Islamic Culture and Religious Studies Book - 1

Lesson 10 : the Universal Message

News reached the holy city of Mecca that Muhammad ibn Abdullah had proclaimed himself a Prophet sent by the One and only Almighty God.

As we mentioned a group of people had already become close to him and the message of Tawheed. This small but very committed group pledged their allegiance and full support to the cause of Allah (S.W.T.).

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) had, in presence of the high ranked dignitaries of the Quraysh and the people in Mecca, showed his deep respect to Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

He openly called him his cousin, helper and inheritor. We should note here that at no time did Hadhrat Abu Talib, (father of Ali), show any kind of disrespect or resentment to the spread of Islam. He did not protest against the Prophet (s.a.w.w.)'s claim or show disapproval of his son's loyalty to him. On the contrary, Abu Talib gave his full support to the Prophet (s.a.w.w.)'s message.

After the second invitation, Allah (S.W.T.) sent down another message telling the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) to progress to the next step in his mission. He said, "O Muhammad! Guide whosoever you can towards the light of Islam, distinguish the truth from falsehood, and do not be afraid of the idol-worshippers, they shall soon perish and be totally destroyed…"

Having heard these powerful words the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) now went to Mount Saffa to share his important news. As soon as he reached the top of the mountain, he called out loudly, "O people of Mecca! O Quraysh! A heavenly message has now come down which is extremely powerful. It is indeed a voice that is filled with love, devotion and faith.

For those who seek the right path, take heed of the heavenly message for such is the great news of the day… I believe time has come for you take this important message and remember that you recognise Muhammad as the Truthful (Sadiq) and the Trustworthy (Ameen)."

The Meccans all gathered around the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) listening to what he had to say. He looked at the attentive audience and continued, "O Meccans! O womenfolk and menfolk of Quraysh! If I were to say that there is an army of enemies behind this mountain, ready to attack you, would you believe me?"

The crowd answered, "Yes, O Muhammad! Verily, you are an honest, trustworthy man and we know that till this moment you have never uttered a single lie."

Having got this commitment from the people the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) began to elaborate what he had said at the invitation, "Oh people! I am a Prophet sent by God, and have been blessed for the entire universe, I have been bestowed with the divine message to be universally spread for all times and all ages.

"Oh people! Remember, death is not an ending to life, it is a beginning of a new life. Death is like sleep and when you wake up from your sleep, it is as if you are getting a new life, in preparation for the Day of Reckoning.

If you perform good deeds, you will most certainly be rewarded in abundance. But if you choose to do evil, the results will be severe tortures and punishment.

"Oh people! I have been given the best and complete programme for you. Indeed the return will bring you happiness, bliss in this world and the hereafter, now read after me and proclaim: 'La Ilaaha Ila Allah...' - 'There is no God but Allah (S.W.T.)'

"This will bring you happiness and you will attain salvation. Accept the Oneness of God, and show faith in Him. There is no distinction between Arab and non- Arab, do not discriminate, none is superior in His eyes, except the one who has adopted piety.

Be united, live in peace, harmony and accept this Holy message…" When the idol-worshippers and the wealthy personalities of Mecca heard this, they were startled by the contents of this heavenly message that was being delivered by Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. Each one of them whispered to the other: "What is this? What is Muhammad saying? How dare he talk in such a manner in our presence?"

Since Abu Taalib was also a respected and well-known personality, they wondered about him too. "Has Abu Taalib given full commitment to Muhammad? Why are we ignorant of Abu Taalib's stance?"

Even as a murmur rose from the crowd, Abu Lahab shouted out aloud from the far end in rage, "Woe to you! Is this what you wanted us here for, to give us this message of yours?"

A huge confusion broke out in the crowd and most of the people left. There was total disorder and many were shouting …

"Did you all hear what Muhammad said? He is a Messenger of God! Is it possible to have a messenger from God? Can it be possible for a human being to be a Prophet? And what is a Prophet anyway? Does he mean that the idols that we, and our forefathers, worshipped are false? We don't have to follow Muhammad and his claims to prophethood!"

Seeing that he would be able to do no more at that time, our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) left and went home. He had however, accomplished the first step by introducing to the Makkans, the concept of belief in One God.

After that first time, the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) went out everyday and spoke to the people. Few listened to him but he never got angry or gave up. In all circumstances he chose to use wisdom and gentle words.

The enemies of Islam knew that Muhammad was a man of great character. When they saw that he was not openly succeeding in gaining many followers, they wondered what steps he would take next to achieve his aim. This made them nervous and they watched his every move.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.), in the meantime, was waiting for the right moment and opportunity further spread Islam. The question that many were asking at this time was 'How was the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) going to manage to spread the heavenly call and what were his long term goals in this mission?'

A Holy Verse The Qur'an says: "Therefore declare thou (O' Our Apostle Muhammad!) openly what thou art commanded and turn away from the polytheists" Sura Hijr, Verse 94

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT…

  1. From the beginning, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) always used gentle words and kindness to spread the message of Islam. He never spoke harshly to anyone - not even the enemies who insulted him time and again.

  2. In asking the people to listen to him from the top the mountain he first established that even before they knew his rank as a Prophet, the people already trusted him beyond any doubt. He also showed his trust in Allah (S.W.T.) and his confidence in the Truth of what he was saying.

  3. He emphasized that people should understand the concept of Tawheed and the life in the Hereafter; that they should worship the One Supreme Lord and fully commit themselves to the Islamic dogma: "LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH"

Think and Answer

  1. What policies did the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) use in spreading the message of Islam?
  2. What measures did the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) take in calling the people towards the truth?
  3. Give an account of what transpired at Mount Saffa.
  4. Why was the divine universal message spread in parts?

Lesson 11 : Rejection All Kinds Of Selfish Motives

Having discussed the general need and concept of prophethood and looked at the early days of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.)'s mission, we can understand that he was sent as a bringer of glad tidings and a universal message. In return, what is expected from us is that we follow this message in order to gain salvation in the hereafter.

As days passed in Mecca, more and more people began to embrace Islam. They had begun to realise that their previous faith in idols was baseless and without foundation. In the meantime those who were stubborn and refused to think began to worry about the opposition that was growing to their idol worshipping practices.

They tried all methods to stop the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) - from offering bribes to humiliating and insulting him but the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) saw through every plan of theirs and remained firm as a rock in his quest.

It is a source of great surprise to the world and of pride to the Muslims that this man single-handedly enlightened a nation that was deep in the pit of ignorance, towards the purity of Tawheed and Islam. He motivated people throughout Arabia to aspire towards the noble path of Allah (S.W.T.). He exposed the idol-worshipping of past nations and brought peoples' attention to the ugliness of the destiny of such nations.

But none of this was easy! It took a lot of patience, faith and self control on the part of the Prophet (s.a.w.w.). Let us see some of the ways in which the Mushrikeen tried to stop the spread of Islam.

Once the Mushrikeen arranged for a meeting with Abu Taalib, who was looked up to as a leader amongst the Quraysh. They asked him:

"Why do you prefer to keep silence when Muhammad is spreading Islam? We need some answers from you. Don't you see that our people are being attacked from all sides, there is chaos and confusion in the city, seeds of discord and disunity have already been planted amongst us, and what are you doing about the whole situation?

"Do you realise that your nephew has carefully made calculated moves to destroy our gods from their roots? He has certainly tricked us into this ugly plot!"

Seeing that they were not getting a positive response from him, they began to take a threatening tone: "O Abu Taalib! We respect you as an elder of the Quraysh that is why we have remained calm and patient towards these sudden changes and the new movement that Muhammad has brought, but it has gone too far now! He is insulting our gods - the gods that we have always worshipped! He condemns them and claims that we are ignorant. Now that it has reached to its peak, we will not tolerate it any further!"

Saying this, they left. Immediately, Abu Taalib went to meet his nephew and told him about the meeting with the Mushrikeen. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) said to him: "My dear uncle! All these problems are because of the Shirk they perform. They have usurped the rights of their women-folk. They have refused to accept the call of Islam. Islam rejects all forms of false deities and has liberated human beings from such man-made gods. Most surely I am the Hujjat (divine proof) from God to you and for the whole mankind."

Abu Taalib listened to his words and agreed with him. Thus, the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) continued preaching Islam with the same energy as before.

Seeing that their threats had not worked, the Mushrikeen thought of using a different approach. Because they did not understand the noble character of the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) they actually thought that they would be able to bribe him with worldly temptations! They came up to Abu Taalib again and presented the following proposals to him for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.):

  1. We shall honor Muhammad with a grand status, make him popular and give him the leadership of HEJAAZ (now known as Medina).
  2. We shall overwhelm him with the wealth and make him the richest man amongst all the Quraysh. In return they asked for the following condition to be fulfilled:

"Muhammad must stop this new movement. He will not insult our gods and discontinue the talk of One God."

What a laughable bargain! Since Abu Taalib had promised to pass on their message, he went to the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) and told him of it. In reply, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) dashed the hopes of the Mushrikeen by clearly stating:

" By God! Even if they give me the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, and all the worldly glamour and temptations and its beauties under my disposal, I will not stop spreading the divine message of Islam and the worship of Allah (S.W.T.). Dear Uncle! Tell them to affirm and accept only one statement - the Islamic Kalemah - so that they may attain bliss and salvation in this world and the hereafter."

Having failed once again, the Mushrikeen began to taunt Abu Taalib saying:

"O Abu Taalib, you are a noble man. A man highly respected among the Quraysh, you have solved our problems in the past, but you don't seem to be able to assist us in solving this big crisis for now! Why don't you leave Muhammad and accept Ammar Bin Walid as your son till Muhammad realises his grave mistakes!"

These words made Abu Taalib angry and he replied, "What madness! How dare you loyalty to the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) and Islam. The Mushrikeen knew then that they would not get any support from him against Muhammad.

Despite such difficulties, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) never gave in to worldly temptations but fought constantly against falsehood in order to establish the truth. His success can humiliate us and come up with such insulting proposals and wretched thoughts! Shame on you! Woe upon you!" With these words he turned away from them, showing his full be seen in the form of the millions of Muslims living in the world today and the many others who continue to accept his call towards Allah (S.W.T.)!

Through his actions and decisions, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) taught us that as Muslims we are responsible for Islam and carry a very heavy duty to combat idol- worshipping and un-Islamic thoughts/ideas. We have be patient and keep up the true spirit of Tawheed.

A Holy Verse Allah (S.W.T.) says in the Qur'an:

" To this then go on inviting, and go on steadfastly on the right way as you are commanded and do not follow their low desires, but say: I believe in what Allah has revealed of the Book and I am commanded to be just among you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord; we shall have our deeds and you shall have yours; no plea need there be (now) between us and you: Allah will gather us together, and to Him is the return" Sura Shura, Verse15

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT…

  1. Through the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.)'s da'awah, he awakened those who were fully immersed in ignorance and disbeliefs. Before his proclamation as a messenger, people were totally drowned in corrupt ways. The message of Islam gave light to the dead hearts.

  2. The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) used a number of different ways to eradicate idol-worshipping and take people back to the Belief in the real God - Allah (S.W.T.). This is one of the signs of a free-thinker.

  3. The meaning of the reply given by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) to the arrogant officials of the Mushrikeen through his uncle i.e. Even if you put the sun on my right hand, is a lesson to us even today.

the moon on the left hand, never will I will stop delivering the true message of Islam,

Think and Answer

  1. Give an account of reasons why you think people had deviate from the truth?

  2. What were the various methods that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) used in his da'awah to the public?

  3. What were the plots made by the leaders of Mushrikeen to stop the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.)?

  4. How did the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) react to the proposals of pagan leaders?

  5. What is our duty as Muslims towards Islam and da'awah for Islam? How are you responsible today in safeguarding Islam and its rich values? What are the challenges you face in school in order to maintain your Islamic values?