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<< Introduction to Islam - Part IV | Main

Posted on: Sep 24, '08

An Introduction to Islam Part - V

In the name of Allah the Benificent the Merciful.

Part IV ended with the treaty of Hudeybiah signed between Qurayesh & the Muslims. Apparently it seemed to be a treaty undermining the Muslims. But this truce proved in fact, to be the greatest victory the Muslims had till then achieved.

War had been a barrier between Muslims & the idolaters, but now now both parties met and talked together and the new religion spread more rapidly. In the two years that elapsed between signing the treaty and the fall of Mecca the number of converts was greater than the total number of all previous converts. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wa Sallam) travelled to Al-Hudeybiah with 1400 men. Two years later when the Meccans broke the truce, he marched against them with an army of 10,000.

In the seventh year of the Hijrah the Prophet led a campaign against Khyber, the stronghold of the Jewish tribes in North Arabia, which had become a hornet's nest of his enemies. The forts of Khyber were reduced one by one and the Jews of Khyber from thereon became tenants of the Muslims. It was at Khyber that a Jewish prepared for the Prophet poisoned meat, of which he only tasted a morsel without swallowing it then warned his comrades that it was poisoned. One Muslim who had already swallowed a mouthful died immediately and the prophet himself from the mere taste of it derived the illness which eventually caused his death. The woman who cooked the meat was brought before him. When she said that she had done it on account of the humiliation of her people, he forgave her.

In the same year the Prophet's vision was fulfilled; he visited the holy Ka'bah at Mecca unopposed . In accordance with the terms of the truce the disbelievers evacuated the city and from the surrounding heights watched the procedure of the Muslims. He then withdrew and the non believers reoccupied the city.

In the eighth year of the Hijrah Qurayesh broke the truce by attacking a tribe that was in alliaance with the Muslims and massacaring them even in the sanctuary at Mecca. Afterwards they became afraid of what they had done. They sent Abu Sufyan to Al-Madinah to ask for the existing treaty to be renewed and its term prolonged. But a man from that tribe was already there and his embassy was fruitless.

Then the Prophet summoned all the Muslims capable of bearing arms and marched to Mecca. Qurayesh were overawed. They tried to put up a show of resistance but were overpowered without any bloodshed. The Prophet entered his native city as its conqueror. The inhabitants feared vengeance for their past misdeeds, but the Prophet proclaimed a general amnesty. In their relief and surprise the whole population of Mecca hastened to swear allegiance. The Prophet caused all the idols which were in the sanctuary to be destroyed saying, "Truth had come, darkness hath vanished away", and the Muslim call to prayer was heard in Mecca. Later he appointed a governor of Mecca and returned to Madinah to the boundless joy of the residents there who had feared that now that he had regained his native city, he might forsake them and make Mecca the capital.

The number of campaigns which he led in person during the last ten years of his life is twenty seven, in nine of which there were hard fighting. The number of expeditions he planned and sent out under other leaders is thirty eight. He personally controlled every detail of organisation, judge every cse and was accessible to every appliant. In those ten years he brought an end to idolatry in Arabia, raised woman from the status of a chattel to complete legal equality with man, effectually stopped drunkenness and immorality which had till then disgraced the Arabs, made men in love with faith, sincerity and honest dealing, transformed tribes who had been for centuries content with ignorance to a people with the greatest thirst for knowledge and for the first time in history made universal brotherhood a fact and principle of common law. And his support and guide in all that had been the Holy Koran.

In the tenth year of Hijrah the Prophet went to Mecca as a pilgrim for the last time - his 'pilgrimage of farewell' it is called. There from the Mt. Arafat he preached to an enormous throng of pilgrims. He reminded them of all the duties of Al-Islam enjoined upon them and that they would one day have to meet their Lord Who would judge each one of them according to his/her work. At the end of the discourse he asked, "have I not conveyed the Message?" And from that great multitude of men & women who a few months or years before were conscienceless people the shout went up: "O Allah! Yes!" The Prophet said, "O Allah! Be thou witness!"

(In next two blogs I would endeavor to draw conclusion to this series though the subject will certainly reappear (there is so much to share with such an enlightened audience) in my future blogs, Allah willing. In the immediate next one would be narration of the speech of the Prophet in his pilgrimage of farewell (bidai Hajj) and his passing away from this world. The last one would be a humble effort to present before you the salient features of Islam as it relates to humanity. May Allah bless you all)...

To be continued...

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