur'an, is of a very great significance with respect to understanding both the way leading to and the rapid spread of Islam and the conquest of Makka within a very short period and the unequalled commandership, leadership and statesmanship of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. However, it had better be dealt with under the title of 'A man of deliberate action' while discussing the leadership of the Prophet as the last chapter.
9. I. Hisham, 3.230; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.116.
10. Bukhari, Maghazi, 29; I. Hanbal, 4.262.
11. Bukhari, Maghazi, 30.
12. I. Hisham, 3.249–51.
13. I. Hisham, 3.238, 262; I. Sa'd, 3. 423–4; Tabari, Tarikh, 3.49

Towards the Conquest of Makka


The Conquest of Khaybar
As will be elaborated later, the treaty of Hudaybiya was a clear victory, a door opened to new and greater victories for Islam. The Makkan threat came to an end and God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, while sending envoys to neighbouring countries to invite their peoples to Islam on the one hand, set out to solve the other problems he faced within Arabia on the other.
Most of the Jews belonging to the tribe of Banu Nadir had settled in Khaybar after being expelled from Madina. Together with them, the Jews of Khaybar did not refrain from collaborating against Islam, sometimes with the Quraysh and sometimes with Banu Ghatafan. (1) As a result of the efforts made by the Jews of Banu Nadir to form an alliance against God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, the Quraysh had attacked Madina with a force of around 20,000 men only to retreat in humiliation after four weeks of hopeless siege. It was time for the Muslims to put an end to the Jewish conspiracy in Arabia to secure the future and free preaching of Islam. The punishment suffered by the Jews of Banu Qurayza roused the Jews of Khaybar to make an alliance with Banu Ghatafan and attack Madina. They were making preparations for this when, after the treaty of Hudaybiya, God's Messenger marched upon Khaybar. He made as if to attack Banu Ghatafan and forced them to shelter in their confines without daring to help the Jews in Khaybar. Then, he suddenly turned towards Khaybar. The farmers of Khaybar had left their homes in the early morning with their farm implements, when they saw the Muslim army approaching the city. They went back and sheltered in their citadels, which were very formidable.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, besieged Khaybar for three weeks. One day towards the end of the siege, he gathered his soldiers and told them: Tomorrow I will hand the standard to him who loves God and His Messenger and is loved by God and His Messenger. God will enable us to conquer Khaybar through him. (2)
When the next day came, almost everyone was hoping that the standard might be handed to him. However, God's Messenger asked: Where is 'Ali? 'He has sore eyes', they said. The Messenger sent for him and, after applying his saliva to 'Ali's sore eyes, he submitted the standard to him. (3) 'Ali went to the fortress and, after a fierce battle, Khaybar was conquered.
Among the prisoners of war, there was a noble woman, Safiyya, the daughter of Huyay ibn Akhtab, who was the chief of Banu Nadir. By marrying her, God's Messenger established a relationship with the conquered people.
The Battle of Mu'ta
In the peaceful atmosphere brought about by the treaty of Hudaybiya, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, sent letters to neighbouring kings inviting them to the fold of Islam. The king of Busra, Shurahbil, who was a Christian Arab, killed the envoy of God's Messenger, Harith ibn 'Umayr. This was an unforgivable act, from the viewpoint of both international custom and the prestige of Islam. If it had remained unresponded to, some others might also have attempted to act in the same way.
God's Messenger formed an army of 3,000 men, and appointed Zayd ibn Harith as the commander. Additionally, he gave the instruction: If something happens to Zayd, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib should assume the command. If Ja'far is martyred, let 'Abd Allah ibn Rawaha take over the command. In case something happens to 'Abd Allah, choose one among you as the commander.
When the Muslim army reached Mu'ta, it met with a Byzantine army of 100,000 men. Obviously, it would be a fierce battle. The Muslims would fight one against 33 men. In the meantime, God's Messenger was in the mosque, relating the fighting to those around him, who were unable to participate in the campaign:
Zayd took the standard. He thrust himself into the ranks of the enemy. They martyred him. The standard was taken by Ja'far ibn Abi Talib. He also rose up to Paradise. 'Abd Allah ibn Rawaha took the standard. He too was martyred. Now, the standard was in the hands of a 'sword' among the 'swords of God'. (4)
The one God's Messenger described as 'a sword among the swords of God' was Khalid ibn Walid, (5) who would, from then on, be mentioned as 'the Sword of God'. When it was at night, Khalid stationed the troops at the rear in the front rank, and changed the wings, positioning those on the right to the left and vice versa. Having seen new troops before them in the morning, the Byzantine army was demoralized. When night fell, the sides parted with each other and retreated.
The Muslim army returned to Madina with only twelve losses. Although this was a victory for the Muslims, they were ashamed to meet God's Messenger, who, however, welcomed them and consoled them, saying: You did not flee; you retreated to join me, and will go against them later.
1. I. Hisham, 3.226; Diyarbakri, Khamis, 1.540.
2. Bukhari, Maghazi, 38.
3. Bukhari, 5.77; Muslim, 4.1872.
4. Bukhari, Maghazi, 44.
5. I. Hanbal, 5.299; Tabari, 3.110.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 June 2006

The Conquest of Makka


In the fifth year of Hijra, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, had had a dream or a vision while awake that they would enter the Holy Mosque of Ka'ba in safety with their heads shaven or trimmed and without fear. As will be explained later in this book, they had not been allowed to enter Makka and made a treaty with the Quraysh at Hudaybiya, the conditions of which had, at first, appeared unpalatable to the Muslims. However, the verses revealed after the treaty described Hudaybiya as a clear victory.
The two years following the Treaty of Hudaybiya proved that Treaty to really be a victory. Some leading figures of the Quraysh such as Khalid ibn Walid and 'Amr ibn al-'As became Muslims and Islam had the opportunity to spread across Arabia. The Jewish conspiracy was put to an end and through the letters sent to neighbouring kings, Islam crossed the borders of Arabia into other lands in four directions.
It was two years after the treaty of Hudaybiya that Banu Bakr, allied to the Quraysh, attacked Banu Khuda'a, allied to the Muslims, and killed some among them. This meant the end of the truce between the Muslims and the Quraysh. No longer able to resist the Muslims, Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraysh, came to Madina to renew the treaty but was not admitted by God's Messenger, upon be peace and blessings. (1)
God's Messenger was making preparations for war. As always, he was keeping the affair quite secret and no one, including his wives and closest friends such as Abu Bakr and 'Umar, knew where the campaign would be. When Abu Bakr asked his daughter 'A'isha, the wife of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, where the Messenger intended to march, 'A'isha, answered: 'Father, I do not know either where he will go'. (2) However, someone from the Emigrants, named Khatib ibn Abi Balta'a, guessed the intention of God's Messenger, upon him be peace, and sent a letter to the Quraysh, informing them of the preparations of the Messenger to come against them. Revelation about that came to the Messenger, who ordered 'Ali and Zubayr to go and take the letter from the woman to whom Khatib had entrusted it. 'Ali and Zubayr carried out the Prophet's order successfully. (3)
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, left Madina with 10,000 men. Two years before, he had been able to gather only 1,600 men when he had set out for a minor pilgrimage, which concluded in the signing of the peace treaty of Hudaybiya. The peaceful atmosphere brought about by this treaty enabled many to re-consider Islam and accept it.
The Companions did not know of the destination of the campaign until they were ordered to change their direction toward Makka. When they approached this holy city, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, ordered that each member of the army should light a fire. The Makkans used, when they camped somewhere while journeying in the desert, to light a fire for every tent, (4) so they estimated the Muslim army to consist of about 30,000 men. They had been left nothing to do other than surrender. Abu Sufyan, who had been invited by God's Messenger to see the Muslim army, also advised the Makkans to surrender without offering any resistance.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, did not desire any bloodshed. He divided his army into six columns, each of which was to enter Makka through a different route. He ordered the commanders to avoid bloodshed unless they were attacked. In order to prevent bloodshed and secure a peaceful conquest, he also made this announcement: Those who shelter in the Ka'ba are safe; those who shelter in the house of Abu Sufyan are safe, and those who remain confined to their houses are also safe. (5)
Being a Prophet of absolute mercy, one who came to secure the happiness of mankind both in this world and the next, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, entered Makka, bowing on the back of his mule, as a victorious conqueror. He displayed no hint of self-pride nor thought of either vengeance or retaliation. He proceeded toward the Ka'ba in utmost modesty and absolute gratitude to God Almighty, Who had made him victorious in his sacred mission after so many years of hardships and persecution. He stopped at the Ka'ba and asked those who assembled there: How do you expect me to treat you? 'You are a noble man, the son of a noble man', they answered. God's Messenger concluded:
This day no reproach shall be on you. God will forgive you; He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful. You can go away! (6)
This marked the end of polytheism in Makka. While he was toppling down the idols at the Ka'ba one after the other, he recited: Say: 'Truth has come and falsehood has disappeared. Indeed falsehood is subject to disappearance'. (7) And, almost all of the Makkans, who had been the enemies of Islam until one day before, acquired the honour of becoming Companions to God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.
1. I. Hisham, 4.31.
2. I. Hisham, 4.39.
3. I. Hisham, 4.41.
4. I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.330; I. Hisham, 6.41–5.
5. I. Kathir, ibid., 4.331–2.
6. I. Sa'd, 2.142; I. Hisham, 4.55; Tabari, 3.120; Balazuri, Futuh al-Buldan, 1.47.
7. Bukhari, 5.93; Muslim, 3.1408; I. Hisham, 4.59; I. Sa'd, 2.136

The Battle of Hunayn


The Arab tribes were awaiting the settlement of the conflict between the Quraysh and the Muslims, before accepting Islam, saying: 'If Muhammed prevails over his people, he would indeed be a Prophet.' Consequently, when that was accomplished, they began to enter Islam in throngs. This shocked the pagan idolaters, who organised a great gathering near Ta'if to concert plans for attacking God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. The Hawazin and the Thaqif tribes, who were famous for courage and throwing arrows, took the lead and prepared a great expedition for Makka. Informed of their movements through 'Abd Allah ibn Hadrad, whom he had sent to them, God's Messenger left Makka with 12,000 Muslims, among whom there was a confident enthusiasm due to the new conversions numbering 2,000. In order to protect Makka from an attack and consolidate the belief of new Muslims by healing their wounded feelings, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, did not want to meet the enemy within the confines of Makka.
The battle was joined at Hunayn, a valley between Makka and Ta'if. The new converts in the Muslim ranks had more enthusiasm than wisdom, more a spirit of elation than of faith and confidence in the righteousness of their cause. The enemy had the advantage of knowing the ground thoroughly. They laid an ambush in which the advance guard of the Muslim forces was caught or intentionally pushed by God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, who might have planned to draw the enemy in under the guise of retreat. However, the retreat was in confusion, under a shower of enemy arrows. The Prophet, as ever, was calm in his faith and wisdom in that hour of danger and spurred his horse forward. His uncle 'Abbas was on his right and Fadl, the son of Abbas, on his left. While Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith was trying to stop him, he was crying: Now war has been kindled. I am the Prophet, that is no lie. I am the descendant of 'Abd al-Muttalib. (1)
'Abbas called out at the top of his voice: 'Companions who made the pledge of allegiance under the acacia tree!' (2) There- upon, from all sides the Companions responded 'Labbayk' (at your service!), and rallied to the Prophet. The enemy, who had pushed themselves into the centre of the Muslim army, were surrounded from all sides. The courage, wisdom and steadfastness of God's Messenger changed a seeming defeat into a decisive victory. It was by God's help that the Muslims won the day. They completed the victory with an energetic pursuit of the enemies, capturing their camps, their flocks and herds, and their families, whom they had boastfully brought with them in expectation of an easy victory.
The routed enemy took refuge in Ta'if. The Muslim victory persuaded the desert tribes to accept Islam and shortly thereafter the rebel tribes and Ta'if also surrendered and entered Islam.
1. Bukhari, Jihad, 52; Muslim,Jihad, 78.
2. I. Kathir, 4.373

The Expedition to Tabuk


The outcome of the encounter between the Muslims and Byzantines at Mu'ta had came as a shock to the whole of Arabia and the Middle East that the Romans failed to gain the upper hand even though they had outnumbered the Muslims by thirty-three to one. Ultimately, thousands of people from the semi-independent Arab tribes living in Syria and its adjoining areas converted to Islam. To avenge himself for the Battle of Mu'ta and prevent the advance of Islam, Caesar (the Emperor of the Byzantines) ordered military preparations to invade Arabia. God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, who always kept himself abreast of all developments which had any bearing on his mission, promptly decided to challenge the Byzantine army on the battlefield. Any show of weakness on the part of Muslims might have given a fresh release to the dying forces of Arabian Jahiliyyah which had received a crushing blow at Hunayn, and also encouraged the hypocrites in and around Madina to cause serious damage to Islam from within. For the hypocrites were in touch with the Ghassanid Christian prince and with Caesar (the Byzantine Emperor) himself and had even built a mosque – the Mosque of Dirar (Dissension) – in the vicinity of Madina which served as their operational base.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, publicly appealed to the Muslims to prepare for war and, as against his usual practice, declared that the Romans were his target.
It was in mid-summer. The scorching heat of the season was at its peak, the harvest season had just arrived, and there was a shortage of material resources needed to wage a war. What was more, the enemy was one of the two super powers of the time. Despite all, the Companions responded ardently to the Prophet's call and commenced their war preparations, each Muslim contributing much more than his financial means warranted. Huge amounts of money were donated by the wealthy Companions such as 'Uthman and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-'Awf, (1) and those who could not be included in the Muslim army because of the acute paucity of cavalry and other war provisions wept bitterly, and lamented their exclusion so pathetically that God's Messenger was moved and God praised them in the verse He revealed (al-Tawbah, 9.92). The occasion, in fact, served as a touchstone for distinguishing the sincere from the insincere, the true men of faith from the hypocrites.
In the month of Rajab 9 A.H./631 C.E. God's Messenger, along with 30,000 soldiers, left Madina and marched as far as Tabuk, quite close to what was then Byzantine territory in the province of Syria. The Roman Emperor, who had indeed begun amassing a huge army, had to abandon the idea of an encounter with God's Messenger and withdrew his army because the Messenger arrived ahead of the anticipated time and well before the planned concentration of troops had been completed. (2)
The Messenger stayed in Tabuk for 20 days and forced several buffer states under the hegemony of the Byzantine Empire to pay the poll tax and live under his rule, and many Christian tribes chose Islam willingly. (3) This bloodless victory also enabled the Muslims to consolidate their position before launching a prolonged conflict with the Romans and altogether shattered the power of both unbelievers and the hypocrites in Arabia.
1. Bukhari, Tafsir, 18; I. Hisham, 4.161; Tabari, Tarikh, 3.143; Tafsir, 10.161.
2. I. Sa'd, 2.165–8; Tabari, Tarikh, 3.100–11.
3.

The Military Achievements Of God’s Messenger


One of the significant points to be noted concerning the personality of God's Messenger is that he was the most eminent commander in human history. In order to understand this dimension of his sacred mission, it is worthwhile to make a general evaluation of his military triumphs:
1) There is not another Prophet who carried his mission to decisive victory in all aspects of life. When the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, who resembles God's Messenger more than the other Prophets in many aspects of his mission, died, his people were still in the desert, not yet able to conquer 'Palestine' after several decades of his preaching. Jesus' mission was mainly aimed at infusing a spiritual and moral revival into the life of the Jews who had drowned in the bog of materialism. After his elevation to heaven, his disciples succeeded in conveying his message as far as the centre of the Roman Empire despite severe persecutions but, unfortunately, at the cost of the degeneration or corruption of his original creed.
When the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, said farewell to the world, he left behind the whole of Arabia converted to Islam, and an 'army' of dedicated Companions, who were ready to convey his Message as far as the remotest corners of the world. He achieved this end with a handful of self-sacrificing men, who had neither heard of belief or Scripture before, nor been acquainted with anything concerning a civilized social life and world politics or good morals and self-discipline. He made a handful of desert men engaged in civil wars, unending feuds, into an 'army' of holy warriors who, equipped with belief, sincerity, knowledge, good morals, love of humanity and compassion, and imbued with activism, dedicated themselves to a Divine Cause to, in the words of Rabi' ibn Amir, the Muslim envoy to the Iranian commander during the Qadisiyyah War, 'elevate men from the dark pits of worldly life to the high, boundless realm of the spirit, from the humiliation of worshipping false and man-made divinities to the honour and dignity of worshipping One God, the only Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and to free them from the oppression and depression brought about by false religions and man-made systems to the luminous and peaceful climate of Islam.'
2) The aim of God's Messenger was never to build a worldly kingdom; he was sent to guide humanity to salvation in both worlds, physical and spiritual; he aimed at reviving people, not killing them. It is to this end that he was obliged to arrange military expeditions and sometimes to command armies. He sent out many expeditions and himself commanded forces 28 times. Fighting took place in almost half of all the military campaigns he organized during his mission, which number about 80, and only around 1,000 people lost their lives in all on both sides. Around 250 Muslims were martyred and 750 non-Muslims were killed. This means that God's Messenger, upon him be peace, established his Message and brought absolute security to the whole of the Arabian peninsula for the first time in its history, and opened the way to global security, at the cost of only 1,000 lives. This is, as so many of his achievements are, unequalled in world history.
3) God's Messenger established a system of rules governing international relations among sovereign states. In other words, he was the first to legislate an international law. Although the concept was not unknown before Islam, international law was very limited – for example, there were no recognized rules for the treatment of prisoners of war. Again, God's Mesenger, upon him be peace, established a set of rules to bring a 'discipline' to fighting. For example, the following is the order given by him and his true successors to come until the present day to armies dispatched for fighting, an order which had been strictly obeyed by Muslims in their wars as Muslims:
Always keep fear of God in your mind. Remember that you cannot afford to do anything without His grace. Do not forget that Islam is a mission of peace and love. Do not destroy fruit-trees nor fertile fields in your paths. Be just, and spare the feelings of the vanquished. Respect all religious persons who live in hermitages or convents and spare their edifices. Do not kill civilians. Do not outrage the chastity of women and the honour of the conquered. Do not harm old people and children. Do not accept any gifts from the civil population of any place. Do not billet your soldiers or officers in the houses of civilians. (1)
1. Andrew Miller, Church History, 285; Bukhari, Manaqib, 9.
4) God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, never neglected to take preliminary precautions, and he left nothing to chance. He always acted with the utmost care, insight and forethought and therefore never met with any setbacks. He did not have the slightest part in the reverse suffered at Uhud. Also, he was extraordinarily successful in getting information from the enemy, without ever resorting to force or torture. Once an enemy soldier was captured by the vanguard of the Muslim army, who tried to force him to give information about the enemy's numbers and equipment. God's Messenger ordered his release and asked him how many camels the approaching army slaughtered every day to eat. Calculating how many camels are eaten by how many people in a day, he tried to work out the numbers of the enemy army. (2)
5) God's Messenger founded a military intelligence service and succeeded in getting all the necessary information about the enemy, but he never allowed any news about his movements to leak out to the opposite side. Before setting out to conquer Makka, Khatib ibn Abi Balta'a secretly sent a letter with a woman to his relatives in Makka about the preparations of God's Messenger. However, the Prophet was informed of this, and sent 'Ali and Zubayr to catch up with the woman and intercept the letter, which they did.
Also, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, kept secret his military preparations and did not reveal to his Companions where he would march. He tended to take a different direction from that of his real destination and only after some while did he turn to his target. He made much use of tactics securing victory such as speed, surprise attack and flexibility of movement. In most of his campaigns, major or minor, he caught the enemy unprepared and overcame them relatively easily. For example, in the Battle of Khaybar, the Jews got news of his coming upon them only through their farmers going to their fields and so had time only to shelter in their citadels. In the same way, the Quraysh were left nothing to do other than surrender during the conquest of Makka.
6) Being a Prophet who brought a universal religion from God, God's Messenger educated his Companions in the aims of that religion so effectively that they were ever ready to sacrifice themselves in the way of God. This was one of the main factors lying behind the victories of God's Messenger. His Companions placed utmost reliance on and had perfect confidence in him. Therefore, he inculcated fear in the hearts of his enemies, as he himself said: I am supported by God through implanting fear in the hearts of my enemies from a distance of a month's walk. (3) Besides, in order to demoralize his enemies he resorted to psychology. Poets like Hassan ibn Thabit and 'Abd Allah ibn Rawaha wrote or recited verses to demoralize the enemy. In the minor pilgrimage they performed one year after the treaty of Hudaybiya, he ordered his Companions to run around the Ka'ba so as to demonstrate their strength to the Makkans watching them from the neighbouring hills. While running, 'Abd Allah ibn Rawaha recited:
I start with the name of God,
Apart from Whom there is no other god,
And Muhammed is the Messenger of God.
O unbelievers, and sons of unbelievers, clear out of his way.
The Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was pleased with his recitation, commenting: His words are more penetrating to the Quraysh than arrows. (4)
7) God's Messenger was unequalled in introducing new strategies and disuniting the allied enemy tribes. During the Battle of the Trench, the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza broke their treaty with the Muslims at a most critical moment of the battle and joined the Quraysh, besieging Madina. Left between two hostile camps, God's Messenger offered a peace treaty to Banu Ghatafan, who were in alliance with the Quraysh in the war. This discouraged Banu Ghatafan from continuing the war. He also succeeded, with a skilful manoeuvre, in bringing about a disagreement and mutual mistrust between the Quraysh and Banu Qurayza. Also, during the campaign of Khaybar, he first gave the impression that he was marching upon Banu Ghatafan, who were than allied with the Jews of Khaybar. This caused Banu Ghatafan to remain inactive during the campaign, unable to help the Jews.
2. I. Hisham, 2.269.
3. Bukhari, Tayammum, 1, Salat, 56.
4. Nasa'i, Sunan, 5.212; I. Hisham, 4.13; I. Sa'd,2.121.
God's Messenger did what he had to do at each step of his life, and never showed any hesitation or irresolution in executing his plans or intentions. Also, he never retreated during any fighting, nor did he faint and lose heart. He stood steadfast, without moving an inch backward, during the critical moments of both the Battle of Uhud and Hunayn. He called to those of his Companions scattering from around him; Do not scatter! I am Muhammed, the Messenger of God. That is no lie!
All the Jewish tribes in and around Madina broke their agreements with God's Messenger one after the other. When they did not heed his call to them to remain faithful to their agreement, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, showed no hesitation in marching upon them – as against the Banu Qurayza after the Battle of the Trench, without taking off his coat of mail; or against the Quraysh army one day after the set-back at the Battle of Uhud – such incidents are very significant in showing his resolution and invincibility.
9) Almost in all of his campaigns, major or minor, God's Messenger always kept in hand the initiative to attack and direct the war. Even in set battles, like those of Badr, Uhud and the Trench, in which he was made the target of the attack, he did not lose the initiative and, by surprise strategies and effective tactics, he was able to defeat the enemy. He also succeeded in using time and any opportunities that arose in his favour.
10) God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, usually changed the tactics and strategies he used in battles. For example, in the Battle of Badr, he made an over-all attack upon the enemy after demoralizing them in single combats. In the first stage of the Battle of Uhud, he kept the enemy cavalry inactive through the archers he stationed in the mountain-pass of Aynayn and, hurling his eminent warriors such as Hamza, 'Ali, Abu Dujana and Zubayr, upon the enemy, he won the victory. As for the Battle of Trench, he faced the enemy with a long, deep trench they dug round Madina and, remaining within the confines of the city, forced the enemy to retreat after four weeks of siege.
11) The Messenger was never short of necessary reinforcement and always kept his lines of communication active. Equally, he never suffered from insufficient logistics.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, brought up, along with statesmen of extraordinary capability such as Abu Bakr and 'Umar and men of profound scholarship and spirituality, great soldiers and invincible commanders. His education was based on three basic elements:
1. Continuous bodily training. He usually urged his Companions to train themselves in archery, wrestling, swimming and riding horses. He sometimes arranged competitions and even running races, in which he himself occasionally participated. Also, he attached great importance to preserving one's health and maintaining strength.
2. Good morals and being well-mannered.
3. Devotion to God with unshakable belief, submission and reliance, and obedience to God, to himself and others in authority.
The Muslim army conveyed peace and security to the lands it conquered. Each soldier of that army was absolutely dedicated to the cause of Islam. The only criterion for them to judge between people was belief in God. They did not feel true love for anybody who opposed God and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers, children or brothers (See, al-Mujadila, 58.22). Because of this, it sometimes happened that children and fathers or brothers met in opposing armies on the battlefield.
Belief and submission made the Muslim soldiers so powerful and fearless that neither the strength of enemy forces outnumbering them nor fear of death could prevent them from conveying the Divine Message. 'Abd Allah ibn Hudafa al-Sahmi was captured in a war against the Byzantines. A priest in the Byzantine army offered him Christianity so that his life could be spared, and gave him three minutes of respite. 'Abd Allah responded to him:
Thank you, father! You have given me three minutes to communicate to you my religion

His Appointment of Competent Persons


God's Messenger was unique in discovering promising and competent persons in his community and appointing them to the work they could do best. Whoever he appointed to a post, he did not find any need to change him, and that person proved, through both his uprightness and competence, that he was a really good choice. This is another dimension of the Prophet's leadership which demonstrates that he was a Prophet chosen by God.
The Makkan period of Islam was inscribed in the memories of the Muslims as a period of unbearable persecutions and tortures. Not only the poor and unprotected, like 'Ammar, Bilal and Suhayb, but also those Muslims like Abu Bakr and 'Umar, who were from the elite and powerful members of the Quraysh, were severely persecuted. (1) In order to save his followers from this maltreatment, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, permitted the poor and unprotected among them to emigrate to Abyssinia, but chose to keep back the powerful ones such as 'Ali, Zubayr , Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas in Makka, for Islam needed their support to spread and implant itself in Makka. These powerful Muslims were to occupy the highest positions in the administration of the Muslim state in later decades.
Abu Dharr was a poor, blunt and upright man from the desert. When he heard Muhammad's declaration of Prophethood, he came to Makka and became a Muslim. God's Messenger used to preach Islam secretly in the earliest stage of his Prophethood. Abu Dharr was a blunt man, never restraining his feelings and always revealing the truth wherever he was. Also, he was very pious and lived an austere life. However, since public administration requires special skills, God's Messenger did not accept Abu Dharr's request to be appointed to an administrative post, saying: You are not able to manage the affairs of people. Do not apply for such jobs, for we do not assign such jobs to those who apply for them. (2)
God's Messenger refused Abu Dharr, but he implied the caliphate of Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman. Holding once the hands of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, he said: I have four viziers, two in the heavens and two in the world. Those in the heavens are Gabriel and Michael; as for those in the world, they are Abu Bakr and 'Umar. (3) Concerning the future caliphate of 'Uthman, he declared: It will be a trial for him. (4)
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, recognized his men much more than they knew themselves. Like Abu Dharr, 'Amr ibn 'Abatha was a man from the desert. He came to Makka and, entering the presence of God's Messenger, asked rudely: 'What are you?' To this rudeness, the Messenger replied very gently: I am a Prophet of God. The gentleness of God's Messenger was enough for the conversion of 'Amr ibn 'Abatha, who knelt down and declared: 'I am to follow you from now on, O God's Messenger'.
The Messenger did not desire 'Amr ibn 'Abatha to stay in Makka, because he was not able to endure the torments inflicted upon the believers. So, he told him, as he had once told Abu Dharr: Now, return to your tribe, and preach Islam among them. When, however, you hear that I am victorious, come and join us.
Years later, 'Amr ibn 'Abatha came to Madina, and asked God's Messenger, who was in the mosque: 'Do you recognize me, O God's Messenger?' The Messenger, who had an extraordinarily strong and keen memory (another dimension of his Prophethood) answered promptly: Aren't you the one who came to me in Makka? I sent you back to your tribe and told you to join us when you heard that I was victorious. (5)
I mentioned the case of Julaybib in another book of mine (See, The Infinite Light 1, pp.135–6). After the moral lesson of God's Messenger, Julaybib became an honest, chaste young man. Upon the request of God's Messenger, upon him be peace, a noble family gave their daughter in marriage to Julaybib, may God be pleased with him. Shortly afterwards, Julaybib took part in a battle and, after killing seven soldiers of the enemy, was martyred. When his corpse was brought to God's Messenger, he put his head on Julaybib's knees and said: O God, this one is of me, and I am of him. (6) He had discovered the essential virtue in Julaybib and foreseen his future service for Islam.
1. I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 3.40–1, 102–3; I. Hisham, Sirah, 1.234.
2. Muslim, 'Imarah, 16–7.
3. Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal, 11.563, 13.15.
4. Bukhari, Fada'il al-Ashab, 5,7; Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 29.
5. Muslim, Musafirin, 294; I. Hanbal, Musnad, 4.112.
6. Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 131.
The conquest of Khaybar proved to be one of the occasions on which God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, demonstrated his uniqueness in recognizing the potentials, skills and shortcomings of each of his followers. When the siege was prolonged, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, declared: Tomorrow I will hand the standard to one who loves God and His Messenger and is loved by them. (7) This was indeed a great honour, and all of the Companions desired earnestly to deserve it. The next day came and God's Messenger asked for 'Ali. 'He has sore eyes', he was told. The Messenger then sent for 'Ali and applied his saliva to 'Ali's eyes, which, as he swore by God, never again troubled him. (
Despite 'Ali's youth, God's Messenger preferred him on account of his great skills in combat and in taking command. He took the standard and succeeded in conquering the stronghold of Khaybar, which was very formidable.
Whoever God's Messenger gave a job to, that person became successful in doing it. For example, he described Khalid ibn Walid as 'a sword among the swords of God', (9) and Khalid never tasted defeat during his whole lifetime. Likewise, besides such great soldiers and invincible commanders as Qa'qa'a, Hamza and Sa'd, he also made 'Usama ibn Zayd a commander over a great army in which were leading Muslims such as Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, Talha and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. 'Usama was the son of Zayd, a black Muslim, and emancipated slave of God's Messenger, and was only seventeen years old or so when he was made the commander. His father, Zayd, had also commanded the Muslim army in the Battle of Mu'ta against the Byzantines and was martyred.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was twenty-five years old when he married Khadija, the daughter of Huwaylid, a widow fifteen years his senior. He did not marry another woman until Khadija's death in the tenth year of his Prophethood. All his subsequent marriages, after the age of fifty, were directly related to his mission. One of the important reasons for them was that his wives had different characters and temperaments and could therefore convey to other Muslim women the rules of Islam related to women. Each of them proved a guide and teacher for womanhood, and, besides, even the leading figures in the generations following the Companions such as Masruq, Tawus ibn Kaysan and Ata' ibn Rabah benefited considerably from them. The science of Hadith is especially indebted to 'A'isha, who related from God's Messenger more than five thousand Traditions. 'A'isha was also a great jurist.
Subsequent events proved how wise and apt were all the choices of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, not least in the matter of marriage.
7. Bukhari, Fada'il al-Ashab, 9; Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 34.
8. Bukhari, 5.77.
9. Bukhari, Fada'il al-Ashab, 25.

His Appointment of Competent Persons


God's Messenger was unique in discovering promising and competent persons in his community and appointing them to the work they could do best. Whoever he appointed to a post, he did not find any need to change him, and that person proved, through both his uprightness and competence, that he was a really good choice. This is another dimension of the Prophet's leadership which demonstrates that he was a Prophet chosen by God.
The Makkan period of Islam was inscribed in the memories of the Muslims as a period of unbearable persecutions and tortures. Not only the poor and unprotected, like 'Ammar, Bilal and Suhayb, but also those Muslims like Abu Bakr and 'Umar, who were from the elite and powerful members of the Quraysh, were severely persecuted. (1) In order to save his followers from this maltreatment, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, permitted the poor and unprotected among them to emigrate to Abyssinia, but chose to keep back the powerful ones such as 'Ali, Zubayr , Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas in Makka, for Islam needed their support to spread and implant itself in Makka. These powerful Muslims were to occupy the highest positions in the administration of the Muslim state in later decades.
Abu Dharr was a poor, blunt and upright man from the desert. When he heard Muhammad's declaration of Prophethood, he came to Makka and became a Muslim. God's Messenger used to preach Islam secretly in the earliest stage of his Prophethood. Abu Dharr was a blunt man, never restraining his feelings and always revealing the truth wherever he was. Also, he was very pious and lived an austere life. However, since public administration requires special skills, God's Messenger did not accept Abu Dharr's request to be appointed to an administrative post, saying: You are not able to manage the affairs of people. Do not apply for such jobs, for we do not assign such jobs to those who apply for them. (2)
God's Messenger refused Abu Dharr, but he implied the caliphate of Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman. Holding once the hands of Abu Bakr and 'Umar, he said: I have four viziers, two in the heavens and two in the world. Those in the heavens are Gabriel and Michael; as for those in the world, they are Abu Bakr and 'Umar. (3) Concerning the future caliphate of 'Uthman, he declared: It will be a trial for him. (4)
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, recognized his men much more than they knew themselves. Like Abu Dharr, 'Amr ibn 'Abatha was a man from the desert. He came to Makka and, entering the presence of God's Messenger, asked rudely: 'What are you?' To this rudeness, the Messenger replied very gently: I am a Prophet of God. The gentleness of God's Messenger was enough for the conversion of 'Amr ibn 'Abatha, who knelt down and declared: 'I am to follow you from now on, O God's Messenger'.
The Messenger did not desire 'Amr ibn 'Abatha to stay in Makka, because he was not able to endure the torments inflicted upon the believers. So, he told him, as he had once told Abu Dharr: Now, return to your tribe, and preach Islam among them. When, however, you hear that I am victorious, come and join us.
Years later, 'Amr ibn 'Abatha came to Madina, and asked God's Messenger, who was in the mosque: 'Do you recognize me, O God's Messenger?' The Messenger, who had an extraordinarily strong and keen memory (another dimension of his Prophethood) answered promptly: Aren't you the one who came to me in Makka? I sent you back to your tribe and told you to join us when you heard that I was victorious. (5)
I mentioned the case of Julaybib in another book of mine (See, The Infinite Light 1, pp.135–6). After the moral lesson of God's Messenger, Julaybib became an honest, chaste young man. Upon the request of God's Messenger, upon him be peace, a noble family gave their daughter in marriage to Julaybib, may God be pleased with him. Shortly afterwards, Julaybib took part in a battle and, after killing seven soldiers of the enemy, was martyred. When his corpse was brought to God's Messenger, he put his head on Julaybib's knees and said: O God, this one is of me, and I am of him. (6) He had discovered the essential virtue in Julaybib and foreseen his future service for Islam.
1. I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 3.40–1, 102–3; I. Hisham, Sirah, 1.234.
2. Muslim, 'Imarah, 16–7.
3. Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal, 11.563, 13.15.
4. Bukhari, Fada'il al-Ashab, 5,7; Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 29.
5. Muslim, Musafirin, 294; I. Hanbal, Musnad, 4.112.
6. Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 131.
The conquest of Khaybar proved to be one of the occasions on which God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, demonstrated his uniqueness in recognizing the potentials, skills and shortcomings of each of his followers. When the siege was prolonged, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, declared: Tomorrow I will hand the standard to one who loves God and His Messenger and is loved by them. (7) This was indeed a great honour, and all of the Companions desired earnestly to deserve it. The next day came and God's Messenger asked for 'Ali. 'He has sore eyes', he was told. The Messenger then sent for 'Ali and applied his saliva to 'Ali's eyes, which, as he swore by God, never again troubled him. (
Despite 'Ali's youth, God's Messenger preferred him on account of his great skills in combat and in taking command. He took the standard and succeeded in conquering the stronghold of Khaybar, which was very formidable.
Whoever God's Messenger gave a job to, that person became successful in doing it. For example, he described Khalid ibn Walid as 'a sword among the swords of God', (9) and Khalid never tasted defeat during his whole lifetime. Likewise, besides such great soldiers and invincible commanders as Qa'qa'a, Hamza and Sa'd, he also made 'Usama ibn Zayd a commander over a great army in which were leading Muslims such as Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, Talha and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. 'Usama was the son of Zayd, a black Muslim, and emancipated slave of God's Messenger, and was only seventeen years old or so when he was made the commander. His father, Zayd, had also commanded the Muslim army in the Battle of Mu'ta against the Byzantines and was martyred.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was twenty-five years old when he married Khadija, the daughter of Huwaylid, a widow fifteen years his senior. He did not marry another woman until Khadija's death in the tenth year of his Prophethood. All his subsequent marriages, after the age of fifty, were directly related to his mission. One of the important reasons for them was that his wives had different characters and temperaments and could therefore convey to other Muslim women the rules of Islam related to women. Each of them proved a guide and teacher for womanhood, and, besides, even the leading figures in the generations following the Companions such as Masruq, Tawus ibn Kaysan and Ata' ibn Rabah benefited considerably from them. The science of Hadith is especially indebted to 'A'isha, who related from God's Messenger more than five thousand Traditions. 'A'isha was also a great jurist.
Subsequent events proved how wise and apt were all the choices of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, not least in the matter of marriage.
7. Bukhari, Fada'il al-Ashab, 9; Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 34.
8. Bukhari, 5.77.
9. Bukhari, Fada'il al-Ashab, 25.

The Wisdom of God’s Messenger


A leader gains the love and trust of his people and is followed by them in proportion to his competence in solving their problems, whether personal or public, related to individual, private life, or to social, economic, political affairs touching the community as a whole.
In solving problems, you may resort to force and terror, or apply sanctions or punishments like exile, imprisonment or depriving the guilty of their rights of citizenship, or torture people, or spy into their affairs. However, none of these ways is of much use in the long term; rather, they will bring about a vicious circle, in which the more you struggle to solve problems by such means, the more you entangle yourself in them.
However, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, solved all problems so skilfully and easily that no one disagreed with the issue of his decisions. Although he was sent to a people by nature and habit quarrelsome, ignorant, wild and rebellious, and sent with a mission so grave as 'to rend mountains asunder' – If We had sent down this Qur'an onto a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and rent asunder out of fear of God (al-Hashr, 59.21) – he made them into a harmonious community of peace, happiness, knowledge and good morals. Reflect closely upon the utopias imagined in the West, such as The Republic (Plato), Utopia (Thomas More), and Civitas Solis (T. Campanella), you will see that, in essence, they dreamed of the ideal society of Madina in the time of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Mankind have not since then witnessed the equal of that society. However, if they desire to live a happy and peaceful life based on good morals and universal values such as love, mutual respect, compassion, and altruism, they have no way other than to follow the example of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.
We described in the first volume of The Infinite Light 1 (pp.143–4), how he prevented, through his wisdom, an imminent war between the clans of the Quraysh during the reconstruction of the Ka'ba. Each clan had claimed the honour of putting the sacred Black Stone in its place. However, the future Prophet of Islam spread his mantle on a piece of cloth on the ground and, putting the stone on it, invited the chieftains of the four major clans of the Quraysh involved in the rebuilding of the Ka'ba to each take one corner of the cloth. When the cloth with the Black Stone had been raised level with the spot where it was to be placed, he took the stone and placed it firmly in position. It was an ingenious plan and provided yet another proof of his wisdom or gift for problem-solving.
We also saw in the same book how he prevented a possible moment of sedition after the Battle of Hunayn. Also, he skilfully suppressed an impending conflict between a group of Emigrants and some of the Helpers during the return from the military campaign against the Banu Mustaliq. An internal clash nearly broke out when the army halted by the side of a well. When informed of the matter, God's Messenger immediately gave the order to march and nipped an imminent clash in the bud.
Sacred Emigration
Emigration to Madina marks a turning point in the life of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, as well as in the history of Islam. Belief, emigration and holy struggle are the three pillars of a single, sacred truth. They are the three taps of a fountain from which the water of life flows for the soldiers of truth to drink from, so that they may convey their message without being wearied and, when the opposition is too formidable to overcome, set out for a new land without regard for their home, property and family. The Prophet's emigration to Madina is so significant in the history of Islam and so sanctified that the virtuous men and women around him were praised by God as the Emigrants, and those who welcomed them so warmly to Madina as the Helpers. In addition, the beginning of the era of this religious community was marked, not by the birth of the Prophet or by the first Revelation or such victories as Badr or the conquest of Makka, but by the emigration to Madina.
Despite its significance, emigration is, of course, not an easy thing to achieve. When the believers came to Madina to settle after years of persecution in Makka, they had neither any provisions with which to manage their families, nor any houses to live in. Moreover, some of them were extremely poor, and the others, who had earned their lives by trade, were left with no capital. The Muslims of Madina were mostly farmers, and the commercial life of the city was thoroughly controlled by the Jewish community. Another problem worthy of note is that the people of Madina had decided to make 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul their chief, just before the arrival of God's Messenger. The settlement of the Messenger brought this plan, and the hopes of Ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, to nothing, and he consequently became a bitter enemy of God's Messenger and, as chief of the hypocrites, never refrained from making conspiracies to ruin him. In addition, the Makkan polytheists would certainly not leave the Prophet to himself in Madina; they had contacted Ibn Ubayy ibn Salul in order to prevent the spread of Islam in Madina. Ibn Ubayy sent them the news: It is not something to fear that he spreads his religion here. The main danger lies in the possibility that he may ally with the Christians and Jews against paganism. That is the real threat to you.
After he settled in Madina, God's Messenger ordered the building of a mosque, and himself took part in the work of building. The importance of the mosque for the collective life of Muslims is unquestionable. They come together there five times a day and, in the Presence of God, their Lord, Creator and Sustainer, they increase in belief and submission to their Lord, to the Prophet and to their religion, and strengthen their solidarity. Especially in the first centuries of Islam, mosques functioned, as well as being places of worship, as centres of learning. The Mosque of the Prophet in Madina was, in the time of the Prophet himself and his immediate successors, the centre of government as well.
Immediately after his settlement in Madina, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, established brotherhood between Muslims, particularly between the Emigrants and the Helpers. They loved each other and were very close to each other. For example, Sa'd ibn Rabi' took his emigrant brother Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf to his house and said: Brother, you have left everything you have in Makka. So, this house, with everything in it, belongs to both of us. Besides, you do not have a wife here, while I have two. Whichever of them you like, I'll divorce her, so that you may marry her.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf answered him in tears: Brother, may God bless you with your wife! Please show me to the city bazaar so that I may do some business. (1)
The brotherhood between the Emigrants and the Helpers was so deep, so sincere and so strong that the Helpers shared everything they had with their emigrant brothers. This lasted for some time. However, when the Emigrants were accustomed to their new environment, one day they came to God's Messenger and said:
O Messenger of God! We emigrated here purely for the sake of God. But, our Helper brothers concern us to the extent that we are afraid we will consume up here in the world the reward of our good deeds, which we expect to get in the Hereafter. Also, we feel much indebted to them. Please, ask our brothers to allow us to earn our living ourselves.
God's Messenger sent for the Helpers and told them of the situation. The Helpers unanimously objected to the offer of the Emigrants, it was unbearable to them to be separated from their brothers. In the end, in order to save the Emigrants from the feeling of indebtedness, the Helpers agreed that the Emigrants would work in the Helpers' fields and gardens in return for wages until they could build their own houses. (2)
As a second step in solving the immediate problems which appeared after the Hijra, God's Messenger signed a pact with the Jewish community in Madina. According to this pact, which some scholars describe as a first constitution of the city-state of Madina, the Muslims and Jews were confederated as two separate, independent communities. (3) Since, however, God's Messenger had the initiative in making this pact and acted as an arbiter in all disputes and disagreements, the new city-state of Madina was under the overall control of the Muslims.
In order to guarantee the security of this state on the part of the Muslims, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, ordered the establishment of a new bazaar. Until then the economic life of Madina had been under the control of the Jewish community. Shortly after the establishment of the new bazaar, Jewish domination of the economic life of the city declined as the Jews no longer monopolized commerce in the city.
No sooner had the Muslim community of Madina begun to become established and grow in strength than they had to respond to attacks from inside and outside. After the victory of Badr against the Makkan polytheists, the Muslims met them again, this time, at the foot of Mount Uhud. The easy victory won by the Muslims at the beginning of the battle was unfortunately followed by a reverse due to some neglect on the part of the archers. Seventy Muslims were martyred and the Messenger himself was wounded. The Muslim army took shelter on the mountain and were prepared to counter any further attack by the enemy. However, lacking enough courage for a further attack, the enemy forces left the battlefield for Makka. Nevertheless, they changed their mind half-away and again decided to march upon Madina. Informed of this decision, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, gave the order to assemble and mobilize. A single order of his sufficed for the Companions to collect themselves, even though they were ill or wounded. His every call was a breath of life for their souls, a breath that could revive old, rotten bones. Busiri says:
Were his value and greatness to be demonstrated by miracles, The bones that have rotted away were revived by calling his name.
The half-crushed army set out to counter the enemy. Almost all of them were wounded in different degrees, but no one desired to remain behind. In describing the situation, one Companion said:
Some of the Companions were unable to walk. They said: We desire to be present at the front where God's Messenger has ordered us to go. Even if we are unable to fight, we will stand there with spears in hand. They were carried either on shoulders or on backs.
1. Bukhari, Mahaqib al-Ansar, 3; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 3.279
2. Bukhari, Hibah, 35; Muslim, Jihad, 70
3. I. Hisham, 2.147
Consultation
The sagacity or wisdom of God's Messenger also demonstrated itself in the counsels he made with his Companions. Counsel or consultation is so important in Islam that God's Messenger did not take a decision, especially in public affairs, without consultation. He sometimes held counsel even in his personal affairs. To cite only a few examples:
1. During the campaign against the Banu Mustaliq, 'A'isha, the Prophet's wife, was accompanying the Prophet, riding in a litter. At one halt she lost her necklace; she set off alone to find it only to return and discover that the army had left without her, the camel drivers thinking she was in her litter. She was later found by Safwan, who was charged with collecting what was lost or left behind caravans. There followed a scandal and 'A'isha's fidelity was questioned, mostly by hypocrites.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was sure of the fidelity of his wife. However, since hypocrites made this into a pretext to defame God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, he consulted with some of his Companions like 'Umar and 'Ali. 'Umar said that 'A'isha was undoubtedly chaste and pure, and that she had been slandered. When asked how he knew, 'Umar answered:
O God's Messenger! You were once praying. You stopped and explained that the Archangel Gabriel had come and informed you that there was some dirt in your slippers. If there were some impurity in 'A'isha, your wife, God would certainly have informed you of it. (4)
God's Messenger, who said, Whoever takes counsel, does not regret in the end, (5) never neglected to consult those who could give informed advice on a particular matter.
2. He also consulted with his Companions before the Battle of Badr, which was the first major encounter between the Muslims and the Makkan polytheists after the Emigration, whether to fight against the Makkan army approaching. The Muslim force numbered 305 or 313, while the Makkans numbered around one thousand.
Miqdad ibn 'Amr stood up on behalf of the Emigrants and said: 'Spur your horse forward even to Bark al- Ghimad; we will follow you, with no one left behind.' (6) When the Messenger turned to the Helpers in order to learn their views, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh stood up and said:
O God's Messenger! I think you are waiting for the opinion we will give. This is our opinion: Here we are, at your command, with our souls and possessions. Take from our goods whatever amount you wish; and as many people as you desire are ready to sacrifice themselves in your way! (7)
All of his Companions, including both the Emigrants and the Helpers, promised to follow him in every step he took, and to carry out all of his orders. Despite this, God's Messenger took counsel with them about almost every matter concerning the community as a whole so that doing so should be adopted or appropriated by everyone as a Sunnah.
3. Again, in the Battle of Badr, the Muslim army was positioned somewhere on the battlefield. Hubab ibn Mundhir, who was not a leading personality among the Companions, stood up and gave this opinion:
O God's Messenger! If you were not ordered by God to be positioned here, let us be positioned around the wells and close up all but one of them in order to prevent the supply of water to the enemy. You set up your camp at the side of that one well (from which we will take water), and we will encircle you.
The Messenger adopted this view. (
4. In the fifth year of Hijra, the Quraysh made an alliance with certain desert tribes and Jews of the Banu Nadir, who had emigrated from Madina to Khaybar. However, the Prophet, forewarned of their plans, consulted with his Companions about what to do in order to defeat the enemy offensive. Salman al-Farisi gave him the idea that they should dig a defensive trench around Madina, a stratagem hitherto completely unknown among the Arabs.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, adopted the idea and ordered the digging of the trench. This war was therefore called, after the trench, the Battle of the Trench or Ditch. (9)
5. The Muslims found the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiya unpalatable, and showed some reluctance to perform the Prophet's order to sacrifice the animals they had brought to sacrifice in Makka during the rites which the Treaty prevented them from observing. God's Messenger consulted with his wife Umm Salama about how to respond. She gave this opinion:
O God's Messenger! Do not repeat your order lest they should disobey you and perish. Sacrifice your own animals and take off your pilgrim dress (ihram). When they understand the order is decisive, they will perform it unhesitatingly.
God's Messenger acted according to the counsel of his wife. (10)
4. Halabi, Insan al-'Uyun, 2.613.
5. Maythami, Majma' al-Zawa'id, 2.280.
6. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 3.162.
7. Muslim, Jihad, 83; I. Hisham, 2.266–7.
8. I. Hisham, 2.272.
9. I.Hisham, 3.235; I. Sa'd, 2.66.
10. Bukhari, Shurut, 15.
A man of deliberate action
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was a man of action. He never hung back in putting his plans or decisions into action. Any hesitation in the leader causes his followers to falter. God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, always acted with deliberation, never neglected to consult, but once he had come to a decision or planned something, he did not show any hesitation in carrying it out.
God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, never repented of what he had, or had not, done, nor regretted any lost opportunity for doing something. Before starting something, he used to take all the necessary precautions, consider all the probabilities, and take counsel with those who could give expert advice on the matter, and once he made up his mind, he never faltered in carrying out his decision. This is one of the important reasons why he carried all his attempts to victory and why his Companions followed him in every step he took.
One of the events worthy of elaboration to understand how God's Messenger solved problems easily is the Treaty of Hudaybiya.
In the sixth year of the Hijra, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, informed his Companions that he had had a dream that they would shortly enter the Holy Mosque in Makka in security, with their heads shaved or their hair cut short. This delighted the Companions, particularly the Emigrants, very much. In March of 628, the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, set out to perform pilgrimage at Makka with a party of about fifteen hundred men, unarmed and in pilgrim dress (ihram).
Informed of the coming of God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, the Quraysh armed themselves and the neighbouring tribes. They were determined not to allow the Muslims to enter Makka. They despatched troops of two hundred men under the command of Khalid ibn Walid and Ikrima ibn Abu Jahl, who marched as far as Qura'u l-Ghamim and, seeing that Muslims were coming towards them, returned to Makka in order to inform the Makkans. When the Muslims reached Hudaybiya, a place on the road from Jeddah, about twelve miles from Makka, God's Messenger gave the order to stop.
When the Muslims suffered from shortage of water, God's Messenger threw an arrow down the only well at Hudaybiya. Water began to gush and rose to fill the well. This was a manifest miracle. Everyone drank from that water, did wudu' with it, and filled their bags. (11)
In the face of the Makkans' refusal to allow the Muslims to enter Makka, God's Messenger sent Budayl ibn Warqa, a man from the tribe of Khuda'a, with whom the Muslims were in alliance, to the Quraysh to inform them that they had come with the intention of pilgrimage and therefore bore no arms. The Quraysh listened to Budayl, and reciprocated by sending 'Urwa ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi. While talking to God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, 'Urwa attempted to take the beard of God's Messenger by way of jesting. However, Mughira ibn Shu'ba struck his hand, saying: 'Do not touch the pure beard of God's Messenger with your impure hand! If you repeat your attempt, I will cut off your hand!'
Mughira was the cousin of 'Urwa and it was hardly two months since he had accepted Islam. Indeed, it was 'Urwa himself who had paid, a few months before, the blood money for a crime Mughira had committed. How Islam had changed Mughira! The commitment of the Companions to their cause and their devotion to God's Messenger shocked 'Urwa, who returned to the Quraysh and said to them:
I have visited Chosroes, Caesar and the Negus. None of their subjects are so devoted to their rulers as his Companions are to Muhammad. So, I advise you not to struggle with that man. (12)
The Quraysh did not heed the advice of 'Urwa. Nor did they give a warm welcome to Kharash ibn Umayya, whom God's Messenger sent after 'Urwa. Kharash was followed by 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, who had powerful relatives among the Quraysh. 'Uthman came to negotiate with the Makkans. However, the Makkans imprisoned 'Uthman. When he did not return at the expected time, rumours had it that 'Uthman had been killed. It was then that the Prophet, sitting under a tree, took from his Companions the oath that they would hold together and fight to the death. The Prophet himself represented the absent 'Uthman by proxy in this oath; (13) one man, Jadd ibn Qays refrained from taking it, hiding behind a camel. The revelation which came on this occasion reads:
God was well pleased with the believers when they were swearing allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down peace of reassurance on them and has rewarded them with a near victory. (al-Fath, 48.18)
In that moment of tension, a cloud of dust appeared from afar.
The Makkans had sent a delegation headed by Suhayl ibn 'Amr. When God's Messenger learned that the Makkan delegation was headed by Suhayl, he took a good omen from his name, which means easiness, and told his Companions: The situation has eased off.
The Quraysh agreed to a truce, and the Treaty of Hudaybiya was drawn up.
Under the terms of this treaty the Prophet would be allowed to make the pilgrimage, not then, but in the following year. Makka would be emptied for three days for the Muslim pilgrims. The treaty also stipulated a truce for ten years; that any tribe or person would be free to join either party or make an alliance with it; and that those who were not free but subjects or dependents of the Quraysh and who defected from paganism to Islam would be returned to the Quraysh by the Muslims.
This last condition was not reciprocal. It was objected to in the Muslim camp. It shocked some among them such as 'Umar, who went so far as to question God's Messenger about it. However, it really was of little importance. Muslims, sent back to Makka, were not likely to renounce the blessings of Islam; on the contrary, they would be a focus of influence in Makka for Islam.
It was just before the treaty was signed that Abu Jandal, the son of Suhayl, the head of the Makkan delegation, came, trailing his chains, in order to join the Muslims. God's Messenger had to return him to his father in tears. However, he whispered to him: God will shortly save you and those of your like. (14)
Shortly after the Treaty of Hudaybiya was signed, 'Utba ibn Asid, known as Abu Basir, defected to Madina. However, the Quraysh sent two men to demand his return. On their way back to Makka, Abu Basir escaped, killing one of the two men, and wounding the other. God's Messenger did not admit him to Madina, in observing the terms of the Treaty. Abu Basir chose to settle at Iyss, a place on the road from Makka to Syria.
The Muslims held in Makka began to escape and join Abu Basir. The trade route of the Makkans was now under threat. This forced the Quraysh to apply to God's Messenger to annul the relevant term of the Treaty and requested him to admit the defecting Makkans to Madina. (15)
The Qur'an called the Treaty of Hudaybiya 'a manifest victory':
Surely We have given you a manifest victory. (al-Fath, 48.1)
11. Muslim, Hadith No.1834; Bukhari, 4.256.
12. Bukhari, 3.180; I. Hanbal, 4.324; Tabari, 3.75.
13. I. Hisham, 3.330.
14. I. Hisham, 3.321–333; I. Kathir, al-Bidayah, 4.188-193.
15. I. Hisham, 3.337–8.
It proved to be indeed a victory because:
1. By this Treaty, the Quraysh, after many years of unrelenting conflict with Islam, at length recognized Islam as (what they thought) an equal power with themselves. In effect, they had given up their struggle without admitting it to themselves. Having seen the Makkans dealing with the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, as an equal, and as a ruler, a rising tide of converts flowed towards Madina from all quarters of Arabia.
2. There were many among the Quraysh themselves, who would benefit from reflecting on the call of God's Messenger in a peaceful atmosphere. The Treaty of Hudaybiya gave them this opportunity and, as a result, some leading figures of the Quraysh such as Khalid ibn Walid, 'Amr ibn al-'As and 'Uthman ibn Talha, who were famous for their military and political skills, accepted Islam. 'Uthman ibn Talha used to keep the keys of the Ka'ba, and after the conquest of Makka, God's Messenger honoured him with the same task.
3. The Quraysh used to regard the Ka'ba as belonging to themselves exclusively and no one except them was allowed to visit it without paying tribute. By not stipulating that the Muslims must pay tribute for their deferred pilgrimage the following year, the Quraysh unwittingly breached their monopoly of the Ka'ba. This awakened desert tribes to the fact that the Quraysh had no right to claim the exclusive ownership of the Ka'ba.
4. There were at the time in Makka believing Muslims, men and women, and the faith of some of them was unknown to their brothers from Madina. Some of them were employed by God's Messenger as spies. Had a fight taken place in Makka, even though the Muslims had been successful, they might unwittingly have killed some of those Muslims, not known to them as Muslims, and thus suffered the anguish of shedding Muslim blood, and caused either the martyrdom or disclosure of the Prophet's spies. This was prevented by the Treaty. The Qur'an points to this fact:
It is He who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them, in the hollow of Makka, after He made you victors over them. God sees the things you do. They are the ones who unbelieved, and banned you from the Holy Mosque, and hindered the sacrificial animals from reaching their place of sacrifice. If it had not been for certain believing men and believing women (in Makka) whom you knew not – lest you should trample them and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that God may admit into His Mercy whom He will – (if the believers and unblievers) had been clearly separated, then We would have chastised the unbelievers among them with a painful chastisement. (Al-Fath, 48.24–5)
5. The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, performed the minor pilgrimage the following year. The testimony of faith, declaring that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God, rang out in the valley of Makka. The Quraysh, camped on the Hill of Abu Qubays, heard it, a portent of the coming triumph of Islam. This was, in fact, God's fulfilling of the vision He vouchsafed to His Messenger, as pointed out in the Qur'an:
God has indeed fulfilled the vision He vouchsafed to His Messenger truly: You shall enter the Holy Mosque, if God wills, in security, your heads shaved, your hair cut short, not fearing. He knew what you knew not, and, granted, besides this, a nigh victory. (al-Fath, 48.27)
6. The Treaty of Hudaybiya freed God's Messenger to deal with others. In the expeditions which followed the Treaty, the Muslims conquered the redoubtable citadels of the Jews of Khaybar, giving the Jews the choice of entering Islam or accepting the rule of Islam by paying a tribute in lieu of protection (jizya), thereby impressing their neighbours and the Arabs of the Peninsula with the growing strength of the Islamic state.
The Muslims faithfully observed the terms of the Treaty. But the Makkans later on broke the terms in the attack which one of their allied tribes (the Banu Bakr) made on the Banu Khuda'a (who were in alliance with the Prophet). So, in January 630, two years after the Treaty of Hudaybiya, at the head of an army of 10,000, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, marched upon Makka and conquered it, meeting almost no resistance. The Ka'ba was purified of idols and in the course of the following days, the Makkans accepted Islam. This was due to happen because,
It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every religion. God suffices as a witness. Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and those who are with him are hard against the unbelievers, merciful to one another. You see them bowing, prostrating, seeking grace from God and (His) good pleasure. Their mark is on their faces, the trace of prostration. That is their likeness in the Torah, and their likeliness in the Gospel: as a seed that puts forth its shoot, and strengthens it, and it grows stout and rises straight upon its stalk, pleasing the sowers, that through them He may enrage the unbelievers. God has promised those of them who believe and do deeds of righteousness forgiveness and a mighty wage. (al-Fath, 48.28–9)
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 June 2006

Solution to the Problem of Racism


Racism is one of the severest diseases of human society in this age. Everyone remembers how black Africans were transported across the oceans, packed in specially designed ships, thought of and treated exactly like livestock. They were all made slaves, forced to change their names and religion and language, were never entitled to hope for true freedom, and were refused the least of human rights. Because among Western peoples the attitude to non-Westerners has changed very little in modern times, the political and social condition of the black people remains, even where they live amid the native Westerners – Americans or Europeans – as theoretically equal fellow-citizens, that of despised inferiors.
When God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was raised as a Prophet, the same kind of racism, under the name of tribalism, was prevalent in Makka. The Quraysh considered themselves in particular, and Arabs in general, superior to all the other peoples of the world. God's Messenger came with the Divine Message and proclaimed that no Arab is superior over a non-Arab, and no white is superior over black, (1) and superiority is by righteousness and God-fearing alone (surah al-Hujurat, 49.13). He also declared that even if an Abyssinian black Muslim were to rule over Muslims, he should be obeyed. (2)
God's Messenger eradicated the problem of racial or colour discrimination so successfully that, for example, 'Umar once said of Bilal: 'Bilal is our master, and was emancipated by our master Abu Bakr.' (3) Zayd ibn Haritha was a black slave. God's Messenger emancipated him and, before the banning of adoption by the Qur'an, adopted him. He married him to Zaynab bint Jahsh, one of the noblest women of the Muslim community. After all these honours he conferred on him, he also appointed him as a commander over the Muslim army he sent against the Byzantine Empire and which included the leading figures of the Companions such as Abu Bakr, 'Umar and others. (4) The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, appointed Zayd's son, Usama, to command the army he formed just before his passing away.
During his Caliphate, 'Umar paid a higher salary to Usama than to his own son, 'Abd Allah, who asked why. 'Umar answered: 'My son, I do so, because I know well that God's Messenger loved Usama's father more than yours and Usama himself more than you'. (5)
Zayd ibn Haritha commanded an army in which the noblest of the Quraysh, like Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, the cousin of God's Messenger, and Khalid ibn Walid, the invincible general of the age, were present. The army commanded by Usama, Zayd's son, included leading figures among the Companions such as Khalid, Abu 'Ubayda, Talha, Zubayr and others. This established in the hearts and minds that superiority is not by birth or colour or blood, but by God-fearing and righteousness.
1. I. Hanbal, 5.441.
2. Muslim, 'Imarah, 37.
3. I. Hajar, al-Isabah, 1.165.
4. Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahabah, 63.
5. I. Sa'd, Tabaqat, 4.70; I. Hajar, 1.564

The Last Word on the Leadership of the Prophet


The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, had all the qualities a leader is supposed to have. He was a leader not only in one aspect of life but he led his community to success in every field. There is none in human history comparable to him as commander, statesman, religious leader, spiritual guide, etc. In order to know him as a leader more closely, we had better summarize the qualities a leader should have in general terms:
1. A leader should be realistic; his messages and demands should not be in contradiction with the realities of life. He should consider the conditions surrounding him and his community as they actually are. He should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages he has.
2. A leader should be convinced of the truth of the message he conveys to people. He should never falter in his convictions and be resolute in conveying his message without renunciation.
3. A leader should be courageous in nature. Even left alone to himself, he should find in himself as much courage as to resist all the difficulties he might encounter.
The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, was the most courageous of people. When some of his pursuers reached the mouth of the cave where he was in hiding, Abu Bakr was afraid that something would happen to the Messenger. However, the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, comforted him, saying: Grieve not, for God is with us. (1)
4. A leader should have a strong will-power and resolve and never fall into hopelessness.
5. A leader should be aware of his responsibility and nothing should be able to prevent him from fulfilling it. Especially the charms of the world and attractions of life should not be able to intervene between him and his responsibility.
6. A leader should be far-sighted and have determined his goal well. He should have the mental capacity to discern the developments he might encounter in the future. He should also be able to evaluate the past, the present and the future together and reach new syntheses. A leader who frequently changes opinions causes rifts and disagreements among his community.
7. A leader should know the members of his community individually. He should have discovered each of them with their dispositions, character, abilities, shortcomings, ambitions and weak points. This will enable him particularly to make the best choice in his appointments to important offices.
8. A leader should have a strong character and be equipped with praiseworthy virtues. He should be determined in carrying out his decisions but capable of flexibility; he should know when to be unyielding and implacable; when to be relenting and compassionate. He should be earnest and dignified but also modest. He should be upright, truthful, trustworthy, and just.
9. A leader should not cherish worldly ambitions and abuse his authority. He should live like one who is the poorest of his community and never discriminate among his subjects. He should love all of them, prefer them over himself and be able to make himself loved by them sincerely. He should be faithful to his community and be able to secure their loyalty and devotion.
Considered from the viewpoint of all these and many other qualities a leader should have, God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, will be seen to be the greatest leader history has ever known. To cite only a few examples, even when the conditions were most unfavourable, he never conceived of giving up conveying his message nor yielded to the desires of his opponents to make concessions. Instead, he used to say to them: Say, 'There is no god but God', and prosper in both worlds. (2) When his Companions complained to him about the harsh conditions afflicting them in Makka and the persecutions they suffered, he answered: You show haste. One day will come and a woman will travel from Hira [a town in southern Iraq] to Makka alone on her camel (in security) and turn round Ka'ba as an act of worship, and the treasuries of the Sassanid Emperor will be captured by my community. (3)
Once the polytheist leaders of Makka came to him and said: 'If you assign us a day when others, especially those poor ones, will not be present, we may talk to you about accepting your religion.' They despised the poor Muslims like Bilal, 'Ammar and Habbab, and desired special treatment. God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, never accepted such proposals, nor did he ever think of accepting them. The verses revealed addressed him as follows:
Send not away those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His 'Face'. (al-An'am, 6.52)
Persevere together with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His 'Face'. (al-Kahf, 18.28)
1. The Qur'an, 9.40.
2. Bukhari, Tafsir, 1; Muslim, Iman, 355.
3. Bukhari, Manaqib, 25