The Life of Muhammad The Prophet
Islam Spreads
The fall of Mecca was the signal for an unprecedented rush to accept
Islam. As 'Amr ibn Salamah, a foster son and companion of the Prophet,
stated:
"The Arabs were waiting for the Quraish to accept Islam. They used to
say that Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) must be left to his people. If he would
emerge victorious over them, he is undoubtedly a true prophet. When
Mecca was conquered, all the tribes hastened to accept Islam."
Zakah collectors were sent into the territories that came under the
Muslims' control. These officials not only demonstrated great fairness
in collecting the zakah and jizyah, but also preached effectively to
the people, for most of them were pious and God-fearing people. After
the fall of Mecca, teachers were sent in all directions to bring the
people to God's way, and they met with so much success that hosts upon
hosts flocked to the Prophet. It is about such mass conversions that the
Qur'an has stated:
When there comes assistance from Allah and victory, and you see men
entering the religion of Allah in companies. (Qur'an, 110:1-2).
After the order was issued prohibiting the polytheists from entering
the Sacred Mosque, the entire Hijaz was Muslim.
By the 10th of Hijra, the influence of Islam had reached Yemen,
Bahrain, Yamama, Oman, Iraq, and Syria. The Chief of the Daws, a tribe
in Yemen, had accepted Islam even before the emigration. In 8 A.H.,
Khalid was sent to Yemen to preach Islam but could not make much
headway. Then 'Ali went there and read the epistle of the Prophet; the
entire tribe of Harridan accepted Islam. In 10 A.H., Wabr was deputed to
contact the leading Persians residing in Yemen. Firoz Dailami, Markabood
and Wahb ibn Munabbih accepted Islam through him. Ma'adh ibn Jabal and
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari were also sent to Yemen with the following
instructions:
"Be polite, not harsh; give glad tidings to the people and condemn them
not. Work together. When you meet people who already follow some
religion, preach to them about the Oneness of God and (my)
Messengership; if they accept, tell them that God has enjoined prayers
five times in a day and night. If they agree to do so, tell them that
zakah is also obligatory upon those who can afford to pay in order to
help the poor. If they give zakah do not pick out only things of
better quality. Beware of the curse and the supplication of victims, for
they reach straight to God."
Their efforts met with considerable success. Meanwhile, Khalid was
inviting people to the faith in Najran and the tribe of Abdul-Madan came
forward to accept it.
In 8 A.H., Munqir ibn Habn of the tribe of 'Abdul-Qais of Bahrain
visited Medina and accepted Islam. Through his efforts and those of his
father, their tribe entered the fold and sent a deputation of fourteen
persons to the Prophet. In the same year, 'Ala al-Hadhrami was sent to
Bahrain to preach to the people. He succeeded in converting its
governor, Mundhir ibn Sawa and the public followed suit.
Similarly, Abu Zaid al-Ansari and 'Amr ibn al-'Aas were sent to Oman in
8 A.H. with letters from the Prophet to its chieftains Ubaid and Jaifar.
When the chieftains accepted Islam, the whole tribe of Azd responded
favorably to the invitation. [The original letter has now been
discovered, and its photo was published in the Light magazine
(Dar-es-salaam), of June 1978].
By 9 A.H., Islam was gaining some adherents in Syria. Its governor,
Farwah, became Muslim. When the Roman emperor learned about it, Farwah
was guillotined. He died with a couplet on his lips saying: "Convey my
message to the Muslim leaders that I sacrifice my body and honor in the
way of God."
As Islam started spreading to the farthest corners of Arabia, a large
number of deputations from different tribes began pouring into Medina.
Ibn Ishaq has given details of fifteen of them. Ibn Sa'd describes
seventy deputations, and the same number is mentioned by al-Damyati, al
Mughaltai and Zainuddin al-Iraqi. Hafiz Ibn Qaiyyim and al-Qastalani
have critically verified the accounts of these deputations and have
themselves given details of thirty-four others.
It was thus, and thus alone, that Islam gradually spread. During a
short period of time, it blazed in radiant splendor over the
continents.
An Expedition to Tabuk (Rajab, 9 A.H.)
The indecisive battle at Mu'ta had stirred a considerable chagrin to the Roman emperor, Heraclius. Elated by his victories over the Persians and apprehensive of the growing power of the Muslims, he directed his feudatories to collect a huge force to invade Arabia. The tribes of Lakhm, Hudham, Amela and Ghassan gathered to help the Roman army. When news of this preparation reached Medina through a trade caravan, it caused a great deal of anxiety among the Muslims.
How alarmed they were can be judged from one incident: A neighbor of 'Umar knocked at his door in the night. When 'Umar came out and inquired what the matter was, the visitor said a calamity had befallen. 'Umar asked whether the Ghassanids had come. The visitor was perturbed over another matter but the attack of the Ghassanids was considered so imminent that Umar's frst thought went to it. In order to meet this danger, the Prophet hastily collected a force of 30,000 volunteers with 10,000 horses among them.
In spite of the severe famine that had overtaken Najd and Hijaz and the
intense heat of the weather, his people rallied around him. Those who
were in a position to do so generously donated large sums of money to
meet the expenses of the expedition and to buy weapons and armor to
those who could not afford to buy them. This was the first occasion when
an appeal for public donations was made, and many Muslims responded
generously.
An old and very poor woman brought a small quantity of dates as her
contribution. Some hypocrites ridiculed her, but the Holy Prophet said
that her contribution was more precious in the sight of Allah than that
of many people who had contributed only to show off.
The Holy Prophet left 'Ali as his deputy in Medina. 'Ali exclaimed with
dismay, "Are you leaving me behind?" The Prophet said, "'Ali! Are you
not satisfied that you have the same position in relation to me as Aaron
had with Moses, except that there is no prophet after me?" The Prophet
thereby meant that as Moses had left Aaron behind to look after his
people when he went to receive the Commandments, he was likewise leaving
'Ali behind as his deputy to look after the affairs of the Muslims
during his absence.
The Prophet marched at the head of this force to Tabuk, a place
situated midway between Medina and Damascus. There, they came to know,
to their relief, that the news of the Ghassanids' attack was incorrect.
Having stayed for twenty-four days at Tabuk, the Muslim army returned to
Medina.
The Prophet had marched to Tabuk in order to forestall the Ghassanids
and the Byzantines, but a certain Western historian has surmised that
the aim of this expedition was expansion, viz. to capture the trade
routes leading to the more prosperous towns of Syria. Had this been so,
there was no sense in returning to Medina without even attempting to
fulfill that object after having taken all the trouble and the
expenditure over the expedition during the most inconvenient time of the
year. But these detractors have their own mission to fulfill.
The Year of the Deputations
During the ninth year of the Hijra, a large number of deputations from
far-flung non-Muslim tribes came to the Prophet to accept Islam. They
had been impressed by the record of the Muslims, and the news of his
being a true prophet was fast spreading. Among these tribes were the
people of Ta'if who had once driven the Prophet out of their city and
whose siege after the battle of Hunain had been lifted by the Muslims.
In order to preach the doctrines of Islam, teachers were sent to
different provinces. They were directed by the Prophet to "deal gently
with the people, and not to be harsh, cheer them, and condemn them not.
And you will meet with many People of the Book who will question you:
'What is the key to heaven?' Tell them that it (the key to heaven) is to
testify to the Unity of God, and to do good deeds."
The tribe of Tay was, however, creating some obstacles. 'Ali was
deputed with a small force to discipline them. The chief of the tribe,
'Adi son of Hatim, fled but his sister and some of his principal
clansmen fell into 'Ali's hands. Having had regard for the great
benevolence and generosity of her father, Hatim, the Prophet set the
daughter free, along with all the captives, giving them many gifts. They
were so touched by this generous treatment that the entire tribe,
including its chief 'Adi, accepted Islam.
Pagans Forbidden from Visiting the Ka'bah
Towards the end of that year, an order was issued prohibiting
non-believers from entering the Ka'bah or performing idolatrous rites
and degrading ceremonies of their cults within its sacred precincts.
It is recorded that first Abu Bakr was sent with Chapter AlBara'ah to
proclaim it before the pagans. But Gabriel said to the Holy Prophet:
"Except for the person who is from thy own house, nobody can ably
preach it."
So he called 'Ali and charged him with the duty of preaching the
relevant ayats of Al-Bara'ah. Abu Bakr, therefore, returned to the
Prophet and asked him:
"O Messenger of Allah! Did you receive any decree from Allah against
me?"
The Prophet replied by saying:
"No, but the Lord ordered that either I or someone from my own house
should preach it."
At the time of the pilgrimage, this proclamation was read out by'Ali:
"No idolater shall after this year perform the pilgrimage; no one shall
circle (the Ka'bah) naked. Whoever has a treaty with the Prophet, it
shall continue to be binding till its termination. For the rest, four
months are allowed to everyone to return to his territories. Thereafter,
there will be no obligation on the Prophet except towards those with
whom treaties have been concluded."
Mubahalah (Imprecation)
In the same year, an envoy was sent to Najran to invite that Christian tribe to Islam. They consulted among themselves and selected a committee of fourteen persons to go and study the life and habits of the Prophet and make a report. Out of them, three were considered to be leaders in all affairs. One of the latter was named 'Abdul-Masih 'Aqib. Another was called Sayyid and the third was named Abul-Harith.
When the deputation reached Medina, they dressed themselves in silk garments, put on gold rings; then went to the mosque. All of them greeted the Prophet traditionally, but the Prophet did not respond, turning his face away from them. They left the mosque and approached 'Uthman and 'Abdur Rahman ibn 'Awf complaining: "Your Prophet wrote us inviting us here, but when we came to him and greeted him, he neither reciprocated our greeting nor said a word to us. Now what do you advise us to do? Should we go back or wait here?"
'Uthman and 'Abdur Rahman ibn 'Awf sought 'Ali's advice. 'Ali said,
"These people should first remove the silk clothes and gold rings. Then
they should go and see the Prophet." When they did as they were advised,
the Prophet responded to their greetings and said, "By the Lord Who has
appointed me as His own Messenger, when they first came to me, they were
accompanied by Satan." Thereafter, the Prophet preached to them and
invited them to accept Islam. They asked him: "What is your opinion
about Jesus?" The Prophet said, "You may rest today in this city and,
after being refreshed, you will receive the reply to all of your
questions from me."
The next day, the Prophet recited before them these Qur'anic verse:
Surely the likeness of Isa (Jesus) with Allah is as the likeness
ofAdam: He created him from dust then said to him, 'Be, and he was. The
truth is from your Lord, so be not of the doubters. (Qur'an,
3:59-60)
They did not accept the words of the Lord and insisted on their own
belief. Then the following verse was revealed:
But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to
you of the knowledge, say: Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, and
your women and our women, and ourselves and yourselves, then let
us pray earnestly and bring about the curse of Allah on the liars.
(Qur'an, 3:61)
They sought a day's respite and privately solicited 'Aqib's advice. He
said:
"By God! You know that Muhammad is the Messenger of the Lord and that
he has given a clear and appreciable verdict. Do not enter into a
maledictory trial with him or else you should be destroyed. If you
wish to remain adhering to your religion, accept to pay the jizyah and
make a pact."
On the next day, therefore, they came out on one side and on the other
the Prophet came out of his house carrying Husain in his arms as Hasan
was walking by his side holding his finger. Behind him was Fatimah and
behind her 'Ali. Praise be to Allah! What a time it was! What an
atmosphere! How good a witness and how glorious the witnessed!
In short, the Prophet confronted the Christian delegates and said to
Hasan, Husain, Fatimah and'Ali:
"When I curse them, you say Amen'together."
When the Christians saw the five holy Purified ones, they were
awe-struck. Abul-Harith, who was the wisest of them all, said:
"My people! At this moment, we are looking at such personalities that
if they pray to God, they can move mountains. Abstain from this
maledictory conflict (Mubahalah) or else you should be destroyed and
no Christian will remain on the face of the earth."
They pleaded to the Prophet:
"O Abul-Qasim! We shall not have a malediction with you."
The Prophet invited them to accept Islam. They declined and said that
they were prepared for a treaty that they would present two thousand
pieces of garments each costing 40 dirhams every year. According to
another tradition, it is stated that they also agreed to give 30 horses,
30 camels, 30 coats of mail and 30 lances every year. Thus, a settlement
was made.
When the Christians of Najran refrained from entering into a
maledictory conflict against the Prophet, he said:
"By the Lord who has appointed me as his Messenger in truth, had they
chosen the malediction, there would have been a shower of fire upon them
in this very field."
Says Jabir:
"The verse (Chap. 3, verse 61) was revealed in reference to this
contest. In this verse, the word "selves" refers to the Prophet and
'Ali; the word "sons" refers to Hasan and Husain, and the word "women"
refers to Fatimah."
In the Tarikh of Tabari, it is stated that during the 10th year of
Hijrah, the Prophet sent 'Ali to Yemen. Prior to that, he had sent
Khalid ibn al-Walid in order to call the people of Yemen to Islam, but
nobody accepted Islam. Then the Prophet sent 'Ali and authorized him
that he might, if he so desired, dismiss Khalid or anyone else from his
party.
So, 'Ali went to Yemen and read the Prophet's statement to the people
there. As a result, in one day, all members of the clan of Hamadan were
converted to Islam. 'Ali informed the Prophet of this success whereupon
the Prophet said, "Peace be upon the Hamdanites!" Thereafter, all
Yemenites entered into the folds of Islam. 'Ali again informed the
Prophet of the progress which he had made. The Prophet was so overjoyed;
he offered a sajdah (prostration) to thank Allah.
During this year, the Prophet deputed 'Ali to go to receive the jizya
from the Najranites. 'Ali obeyed the orders and joined the Prophet only
during the Farewell Hajj (pilgrimage) as, on the 25th of Dhul-'qadah,
the Prophet had left Medina for Hajj.