Introduction

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “I have been given five things which were never given to anyone before me. I have been sent to the red and black. A prophet used to be sent to HIS PEOPLE ONLY, and I have been sent to all mankind….” This distinguishes our noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from all of the prophets who came before him (PBUH). Islam is the only religion whose message explicitly references all of humanity. This is the hallmark of any final revelation: that it encompasses all and everything. This is the definition of holy.

“A man is defined by his companions.” These insightful words by Muhammad (PBUH) were lived. In many ways the study of the Prophet (PBUH) is the study of his companions. Muhammad (PBUH) was a leader of men. He was masterful at harnessing and organizing talent, identifying the unique skills and aptitudes of his followers. They served him faithfully but not as cogs — rather, as apprentices. He was a master who raised masters; a leader who trained leaders. This is evident in the men and women who took the message of Islam after his death and created Islamic civilization. This survey of Muhammad’s (PBUH) life introduces the reader to his trials, travails, and successes. Muhammad (PBUH) accomplished more in twenty-three years than anyone in history. Within that time span, an illiterate man in the desert took a people with no government and no status in the world and made them world leaders. As Alphonse de Lamartine said: “If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?”

This man was: “the philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational beliefs which call others to the pure form of worship, free of human blood sacrifice and superstitions. He was the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire; that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, ‘Is there any man greater than Prophet Muhammad?'” Such was the opinion of Lamartine, who had the liberty to give credit where it is due. The most relevant praise came from Marcus Mosiah Garvey: “Mohammed suffered many defeats at certain times, but Mohammed stuck to his faith and ultimately triumphed, and Mohammedanism was given to the world.”

The life of Muhammad (PBUH) is a tutorial on struggle against persecution and on restraint and mercy in possession of power. Garvey spoke of a need for black leadership in Islamic terms. It wasn’t just Garvey. A Chicago-based periodical in 1917 boldly stated: “The Negro is crying for a Mohammed to come forth and give him the Koran of economic and intellectual welfare.” The life of Muhammad (PBUH) has been invoked for its redemptive value. This man — his words and example — provides lessons for success not only for the hereafter but for the here-and-now.

                                      The Pre-Islamic Arabs and Allah’s Wisdom

The question may be asked: why the Arabs? Why did Allah (SWT) choose to bring forth His final revelation to all of humanity through them? The answer is that Allah (SWT) wanted to demonstrate His glorious power to uplift a people who were mired in ignorance and vice and make them leaders on the world stage. This is the legacy of Islam. It transforms individuals and peoples by improving on them. No group of people were more underdeveloped, wild, and ineffectual than the Arabs during the sixth century. The period before Islam came to them is called Jahiliyyah (the Age of Ignorance). They had no government, although they were a “nation.” They were loyal only to their tribes. They worshipped idols. Their pride and joy was their poetry. The pre-Islamic Arabs would write and memorize thousands of stanzas. The most well-known collection is the Muʿallaqāt (The Suspended Odes).

The pre-Islamic poetry of the Arabs often celebrated immoral acts. Their poems were eloquent descriptions of vice. They boasted of drinking, smoking, illicit sex, gambling, and murder. The idolatrous Arab poets were like celebrities, and their words had an impact. It was not uncommon for the poet of one tribe to insult another tribe in their poem. This could result in tribal war. Tribes might be at war for generations because of a poet’s words. The Arabs were given to impulsive violence over their honor being threatened. Disrespectful poetry was one way to cause offense, but there were plenty of others. One of the most famous poets of this time was a black Arab knight named Antarah ibn Shaddad. His mother was an African princess of the kingdom of Aksum. Antarah’s poems are believed to have shaped the Arabs’ chivalry. So much of their tribal customs is referenced in his words. He is one of the many Arabs of African descent who were prominent in the history of the region.

In Arabia, tribe was everything. Without good standing in your tribe, or without your tribe being in good standing, you were socially dead — meaning no one would buy or sell with you, marry with you, or fight for you. If a member of the tribe was violated, it became the duty of the patriarch to avenge the offense. Women were especially vulnerable in this world. The more women in a family, the more vulnerable that family. So, if a man had more daughters than sons, it was a common Arab practice to bury one of the daughters alive at birth. This would reduce the chances that the family would be attacked.

Sexual licentiousness was a trademark of pre-Islamic Arab society. There existed those who were known as “women of the flag.” Many men would come to her tent and engage in extramarital sexual intercourse. When she became pregnant, she would signal to the men by placing a spear outside of the tent with a flag on it. The men with whom she had relations would return and compete in a spear-throwing contest to determine paternity. The winner was declared the father.

Aggressive, hot-tempered, hedonistic, and materialistic, the Arabs before Islam were a contemptible people in the eyes of the world. Who better for Allah (SWT) to exhibit His mercy and power upon by lifting them out of such a state? The Arabs were flanked by Abyssinia, Rome, Persia, and India — all great civilizations that had nothing to prove. Islam took the Arabs from a negligible entity and transformed them into a major factor in world history. Allah (SWT), in His infinite power, demonstrated the potential to raise a people through the divine message given to Muhammad (PBUH).

                               The Relevance of the Seerah to Black America

Islam is a faith of redemption, reform, and revolution. When we take stock of where the African-American is today, we see that they are not far from where the Arabs were during the Age of Ignorance. Instead of tribes, we have gangs. Instead of the women of the flag, we have absentee fathers. Instead of idolatry, we have consumer materialism. And for poetry, we have Hip-Hop, which, like the poetry from the Arabs’ Age of Ignorance, celebrates the same kinds of behaviors. Like the poets of Arabia whose verses instigated tribal conflict, the rappers of our era instigate beefs. These conflicts have caused neighborhoods and crews to clash, claiming lives even. The Arabs were a nation without a government of their own, and African-Americans have aptly been called a “nation within a nation.” As you go down the list, there are striking similarities between African-Americans and the pre-Islamic Arabs of the Age of Ignorance.

Islam appeared in Arabia to do away with this ignorance. Its first major social enterprise was to purify Arab culture of its injustices. Islam re-enters Black America to raise the moral fortitude of black people, to empower them to fight racial injustices. From the very beginning, the struggle for justice required self-control and discipline. Imam Jamil El-Amin (aka H. Rap Brown) would always say, “You can’t beat anybody else if you can’t beat yourself.” Many of us can lift 400 lbs of weight in the gym but find it hard to lift a 3 to 8 lb blanket in order to get out of bed to make Fajr prayer. Islam teaches liberation through restraint and mastery through obedience. Through the revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Umar ibn Khattab and Khalid ibn Walid (RA) were transformed from thugs to righteous world leaders. By the same revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Detroit Red was transformed into Malcolm X, who blossomed into El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. This is the effect of Islam on a marginalized people. This is the relevance of Muhammad’s (PBUH) life to the black man and black woman in America.

The majority of Muhammad’s (PBUH) earliest followers were not the elite or the wealthy. In fact, many were not even Arab. They were ex-slaves. Today, the majority of people who are heeding the call to Islam are the ex-slaves. The African-American is the single largest demographic of Muslims in the U.S.A. They are the first Muslim population in the Western Hemisphere. Abu Bakari II was the Mandingo king of the Malian Empire who abdicated his throne in 1311 C.E. after he sailed the Atlantic Ocean and never returned. It has been discovered that he and his men landed in America, making them the first Muslims in the West. Following them came enslaved Africans, of which a modest estimate says at least 30% were Muslims. African-Americans have a rich Islamic heritage comparable to anyone else in the Muslim world. It is not a new religion among black people or in this hemisphere. There is a long history of Islam among the black man and black woman that goes all the way back to the seerah, the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

This book is about “the original message to the black man” as iterated in Muhammad’s (PBUH) statement, “I came to the Red and the Black”; he is a mercy for all of the worlds. This study booklet is meant to introduce new reverts to the prolific and sublime life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Our modest effort will hopefully inspire the reader to learn more about this man who changed the world.

Something to Think About:

How does the Arabs’ culture and standing in the world before Islam parallel that of African-Americans?

In what way does pre-Islamic Arab poetry resemble hip-hop culture?

Chapter One: The Prophet’s (PBUH) Kinship to Africa

The Noble African Lineage of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was of Arabia’s noblest lineage. His family line traced back to the tribe of Adnan. Adnan came from Hajar (May Allah be pleased with her) and her son Ismail (May Allah be pleased with him), whom she had with Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Indeed God chose the tribe of Kinanah over other tribes from the children of Ishmael; He chose Quraish over other tribes of Kinanah; He chose Banu Hashim over the other families of the Quraish; and He chose me from Banu Hashim.”

Hajar (May Allah be pleased with her) is the noble ancestress of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There are accounts that she was a Nubian princess and others that say she was of regal stock from ancient Egypt. Whichever is true, Hajar (May Allah be pleased with her) is the first trace of African blood that binds the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to Africa. She was the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with him), who bore him a son: Ismail (May Allah be pleased with him). As a test of Ibrahim’s faith, Allah told him to leave his wife and newborn son (Ismail) in the scorching desert of Mecca. Hajar was a very devout woman and knew that this was a command from Allah. There, seemingly alone, in the blazing heat, she began to search for water. She ran to the top of the mountain of Safa and looked out and saw no water source or a single person. She then ran down Safa and up to the top of the mountain of Marwa and still saw nothing. She continued between the two mountains in search of water.

Suddenly, the angel Jibril (AS) appeared and struck the sand with the tip of his wing and revealed the well of ZamZam with water gushing forth. To this day, when Muslims perform the Hajj, or the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca, they run between Safa and Marwa. The Hajj is obligatory for every Muslim who is able. Allah (SWT) honored Hajar — this black woman who was raising a child on her own — by making it a sacred duty to imitate her.

Ibrahim (AS) was commanded by Allah to return to Mecca and reunite with his family. His faith was tested again when Allah ordered him to sacrifice his son, Ismail (AS). Then, just as he was about to carry out the divine directive, Allah commanded him not to go through with the sacrifice, revealing to Ibrahim (AS) that he had once again passed the test. The order for Ibrahim to sacrifice his son is important for two reasons. First, it showed that Ibrahim (AS) had an unshakable faith, which he exhibited as unconditional obedience. This is why Allah honored him by declaring him an ummah unto himself:

“Verily, Ibrahim was an ummah [a man who combined within himself all virtues], devoutly obeying Allah’s will, turning away from all that is false, and not being of those who ascribe divinity/authority to any beside Allah; [for he was always] grateful for the blessings granted by Him who had elected him and guided him onto a straight way” (16:120–121).

Second, Allah (SWT) rejects human sacrifice. Many people during this time worshipped deities that demanded the ritual sacrifice of a human being. Allah (SWT) demonstrates His mercy by dramatically stopping the continuation of this practice. Allah would require good deeds, repentance, atonement, and obedience to His laws instead. Furthermore, He reveals to us exactly how He wants us to devote ourselves to Him. When a man takes his shahada by declaring, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger,” he has entered into a contract with his Lord. He is restoring the relationship that he had with his Creator before coming into this life. The hadith tells of Allah drawing from the loins of Adam all of the souls that would ever come into existence and making them bear witness that there is no god but Allah. Thus, every human being is born with an inherent sense of right and a natural inclination to believe that they have been created and that there is a Creator. But it is the Muslim who has restored this consciousness. The shahada is the renewal of the contract between the creature and the Creator.

                                                                      The Quraish

The Prophet (PBUH) belonged to the most noble tribe in Arabia — the Quraish. They had the distinction of tracing their lineage directly back to Hajar (AS), Ismail (AS), and Ibrahim (AS). They also were the custodians of the Kaaba. They were in charge of cleaning and maintaining it. After the Arabs had fallen into idolatry, the Quraish had the prestige of maintaining the idols and organizing the pilgrimage that tribes would undertake every year.

The Prophet (PBUH) was orphaned at a very young age. His father, Abdullah, died before he was born, and his mother, Amina, died when he was only six years old. He was taken in by his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, and when he died, his uncle, Abu Talib, took care of him.

The renowned ninth-century Arab ethnographer Al-Jahiz wrote that “Abd Al-Muttalib (grandfather of the Prophet) fathered ten Lords, black as the night and magnificent.” One of these black sons was Abdallah, father of the Prophet Muhammad. Another was Abu Talib, father of the great Ali…. The family of Abu Talib were the most noble of men, and they were black with black skins.”

                                                  Milk Is as Thick as Blood

The Arabs believed that milk was as thick as blood. Thus, the woman who breastfed a child was considered that child’s mother just as the woman who gave birth to them was. The Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birth mother was Amina. Amina died when Muhammad (PBUH) was very young. He was weaned by an African woman named Baraka. When Muhammad (PBUH) began his prophetic mission, he kept her by his side and referred to her as his mother.

                               Ibrahim (AS) and Ismail (AS) Build the Kaaba

Ibrahim (AS) was given a revelation by Allah to return to his wife Hajar (AS) and their son Ismail (AS) in the desert and build what would be the first symbol of worship of the One God. The angel Jibril (AS) revealed to Hajar (AS) that the Kaaba would be built. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.” There are some reports that say the foundation of the Kaaba was laid by Adam (AS), the father of all humanity. Ibrahim (AS), who is the link between the Prophet Adam (AS) and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), said to his son Ismail: “O Ismail! Allah has given me an order.” Ismail said: “Do what your Lord has ordered you to do.” Ibrahim asked: “Will you help me?” Ismail said: “I will help you.” Ibrahim said: “Allah has ordered me to build a house here,” pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it. The Prophet (PBUH) added: “Then they raised the foundations of the House (i.e., the Ka’bah).”

The Kaaba is the focal point of the regimented prayers. It signifies Allah’s relationship to man on earth. A mandatory five times a day, the believer turns toward this structure no matter where they are in the world. It fosters unity among members of the ummah, who know that Muslims everywhere are facing the same direction. During the Hajj (pilgrimage), the Kaaba is circumambulated just as Ibrahim (AS) and Ismail (AS) did upon its completion: “Then both of them went on building and going round the Ka’bah, saying: ‘O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.'”

Ibrahim (AS) and Ismail (AS) used building materials from the five special earthly mounts: Hira’, Tur Sina’, Tur Zayta’, Jabal Lubnan, and al-Judiyy. For the foundations, they used only materials from Hira’ (or the Nur hill), where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received his first revelation. There is a stone near the edifice over which Ibrahim (AS) stood while building the Kaaba called the maqam, which bears his footprints today. There is also the black stone, known in Arabic as the Hajar al-Aswad. It is located in the eastern corner of the Kaaba and is believed to date back to Adam (AS) and Eve (AS). According to Islamic tradition, the black stone fell from paradise as radiant, but when it reached earth and was touched by man, it lost its radiance because of our sins. The black color of the stone has been given many symbolic meanings. One meaning is that it symbolizes mastery (similar to a black belt in martial arts). Another is that it represents detachment from this worldly life and submission to Allah.

Whatever the meaning, the colors black and white have great significance in the ceremonies of Islam. Black is the color of the kiswah, or blanket covering the Kaaba (although it has been several colors). It is embroidered with verses from the Quran that have been contributed by various Muslim nations, signifying the unity of the ummah. The pilgrims wear white, which represents purity. Everything in Islam, from color to shapes, has symbolic importance.

                                       The Corruption of Polytheism Sets In

Although the Kaaba was built for a monotheistic purpose, it became a center of idol worship. It is unclear exactly when the Arabs became pagans. What we do know is that by the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), every Arab tribe had an idol, and the Kaaba was full of these idols. The idol-free shrine, which had been dedicated to the One Supreme Being — Allah — would come to house no fewer than 360 idols. The pilgrimage to Mecca was carried out in order to pay homage to the idol of one’s tribe. Sacrifices of animals were made to these false deities. The beginning of Arab idolatry was the beginning of Jahiliyyah, or the “Age of Ignorance.”

When Allah (SWT) revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), it began a new epoch. Islam was a back-to-purity movement in which the true purpose of the Kaaba was revived and man’s relationship with the One Supreme Being — Allah — was restored. It came to overturn the idolatry of stone and the idolatry of the heart.

                                          Something to Think About:

What is the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) connection to Africa and African people?

How did Ibrahim, Hajar, and Ismail (May Allah be pleased with them all) each demonstrate unconditional faith?

Why was Allah stopping Ibrahim (AS) from going through with the sacrifice significant?

Why does the Quran call Ibrahim (AS) an ummah unto himself?

What is the correlation between Hajj and the black woman?

Chapter Two: Muhammad’s (PBUH) Character before the Revelation (Emphasizing Trustworthiness and Community Involvement)

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not become the Prophet only upon receiving revelation. He was always the Messenger of Allah. It is narrated that Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Indeed, I was already a Prophet, the seal of the prophets, when Adam was between clay and dirt and water.” How, you may ask, and what signs point to this reality?

Visited by an Angel

Muhammad (PBUH) said that when he was a child and was playing with other boys, an angel took hold of him and threw him to the ground. Then he opened his chest and took out his heart, from which he took a clot of blood and said: “This was the Shaytaan’s portion of you.” Then he washed it in a vessel of gold that was filled with Zamzam. Then he placed it back in his chest. The boys went running to his mother — meaning his wet nurse (an African woman named Baraka) — and said: “Muhammad has been killed!” The companion who narrated this story, Anas, said: “I used to see the mark of that stitching on his chest.”

Muhammad’s (PBUH) life was distinguished from the rest of society starting with his name. He was born in the house of his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, in Mecca. Muttalib hosted a banquet where he would announce the name of his grandson. He named him “Muhammad,” meaning “the one who is praised.” The Quraish tribesmen asked why he did not follow their tribal practice and name him after one of the ancestors, and he replied: “I did so hoping that my grandson would be praised by God in heaven and on earth by men.” No one before Muhammad (PBUH) had this name, and since him it has become the most common name on the planet.

Preventing Tribal War

His character was the major distinction. He never worshipped idols, fought in tribal wars, took drugs, drank, or engaged in premarital sex. He always demonstrated the sublime virtues that would earn him the neighborhood title Al-Ameen, “the Most Trustworthy.” This reputation earned him two privileges. First, his respect and veneration in the community. When he was thirty-five years old, he prevented what possibly could have been a nasty tribal conflict and saved lives. In 605 C.E., the Kaaba was damaged by a flood. The black stone was displaced. Every tribe in Mecca insisted on having the honor of restoring it. They could not reach an agreement. One man suggested that they seek the advice of Muhammad (PBUH) because he had the reputation for being fair. The tribes unanimously agreed, and Muhammad (PBUH) was made the arbitrator. He suggested that the black stone be placed on a sheet of cloth and that representatives from each tribe hold on to the cloth and carry it to where it was to be placed. Then, Muhammad (PBUH) himself lifted the stone off of the sheet and placed it.

The Marriage to Khadijah (RA)

The second is his marriage to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA). Muhammad (PBUH) became a merchant — specifically, a caravan trader. He entered into partnerships that organized trade caravans to Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and so on. A wealthy widow and business owner, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA), learned of Muhammad’s (PBUH) reputation for integrity and fair dealings. She offered him a job to trade goods she sold to Syria. He accepted and made a lasting impression on her. He made a large profit for her.

Khadijah (RA) was not only impressed with his business acumen; she was even more impressed with his character, which exhibited good manners, honesty, and sincerity. Soon Khadijah (RA) proposed to Muhammad (PBUH), and they married. The marriage lasted twenty-six years, and during that time she bore him (PBUH) two sons, Al-Qasim and Abdullah, both of whom died in childhood. He had four daughters: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah. All except Fatimah died during the Prophet’s (PBUH) lifetime.

Khadijah (RA) was fifteen years older than Muhammad (PBUH); she proposed to him, and he worked for her. Their relationship defied Arab tradition, foreshadowing the movement that he was about to spearhead, which would turn traditional Arab society on its head.

Something to Think About:

What does it mean that the angels visited Muhammad (PBUH) before his first revelation?

How did Muhammad’s (PBUH) character and virtues benefit him and those around him?

Chapter Three: Muhammad (PBUH) Receives Revelation

The Prophet (PBUH) would retreat to a cave called Hira on Mount Nur, which is about two kilometers from Mecca. There he would meditate on the predicament of humanity and his people. During the month of Ramadan in the year 610 C.E., while in one of his retreats in Hira at approximately forty years old, Muhammad (PBUH) had an experience that would change the entire world and humanity forever. Standing in front of him, blocking the cave’s entrance, was a peculiar being. It was the angel Jibreel (AS). Jibreel (AS) is the angel that is charged by Allah to reveal His message to the prophets. He sits in paradise on a throne that Allah has made for him. He is described as having six hundred wings that, when spread, cover the horizon, and the soles of his feet were green. But here, in the cave of Hira, he appeared as a man — uncanny and eerie, yet emanating impregnable power. Muhammad (PBUH) was awestruck.

The First Verses of the Quran

The angel Jibreel (AS) gave one simple command: Iqra — “Read!” Muhammad (PBUH) said, “I am one who cannot read.” Then the angel’s arms and wings enveloped Muhammad (PBUH) and squeezed him to such an extreme that the Muhammad (PBUH) described feeling as though his ribs were folding into each other the same way one folds one’s hands. The angel repeated: Iqra — “Read!” Muhammad (PBUH) pleaded a second time: “I am one who cannot read.” Then the angel’s arms and wings enveloped Muhammad (PBUH) again and squeezed even harder, and after letting go, instructed Muhammad (PBUH), Iqra — “Read!” Muhammad (PBUH) pleaded the third time, “I am one who cannot read.” Then the angel’s arms and wings enveloped Muhammad (PBUH) for the third time and squeezed him so hard that Muhammad (PBUH) said that he was sure he was going to die. When the angel released him and said Iqra — “Read!” — Muhammad (PBUH) began reciting the sublime verses of the Quran, which were the first revealed:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Read: In the name of thy Lord who created,

Created man from a clot.

Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,

Who taught by the pen,

Taught man that which he knew not.

These divine words infer quite a bit. To begin, they stress the importance of the word and of literacy. In fact, Allah says in the Quran that He created the entire universe with the word “Be.” Allah simply says “Be” and it “is.” The prophetic mission of Muhammad (PBUH) began with the word and is defined by a book that was brought to humanity by an illiterate Prophet (PBUH). Also, the Quran rhymes, is recited melodically, and surpasses any of the tribal poetry that the Arabs boasted of.

The subject matter is beyond the pedagogical capacity of the Prophet (PBUH) and, in fact, the Arabs of his time. Every prophet was given miracles that enabled them to challenge the status quo. Moses was given miracles that challenged the magicians. Jesus was given miracles that challenged the religious scholars of his day. Muhammad (PBUH) was given the Quran, which challenged the poets of his people.

The Miracle of the Quran

The Quran is the final revelation from Allah. Allah raised prophets and messengers from every people. Muhammad (PBUH) is the final Prophet, and this revelation — the Quran — is the final revelation. The angel Jibreel brought parts of the Quran to Muhammad (PBUH) at different times. Muhammad (PBUH) memorized the part of the Quran that was brought to him and recited it to his companions and Sahaba (companions). He ordered more than twenty-three of his most prominent companions (Ubayy ibn Ka’b (RA), Mu’adh ibn Jabal (RA), Zayd ibn Thabit (RA), and Abu Zayd (RA)) to memorize the Quran and write it down, which they did. The whole Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) over twenty-three years (610 C.E.–632 C.E.).

Since the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) completed his successful mission, there have been many in the West who have tried to discredit the Quran as being divine revelation. They have come up with some very imaginative claims. When the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began reciting the Quran, his Arab detractors called him a mad poet. This is addressed in the Quran, where it says: “Nay, but he (whom you call a mad poet) has brought the truth; and he confirms the truth of (what the earlier of God’s) message-bearers (have taught).” Allah challenges them, saying: “And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it, and call on your helper, besides Allah, if you are truthful.” “Say: ‘If men and Jinn should combine together to bring the like of this Quran, they cannot bring the like of it, though some of them help others.'”

The Quran is a linguistic miracle. Nothing in the history of the Arabic language compares. A number of Quraishi orators and poets tried to imitate the Quran, but they failed. The inimitability of the Quran is too exhaustive a subject to visit here, but suffice it to say there have been Arab literary scholars who attempted to forge verses of the Quran, and they were not successful.

Something to Think About:

What was the first command that the angel Jibreel (AS) gave to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?

What were the first verses of the Quran revealed?

What challenge does the Quran issue to those who accused Muhammad of forging it?

Chapter Four: The Beginning of the Ummah

The ummah is the single brotherhood of all believers. This is not a post-racial or post-tribal, post-ethnic entity. The believers are of many races and ethnicities, and so the ummah incorporates the histories and cultures of everyone who has accepted Islam. Allah says in the Quran:

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

The ummah is a confederation of every variation in humanity. However, unlike other groupings, it is formed on the basis of faith and principles, not race, ethnicity, or any other ideology.

The ummah was established by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 610 C.E. in Mecca when the first band of people said, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” These converts became known as his sahabah, or companions. Among his companions were a select few who were closest to him and learned the most from the Prophet (PBUH). They were of different races and ethnicities but united by Tawhid — Islamic monotheism. For the first four years, all the Prophet taught was La ilaha illa Allah — “There is no God but Allah.” This was the foundation of the ummah.

The Early Converts

The first person to accept Islam — to take the confession of faith that there was no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His prophet — was a woman. The wife of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA), believed in him when no one else did. When Muhammad (PBUH) relayed to her the terrifying experience he had while he was in the cave, she immediately believed him and took him to meet her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal (RA), who was a Christian and familiar with the biblical scriptures’ foretelling of the coming of a prophet after Jesus (AS). Upon listening to Muhammad’s (PBUH) experience, he confirmed that he was indeed the Prophet. After accepting Islam, he gave Muhammad (PBUH) this warning: “I wish that I would be around to see the completion of your mission. Just know that trouble will follow you as it did the prophets before.”

The mission of Muhammad (PBUH) was socially disruptive because it attracted the marginalized, and this upset the elite. As we have stated, the Quraish were the most prestigious tribe in Mecca. Although the Arabs did not have a government and head of state, the Quraish exercised an enormous amount of influence over the city. They were major slave owners, and they charged an exorbitant rate for the other pagan tribes to make the pilgrimage to the Kaaba to pay homage to their idols. As a result, they had amassed tremendous wealth. They loaned money to others but did so at extraordinary interest rates (400%). As a result, many people were economically oppressed. This abysmal practice of the Quraish was not unlike the check-cashing and title loan stores prevalent in urban communities. They are exploitative and socially debilitating.

Those who embraced Muhammad (PBUH) came from both the well-to-do and the destitute, but what they shared was a profound sense of justice and adherence to tawhid (Islamic monotheism). This is most explicitly signified in the conversions of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (RA) and Bilal ibn Rabah (RA). Abu Bakr (RA) was one of the earliest companions of the Prophet (PBUH), the father of Aisha (RA), who became the wife of the Prophet (PBUH), and the successor of the Prophet (PBUH). He was known as as-Siddeeq (the truthful, sincere, a man of his word). He learned of the Prophet receiving revelation after returning from his trip in Yemen. He was immediately convinced of his prophethood:

“I asked my father whether Abu Bakr was the first of the Muslims. He said, ‘No, more than fifty people embraced Islam before Abu Bakr; but he was superior to us as a Muslim. And Umar ibn Khattab had embraced Islam after forty-five men and twenty-one women. As for the foremost one in the matter of Islam and faith, it was Ali ibn Abi Talib.'”

He was wealthy, and he used his wealth to advance the cause of Islam and establish justice in society. He purchased the freedom of Bilal (RA). It was customary among the Arabs to pay less for slaves they deemed had less value. Abu Bakr (RA) paid more for Bilal (RA) to Umayyah in order to demonstrate that he valued Bilal’s (RA) faith more than he did the white and Arab slaves who had not embraced the oneness of Allah.

Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) was of royal parentage. His mother, Rabah, was an Ethiopian princess who was captured in the war with the Meccans. His father, Abu Jemah, was a Quraishi. Bilal’s (RA) owner Umayyah was exceptionally cruel and a devout pagan. One day Umayyah chose to punish Bilal (RA) by putting him without a shirt on in the desert under the hot sun with a boulder placed on his chest. There, subjected to severe torture, he reasserted his faith in the One God. He kept repeating Ahad. Ahad. Ahad. — “The One! The One! The One!” Bilal (RA) believed in the One God before he met the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Bilal’s (RA) resilience, fortitude, and patience inspired Abu Bakr (RA) to pay for his liberation.

Bilal (RA) would go on to become one of the most esteemed sahabi (companions) of the Prophet (PBUH). Umar ibn Khattab (RA) referred to Abu Bakr’s (RA) bringing Bilal (RA) into the fold of Islam by freeing him: “Abu Bakr is our master, and he emancipated our master!” He was part of the august inner circle of Muhammad (PBUH), to whom he gave special counsel and from whom he took counsel. Throughout the twenty-three years of his prophetic mission, Muhammad (PBUH) would attract men and women who would lay the foundation for the socio-political-economic framework of Muslim life. This framework is the ethical boundary by which Muslims can guide and create a balanced society and community. These companions were so exemplary that the only reason they do not stand out in history alone is because they all existed at the same time and served the same leader — Muhammad (PBUH).

The notable early converts of note were Khadijah (RA); Zayd (RA), his adopted son; Waraqa ibn Nawfal (RA); Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), his cousin; Abu Bakr (RA); and Bilal (RA). As his mission advanced, he would acquire Umar ibn Khattab (RA), Khalid ibn Walid (RA), Uthman ibn Affan (RA), Abu Hurairah (RA), and of course the prodigious Aisha bint Abu Bakr (RA), the daughter of Abu Bakr (RA) and wife of the Prophet (PBUH). Each of them was unique and phenomenal in their own gifts and contributions.

Something to Think About:

Who was the first person to accept Muhammad (PBUH) as the prophet of Allah?

How did Abu Bakr (RA) use his wealth to aid in the cause of Islam?

How did Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) know there was only one God before meeting the Prophet (PBUH) or his companions?

Chapter Five: The Pagan Opposition and Hijrah to Ethiopia

The first thirteen years of Muhammad’s (PBUH) mission were intense and fiercely tested the believers’ faith. The message of Islam shook Arab society to its core. Arabs saw it as a declaration of war on their culture and traditions. There are those today who make the charge that Islam is Arab culture, but to the Arabs who first received the revelation, it was alien and offensive. The Arab tribes and clans violently revolted against it and persecuted Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers, including his own tribe. Not even his belonging to the Quraish, the most prestigious tribe in Mecca, was protection. Nor was it enough that the Arabs regarded Muhammad (PBUH) as Al-Ameen, “the Trustworthy.” He was called a liar and insane for no other reason than that he was telling them to change their ignorant and self-destructive ways. The pagan Arabs launched an aggressive campaign against the Prophet (PBUH) and his followers, who were growing.

The persecution of the Muslims in Mecca had become unbearable for many. Remember that this was a society where your tribe and clan were crucial to an individual’s survival. Without their protection and support, a person could literally and figuratively die. The Quraish tried several methods of dismantling the Muslims. During the Meccan years, the Muslims were only a handful of individuals, and many of them were the most vulnerable.

In order to alleviate some of the suffering of his followers, the Prophet (PBUH) ordered some of his followers to leave Mecca and seek refuge in neighboring Ethiopia. Ethiopia factors prominently into Arab and Islamic history. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in the year 570 C.E. This year is also known as the Year of the Elephant. It was an event in Mecca in which the king Abraha of the Kingdom of Aksum launched an invasion into Mecca to destroy the Kaaba. Ethiopia already possessed Yemen, and the king wanted to extend his reign to Mecca. He marched on Mecca toward the Kaaba with a large army and a few war elephants. When one of the elephants reached the outer limits of Mecca, it stopped. The Quran tells that a flock of birds began pelting the Aksumite army, defeating them and protecting the Kaaba:

1) Have you not seen what your Lord did with the army of the elephant?

2) Did He not utterly foil their schemes?

3) He unleashed flock after flock of birds against them,

4) pelting them with stones of hard-baked clay,

5) making them like stripped wheat-stalk eaten bare.

The event was so important in the Arabs’ historical consciousness that they used it to count time — the Year of the Elephant.

The Ethiopians were seen by the Arabs as invaders. This caused tension and animosity between the Arabs and Ethiopians that is expressed in anti-black sentiments and tribalism by the Arabs. The Ethiopians continued to represent power and virtue to many in Arab society. The Abyssinian kingdom was the Ethiopian power during the early days of the Prophet’s (PBUH) mission. The Negus (Ethiopian word for king) during this time was Ashama.

Hijrah to Ethiopia

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told his followers, “Go into Ethiopia, where there is a just king. There no one is wronged.” The first group of refugees left in the year 615 C.E. and consisted of fifteen to seventeen people, including Uthman ibn ‘Affan (RA) and his wife Ruqayyah (RA) (the Prophet’s (PBUH) daughter). The second group consisted of seventy to eighty people.

The Meccans also sent a delegation to persuade the Negus to deny the Muslims asylum. When standing before the Negus, both parties pleaded their cases. The Muslims explained that they were following the last Prophet of Allah and that they were being persecuted because they rejected the barbaric ways of their people. Jafar told the Negus:

“O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us.

He called us to worship Allah alone, and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.

He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and false witness, and not to appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women.

He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with Him, to uphold Salat, to give Zakah, and fast in the month of Ramadan.

We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah, and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from.

Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us, to make us renounce our religion and take us back to the old immorality and the worship of idols.

They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us, and obstructed us from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in justice and in peace in your midst.”

When it was the Quraish’s turn to speak, they tried to paint the Muslims as nothing but troublemakers who would only create turmoil if they were to be let into the country. The Negus listened to both men. Then he asked the Muslims, “Do you have with you something of what your Prophet brought concerning God?” The Muslim spokesman, Jafar ibn Abi Talib (RA), began to recite the first portion of Surah Maryam, which tells of the miracle of Jesus Christ’s birth. The Negus was moved to tears and said, “The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source….” He then told the Quraish, “Go. For, by God, I will never surrender them to you.” And like that, the Muslims were given asylum.

The emigration to Abyssinia is very significant. It is the hijra al-awal, or the first migration. It is also significant that the Prophet (PBUH) chose Africa as the place of refuge. The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said, “Emulate the blacks, for among them are three lords of the people of Paradise: Luqmān the Sage, the Negus [Emperor of Abyssinia], and Bilāl the Muezzin.” All three came from the Nile Valley region. It shows the high esteem in which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) held Africans.

Boycotting the Muslims (617–620 C.E.)

Resentful and desperate, the Quraish envoy returned to Mecca and proceeded to phase two of their persecution of the believers. Abu Sufyan was a prominent Quraishi merchant and leader of the opposition to Muhammad (PBUH). He and a number of other patriarchs imposed a blockade on the believers. This blockade would last six months, during which no one could feed, buy or sell, or marry with anyone professing the truth of Muhammad’s (PBUH) message.

The conditions experienced under this hardship were so excruciating that there was not enough milk in the mothers’ breasts to feed their young. However, like a rose growing from the cement, it was during this time that Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (RA) and Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) accepted Islam. Still, the social death of the boycott ostracized the Muslims and the entire family of the Prophet (PBUH). They had to eat leaves and the skins of animals. This lasted three years. In spite of this, the Prophet (PBUH) continued preaching and praying publicly.

The blockade was unofficially abandoned because the Meccans saw that it was not effective. The Muslims remained steadfast under torture, poverty, and starvation. Yet the trials were severe. Six months after the blockade was lifted, the Prophet’s (PBUH) uncle, Abu Talib, died. Then the Prophet’s (PBUH) beloved wife, business partner, confidante, the first Muslim and mother of the believers — Khadijah (RA) — died. This was known as the Year of Calamity. There was one bereavement after the other.

Bribery

When the Meccans could not starve and torture the Muslims into apostasy, they tried bribing the Prophet (PBUH). They offered to make him king of Mecca if he stopped preaching. Since the Meccans did not have a government and were not technically a nation, it would not have been a request capable of being honored. However, the Prophet (PBUH) was not after unprincipled wealth and power. He told the Meccans that if they were to “place the moon in my right hand and the sun in my left,” he would not cease fulfilling his duty to deliver Allah’s message.

Visit to At-Ta’if

Abu Lahab was another prominent Meccan who vociferously opposed the Prophet (PBUH). After the death of the Prophet’s (PBUH) uncle Abu Talib, he became head of the Banu Hashim clan. He gave the Prophet (PBUH) two options: either abandon his message or leave Mecca. The Prophet (PBUH) thought to begin preaching in the neighboring city of At-Ta’if. At-Ta’if was about sixty kilometers north of Mecca. It was home to very prosperous people. The Prophet (PBUH) took with him his adopted son, Zayd ibn Haritha (RA), on foot. When the Prophet (PBUH) offered them Islam, they pelted him with stones so badly that his sandals were soaked with blood.

After he was stoned and was about to head toward Mecca, two angels appeared. They offered to destroy At-Ta’if to such a degree that nothing would ever grow there again. The Prophet (PBUH) responded with forgiveness, saying that the people of At-Ta’if would be among the best Muslims in the world. Today, the city is 100% Muslim. The Prophet (PBUH) saw the potential in people — his people.

Isra’ and Mi’raj

This is a miraculous event that tested the faith of the believers, but it marked a turning point for them. It was at this event that the Muslims were given salat — the Muslim ritual prayer. In the midst of relentless persecution, during which he suffered the loss of his beloved wife Khadijah (RA), he had another transcendental experience like when he first met the angel Jibreel (AS). One night the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was transported from the holy sanctuary of Mecca to Jerusalem. He travelled on a creature named Al-Buraq with the angel Jibreel (AS). He ascended through the seven heavens. He met previous prophets. He saw Jesus, or Isa (AS). He described him as “the most handsome dark-skinned man I had ever seen.”

When visiting the prophets, Muhammad (PBUH) was ordered by Allah to direct his ummah to pray fifty times a day. After the prophet Moses (AS) told Muhammad (PBUH) about the rebelliousness and laziness of the Israelites, the Prophet (PBUH) went back to Allah and beseeched a reduction. Allah reduced the number of times to twenty-five. When the Prophet (PBUH) returned to speak with the prophets again, Moses told Muhammad (PBUH) that they would not be able to adhere to the regimen. So, the Prophet (PBUH) returned to Allah and again requested a reduction. Allah, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, mandated that the Muslims pray five times a day, with each prayer worth ten prayers. Each posture and position of the salat was practiced by each of the prophets’ communities. All of those postures and positions are included in the salat of the Muslims, which signifies Islam as the culmination of the prophetic line going all the way back to Adam (AS).

The following morning Muhammad (PBUH) told his followers what he had experienced and told his people to establish the salat. The disbelievers ridiculed the Muslims for following a man whom they said was obviously insane. The Prophet (PBUH) gave an accurate description of the city of Jerusalem, which he had never visited. He even gave accurate information about the caravan en route to Mecca from Jerusalem. Still they disbelieved. Some Muslims were shaken, but others were steadfast. One in particular was Abu Bakr (RA). He had not heard of the night journey of the Prophet (PBUH) yet. When the Meccans came to him to mock Muhammad (PBUH) by telling him what sounded like a fantastic story, Abu Bakr (RA) simply replied, “If Muhammad (PBUH) said it, then it is true.” Because of his unwavering support of the Prophet (PBUH) through such trying times, he earned the title as-Siddeeq, “the most reliable.”

Pledge of Allegiance (Bay’at-ul-‘Aqabah)

During the incessant conflict with the Meccans, there was a group of people from Yathrib, also known as the city of Medina. They camped at ‘Aqabah and were intrigued by the message of Islam. Six of them took shahada. Then, during the pilgrimage season, the six brought more people from the prominent Medina tribes Khazraj and Aus. They met the Prophet (PBUH), embraced Islam, and took bay’ah, or oath of allegiance, to him. This formed the nucleus of the Muslim community in Medina.

Muhammad (PBUH) sent his companion Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair (RA) to give dawah, which means to invite to Islam, in Medina. Before they knew it, the Muslims gained a notable position in the city. In the following year, 622 C.E., over seventy-three converts came from Medina. They suggested to him that he move there. Muhammad (PBUH) wanted assurance that the people there would give the bay’ah.

Assassination Attempt on the Prophet (PBUH)

After the first hijrah to Abyssinia and the Meccans’ request to have the Muslims returned was rejected, there was a fear by the Prophet’s (PBUH) uncle that he would be assassinated. In the effort to protect his nephew, Abu Talib put together a pact between Banu Muttalib and Banu Hashim to prevent this from happening. The boycott came in lieu of this pact, but now, with the boycott a failure, Abu Talib deceased, and the Muslims growing, they sought ways around the pact. Abu Jahl came up with a plan: a representative from each tribe would simultaneously stab Muhammad (PBUH) in his bed. This way, all the tribes would be to blame, and there would be no way for Banu Hashim to take revenge.

Something to Think About:

Where was Islam first given sanctuary?

How did the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) demonstrate patience and resolve?

How did the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) demonstrate sincerity and integrity during the persecution in Mecca?

Chapter Six: Hijrah to Medina

At the same time the Meccans were plotting to kill the Prophet (PBUH), the Prophet (PBUH) was planning his migration to Medina. He had already given his followers permission to migrate there, but he was waiting for the divine revelation for himself to go. Almost all of the followers of Muhammad moved to Medina, leaving behind the Prophet (PBUH) and a few of his closest companions.

The Prophet (PBUH) learned of the plot to kill him. Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), the Prophet’s (PBUH) cousin, offered to take his place in his bed when the assassins arrived. On the night of the kill, the assassins entered the Prophet’s (PBUH) home with their weapons, but when they pulled back the covers to stab him, they saw that it was Ali (RA) instead. There was a manhunt for the Prophet (PBUH), but to no avail. During that time, the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Bakr (RA) hid out in a cave at Mount Thaur (six miles south of Mecca, but in the opposite direction of Medina). They stayed in the cave for three days during the search.

When the search slackened, the Prophet (PBUH), Abu Bakr (RA), and their guide Amir ibn Fuhayrah headed toward Medina. They stopped at the outskirts of Medina at a place called Quba. Here he built the Masjid al-Quba. They then proceeded to Medina. When the Prophet (PBUH) arrived, he was greeted with a warm welcome. They sang, and the city’s name was changed from Yathrib to Madinat-un-Nabi, “the city of the Prophet.” This is how the city became known as Medina.

The hijrah to Medina marked a new time in Islamic history, literally. Before, the Arabs counted time from the defeat of the Ethiopian invasion of Mecca. Now, they have replaced it with the year of the hijrah to Medina. Thus, the Muslim calendar begins with the year of the hijrah (622 C.E.). Secondly, the hijrah is the beginning of statehood for the Muslims. It was in Medina where they were transformed from a religious community to a nation. Third, Islamic laws were revealed. The do’s and don’ts were introduced, giving the Muslims a way of life. And fourth, the direction of prayer was changed from Jerusalem to the Kaaba.

Something to Think About:

What was significant about the hijrah?

What was the name of the first masjid that the Prophet (PBUH) built?

Which companions helped the Prophet (PBUH) escape?

Chapter Seven: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the Statesman

Medina is home to the first nation of Islam. It is here that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) becomes more than simply a religious leader. He becomes a statesman and executes all of the responsibilities that come with such an occupation. He was a diplomat who made peace and war. The Quran can be divided into Meccan surahs and Medinan surahs. In Mecca, the verses of the Quran deal with iman, or faith. In Medina, the verses also deal with the rules of daily living. In Mecca, the Muslims were tested with oppression. In Medina, the Muslims were tested with power.

Aisha bint Abu Bakr (RA): Scholar and Mother of the Believers

Aisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) was the daughter of Abu Bakr (RA). After Khadijah (RA) died in Mecca, the Prophet (PBUH) married Sawda bint Zam’a (RA). Following the migration to Medina, he married Aisha (RA). The suggestion to marry Aisha (RA) came from Khawlah bint Hakim (RA), the wife of Uthman ibn Maz’un (RA). Abu Bakr (RA) and Muhammad (PBUH) were brothers in faith, and the marriage strengthened that bond.

Aisha’s (RA) exceptional abilities caused her to stand out from among the wives of the Prophet (PBUH). She is mentioned more in the seerah than any other woman, and as much as any of the male companions. The Prophet (PBUH) instructed the ummah to learn Islam from her. She is credited with having narrated approximately 2,210 hadith — making her one of the most prolific transmitters of prophetic tradition in Islamic history. She is referenced as ʾUmm al-Muʾminīn, “Mother of the Believers.”

Her contributions extend far beyond hadith narration. Aisha (RA) was a jurist, theologian, and teacher whose legal opinions shaped early Islamic law. Senior companions of the Prophet (PBUH), including those who outranked her in age and tenure, regularly sought her counsel on matters of fiqh, Quranic interpretation, and prophetic practice. She corrected the rulings of male companions when she saw error, and her corrections were accepted because of her depth of knowledge and her closeness to the Prophet (PBUH) during the years of revelation. After the Prophet’s (PBUH) death, she continued to teach for nearly five decades, training generations of scholars from behind a screen in her home, which became one of the great centers of Islamic learning in early Medina.

Aisha (RA) was also politically influential. She delivered public addresses and weighed in on matters of state. Her command of Arabic poetry, medicine, genealogy, and arithmetic was renowned, and her companion al-Zuhri said that if the knowledge of Aisha (RA) were compared with the knowledge of all the other wives of the Prophet (PBUH) and all the women of the ummah, hers would be greater. She is a model for Muslim women — and Muslim men — of intellectual rigor, moral courage, and devotion to the preservation of the deen.

Muhajirun and Ansar

A system that the Prophet (PBUH) enacted paired the emigrants from Mecca (Muhajirun) with the natives of Medina (Ansar, or “helpers”). The Ansar were mainly tribes that consisted of Banu Khazraj and Banu Aus. These were the tribes that gave bay’ah to the Prophet (PBUH) while in Mecca. An individual immigrant was assigned an individual native. The native was to help the immigrant understand life in Medina and to grow together Islamically. The purpose was to foster bonds of love and trust between the two. It also highlighted that native knowledge of a land is crucial and that emigrants should enter a place with humility.

Nation Building

The first hijrah to Ethiopia was instrumental in the building of the first Muslim nation. While in Abyssinia, the emigrants there availed themselves of the knowledge and expertise of the territory. They learned ancient medical practices like cupping, where heated cups are used to suck toxins from the skin. It was used to treat wounds. They also learned other languages, which would enhance their diplomacy. After the Prophet (PBUH) established the headquarters of the ummah in Medina, he ordered everyone to migrate there. Those men and women who went into Abyssinia without skills or expertise were now entering Medina with the necessary tools for nationhood.

The Prophet (PBUH) built a masjid which became known as Masjid al-Nabawi. It served as the community center for religious as well as social and political activities. He set up the bazaar, or marketplace, where ethical trade was to take place. He entered into pacts with various communities of Medina and its neighboring towns. We know of several treaties with tribes (some of which were Jewish). By the Muslims being included in treaties that existed before the migration, they were able to secure recognition in a day.

The ethos of the Islamic state of Medina was to “enjoin the right and forbid the wrong.” The objective was to foster an environment conducive to righteousness. Muhammad (PBUH) combated poverty by working with Muslims to establish endowments. These endowments, called the waqf, were treasuries where money may be used to take care of the needy, sponsor expeditions for dawah and diplomacy, or even afford a couple the ability to get married. The companions would always think of ways to make money for this endeavor.

Battle of Badr (2 A.H. / 624 C.E.)

For thirteen years, the Muslims were pacifists. They did not lift so much as a finger in self-defense. Now, with the Meccan army at their border, the first verse permitting jihad was revealed: “Permission is granted to those who are fighting because they have been oppressed… those who have been expelled from their homes without any just cause….”

The Muslims had lost a great deal during the persecution in Mecca and then after the migration. They showed up “penniless,” as the expression today goes. For the Muslim state to function and meet its objectives, money was needed. The Prophet (PBUH) allowed the Muslims to raid the Meccans’ caravans. What ignited a war was when the Muslims attacked during the sacred month of Rajab. In Arab culture, Rajab was the month where there is to be no fighting. The Meccans, who were already looking for an excuse to attack the Muslims, seized on the attack during Rajab to move against Medina. The newly established Muslim state was under threat.

Abu Jahl led the Meccan army, which was made up of “one thousand soldiers, seven hundred camels, and two hundred horses.” The Prophet (PBUH) marched to the outskirts of Badr with 313 “poorly equipped” Muslims. The battle took place in Ramadan in the second year after the hijrah and occurred at Badr, which is a town in Medina. Muhammad (PBUH) consulted with Al-Hubab ibn Mundhir (RA), who suggested that they place a small army on a hill commanding the road to Mecca. They were stationed at the best of the water wells. The other water wells of the area were blocked. The strategy was to control the resource of water and to force the Meccans to fight on the ground of the Muslims’ choosing.

Muhammad (PBUH) supplicated to Allah. He commanded the army. He did not sit behind while men died. He put himself on the front lines of the wars. This instilled confidence among his men. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Never desire aggression or war, and ask God for safety and security, and know that (when peace is threatened), Paradise is under the shadow of swords.” Peace is the rule in Islam, and war is the exception. Peace is not to be protected at the expense of justice.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave strict military orders to preserve the dignity and life of non-combatants: “Fight the disbelievers in the name of Allah; neither break a covenant nor entertain treachery, and under no circumstance should a newborn, woman, aging man, or hermit be killed; moreover, neither trees should be cut down nor homes demolished.” These were the rules for jihad.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Muslims defeated the Meccans in spectacular fashion. They fought with valor, devotion, and total obedience to the Prophet (PBUH). The battle lasted a day and a half and claimed the lives of seventy Quraish, including their leader Abu Jahl, and fourteen Muslims. The Muslims acquired their weapons, camels, and horses, and seventy prisoners of war.

Arab custom dictated that the prisoners of war be killed. The Prophet (PBUH), in the prophetic tradition of breaking from unjust traditions, took a different approach that built up the new Muslim nation. First, he instructed that the rich prisoners be ransomed. This is what Islam permits as “slavery.” The Quran does not allow the kidnapping and sale of human beings, despite what some Muslims after the Prophet (PBUH) may have done. Islam does permit capturing warriors and the conquered and subjecting them to bondage. This is as much a traditional African practice as it is Islamically correct. The “enslavement” of the enemy during war instead of execution has kept the bloodshed on the battlefield to a minimum when compared to many of the European wars during the medieval period. By ransoming the rich prisoners of war, the Muslims acquired new funds for their state endeavors.

Second, the literate among the prisoners were freed on the condition that one of them taught ten Muslims to read and write. This increased the literacy of the ummah tenfold. So, as a result of the Prophet’s (PBUH) intelligence and wisdom, the Muslim nation had more money, a higher level of education, and spared the lives of his enemies in the process. How ironic that an unlettered Prophet (PBUH) who was poor raised the literacy rate of his community and improved their economic condition. As for the poor among the prisoners of war who had nothing to offer, they were released on the condition that they swore never to take up arms again.

Bilal’s (RA) Retribution

Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) was afforded the honor and dignity of taking revenge against his former slave owner. Umayyah ibn Khalaf was captured during the Battle of Badr. Umayyah was a fervent opponent of Muhammad (PBUH), slandering him in Mecca and fighting against him at Badr. He was a devout pagan and tortured Bilal (RA). Already a cruel master, Umayyah would have a man stand on a large stone placed on Bilal’s (RA) chest and press down on him in the hot sands under the sun until he denounced his belief in the One God. Badr was the first time they had met since Abu Bakr (RA) purchased his freedom.

The narration of Abdur Rahman ibn Awf (RA) (Umayyah’s friend before he embraced Islam) is recounted in Sahih Bukhari:

“On the day of Badr, when all the people went to sleep, I went up the hill to protect him [Umayyah ibn Khalaf]. Bilal saw him (i.e., Umayyah) and went to a gathering of Ansar and said, ‘(Here is) Umayyah ibn Khalaf! Woe to me if he escapes!’ So, a group of Ansar went out with Bilal to follow us (Abd al-Rahman and Umayyah). Being afraid that they would catch us, I left Umayyah’s son for them to keep them busy, but the Ansar killed the son and insisted on following us. Umayyah was a fat man, and when they approached us, I told him to kneel down, and he knelt, and I laid myself on him to protect him, but the Ansar killed him by passing their swords underneath me, and one of them injured my foot with his sword.”

Bilal’s (RA) killing of his slave master and its sanctioning by the Prophet (PBUH) is significant. Islam doesn’t just free the body but frees the mind. Bilal’s (RA) liberation was not complete until he killed his former slave owner. One of Allah’s attributes is AL-MUNTAQIM, “the Avenger.” Bilal’s (RA) retribution was righteous. He was not blinded by hate, but he was permitted by the justice of Islam to vindicate his honor by taking the life of the enemy who had dishonored him.

Forgiveness of slave owners and oppressors is not a requirement for being pious. Islam in its pure and prophetic form affirms the dignity of the oppressed. The Battle of Badr is a crucial turning point in fate because it reversed the statuses of the oppressor and the oppressed.

The Avenging of a Muslim Woman’s Honor

Shortly after the Battle of Badr, a Jewish tribe — Banu Qaynuqa — broke the treaty they had with the Prophet (PBUH). A member of their tribe assaulted a Muslim woman. The Prophet (PBUH) responded by laying siege to the Jewish quarters for fifteen days and demanding that they surrender. When they surrendered, they were ordered to leave Medina within three days. More than 700 left. Some were deemed innocent and were allowed to stay.

Battle of Uhud (3 A.H. / 625 C.E.)

The Meccans planned to avenge their loss at Badr. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb assumed the leadership of the Meccans after the death of Abu Lahab. He led an army of 3,000 men who marched to Medina. Muhammad (PBUH) had Muslims designated to do reconnaissance and learned of the attack five days before. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not some mystical spiritual leader who sat up in the mountains and did not endure the daily travails of his followers. More than any other religious figure, and specifically prophet, there is more evidence about him. He is a historical figure whose life, loves, and losses are on record. The practicality of Muhammad (PBUH) distinguishes him from so many of the other Eastern spiritual leaders. He planned and executed.

Before the battle, he took consultation with other Muslims about the wisest course of action. He chose to take a position on a slope of Mount Uhud. Uhud was approximately four kilometers north of Medina. The Muslims could only muster 1,000 soldiers. To make matters worse, one of the tribes, Al-Khazraj, who had agreed to fight with the Muslims, deserted them at the last minute, leaving the Muslim army with only 700 men. Muhammad (PBUH) responded calmly, placing a group of archers to seal the enemy from one side.

When the battle began in the morning, the Muslims were winning at first. It appeared that the Quraish were defeated, and as they were fleeing, the Muslims pursued them. The archers, who were ordered to seal the back entry, left their position to pursue the fleeing army so they would not lose their share of the spoils of war. As they abandoned their post, Khalid ibn Walid (RA), who led the right wing of the Quraish cavalry, launched a surprise attack from the back. The Muslims were routed and defeated. The battle lasted a day, and over seventy Muslims, including Muhammad’s (PBUH) uncle Hamzah, were killed. In fact, during the battle, the Prophet (PBUH) got his tooth knocked out and his face slashed.

The Mischief of Jewish Tribes (4 A.H. / 626 C.E.)

The Jewish tribe of Banu an-Nadir and some Arab Bedouins violated the alliance with the Muslims. First the Prophet (PBUH) tried to resolve their betrayal peacefully. During the meeting, they prolonged the negotiating in order to kill him. The Prophet (PBUH) sensed they were up to something and left, returning to Medina. He then ordered a siege on their settlements. The antagonists surrendered and were ordered to leave their homes. As a result, the Muslims were in control of Medina.

The Battle of Ahzab (5 A.H. / 627 C.E.)

A joint army was raised against the Muslims, consisting of polytheists and Jews. They numbered about 10,000. The chiefs of Banu an-Nadir instigated the campaign. The reconnaissance of the Prophet (PBUH) made him aware of this attack, and he convened an advisory council to discuss how best to proceed. The companion Salman al-Farisi (RA) suggested they dig a trench around the city as a defensive measure. It was accepted. Everyone, including the Prophet (PBUH), worked for three weeks digging this trench for Medina.

Abu Sufyan and his army reached Medina and were surprised by the presence of the trenches. Several attempts were made to cross over a period of a month. Then there was another problem: the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza violated the alliance with the Muslims and joined the Meccans. They were neighbors of the Muslims in Medina, so they were inside the bounds of the trench. The Prophet (PBUH) had someone who secretly embraced Islam, Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud (RA), work as a covert operative. He was planted among various tribes to create discord among the ranks of the invaders. There was a storm that destroyed the enemy’s camp. This and the internal discord fostered by Nu’aym (RA) made the army abandon the attack and retreat.

Banu Qurayza, who were within Medina, were left without help from the people they had aided against the Muslims. The Muslims besieged their quarters for two weeks until they surrendered. To decide their fate, the Prophet (PBUH) allowed them to appoint someone from their tribe to negotiate their punishment. They decided on Sa’d ibn Mu’adh (RA), who had become Muslim. Sa’d (RA) recommended that they be punished according to the Torah (their own religious book). The punishment was in accordance with Deuteronomy, chapter 20, verses 12–14. These verses commanded that the men be killed, the women and children enslaved, and their property be divided as spoils.

Something to Think About:

What was the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) response to one of the women in his community being attacked?

How did the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) show mercy to the prisoners of war and use them to improve the quality of the ummah?

What does Muhammad’s (PBUH) taking consultation and strategizing reveal about the Prophet (PBUH) and his practicality?

Chapter Eight: The Treaty of Hudaybiyah

The Meccans were defeated, and the hypocrites subdued. Muhammad (PBUH) had full control of Medina. The Muslim nation had achieved security. The goal, however, was always Mecca, the location of the Kaaba. The objective was to clear the sacred house of Allah of the idols that defiled it. They wanted to make Hajj, but the idolaters were still firmly in control of Mecca. The Quraish realized that the growing force of the Muslims was continuing. They knew that the Muslims were once a contemptible band of outcasts. Now they were a full-fledged nation. Not even the Meccans were a nation.

Six years after the migration to Medina, the Prophet (PBUH) announced his intention to make Umrah (the minor pilgrimage). To show they came in peace, they wore the white garment (ihram). The Quraish stopped the caravan of Muslim pilgrims at Hudaybiyah, which was about sixteen kilometers from Mecca. After “checking them out,” the Quraish emissaries reported back that the Muslims were in fact peaceful. They were impressed with the Muslims’ discipline. One Quraish envoy noted: “I have seen Caesar and Chosroes in their pomp, but never have I seen a man honored as Muhammad is honored by his companions.”

Uthman ibn Affan (RA) was sent by the Prophet (PBUH) to negotiate with Abu Sufyan and the Quraish chiefs to allow the Muslims to make Hajj to Mecca. The negotiations kept Uthman (RA) longer than expected. Rumors circulated that the Quraish had killed him. The Prophet (PBUH) secured an oath of allegiance from everyone to avenge Uthman’s (RA) death. This was known as Bay’at-ur-Ridwan.

Terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah (6 A.H. / 628 C.E.)

The Quraish sent an emissary to assure the Prophet (PBUH) that Uthman (RA) was alive. The Quraish told Muhammad (PBUH) that it was unrealistic to expect to be able to make Hajj this year given the hostilities between them. He told him to go back to Medina and they would be allowed to see the Kaaba next year. This was known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. The terms of the treaty:

1. The Muslims should return this time and come back next year, and they shall not stay in Mecca for more than three days.
2. They shall not come back fully armed but can bring with them only swords sheathed in scabbards, and these shall be kept in bags.
3. War activities shall be suspended for ten years, during which time both parties will live in full security and neither will raise swords against the other.
4. If any member of the Quraish goes over to Muhammad without his guardian’s permission, he should be sent back to the Quraish; but should any of Muhammad’s followers return to the Quraish, he shall not be sent back.
5. Whosoever wishes to join Muhammad or enter into a treaty with him shall have the liberty to do so; and likewise, whosoever wishes to join Quraish, or enter into a treaty with them, shall be allowed to do so.

The Prophet (PBUH) signed the treaty as “Messenger of Allah,” but the Quraish refused it, saying that they did not consider him the Prophet (PBUH). After all, if they did, they would not be going through this. Muhammad (PBUH) agreed to sign it as “ibn Abdullah” (Son of Abdullah).

The Prophet (PBUH) agreed, but the Muslims were disappointed. Muhammad (PBUH) ordered the Muslims to sacrifice the animals they brought and shave their heads in accordance with the rituals of the minor pilgrimage. But they all seemed reluctant because of their objections, and they did not obey his command. Umm Salamah (RA), one of the wives of the Prophet (PBUH) and respected for her political acumen, made a suggestion that saved the ummah from the wrath of Allah. She suggested that instead of giving a command, he should go out from the tent and offer the sacrifice and shave his head. She predicted that when they saw him, they would follow suit. This is what happened. The Muslims averted the punishment of Allah by obeying His messenger.

The Prophet (PBUH) had a long-term strategy. It proved fruitful. During the two years after the treaty, there was social interaction between the Muslims and the pagan Arabs. As a result, more pagans accepted Islam. The number of converts was greater than during the earlier years of his mission. During this time, Khalid ibn Walid (RA), who defeated the Muslims at Uhud, Amr ibn al-As (RA), and Uthman ibn Talha (RA) all converted. These men were so prominent and instrumental, and such an asset to the Muslims, that in response to their crossing over, the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The Quraish have given us its own blood.”

The Treaty Is Tested

There were a series of incidents that tested the peace set by the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. The capture of Khaybar and Fadak in the seventh year after the Hijrah, followed by the Mu’tah operation the next year, put such an enormous strain on the treaty that it eventually led to its dissolution.

There were about seven to ten strong fortresses north of Medina known collectively as Khaybar. Khaybar was where the Jews who had been expelled after the Battle of the Trench had settled. They were financing Arab tribes to harass the Muslims. The Prophet (PBUH) dealt with this threat by first inviting them to Islam. He referenced their scriptures. When they refused, the Prophet (PBUH) marched to Khaybar with 1,400 men. There were righteous Jews who joined the Prophet (PBUH).

The strategy of the Jews was to disperse their forces throughout the seven to ten fortresses. The Prophet (PBUH) ordered that the Muslims attack the fortresses separately. This worked. Each fortress fell one after the other. The wealth of Khaybar fell into the hands of the Muslims. The spoils of war were distributed according to Surah 8, ayah 41:

And know that out of all the booty that ye may acquire (in war), a fifth share is assigned to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to near relatives, orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer — if ye do believe in Allah and in the revelation We sent down to Our servant on the Day of Testing — the Day of meeting of the two forces. For Allah hath power over all things.

The village north of Khaybar, Fadak, was also a Jewish stronghold and had been instigating dissent between the Muslims and Meccans, threatening the Hudaybiyah treaty. Unlike Khaybar, however, the Jews of Fadak did not offer resistance. They were spared and pledged allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH). As a result, the wealth of Fadak was retained by the Prophet (PBUH) as head of state and not distributed as it would be in armed struggle. In the Quran, this is called “Fai.”

The governor of Al-Balqa, Sharhabil ibn Amr al-Ghassani, was an ally of Byzantium. He captured the Prophet’s (PBUH) emissary, Harith ibn Umair (RA), and killed him. Harith (RA) was carrying a letter to the ruler of Bosrah. This was a declaration of war. Emissaries are sacrosanct. The Prophet (PBUH) responded appropriately by dispatching 3,000 strong men under the command of Zayd ibn Haritha (RA). He lined up his replacements: if Zayd (RA) was killed, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib (RA) would take charge; if he was killed, then Abdullah ibn Rawaha (RA).

Sharhabil amassed an army of 100,000. This operation took place at the village of Mu’tah, which was southeast of Jerusalem. The fighting was fierce, and during the battle all three commanders of the Prophet (PBUH) were martyred. To take their place, the Prophet (PBUH) appointed Khalid ibn Walid (RA) as the new commander. Khalid’s (RA) stratagem was superb. He reorganized the flanks of the Muslim army. Then he told them to only engage in skirmishes and gradually retreat. This would build up the confidence of the enemy and get them to pursue the Muslims. As that happened, Khalid (RA) and his soldiers would come from behind and decimate them. The enemy thought that the Muslim forces riding up behind them were reinforcements. It worked. The Byzantines saw they were entrapped and withdrew.

Something to Think About:

What does the Treaty of Hudaybiyah teach us about political negotiation and leadership?

Which wife of the Prophet’s (PBUH) was his political advisor, and how did she avert the punishment of Allah from the Muslims?

What did the Prophet (PBUH) mean when he said, “The Quraish have given us their blood”?

How did Khalid ibn Walid (RA) defeat the Byzantines?

Chapter Nine: Conquest of Mecca / Farewell Sermon (10 A.H. / 632 C.E.)

The previous military campaigns revealed how tenuous the alliances and armistices were. The Treaty of Hudaybiyah allowed for tribes to enter into a pact with either Muhammad (PBUH) or the Quraish. The tribe of Banu Khuza’ah joined forces with the Prophet (PBUH), and Banu Bakr joined the Quraish. The Quraish were vexed at the choice of Banu Khuza’ah. They began tormenting and baiting them. Banu Bakr was asked to attack them, which was in complete violation of the terms of Hudaybiyah. Banu Khuza’ah lost lives, which, given the terms of the alliance, the Prophet (PBUH) was obligated to avenge.

The Prophet (PBUH) did not disclose his plans to reclaim Mecca or seek negotiations with the offenders. He took unusual routes to Mecca with a well-equipped army. His reason for doing it this way was to lay siege to Mecca and take the Kaaba without bloodshed. During his expedition, many other tribes joined him, adding to his ranks. They contributed arms and equipment. When the Muslims reached Mecca, they numbered 10,000. The overwhelmed Meccans did not put up any resistance. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the believers had now seized Mecca and were in possession of the Kaaba.

The Prophet (PBUH) now stood over the very people who had ridiculed and persecuted him, his family, and his followers. With the snap of his fingers, he could have had all of them executed. They were helpless and pathetic. Where were their gods now? It was customary among the Arabs to kill the men and enslave everyone else. When Muhammad (PBUH) stood in front of the enemies of the Muslims, he asked them, “What do you expect me to do to you?” They responded with pleas for mercy. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “This day I forgive you just as Yusuf (AS) forgave his brothers.” And so it was that the Prophet (PBUH) took no revenge.

Purifying the Kaaba

The Prophet (PBUH) stood at the doorway of the Kaaba and recited these verses of the Quran to his ummah:

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you near Allah is the (believer) who has taqwa (the pious and righteous person). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

The Muslims went into the Kaaba, tore down the pictures and images inside, and broke the idols in front of the people who worshipped them. The Kaaba was rededicated to the worship of the One true God (Allah).

Honoring of Bilal (RA)

Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) climbed up to the top of the Kaaba. Standing there, he then delivered the adhan (call to prayer). It was of enormous significance in terms of what Islam did for Bilal (RA) and what it meant for the oppressed, specifically for the future of African people. This is the most sacred shrine in Islam. Harar, Ethiopia, is one of the five holy cities in Islam. Here was a former African slave, liberated by the divine movement of Islam, now with the Kaaba beneath his feet. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once told Bilal (RA) that he had had a dream that he was in paradise and that Bilal’s (RA) footsteps were in front of his. Bilal (RA) told Muhammad (PBUH) that he stayed in wudhu (ritual purification). Bilal’s (RA) ascendancy as a Muslim indicates a significant element of Muhammad’s (PBUH) mission: it was a revolution that raised those at the bottom to the top and brought low those on top.

Battle of Hunayn (8 A.H. / 630 C.E.)

There were challenges to securing Mecca and purifying the Kaaba. Muhammad (PBUH) left Mecca after five weeks of the conquest. Not only did he not take revenge, but he chose not to post guards. He said: “I have been given two things: the sword and leniency. And I have discovered that leniency is more effective than the sword.” The keys to the Kaaba were given to its hereditary custodian, Uthman ibn Talha (RA). Itab ibn Usayd (RA) was born in Mecca and appointed governor. Mu’adh ibn Jabal (RA) was appointed to teach Islam and the Quran.

Although Mecca was taken with virtually no blood being spilled, there were nonetheless those who were not going to give up the city and their ways without a fight. Among the stubborn were the tribes Banu Hawazin and Banu Thaqif. They lived in the mountain region of At-Ta’if and worshipped the moon goddess Al-Lat. They raised an army of 5,000 men and marched against the Muslims. This time, the first time since his mission began, he outnumbered his enemy. He marched to Hunayn with 12,000 men.

Despite the numerical superiority, the enemy was cautious. They dispersed archers behind the hills and surprise-attacked the Muslims in the dark before the break of dawn as the Muslims were passing through the canyon. The Muslims were disoriented and panicked. Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (RA) called out, “…Muhammad is still alive. Charge forward with him.” The Muslims responded: “At your command, O God, at your command!” The idolaters realized that they were facing defeat. They started to flee, leaving behind their possessions, even their families. The Muslims laid siege to At-Ta’if. The entire ordeal lasted for a month.

This was where the Muslims used the first advanced siege appliances of its time: a dababah, which was a shielded stone and brick structure that provided cover (a primitive tank), and the minjaniq (catapult). These weapons were acquired from the Jews of Khaybar after their defeat. The Prophet (PBUH) made the decision to use these against the fortress of At-Ta’if. However, they were not as effective as they would have liked. To complicate matters, the month of Dhu al-Qi’dah began with the new moon. In Islam, this meant that no war was permitted. The Prophet (PBUH) halted the siege. He returned to Mecca, and the Muslims performed Umrah. He vowed to continue when the holy months ended.

In the interim, the Hawazin tribe accepted Islam. Their families that Muhammad (PBUH) had captured were returned to them as a show of good faith.

Tabuk Expedition (9 A.H. / 630 C.E.)

The last fight that the Prophet (PBUH) had for consolidating Mecca was at Tabuk. Tabuk is located at the northwest border of Arabia near present-day Jordan. The Byzantines, along with the pro-Roman Arab tribes, prepared for a war against the Muslims. The Prophet (PBUH) assembled an army of 30,000. Uthman ibn Affan (RA) contributed most of what he had. Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) brought half of what he owned. Abu Bakr (RA) brought everything he owned. The devotion and sacrifice of the Muslims were grand. When Abu Bakr (RA) was asked what he had left at home, he said, “Allah and His Messenger.”

Compounding the threat was the weather. It was exceptionally hot, even for Arabia; there was a drought; and the terrain to Tabuk was rough and rugged. It was a 350-mile march. During the expedition, the Muslims were not met with any resistance. The military reputation of the Muslims preceded them. Rome never invaded. Muhammad (PBUH) camped at Tabuk for two weeks as a precaution. He spent this time making treaties with the Jewish and Christian tribes on the border. The Muslim frontier became secure. This is how all of Arabia came under Muslim control.

The Farewell Hajj (10 A.H. / 632 C.E.)

Muslims spent years trying to establish the Hajj. Though disappointed with the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, the Prophet’s (PBUH) long-term strategy paid off. For the first time, the Muslims were able to perform the major Hajj. As the season approached, Muhammad (PBUH) set out for Mecca. He travelled with approximately 100,000 pilgrims from all over Arabia. The Prophet (PBUH) performed all the rites and rituals of Hajj under Islam. The pagan solemnities that had been a part of the idolatrous corruption of the Hajj were forever abolished.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took this opportunity to address his ummah one last time. In what is known as the Khuṭbat al-Wadāʿ, he delivered the first social justice speech in history:

“O people! Listen well to my words, for I do not know whether I shall meet you again on such an occasion in the future.

O people! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Remember that you will indeed appear before Allah and answer for your actions.

Behold! All practices of paganism and ignorance are now under my feet…. Return the things kept with you as a trust to their rightful owners. All dues of interest shall stand cancelled, and you will have only your capital back; Allah has forbidden interest, and I cancel the dues of interest payable to my uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib.

O people! Your wives have certain rights over you, and you have certain rights over them. Treat them well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers…

O people! None is higher than the other unless he is higher in obedience to Allah. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab. Nor is a white superior to a black. Nor a black superior to a white, except in piety.

Verily, I have left among you the book of Allah and the traditions of His messenger, which, if you hold fast to, you shall never go astray.

O people! I am not succeeded by any Prophet, and you are not succeeded by any nation. So I recommend you to worship your Lord, to pray the five prayers, to fast in Ramadan, and to offer the Zakah of your provisions willingly. I recommend you to do the pilgrimage to the sacred house of your Lord and to obey those who are in charge of you, then you will be awarded to enter the paradise of your Lord.

All of those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others, and those to others again…”

When the Prophet (PBUH) finished, the following verses were revealed:

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”

The Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Final Moments

After Hajj, the Prophet (PBUH) returned to Medina. There, in the city that had been the birthplace of the first Muslim nation, he became ill. While he was sick, the Prophet (PBUH) conducted his last official business. He ordered that the Muslims march against Rome, who had occupied Palestine. The army was led by Usamah ibn Zayd (RA). As Usamah (RA) was preparing to leave, the Prophet (PBUH) fell extremely ill with a fever and would drift in and out of consciousness. The Prophet (PBUH) began delegating responsibilities to his closest companions. It was the time of Isha, and he could not move. He fell unconscious again. When he came to, he asked, “Have the people performed prayer yet?” Aisha (RA) told him, “No, O Messenger of Allah. The people are waiting for you. They have hope.” He requested a vessel of water, which he then used to make wudhu (ablution). He got up from his bed and held onto Aisha, who walked him to the masjid. He fell unconscious again. When he woke up, his first words were, “Have the people performed prayer yet?” This happened a total of three times until he charged Abu Bakr (RA) with the responsibility of leading the five salat. The Prophet (PBUH) returned to his bed with Aisha (RA) by his side. She would use a cloth to wipe the sweat from his head and dampen it to place on him.

The last thing that Muhammad (PBUH) saw before he left this world was his ummah, with whom he fought and struggled, in salat. When he returned to his bed with his head on Aisha’s (RA) chest, she took a miswak from one of the companions and wet it with her saliva to soften it. Then she gave it to him. After chewing on it, he removed it from his mouth, looked up, and spoke:

“With those on whom You have bestowed Your grace — with the prophets and the truthful, the martyrs and the good doers — O Allah, forgive me and have mercy upon me.

O Allah, bring me to the highest of companions! O Allah, bring me to the highest of companions! O Allah, bring me to the highest of companions!

Make the salat! And remember often the destroyer of pleasures. Remember death, brothers and sisters, because it will give you life. Die before you die.”

Then, his final words were:

“The prayer. The prayer. The prayer.”

After this he breathed his last breath and died. It was Monday, the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, 11 A.H. (632 C.E.).

When the news of the Prophet’s (PBUH) death reached the people of Medina, many were in disbelief. Anas (RA), who was a close companion and narrator of hadith, said that he never witnessed a day better than when the Prophet (PBUH) came into their lives, and never suffered a worse day than when he died. Umar (RA) was so grief-stricken that he almost fainted. Everyone was reeling, and it seemed that some were on the brink of losing faith. Then Abu Bakr (RA) brought composure to the ummah when he told them:

“O people! If anyone of you worshipped Muhammad (PBUH), he should know that Muhammad (PBUH) is dead. But those who worshipped Allah should know that Allah is alive and will never die. Allah says in the Quran: ‘Muhammad is only a messenger of Allah. There came down a number of messengers before him. Then would you turn back from Islam, if he dies or if he is killed?'”

Upon receiving Abu Bakr’s (RA) words, their faith was renewed. Everyone started reciting the verse.

The Prophet’s (PBUH) Janazah (Funeral)

The companions performed the ghusl (ritual bathing) on the Prophet’s (PBUH) body, and it was shrouded with three white cotton cloths. The entire ummah prayed the salat al-Janazah in batches: first his clan, then the immigrants to Medina (Muhajirin), and then the helpers (Ansar). The women prayed after the men, and the children prayed last. Muhammad (PBUH) was buried Wednesday eve (Tuesday night).

His (PBUH) Legacy

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not a role model but a real model for mankind. His life is a template for the social, political, and economic affairs of the believers:

Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.

Throughout his life, he was persecuted by his people, suffered the loss of family and friends, and was exiled. The prophets of Allah have all undergone these trials, but Muhammad (PBUH) defeated his adversaries, enduring with patience, stratagem, and faith in the decrees of Allah. His legacy was multifaceted. He gave us a model for applied spirituality and left us with the direct path to Allah.

The Prophet (PBUH) was a revolutionary who overturned the oppressors of Mecca. His mission also effected a revolution from within the individual. He forced his followers to fight the negative characteristics about themselves that were holding them back. The revolution of Islam illustrated that every collective revolution starts with the self. The companions were constantly at war with their bad habits and negative mentality. Breaking from this aspect of ourselves is one of the ingredients to individual and collective transformation. This is why the Prophet’s (PBUH) last words were “Die before you die.”

It was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that: “Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change what is in themselves.” This is the greatest jihad. Like the merchant who, after buying his inventory of wine to sell, learned that it had just been revealed that alcohol was forbidden, we must promptly obey Allah and His messenger. For the first thirteen years of Islam, the Prophet (PBUH) concentrated on teaching the Oneness of God and building faith. When they made the hijrah to Medina, they became an independent nation, and there is where Allah revealed His rules. Tawhid, Iman, then Shariah. Their obedience was based on their faith — their certainty that there was no god but Allah and that Muhammad (PBUH) was His messenger.

Allah says that “I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.” This faith will be tested, just as Allah says: “Do people think that they will be left alone because they say, ‘We believe,’ and will not be tested? And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars (although Allah knows all that before putting them to the test).” The ummah was tested with oppression in Mecca. Then they were tested with power in Medina. This represents the cycles that Allah sets for a people. African-Americans are being tested in oppression. Like the companions, we must use this time to develop the Tawhid and Iman as well as the skills and expertise for when the next phase of our cycle — being tested with power — arrives. Without a revolution within, the outside changes will not make a difference. We must do as the holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) instructed: “Die before you die.”

Something to Think About:

What prompted the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to enter Mecca?

Why is it important to know that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) forgave his enemies from a position of power and not weakness and subjugation?

What elements of social justice does the Prophet’s (PBUH) farewell address touch upon?

What two things did the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) want us to remember before he died, and why?