5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

He then said, “This is the season where knowledge will be snatched away from people, until they would not possess any of it”; meaning, the people would turn away from the Qur’an, its teachings and the Sacred Knowledge. They would not show any eagerness to attain it, nor would they understand it. “…snatched away from them…” meaning it would be taken away from them. Upon hearing this, a noble Companion stood up – he was Ziyad bin Labid al-Ansari – and said with all zeal, “O Messenger of Allah, how can it be snatched away from us? We have read the Qur’an! By Allah, we will continue to read it! We will make our wives and children read it!” The Prophet looked at him and found him to be a young man full of zeal and enthusiasm for religion. He then decided to correct his understanding, thus he said, “May your mother be bereaved, O Ziyad! Even though, I surely consider you from the jurists of the people of Madinah!” This was a praise of Ziyad, for the Messenger of Allah  to say to him in front of people that he was from the jurists of Madinah. This is from the positive and bright pages from Ziyad’s life. He then said, ‘The Jews and the Christians have the Torah and the Gospel. How has it benefited them?” (Sahih – narrated by al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim) Meaning, it is not the presence of the Qur’an that matters. What matters is its recitation, the knowledge of its meanings, and then acting on its rulings. This is how great the way the Prophet Hold the stick from the middle  dealt with the people was. On another occasion, the Prophet  went to some of the Arab tribes calling them to Islam. He would choose the most beautiful words to encourage them to respond to his call and enter the fold of Islam. One of the tribes he went to was known as Banu ‘Abdullah. When the Prophet  called them to Allah and presented his message to them, he said, “O Banu ‘Abdullah! Allah has chosen a beautiful name for your father!”; meaning, you are not Banu ‘Abd al-Izza, or Banu ‘Abd al-Laat. Rather, you are Banu ‘Abdullah. Thankfully, there is no paganism involved in your name, and therefore, you should enter into Islam. In fact, he was so proficient in his ways that he would send indirect messages to people, showing his amazement with them, and that he wanted good for them. When such indirect messages reach those intended, then perhaps they may affect them more than direct messages. Khalid bin al-Walid – may Allah be pleased with him – was a hero. He was not just any hero, but a courageous one. The Prophet  would wish that he embrace Islam. But how could he? For he was eager to take part in every battle against the Muslims. In fact, he was the greatest reason for the Muslim defeat in the battle of Uhud. The Prophet  once said of him, “If he were to come to us, we would truly honour him and prefer him over others”. How did this have an effect on him? Let us cite the story from the beginning. Khalid was from the Hold the stick from the middle severest of the disbelievers and one of their leaders. He would never miss an opportunity to fight the Messenger of Allah  or ambush him. When the Prophet  came to al-Hudaybiyyah with the Muslims with the intention of performing ‘Umrah, Khalid along with other pagan knights set out and met the Prophet  and his Companions at a place called ‘Asfaan. Khalid stood close to them just waiting for an opportunity to attack the Messenger of Allah  with an arrow or a sword. Thus, he began to wait for an ambush. The Prophet  prayed the dawn prayers with his Companions as the enemies watched. They wanted to attack him, but they did not find it feasible.The Prophet  realised their intent and therefore prayed the ‘Asr prayer with his Companions as the prayer of fear; meaning, he grouped his Companions into two. A group prayed with him whilst the other group stood guard. This really affected Khalid and his Companions. He said to himself, “The man has been prevented from us”, meaning, there are those who would protect him and defend him against harm. Then the Prophet , along with his Companions, departed taking a route on the right in order to avoid Khalid and his companions. He reached al-Hudaybiyyah, signed a treaty with the Quraysh that he would perform ‘Umrah next year, and returned to Madinah. Khalid noticed that that Quraysh were becoming weaker and weaker as days went by. He thought to himself, “What is left? Where shall I go? To Negus? I cannot, because even he follows Muhammad, whose followers are living under his protection. Perhaps, I should go to Heraclius? No.