The Prophet Muhammad a Mercy To the World

Messenger of Allah Arrives At Medina

When the news of the Messenger's exodus from Mecca to Medina reached the Muslims in Medina, they began to go every morning to the lava fields and wait there until the heat of noon drove them back. Many days they waited until one day when they had returned to their houses it so happened that a Jewish man was looking out from his fortress when he saw the Prophet shimmering in the haze. No sooner had he sighted him than he hailed the Muslims at the top of his voice saying:

'O Muslims, here is your Master whom you await!'

The Muslims immediately rushed to meet the Messenger of Allah on the crest of the lava fields. He then kept going until they had reached Qubaa where he stopped with the clan of Amr ibn Awf. The Muslims hailed 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest) with joy at his arrival. The Prophet stopped at Qubaa for three days awaiting the arrival of Ali. He did not want to enter the Medina without Ali.

The Prophet remained with Ali with the clan of Amr ibn Awf for a day or two. During his stay in Qubaa he established the mosque of Qubaa, and thus it was the first ever established in Muslim era.

And on the Friday, the Prophet entered the Qubaa mosque and led the Muslims in the Friday prayers and gave a sermon. And this was the first Friday sermon ever given. The Prophet prayed in the direction of Jerusalem and one hundred men prayed behind him. After performing the prayers, the Prophet mounted his camel, along with Ali who never left his side, and the rest of Muslims and headed towards Medina.

Once in Medina, Muslim families invited the Messenger of Allah to stay with them. In order not to turn down the request of any one of them, the Prophet decided that he would stay with the family that his she-camel would stop by their house. He said: 'Let her be for she is being ordered.' The camel kept on walking until she reached the door of the house of Abu Ayyub, who happened to be amongst the poorest in Medina.

Then Abu Ayyub hurried to the Prophet's baggage and took it into his house. Abu Ayyub's mother, who was blind, said: 'O if only I had sight so that I could see my master the Messenger of Allah!' The Prophet Muhammad then called to Allah for her and her eyes opened. This was the first of his miracles in Medina.

It is said that when the Messenger of Allah entered Medina, it was the most joyous occasion ever witnessed by the people. One eyewitness said: 'I saw the day when he entered Medina and I have never seen a brighter or better day than that day. And I saw the day he died and I have never seen a worse or darker day than the day on which he died.'

First Muslim Community

With a significant number of those who embraced Islam migrating from Mecca to Medina, as well as the majority of the native Medinans, it could be said that the first Muslim community began to take shape in the city of Medina, under the guidance of the Prophet. Through his teachings, the Messenger of Allah brought about harmony and peace between the different rivalries and warring groups and tribes of the city and its surroundings. Whereas prior to his arrival, greed, enmity and wars prevailed between the inhabitants, in a short space of time the Prophet managed to sow the seeds of a peaceful cohesive order to the extent that they shared everything they had amongst themselves and with the Muslim migrants from Mecca despite their poverty. With the city of Medina being some 400 km north of Mecca, some of the Muslims considered it to be a reasonably safe distance from the Quraysh who were mostly in Mecca.

However, the Quraysh and their allies did not relent, and they forced the Muslims of Medina into a number of battles and skirmishes. These were usually unequal, especially at the early days, with the Quraysh and their allies being superior in number and armour. For example at the battle of Badr, which was one of the early clashes between the two sides, the Muslims combatants were 313 men, who had seventy camels and two horses, while their opponents were about one thousand, had seven hundred camels and one hundred horses.

Peace between the two sides was eventually brought about through the peace treaty of Hodaybiyah - signed in the eleventh month of the sixth year after Hijrah - which was highly biased in favour of the Quraysh and their allies, to the extent that some of the companions of the Prophet protested to him for agreeing and signing a treaty that was 'unfair and unacceptable'. However, subsequent events after the Hodaybiyah were pointedly in the interest of the Muslims, which in turn exonerated the Prophet's judgement and decision, and proved his wisdom and farsightedness.

Mecca Liberated

Less than two years after the treaty of Hodaybiyah, Quraysh grew impatient with the environment of peace and security that reigned in the land. Muslim losses in the battle of Mu'tah in north Arabia - in today's Jordan - encouraged the Quraysh to stir up unrest in the land and break the treaty that they had signed with the Messenger of Allah at Hodaybiyah. They began to distribute weapons to their allies and urged them to attack the allies of the Muslims at night, in breach of the peace treaty they had with the Muslims.

The Messenger of Allah left Medina on a Friday in the month of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Hijrah. He took with him all the Muslim troops which numbered ten thousand and nearly four hundred horsemen. Then the Messenger of Allah proceeded until he arrived at Marr al-Dhahran, the heights of Mecca, in the evening. He ordered his companions to light more than ten thousand fires. News of his progress had been kept hidden from the Quraysh who were concerned and feared that he might attack them.

It is reported that Abu Sufyan, the Prophet's archenemy, was saying: 'I have never seen such fires as last night nor such a camp.' He said: 'What is the news and what are all these fires?'

The narrator responded to him: 'The news is that the Messenger of Allah has arrived here. He has come with a force you cannot resist; with ten thousand of the Muslims.'

Abu Sufyan said: 'What is to be done?' I said: 'By Allah, if he defeats you he will surely strike your head off so ride this donkey with me so that I can take you to the Messenger of Allah and I will ask him for an amnesty for you.' So he rode behind me.

It is related that Ali ibn Abu Talib said to Abu Sufyan ibn al- Harith: 'Go to the Messenger of Allah and say to him what Joseph's brothers said to Joseph: e By Allah, Allah has preferred you over us and we have certainly been sinful f6 Then the Messenger of Allah said in answer to him and seeking to best him in speech: e He said: Let there be no reproach upon you this day. Allah will forgive you and he is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy f7

6 The Holy Qur'an: Joseph (12): 91. 7 The Holy Qur'an: Joseph (12): 92.

The banner of the Muslims was with Sa'ad ibn 'Ibadah and when he passed by Abu Sufyan he said to him: 'Today is the day of slaughter, today the women will be captured'. Abu Sufyan heard him and kept it to himself until the Messenger of Allah passed by him when he said: 'Do you know what Sa'ad ibn 'Ibadah has said?'

The Messenger of Allah said: 'What he has said is of no consequence.' Then he sent someone to Sa'ad and took the banner from him and passed it to Ali and said: 'Enter with kindness.' Ali took the banner and began to proclaim: 'Today is the day of mercy, today honour will be protected.' Then the Messenger of Allah turned to Abu Sufyan and said to him: 'O Abu Sufyan, proceed to Mecca and let them know of the sanctuary.'

When the Messenger of Allah entered Mecca, a tent was pitched for him by the grave of his uncle Abu Talib. He refused to enter his house or the houses of his companions in Mecca that had been confiscated by the Polytheists.

Then the Messenger of Allah, after having rested a little in his tent, bathed and mounted his camel and set out for the sacred mosque. The Muslims were before him and behind him and all around him and they were repeating along with the Messenger of Allah the words of Allah Almighty: e The truth has come and falsehood has perished, indeed falsehood is (by nature) perishing f8

Mecca resounded with the sound of their voices until he entered the sacred mosque and approached the black stone at the corner of the Ka'bah, and kissed it. Then he circled the House upon his camel and with a bow in his hand. Around the 8 The Holy Qur'an: The Tribe of Israel (17): 81.

House there were some three-hundred and sixty idols and he began to stab at them with his bow saying: e The truth has come and falsehood has perished, indeed falsehood is perishing f and e The truth has come and falsehood will not revive again and will not return f9 while the idols fell upon their faces. Then he raised Ali upon his shoulders so that he could bring down the rest of the idols which were upon the Ka'bah.

And thus a whole era of idol worshipping in Arabia was brought to an irreversible end, and Mecca was liberated. The conquest of the Capital City of the idolaters and the liberation of the holy city of Mecca at the hands of Prophet Muhammad took place without bloodshed.

But the Prophet never again took his birth city, Mecca, as his abode. The Prophet only stayed in the city for fifteen days to manage its affairs. When he left the city of Mecca for Medina, he appointed Etab ibn Osayd, 21 years of age, as the city's governor.

Ideal Islamic Order

From early days, the Prophet gradually established an Islamic system of governance and a way of life. In its first years, the nascent Muslim community in Medina had to contend with a number of attacks and onslaughts by the Quraysh and their allies. The Prophet used every opportunity to teach the Muslims the right code of conduct for a Muslim in times of war and peace; from personal and ethical qualities they must aspire to, to social, political and fiscal policies.

9 The Holy Qur'an: Sheba (34): 49.

On the political front, the Prophet enjoined the community to avoid wars and violence as far as possible, and it should only be the absolute last resort, when all other avenues have been exhausted. The Prophet Muhammad went out of his way to avoid conflict and violence, and it is recorded that in the ten years that the Prophet was in Medina and despite the many battles that the Muslims were drawn into, a total of some 800 were killed on both sides throughout the period. The Prophet instructed his army against destroying houses or pillaging or cutting down fruiting trees. He ordered them not to draw their swords except in dire need. He used to rebuke some of his generals and physically put right their mistakes.

Another social-political principle instilled by the Prophet Muhammad was that "Land belongs to Allah and whoever develops it" 10. This had a very significant impact on the development of the country both socially and politically, not to mention the economic progress and revival it entailed.

Another socio-economic policy was established by the Prophet's declaration "I am responsible for them" 11. He who dies and leaves family who do not have enough to make ends meet, then the Prophet would be responsible for them and they should go to him. On the other hand, "he who dies and leaves a wealth behind, it is for his heirs" 12. All that wealth is for the family he leaves behind, i.e. no inheritance tax in Islam. But this policy did not stop there, and it went further when the Prophet announced that if a person dies and leaves a debt behind, then he [Muhammad, and subsequently

10 al-Kafi, by al-Kulayni, vol. 5, p279 11 Wasa'el al-Shica, by Muhammad Hasan al-Hurr al-cAmeli, vol. 26, p251. 12 al-Kafi, by al-Kulayni, vol. 7, p 167.

the leader of the Islamic state in general] is responsible for paying it 13.

The Prophetic legislation also addressed the interest of the non-Muslims living under the Islamic state, referred to as dhimmy; literally means "the responsibility of" [the Islamic state]: "He who hurts a dhimmy, then indeed he has hurt me" 14. Such laws, and the peaceful liberation of Mecca, encouraged many to come and live under the Islamic State, for there was at least economic and security guarantees for them and their families, present and future. People started to embrace Islam as a way of life en masse. Thus came the divine revelation:

>By the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, When came Allah's succour and the conquest, And thou saw the peoples entering into the religion of Allah in troops - So glorify the praise of thy Lord and seek His forgiveness, indeed He is relenting.@ 15

The Two Momentous Things

In the holy city of Medina, Messenger of Allah ensured that he addresses the two most vital issues during his lifetime, for these should be the sanctuary, guide and leader for the Muslims after his departure from this life. These were the compilation of the Holy Qur'an as a bound copy, and the appointment of his successors to lead the nation after him, both of which he did on direct instructions from the Almighty.

13 al-Kafi, by al-Kulayni, vol. 1, p 407. 14 Bihar al-Anwar, by al-Majlesi, vol. 22, p 486. 15 The Holy Qur'an: The Succour (110)

The Holy Qur'an

The Prophet ensured arrangements be made to compile a 'bound' copy of the Holy Qur'an - known at the time of the holy Prophet, and also today, as the mus}h}af. The Messenger of Allah commissioned Ali son of Abu-Talib to gather and compile the entire Qur'an, which Imam Ali did during the lifetime of the holy Prophet and under his supervision16. The Messenger of Allah validated and authenticated the end result - the mus}h}af - even verifying the order and position of the individual verses within a given chapter or surah, as instructed by the Almighty. According to traditions, when archangel Gabriel used to reveal a particular ayah or verse to the Prophet, the former would also indicate its position within the surah or chapter of the Qur'an and the surah it belonged to.17

Reports state that during the lifetime of the Prophet, when the entire text of the Holy Qur'an was committed to writing and it had been compiled as mus}h}af, people used to come to the mosque of the Prophet, where the compiled Qur'an - the mus}h}af - was kept by the pulpit, to make their copies of the Holy Scripture.18

It is sometimes stated, through a minor misunderstanding, that the Holy Qur'an was first compiled during the reign of the third ruler Othman ibn Affaan, some twenty years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. The root of this misunderstanding stems from the incorrect assumption of the meaning of the Arabic word jamc that means 'to collect', but

16 Bihar al-Anwar, by al-Majlesi, vol. 89, p 48, Beirut ed. See also "The Qur'an: When was it compiled?" by the author. 17 ibid

18 ibid instead it is taken to mean 'to compile'. What was in fact commissioned at that time was to collect the incomplete documents holding some verses or chapters of the Holy Qur'an and to complete them as copies of the entire Qur'an. Any compilation that took place during this time was to reproduce the authentic copy of the Holy Qur'an as per the version compiled by Imam Ali during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad and under his supervision.

The Ahl al-Bayt

The other fundamental and vital task that the Prophet had to secure during his lifetime was to address the question of his successorship. On instructions from the Almighty, the Messenger of Allah named and appointed the successors who must lead the Muslim community after him according to the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad used numerous occasions to instruct the people to follow and adhere to his twelve appointed successors, 'Caliphs' or 'Imams', the first of whom was Imam Ali son of Abu Talib, and the twelfth is the living Imam Mahdi, who is hidden from public view19 until such a time when the Almighty instructs him to reappear in public "to lead the nations of this world from tyranny and oppression to tranquillity and bliss". [The Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, his cousin and son-in-law Imam Ali and the eleven impeccable Imams descendents of Ali and Fatimah form Ahl al-Bayt as referred to in the holy Qur'an 33:33.]

In 630CE, seventy days before his death, and just after performing the farewell Hajj pilgrimage, on instructions from 19 Imam Mahdi lives amongst the public but without being recognised by them. However, as and when required, he would make himself recognisable to those who are sincerely pious and devout.

the Almighty, at the location of Ghadir Khum, the Prophet appointed Ali as his successor and ordered the Muslims who were present there to pay Ali homage of allegiance as The Commander of the Faithful, and their leader after the Prophet. The revelation from the Almighty on this day in this particular respect was:

>O Messenger! Convey that that has been revealed to thee from thy Lord, and if thee do not, then thee would have not conveyed His Message; and Allah will protect thee from the people. Surely Allah guides not the disbelieving people.@20 After the revelation of the above instruction, the Messenger of Allah declared:

"Whoever I am his master and leader, then Ali is his master and leader too. O Lord support whoever supports Ali, and oppose whoever opposes him." 21 "Ali is my caliph and successor upon ye after me." 22

20 The Holy Qur'an, The Table Spread (5): 67. 21 Mustadrak al-Sahihayn, vol. 3, pp 118, 126, 613. Dar al-Kotob al- Elmiyah, Beirut; Musnad Ahmad, vol. 1, pp 84, 88, 118, 152, vol. 4, pp 378, 370, pub. Cordoba Foundation, Cairo; Musnad Abi-Yacla, vol. 1, p249, pub. Dar al-Ma'moon lil-Turath, Damascus; Fada'el al-Sahabah, by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 2, pp 572, 585, 586, 613, 682, 705 pub. al-Risalah Foundation, Beirut; Fada'el al-Sahabah, by al-Nasa'ie, vol.1, p15, Dar al-Kotob al-Elmiyyah, Beirut; Tafsir of Ibn Kuthayr, vol. 2, p15, pub. Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, al-Sunan al-Kubra, by al-Nasa'ie, vol. 5, pp 45, 130-136, 154, Dar al- Kotob al-Elmiyyah, Beirut, al-Kafi, by al-Kulayni, vol. 1, p 286. etc.

Some chroniclers put the number of those present at Ghadir Khum who gave the homage of allegiance to Imam Ali as the Commander of the Faithful and the successor of the Prophet Muhammad at up to 120,000 men and women.

To confirm and conclude this momentous event, the Almighty then revealed: >Today I have perfected your religion for ye, completed My favour upon ye and have sanctioned Islam for ye as a religion.@ 23 In order to reveal the station of his successors present and future, the Prophet frequently used to refer the Muslims to the Ahl al-Bayt - at the time notably Ali - for they were the most knowledgeable about the teachings of the Qur'an and the Prophet himself. To clarify any possible doubt about his immediate successor, in the famous tradition of "City of Knowledge", the final Messenger of Allah states:

"I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is its Gate, so whosoever wishes to access this City, then let him do so through its Gate." 24 According to many Prophetic teachings and traditions the Holy Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bayt are considered as the two inseparable and complementary components of the divine

22 Bihar al-Anwar, by al-Majlesi, vol. 5, p69. Tohaf al-cOquol, p458. 23 The Holy Qur'an, The Table Spread (5): 3. 24 al-Mustadrak cala al-Sahihayn, by al-Hakim al-Naysabouri, vol. 3, pp 137-138, pub. Dar al-Kutub al-cElmiyyah, Beirut; Majmac al-Zawa'id, by Nur-ed-Din Ali ibn Abu Bakr al-Haythami, vol. 9, p114, pub. Dar al-Bayan lil-Turath, Cairo; Tarikh Baghdad, by Abu Bakr Ahmad al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, vol. 2, p377, pub. Dar al-Kotob al-Elmiyyah, Beirut, and also vol.4, p348, and vol.7, p172, and vol.11, p49-50

message. Towards the end of his life, the Messenger of Allah often used to say:

"I leave with ye the two momentous things - the book of Allah and my kin the people of my Ahl al-Bayt. As long as ye adhere to them both ye will never go astray after me."25

However, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the people did not honour their pledge of allegiance that they had given at the time of the Prophet to the successor he appointed on instructions from the Almighty. After several failed attempts on his life, and by various means, the culprits eventually succeeded in assassinating the Prophet Muhammad - this time through poisoning. The final Messenger of Allah to humanity died on the 28th day of the lunar month of Safar in the 11th year of the Hijrah, 630CE.

The Prophet Muhammad brought about a nation and a civilisation that in a relatively very short space of time won the prime position amongst all other nations. The Muslims attained such achievement so long as they adhered to the 25 Sahih al-Tirmidhi, vol. 5, p328, hadith 3874 & 3876, pub. Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, and vol. 13, p199-200, pub. Maktabat al-Sawi, Egypt, and vol. 2, p308, pub. Boulaq, Egypt;

Musnad Ahmad, vol. 3, pp 17, 26, 59, and vol. 4, pp 366, 371, and vol. 5, p181, pub. al-Maymaniyyah, Egypt;

Sahih Muslim, Book of Merits, Merits of Ali ibn Abi Talib, vol. 2, p362, pub. cIsa al-Halabi, and vol. 7, p 122, pub. Sabih, and vol. 15, p 170 with al- Nuwawi commentary, Egypt;

Dorar al-Semtayn, by al-Zarandi al-Hanafi, p231, pub. Qadha' al-Najaf; Yanabic al-Mawaddah, by al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi, pp 29-31, 36, 28, 41, 183, 191, 296, 370, pub. Istanbul Tafsir of Ibn Kuthayr, vol. 4, p113, pub. Dar Ihiya' al-Kutub al-Arabiyah, Egypt; Jamic al-Osul, by Ibn Athir, vol. 1, p 187, hadith 65-66, pub. Egypt; Mucjam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani, p 137. . .

teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Today although the Muslims are numerous, they do not occupy the eminent station amongst the nations anymore, for they did not adhere to "the two momentous things" that the Prophet Muhammad left behind for them. The Muslim nation may still be a candidate to lead mankind to bliss and prosperity if they ensure to adhere to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his successors.