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*AR-RAHĪQ AL-MAKHTOUM (The Pure Nectar). A Treaties On Prophet Muhammad's Biography.*
*Part 31*
*THE FIRST STAGE OF VOCATION*
*STRUGGLE FOR COMMUNICATING ALLĀH'S CALLING*
*Three-year-old secret vocation:* The Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) began to invite secretly people to the worship of Allāh immediately after the revelation of the chapter of Al-Muddathir. The reasons why the vocation was secret in its beginning are:
1. The Prophet's people were ungracious and discourteous.
2. They have no religion but idolatry which they adopted on the pretext that they found their forefathers involved in it.
3. They were in the habit of resorting to violence when resolving problems. In spite of that, they appropriated religious leadership across Arabia and occupied the key centre. To put it differently, the calling was initially clandestine so that Meccans would not be surprised and agitated by it.
THE LEADING GROUP
It was normal that the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) began his mission by inviting the closest relatives and friends as well as the good-natured people whom he knew well to Islam. They were well-known for advocating and liking truth and good. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) was noted for telling the truth and reputable acts. A group of such people accepted his invitation without a vestige of doubt or hesitation. They are known in Islamic history as the early Muslim forerunners, at the forefront of whom were Khadījah, the Prophet's wife, Zaid Ibn Hārithah Ibn Sharāhīl Al-Kalby who was the prophet's freed slave, (He was held captive and then became a bondman for Khadījah who granted him later to the Prophet. To return him his tribe, his father and uncle came to him in Mecca but he preferred living with the Prophet instead. So the Prophet adopted him according to the prevalent traditions of Arabs. That's why he was called Zaid the adopted son of Muhammad. He remained so till Islam came and abolished adoption. He was martyred in the battle of Mu'ta, in Jumāda Ula, 8 A.H. while he was the commander of the Muslim army). Ali Ibn Abu Tālib, the Prophet's cousin who was under his car, and his closest friend Abu Bakr As-Siddīq. All of them embraced Islam on the first day of the calling.
Abu Bakr was a popular, flexible, well-mannered, sociable and friendly. People liked associating with him because of his knowledge, trade and kind treatment. Therefore, he actively invited all those whom he trusted from among his people to Islam. Through his invitation 'Uthmān Ibn Affān, az-Zubayr Ibnul-Awwām, 'Abdur-Rahmān Ibn 'Awf, Sa'ad Ibn Abu Waqqas and Talha Ibn 'Ubaidullāh embraced Islam. These people were the leading and early Muslims.
As for the people who accepted Islam after them, they were Abu 'Ubaida Ibnul-Jarrāh, Abu Salamah Ibn 'Abdul-Asad and his wife Umm Salamah, Al-Arqam Ibn Abul-Arqam, 'Uthmān Ibn Maz'ūn and his two brothers Qudāmah and 'Abdullāh, 'Ubaida Ibnul-Hārith Ibnul-Mutallib Ibn 'Abdu Manāf, Sa'īd Ibn Zaid and his wife Fātimah bint al-Khattāb, Khabbab Ibnul-Aratt, Ja'afar Ibn Abu Tālib and his wife Asmā' bint 'Umais, Khālid Ibn Sa'īd Ibnul-'Ass and his wife Amina bint Khalaf then his brother 'Amr Ibn Sa'īd Ibnul-'Ass, Hātib Ibnul-Hārith and his wife Fātimah bint Al-Mujallil, his brother al-Khattāb Ibnul-Hārith and his wife Fukaiha bint Yasār, Ma'amar Ibnul-Hārith, Al-Mutallib Ibn Azhar, Ramlah bint Abu 'Awf and Na'eem Ibn 'Abdullāh Ibnun-Nahhām. They all belonged to various septs and phratries of Quraish.
Among the early Muslims who belonged to other tribes were 'Abdullāh Ibn Mas'ūd, Mas'ūd Ibn Rabī'ah al-Qāry, 'Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his brother Abu Ahmad Ibn Jahsh, Bilāl Ibn Abu Rabāh, Suhaib Ibn Sinān Ar-Rūmy, 'Ammār Ibn Yāsir and his parents Yāsir and Sumayya and 'Amir Ibn Fuhairah. There were also some other women who accepted Islam such as Umm Ayman Barakah Al-Habashiyya, Ummul-Fadl Lubāba bin Al-Hārith Al-Hilāliyya, the wife of Al-'Abbās Ibn 'Abdul-Mutallib and Asmā' bint Abu Bakr As-Siddīq.
Through close scrutiny and induction it becomes clear that the number of those known as the early Muslims reached one hundred and thirty men and women. But the fact that whether they all embraced Islam before proclaiming the vocation or some of them entered Islam later is not known.
PRESCRIBING SALĀH (PRAYER)
Prayer was the first religious obligation that Allāh imposed upon the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and Muslims. Ibn Hajar said: "Before the journey of Al-Isrā, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and his Companions used to perform prayer. But Scholars differ as to whether one of the five prayers was prescribed before the or not. Some scholars say that there were two obligatory prayers, one that was to be observed before sunrise and another that had to be offered prior to sunset." Zaid Ibn Hārithah was reported to have said: "The first time the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) received revelation, Archangel Gabriel came to him to teach him how to make Wudhū' (ablution). When he finished, he took a handful of water and sprinkled therewith his private parts." Ibn Maajah also narrated a Hadīth to that effect. Al-Barrā Ibn Azib and Ibn 'Abbās reported something similar to it. On the other hand, Ibn Hishām stated that the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and his Companions went to the passes of Mecca and performed their prayer hiding from their people. One day Abu Tālib saw the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and 'Ali performing prayer. He talked to them about that and when the matter was made clear to him, he advised them to keep steadfast and patient.
Prayer was the only act of worship Muslims were ordered to perform. All religions rulings connected with prayer with the exception of some directives and issues that clarified the various aspects of Monotheism, exhorted Muslims to self-purification and good morals and described Paradise and Hell as if they had been seen by eyes. Revelation also provided them with examples and warnings that comforted hearts, nourished souls and moved them to an air different from the one they lived in before.
Thus, three years elapsed and the calling was still confined to individuals. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) did not announce it at public assemblies and places of meeting. But Quraish became familiar with the calling of Islam that circulated across Mecca. Sometimes some of the Meccans ignored it while others encroached upon believers. But they showed little interest in it as the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) did not give public statements about their beliefs or idols so far.
*{To be continued In-sha-Allāh (If Allāh Wills)...}*
*"And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers."* (Qur'an 51:55)
*AR-RAHĪQ AL-MAKHTOUM (The Pure Nectar). A Treaties On Prophet Muhammad's Biography.*
*Part 31*
*THE FIRST STAGE OF VOCATION*
*STRUGGLE FOR COMMUNICATING ALLĀH'S CALLING*
*Three-year-old secret vocation:* The Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) began to invite secretly people to the worship of Allāh immediately after the revelation of the chapter of Al-Muddathir. The reasons why the vocation was secret in its beginning are:
1. The Prophet's people were ungracious and discourteous.
2. They have no religion but idolatry which they adopted on the pretext that they found their forefathers involved in it.
3. They were in the habit of resorting to violence when resolving problems. In spite of that, they appropriated religious leadership across Arabia and occupied the key centre. To put it differently, the calling was initially clandestine so that Meccans would not be surprised and agitated by it.
THE LEADING GROUP
It was normal that the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) began his mission by inviting the closest relatives and friends as well as the good-natured people whom he knew well to Islam. They were well-known for advocating and liking truth and good. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) was noted for telling the truth and reputable acts. A group of such people accepted his invitation without a vestige of doubt or hesitation. They are known in Islamic history as the early Muslim forerunners, at the forefront of whom were Khadījah, the Prophet's wife, Zaid Ibn Hārithah Ibn Sharāhīl Al-Kalby who was the prophet's freed slave, (He was held captive and then became a bondman for Khadījah who granted him later to the Prophet. To return him his tribe, his father and uncle came to him in Mecca but he preferred living with the Prophet instead. So the Prophet adopted him according to the prevalent traditions of Arabs. That's why he was called Zaid the adopted son of Muhammad. He remained so till Islam came and abolished adoption. He was martyred in the battle of Mu'ta, in Jumāda Ula, 8 A.H. while he was the commander of the Muslim army). Ali Ibn Abu Tālib, the Prophet's cousin who was under his car, and his closest friend Abu Bakr As-Siddīq. All of them embraced Islam on the first day of the calling.
Abu Bakr was a popular, flexible, well-mannered, sociable and friendly. People liked associating with him because of his knowledge, trade and kind treatment. Therefore, he actively invited all those whom he trusted from among his people to Islam. Through his invitation 'Uthmān Ibn Affān, az-Zubayr Ibnul-Awwām, 'Abdur-Rahmān Ibn 'Awf, Sa'ad Ibn Abu Waqqas and Talha Ibn 'Ubaidullāh embraced Islam. These people were the leading and early Muslims.
As for the people who accepted Islam after them, they were Abu 'Ubaida Ibnul-Jarrāh, Abu Salamah Ibn 'Abdul-Asad and his wife Umm Salamah, Al-Arqam Ibn Abul-Arqam, 'Uthmān Ibn Maz'ūn and his two brothers Qudāmah and 'Abdullāh, 'Ubaida Ibnul-Hārith Ibnul-Mutallib Ibn 'Abdu Manāf, Sa'īd Ibn Zaid and his wife Fātimah bint al-Khattāb, Khabbab Ibnul-Aratt, Ja'afar Ibn Abu Tālib and his wife Asmā' bint 'Umais, Khālid Ibn Sa'īd Ibnul-'Ass and his wife Amina bint Khalaf then his brother 'Amr Ibn Sa'īd Ibnul-'Ass, Hātib Ibnul-Hārith and his wife Fātimah bint Al-Mujallil, his brother al-Khattāb Ibnul-Hārith and his wife Fukaiha bint Yasār, Ma'amar Ibnul-Hārith, Al-Mutallib Ibn Azhar, Ramlah bint Abu 'Awf and Na'eem Ibn 'Abdullāh Ibnun-Nahhām. They all belonged to various septs and phratries of Quraish.
Among the early Muslims who belonged to other tribes were 'Abdullāh Ibn Mas'ūd, Mas'ūd Ibn Rabī'ah al-Qāry, 'Abdullāh Ibn Jahsh and his brother Abu Ahmad Ibn Jahsh, Bilāl Ibn Abu Rabāh, Suhaib Ibn Sinān Ar-Rūmy, 'Ammār Ibn Yāsir and his parents Yāsir and Sumayya and 'Amir Ibn Fuhairah. There were also some other women who accepted Islam such as Umm Ayman Barakah Al-Habashiyya, Ummul-Fadl Lubāba bin Al-Hārith Al-Hilāliyya, the wife of Al-'Abbās Ibn 'Abdul-Mutallib and Asmā' bint Abu Bakr As-Siddīq.
Through close scrutiny and induction it becomes clear that the number of those known as the early Muslims reached one hundred and thirty men and women. But the fact that whether they all embraced Islam before proclaiming the vocation or some of them entered Islam later is not known.
PRESCRIBING SALĀH (PRAYER)
Prayer was the first religious obligation that Allāh imposed upon the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and Muslims. Ibn Hajar said: "Before the journey of Al-Isrā, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and his Companions used to perform prayer. But Scholars differ as to whether one of the five prayers was prescribed before the or not. Some scholars say that there were two obligatory prayers, one that was to be observed before sunrise and another that had to be offered prior to sunset." Zaid Ibn Hārithah was reported to have said: "The first time the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) received revelation, Archangel Gabriel came to him to teach him how to make Wudhū' (ablution). When he finished, he took a handful of water and sprinkled therewith his private parts." Ibn Maajah also narrated a Hadīth to that effect. Al-Barrā Ibn Azib and Ibn 'Abbās reported something similar to it. On the other hand, Ibn Hishām stated that the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and his Companions went to the passes of Mecca and performed their prayer hiding from their people. One day Abu Tālib saw the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) and 'Ali performing prayer. He talked to them about that and when the matter was made clear to him, he advised them to keep steadfast and patient.
Prayer was the only act of worship Muslims were ordered to perform. All religions rulings connected with prayer with the exception of some directives and issues that clarified the various aspects of Monotheism, exhorted Muslims to self-purification and good morals and described Paradise and Hell as if they had been seen by eyes. Revelation also provided them with examples and warnings that comforted hearts, nourished souls and moved them to an air different from the one they lived in before.
Thus, three years elapsed and the calling was still confined to individuals. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) did not announce it at public assemblies and places of meeting. But Quraish became familiar with the calling of Islam that circulated across Mecca. Sometimes some of the Meccans ignored it while others encroached upon believers. But they showed little interest in it as the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) did not give public statements about their beliefs or idols so far.
*{To be continued In-sha-Allāh (If Allāh Wills)...}*
*"And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers."* (Qur'an 51:55)
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