Sorrow and Sufferings

(3) Preachings And Initial Struggle

He preached Islam, as ordained by God

Pure and simple is the MESSAGE of Lord

"There is no God but God,

Muhammad is the Messenger of Lord!"

A most practical religion of selfless love is Islam

To develop body and soul, without causing anyone harm

Most rational and logical in concept

Viewed from every angle, even in depth.

Five fundamental principles he, steadfastly proclaimed

Ten holy commandments he, unambiguously, named

Monotheism, Divine Justice, Prophethood, Imamat

And the day of Resurrection, were the five pillars of Islam's Hut

Five times Namaz, one must pray

A month's fasting, during the day

Zakat, Khums, Pilgrimage, for them, he ordained,

Who fulfilled the conditions, he proclaimed.

Defend the honor of Islam and self, he commanded

Disassociate yourself from its enemies, he demanded

Pursuit of missionary activities, out of love and not hate

Love and loyalty, he sought, for his "Ahle-bait".

He taught them the 'Unity of God'

And the diverse attributes of the Lord

He was the giver of daily bread

On the Judgement Day, He would raise all dead.

God is the focal point of all life

Through Him flows peace, driving out strife

If man joyfully submits himself to Him,

This life, and hereafter, he would win.

God created human beings, out of His Grace

Best of creation was the human race

He endowed it with such guiding light,

To discern the wrong from the right.

A heavenly reward for the doer of good

And for those, who for truth stood

A blazing hell for the doer of evil

Who shall dwell with the king of the devils.

He cultivated the values of life

Equal partners were man and wife

A man was brother, one to another

Respect they should, their father and mother.

Those who look after the needy orphans,

The anger of God would be softened

Those who care for the uncared widows,

Can aspire for heaven's meadows.

And those who treat their slaves well,

Shall not normally taste the fire of hell

Those who free them from bondage,

Shall generally be immune from hell's rage.

Truth was the base of all his teachings

Unity of God, a constant theme of his preaching

Charity, love and faith were to him most sublime

Brotherhood, was his solution for the ills of mankind

His offer was not of sensual heaven,

As alleged by biased heathens

But a bliss of highest spiritual essence

Of enjoying the radiance of Divine presence.

Live in this world and yet be out of it

Self discipline; not celibacy is the holy writ

Physical body is, indeed, perishable but not the soul

Service before self should be life's goal.

He first invited his near if kin

And declared to them his mission

He asked whether he had ever told a lie

"No never"! In one voice, was their reply.

He invited them to the path of 'truth'

A path which in heaven had its roots

Blessed would they be, in this world and the next

Most fortunate possessors of the Divine text.

"Who, among you, will be my brother and heir

And with me God's mission share."

They exchanged glances; they ridiculed and scorned

Only Ali stood by him, alone and forlorn.

Thrice did he repeat his request

Each time only Ali rose to his behest

Holding him by his hand, he declared,

"Behold, he is my brother and heir!"

In public he now started to preach

But soon a stage was reached

When like a fugitive he was stoned

And place to place, forced to roam.

For years was thus his plight

Only Ali aided him in his fight

Far and few were the conversions

So fierce was the persecution.

In burning sand, with stones on his chest,

A new convert stood his gallant test;

"Ahadun! Ahadun!" (One God) Bilal cried,

But refused his faith to be decried.

Such were the tortures they had to face,

For believing in God and the new faith

Handful were they, old men, mostly slaves

With courage, all difficulties they braved.

A day soon came, when it was declared

That those who could, to Abysinia, should migrate

Few persons made up the small group

Ja'far, Ali's brother, commanded this troop.

The Quraish were furious; they sent their envoys

They requested the king to return the exiles

The king was just; he rejected their plea

He sheltered the poor Muslim refugees.

The wrath of Quraish reached the boiling point

To murder Muhammad, they planned conjoint

They chose a person, one from each tribe

So that no vengeance could take the Hashemites.

The plans to Muhammad, God soon revealed

And desired, that he should ward the evil

And leave for Medina, the same very night

Letting Ali sleep in his bed and aid his flight.

Soon was the house surrounded by those,

Armed cap-a-pie were each of the foes

With handful of dust, Muhammad blew his fist

And calmly walked through their midst.

They raided his house, ere it was morn

Surprised to see Ali, the bed adorn;

"Where is Muhammad?" they demanded, "where is he?"

"Did you entrust him to me, that you ask of me?"

Foiled in their attempt, they started a search

"Dead or alive, capture him", they urged

Thus started a hunt, for three days long

They searched all over, including caves.

The Prophet's companion became scared

As enemies' shouts increasingly filled the air

"We are lost, we two", helplessly, he cried

"No! We are three, for God is with us". Muhammad replied.

Tired and forlorn, he slept under a tree

When rushed a foe: " who will now save thee?"

"God", was the reply; it thunder struck the foe,

Trembling, he dropped his sword and bowed.

"Who will now save thee?" Muhammad cried

"Alas, none!" the foe imploringly replied

"Learn from me to be merciful" he said

As was his want, he pardoned him instead.

He reached Medina, a poor fugitive

Except a new way of life, he had nothing to give

Yet, he was welcomed with open arms

This was a turning point for Islam

He paired them, one with the other

And showed the brotherhood, how to further

Himself with Ali, he lovingly paired

Because the same heavenly light, they shared.