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Posted on: Sep 21, '08

Introduction to Islam - Part III

In the name of Allah the Benificent the Merciful.

Part II ended with the Hijrah, the Flight from Mecca to Yathrib (Madinah).

In the first year of his reign in Yathrib the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) made a solemn treaty with the Jewsish tribes, which secured them equal rights of citizenship and full religious freedom in return for their support of the new stste. But their idea of a Prophet was one who would give them dominion, not one who made the Jews who followed him brothers of every believing Arab. When they found that they can not use the Prophet (SM) for their own ends, they tried to shake his faith in his Mission and to seduce his followers; behaviour in which they were encouraged secretly by some professing Muslims who felt that they had been robbed of their local influence that they enjoyed before. In the Madinah Surahs there is frequent mention of these Jews & hypocrites.

Till then the Qiblah (the place towards which the Muslims turn their face in prayer) had been Jerusalem. The Jews imagined that the choice implied a leaning towards Judaism and that the Prophet stood in need of their instruction. He received command to change the Qiblah from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah in Mecca.

The Prophet's first concern as ruler was to establish public worship and lay down the constitution of the State, but he did not forget that Qurayesh had sworn to make the end of his religion, nor that he had received command to fight against them till they ceased persecution. (To nullify the efforts of some vested quarters to portray Islam as war mongering, here are the verses of the Holy Quran, Surah II, Verses 190-193. "190. Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. 191. And slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship, until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. 192. But if they desist , then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. 193. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist , then let there be no hostility except against wrongdoers.)

After he had been twelve months in Yathrib several small expeditions went out led either by the Prophet himself or some other of the fugitives from Mecca, for the purpose of reconnoitering and for dissuading other tribes from siding with the Qurayesh. One purpose of those expeditions may have been to accustom the Meccan Muslims to going out in war like trims. For thirteen years they had been strict pacifists and it is clear from several passages of the Koran that many of them including the Prophet himself hated the idea of fighting even in self defence and had to be inured to it.

In the second year of the Hijrah the Meccan merchant caravan was returning from Syria as usual by a road that passed not far from Yathrib. As its leader Abu Sufyan approached the territory of Yathrib, he heard of the Prophet's design to capture the caravan. At once he sent a camel rider on to Mecca who arrived in a worn out state and shouted frantically. For the rescue of both wealth & honour a force of thousand strong was soon on its way. Did the Prophet ever intend to raid the caravan? In Ibn Hisham, in the account of Tabuk expedition, it is stated that the Prophet on that one occasion did not hide his real objective as had been his custom in other campaigns. The caravan was the pretext in the campaign of Badr, the real objective was the Meccan army. He had recieved the command to fight his persecutors and promise of victory, he was prepared to venture against any odd as well seen in Badr. But the Muslims disinclined and ill equipped for war would have despaired if they had known from the first that they had to face a well armed force three times their number.

The army of Qurayesh had advanced more than half way to Yathrib before the Prophet set out. All three parties - the army of Qurayesh, the Muslim army and the caravan were heading for the water of Badr. Abu Sufyan heard from one of his scouts that the Muslims were near the water and headed back to the coast plain. And the Muslims met the army of Qurayesh by the water of Badr on the day of 17th Ramadan. Before the battle the Prophet was prepared still further to increase the odds against him. He gave leave to all Ansars meaning helpers (natives of Yathrib) to return to their homes unreproached since their oath did not include the duty of fighting in the field, who left with a heavy heart. The battle went at first against the Muslims, but ended with a signal victory for them. The victory of Badr gave the Prophet new prestige among the Arabs, but thenceforth there was the feud of blood between the Qurayesh and the Islamic State in addition to the old religious hatred. Those passages of the Koran which refer to the battle of Badr give warning of much greater struggles yet to come.

In fact in the following year an army of three thousand came from Mecca to destroy Yathrib. The Prophet's first idea was to merely defend the city, a plan of which Abdullah ibn Ubeyy, the leadre of the hypocites (or lukewarm Muslims) strongly approved. But the men who had fought in Badr and believed that God would help them against any odds thought that it was shameful to linger behind walls. The Prophet approving of their faith & zeal gave way to them. He set out with an army of one thousand toward Mount Ohud where the enemy were encamped. Abdullah ibn Ubeyy withdrew with his men, a fourth of the army. Despite the heavy odds the battle on Mt. Ohud would have been an even greater victory than Badr for the Muslims, but for the disobedience of fifty archers whom the Prophet set to guard a pass against the enemy cavalry. Seeing their comrades victorious, these men left their post fearing to loose their share of the spoils. The cavalry of Qurayesh rode through the gap and fell on the exullant Muslims. The Prophet himself was wounded and the cry arose that he was slain, till someone recognised him and shouted that he was still living a shout to which the Muslims rallied. Gathering round the Prophet they rested leaving many dead on the hillside.

On the following day a stratagem by a friedly Bedawi, who met the Muslims first and afterwards met the Qurayesh worked. Questioned by Abu Sufyan he said that Muhammad (SM) was stronger than ever and thirsting for revenge of yesterday's reverses. On that information Abu Sufyan whose army was no less battered returned to Mecca.

The reverses of the battle of Ohud lowered the prestige of the Muslims with the Arab tribes and also with the Jews of Yathrib. The Prophet's followers were attacked and murdered when they went abroad in little companion. And the Jews despite their treaty, now hardly cocealed their hostility. They even went so far in flattery of the Qurayesh as to describe the religion of pagan Arabs superior to Al-Islam. The Prophet was obloged to take punitive action against some of them. The tribe of Bani Nadir were besieged in their strong towers, subdued and forced to emigrate.

In the fifth year of the Hijrah the idolaters made a great effort to destroy Al-Islam in the War of the clans or the War of the Trench as it is variously called. The Qurayesh with all their clans and the powerful desert tribe of Ghatafan with all their clans gathered an army of ten thousand men and rode against Al-madinah (Yathrib). The Prophet (by the advice of Salman the Persian, it's said) caused a deep trench to be dug before the city and himself led the work of digging. The army of the clans were stopped by the trench, a novelty in Arab warfare. It seemed impassable for the cavalry, that formed their strength. They camped in sight of the trench and daily showered arrows on its defenders. While the Muslims were awaiting the assault, the news came that Bani Qurayezah, a Jewish tribe had gone over to the enemy and the Muslim women, children and the old lerft behind were threatened by them . The case seemed desperate. But the delay caused by the trench had damped the ardour of the clans and one who was secretly a Muslim managed to sow distrust between the Qurayesh & their Jewish allies. Then came a bitter wind from the sea which blew for three days and nights so terribly that not a tent could be kept standing, not a fire lighted, not a pot boiled. The tribesmen were in utter misery. One morning the Ghatafan clans woke up only to find the Qurayesh gone. They too packed their baggage and retreated.

To be continued....

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neha_sh2000 said:

September 22, '08

VintageWine48 said:
Valuable information about the History of Islam. Great post.

September 21, '08

deen25 said:

may allah guide each one with happiness,may there be peace all around,may there be unity and good thoughts within people...AMEEN

September 21, '08

madhumitaCAP2000 said:
thanks lot Zahir all these posts are so nice and tell us so much about ISLAM do keep posting like I said earlier

September 21, '08

whirlwind2000 said:
Very informative post about Islam ! It will go a long way in removing a lot of misgivings which is prevalent in us anout the religion !

September 21, '08

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