Chapter 26 : The Unsuccessful Hijras Flashcards
What were the sacrifices that Abu Talib underwent during the Boycott of Bani Hashim
1) He sacrificed his high social status as Chief of Quraysh and endured a complete social boycott in order to protect The Prophet
2) He faced economic sanctions and as a consequence experienced the pangs of hunger and poverty to guard The Prophet
3) He was prepared to fight and sacrifice all members of Bani Hashim to protect The Prophet
4) He placed his youngest son Ali in dangers way to protect The Prophet and also endured separation from his other son Jafar [ When Jafar led a group of Muslims on the emigration to Abyssinia ]
5) He defended The Prophet in word and action
How can we be certain that the sacrifices underwent by Abu Talib for The Prophet were a result of his Faith and not Tribal Loyalty
1) The Poetry of Abu Talib is a clear indication of his firm belief in The Prophet and his message. Additionally, numerous traditions from The Prophet and The Imams confirm that Abu Talib was a staunch believer of the highest caliber
2) If Tribal Loyalty or Natural Love was indeed the motivation, then why was Abu Talib willing to sacrifice his youngest son Ali to protect The Prophet ? Is it natural for a man to love his nephew more than his own son
3) If Tribal Loyalty was Abu Talib’s motivation then why do we not see this allegiance from his other Uncle Abu Lahab or Abbas ?
4) If Tribal Loyalty was the motivation then this would mean that Abu Talib had worldly aspirations . This then begs the questions. Why would Abu Talib be willing to sacrifice his sons and tribesmen for his nephew ? History shows us that Ma’mun killed his own brother to ascend to power. If Abu Talib had worldly ambitions then there would have been clear signs of his desire for dominance and power
5) If Tribal Loyalty was the motivation then why would he put his entire clan at risk. A Tribal Leader always puts the interest of his Tribe ahead of the interest of an individual. However, we clearly see that Abu Talib always placed The Prophet’s safety above all else
6) If Abu Talib was a kafir, Muawiyah would have used it as an attack against Imam Ali when The Imam would belittle his forefathers
” As for your saying that both of us are sons of Abd Manaf, it is no doubt so but Umayyah cannot be like Hashim not Harb like Abdul Muttalib nor Abu Sufyan like Abu Talib … “
Nahjul Balagha [ Sermon 17 ]
- Thus, taking all this into consideration, there is no rational explanation for Abu Talib’s stance other than to say that he was a devout follower of The Prophet who saw that it was in the best interest of Islam and The Prophet for him to conceal his faith
Regarding the death of Abu Talib
- Shortly after the end of the blockade in Dhu Al Qadah of the middle of Shawal of 10 AB, Abu Talib passed away
- The Prophet said the following at his deathbed :-
” You assumed care of me as An orphan. You raised me as a child. You aided me in my adulthood. May God reward you on my behalf with the best reward. “
- There is a narration by Imam Jafar Al Sadiq in which he said :-
” Indeed Abu Talib was outwardly displaying disbelief. When he died, Gabriel revealed to The Prophet ‘ Depart for you no longer have a helper in this place. ‘ “
Regarding the death of Khadija
- Khadija Bint Khuwaylid died shortly after [ Between 3 and 35 days after ]
- She had spent her entire fortune to financially support The Prophet and The Clan of Bani Hashim during the Boycott
- Upon her death, The Prophet wrapped her with his own garments and buried her
- The Prophet buried Khadijah and Abu Talib in The Hashimi Graveyard at Ma’la [ Jannat Al Mu’alla in Makkah ]
- It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that Aisha had said the following :-
” I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of The Prophet as much as i did of Khadija though I did not see her, but The Prophet used to mention her very often and when ever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija. When I sometimes said to him ‘ You treat Khadija in such a way as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija. ‘ He would say ‘ Khadija was such and such and from her I had children. ‘ “
Sahih Bukhari
- In another narration by Aisha, she said :-
” I never felt so jealous of any woman as I felt for Khadija for Allah ordered him [ The Prophet ] to give Khadija the glad tidings of a palace in Paradise [ For her ]. “
Sahih Bukhari
What happened after Abu Talib’s and Khadija’s death
Banu Amir
- After Abu Talib’s death, God tells The Prophet to Leave Makkah as there is no support for him in Makkah
- He and Ali travelled for 10 days to Banu Amir Ibn Sa’sa’ah and calls them to Islam and reads from The Qurna to them asking for their support
- The leader replies :-
” Tell me, if we submit to your rule and then God makes you victorious over your opponents, will we rule after you ? “
- The Prophet replied :-
” Ruling is God’s prerogative. He places it in the hands of whomever he wishes. “
- The leader replies :-
” Is it right that The Arabs take aim at our throats instead of yours but when God makes you victorious, rule goes to other than us ? We have no interest in your rule. “
Tribe of Rabi’ah
- Then, The Prophet, Imam Ali and Abu Bakr travel to The Tribe of Rabi’ah
- Abu Bakr nominates himself as the spokesperson and interrogates the Tribe regarding their genealogy
- He discovers that they are a Lowly Tribe
- Feeling insulted, The Tribe of Rabi’ah question him about his Tribe and they too discover that Abu Bakr belongs to the lackluster Clan of Banu Taym
Banu Shayban
- Next, The Prophet, Imam Ali and Abu Bakr travel to Banu Shayban for 13 days
- This attempted emigration also ends in failure
- It is noteworthy that Imam Ali accompanied The Prophet on all his Hijrah attempts
Regarding the Journey to Ta’if
- Ta’if is a city approximately 100 km Southeast of Makkah which was home to Banu Thaqif
- It is a city with a high altitude and thus it’s weather is cooler than Makkah
- Ta’if carried religious significance because it housed one of the 3 main idols of Arabia [ Al Laat ]
- The Prophet travels for 40 days to Al Ta’if to speak to the Thaqif Tribe
- He is accompanied by Imam Ali and Zayd Ibn Haritha
- Allah references Ta’if in the Quran quoting what Al Walid Ibn Al Mughira said regarding 2 Major Cities :-
” And they said ‘ Why was not this Quran sent down to some great man from the two cities [ Makkah and Ta’if ]. ‘ “
Al Quran [ 43 : 31 ]
- The Prophet approaches the 3 leaders of Thaqif [ The 3 sons of Amr ]
1) Abd Yalil
2) Mas’ud
3) Habib
- After he makes his pitch, one says :-
” I would rip the Kiswah [ Cloth that covers The Kaabah ] from The Kaabah if God actually sent you. “
- The second son asked :-
” Did God find no one better than you to send ? “
- The third said :-
” I shall not speak to you further. If you are in fact a Messenger of God as you claim then you are too important for anything I have to say to matter. And if you are lying about God then I should not be caught talking to you. “
- The Prophet lost hope of convincing them and they ordered their children and slaves to attack The Prophet
- The Prophet found sanctuary in a gadren belonging to The Makhzhumi Brothers
1) Utbah Ibn Rabi’ah [ Father of Hind Bint Utbah ]
2) Shaybah Ibn Rabi’ah
- Taking refuge, he says the following prayer :-
” O God ! I petition you regarding the weakness of my body, the dearth of my ingenuity and my lack of status in these people’s eyes. O Most Merciful ! You are The Lord of the weakened and you are My Lord. At whose mercy will you leave me ? At the mercy of one who lacks kinship to me and thus frowns upon me ? At the mercy of my enemy whom you have empowered over me ? As long as you are not angry with me, I care not. The well being you have given me is sufficient for me. I seek refuge in the resplendence of your face by which darkness is made light and through which all the affairs of this world and the next are made right from being afflicted by your anger or being visited by your displeasure. I repent to you until you are satisfied. There is no power or strength save through you. “
- Utbah and Shaybah send their slave Addas with some fruit for him
- When The Prophet says ‘ Bismillah ‘ before eating, Addas is intrigued and says ‘ This is something that the people of this city do not say. ‘
- The Prophet asked where he was from to which he answers that he is a Christian from Ninevah
- The Prophet comments :-
” You are from the city of The Righteous Man, Jonah Son of Amittai [ Yunus Ibn Matta ]. “
- Addas asks :-
” What do you know about Jonah ? “
- The Prophet replied :-
” He is my brother. He was a Prophet and I am a Prophet. “
- Upon hearing this, Addas immediately accepted Islam and began kissing The Prophet’s Head, Hands and Feet
What happened after The Prophet’s rejection in Ta’if
- Following The Prophet’s rejection in Ta’if, he visited delegations of pilgrims as they came to Makkah for Umrah and Hajj
- His message to the leaders of each was :-
” I shall not force any of you to believe. I only want you to defend me against those who threaten to kill me so that I can convey My Lord’s message. But no one accepted his call and they said ‘ A man’s people must know him best. ‘ “
What are the practical lessons that we can learn during this difficult period of The Prophet
1) A person should stay in his society for as long as it’s feasible. The Prophet only did Hijrah when it became impossible for him to remain in Makkah
2) Tribulations and difficulties are not a sign of Allah’s abandonment
3) Practicing even the smallest teachings of Islam can guide people to the truth. The Prophet says ‘ Bismillah ‘ before eating when Addas offers him fruit
4) Allah’s help can come from the most unsuspecting places. Addas was a Christian from Iraq
5) The cruelty of The Prophet’s enemies never prevented him from showing them mercy
6) Don’t let rejection demoralize you. If one door is closed, Allah can open others
