4. If anyone from the Quraish comes over to the Prophet~ without

obtaining the permission of his guardian, he will be returned to his guardian, but if anyone of those with the Prophet ~ escaped to the Quraish, they are not bound to be returned to him. Reaction to the Peace Treaty: The fourth condition of the Treaty was terribly displeasing to the Companions. The Treaty was still being written when Abu Jandal ~ ' the son of Suhail himself, who was put in chains and mercilessly tortured for professing Islam, came to the Prophet ~ from his captivity. He showed fresh injuries on his person and expressed his profound desire to be taken to Al-Madinah. Suhail cried in excitement, "Abu Jandal should be handed over to me as per the Treaty." The Prophet ~ tried to drive the point home to Suhail but he would not agree. At last, Suhail took Abu Janda! ~ back to Makkah beating him severely.

Umar ~ witnessed the pitiable sight and lost control over himself. He then appeared before the Prophet~ and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Are you not a true Prophet?" "Certainly! I am a true Prophet," the Prophet ~ replied. "Are we not believers?" "Certainly! You are believers," the Prophet ~ said in reply.

"Are they not polytheists?" Prophet Muhammad .# Umar ~ submitted again. "Certainly! They are polytheists," the Prophet ~ said. "Why are we then accepting such ignominious terms?" Umar ~inquired. The Prophet ~ said, "I am the Messenger of Allah and therefore, cannot oppose the Command of Allah, nor can I commit any breach of trust. He (Allah) will never put me to disgrace." Hearing this Umar's anger subsided and he repented very deeply for his being so bold with the Prophet~ and kept on seeking forgiveness of Allah and setting slaves free to atone for his behavior.

Unique Victory: Having concluded the Treaty, the Prophet :i and the Muslims sacrificed the animals at Hudaibiyah, put off their Ihrdm and shaved their heads. After this Treaty, the Khuza'ah tribe formed an alliance with the Prophet ~ and the Banu Bakr tribe formed an alliance with the Quraish of Makkah. The Khuza'ah and Banu Bakr were at odds with one another for quite a long time. Since each of them, formed an alliance with one party or another, they had to be at peace with each other according to one of the conditions of the Treaty. When the Prophet ~ was returning from Hudaibiyah to Al-Madinah, Surat AlFath (The Victory) was revealed on the way. Now what the Companions took as a setback was, in fact, a unique victory.

Very soon the Companions saw with their naked eyes that the seemingly weak terms from the Muslim point of view proved very strong and useful. The greatest victory for the Muslims was the condition of peace which the Muslims secured through this Treaty, which paved the way for the spread of Islam so quickly that could not have been possible in a state of fighting and disorder. Islam means peace and it has so often gone to war to establish peace. Battles in Islam have always been fought for winning peace. Thus in only two years after the Truce of Hudaibiyah, enjoying a state of peace, the number of believers doubled. Consequences of the Truce of Hudaibiyah The fourth condition of the Treaty was as an irritant of the highest degree.

This condition was repulsive to the Muslims, however, the Quraish eventually requested the Prophet :i to cancel this condition History of Islam which seemingly was in their favor. The following events will explain what caused this surprising change. A few days after the return of the Muslims to Al-Madinah, Abu Basir, who had already confessed Islam in Makkah, broke away and took shelter in Al-Madinah. The Quraish sent two of their men to bring Abu Basir ~ back to Makkah according to the recently signed Treaty. The Prophet~ sent him back. At Dhul-Hulaifah, he, according to a plan, said to one of his guards, "Your sword appears to be of the highest quality." Hearing this, another guard unsheathed the sword of his fellow and began to admire it.

Abu Basir ~ said, "Let me see the sword." He gave it to Abu Basir ~ without the least care. Abu Basir ~ struck him with the sword so hard that his head came off and fell down. The other guard took to his heels towards AIMadinah and entered into the Prophet's Mosque frightened, and narrated the incident to the Prophet ~- He was still reporting the event when Abu Basir ~ came in following him with the unsheathed sword. When he was sure he wouldn't get any protection in AlMadinah, Abu Basir ~ said to the Prophet ~: "You have already fulfilled your duty by handing me over to the polytheists, but Allah the Almighty caused me to restore my liberty. 1 will now go away because you will, in fulfillment of your agreement, give me to the polytheists again." Saying this he left the place. The man from the Quraish returned to Makkah and related the incident to them. Abu Basir ~ fled to the seacoast and settled at Eis.

When Abu Janda) bin Suhail ~ came to know of this, he also escaped from Makkah and joined Abu Basir ~- Now, whoever embraced Islam in Makkah fled from there to join the band of Abu Ba sir~- The band grew so strong that it began to intercept the trade caravans of Makkah. Things got so bad that the Quraish wrote to the Prophet ~ to abrogate the fourth condition of the Treaty, and they would no longer demand the return of those who escaped and went to him in future. The Prophet :I accepted the request of the Quraish and sent a message to Abu Basir ~ to come to AI-Madinah along with his band of men. This order reached Abu Basir ~ at a time when he was seriously ill and confined to bed. However, he called Abu Janda!~ and instructed him to carry out the command without loss of time. Prophet Muhammad Ji Abu Basir ~ then passed away and Abu Jandal ~ left for AlMadinah accompanied by his fellows.

This is how the despised fourth condition of the Treaty was mutually canceled. Return of the Muslims from Abyssinia On return from Hudaibiyah, the Prophet ~ sent Amr bin Umayyah Damri ~ with a letter addressed to Negus, the King of Abyssinia, to bring Ja'far bin Abu Talib 4}¢ and all other Muslim migrants back to Al-Madinah. Through this dispatch, the Prophet~ had also invited Negus to accept Islam, which he did at once. He bade farewell to the Muslims with many valuable gifts. From Hudaibiyah, the Prophet ;I reached Al-Madinah in Dhul-Hijjah and stayed in Al-Madinah till Muharram, 7 AH. Towards the end of 6 AH, the Prophet :i introduced among the Muslims the practice of racing camels and horses.

It is said that Aishah' s mother died the same year and Abu Hurairah ~ embraced Islam. The Seventh Year of Migration Conquest of Khaibar After the Truce of Hudaibiyah, the Prophet~ obtained peace with the Makkan polytheists. However, news came to Al-Madinah that there was a plan to launch an attack on Al-Madinah. Being uprooted from Al-Madinah, Banu Nadir and Banu Qainuqa' were staying in Khaibar and the flames of revenge were burning in their hearts, and very soon the Jews of the region were incited to rise up against the Muslims. Khaibar became the center of hostility against the Muslims. They started large-scale military preparations against the believers.

They drew Banu Ghatfan to their side by promising them half of the produce of Al-Madinah. The Jews had the support of the hypocrites of Al-Madinah and even though they were far away from Al-Madinah, they knew of every move the Muslims were making. Informed of their military preparations, the Prophet ~ marched towards Khaibar in Muharram, 7 AH, at the head of one thousand five hundred Companions leaving History of Islam Saba' bin Arfatah ~ m Al-Madinah as Administrator. He :i chose Raji', a region lying between Khaibar and Banu Ghatffm, to serve as his military camp, with the result Banu Ghatfan who kept fearing a Muslim attack at any time, could not dare go to help the Jews of Khaibar. In Khaibar, there were three settlements in which the Jews had a cluster of six big forts. They had among them fighters like Marhab and Yasir who were wrestlers of repute.

They stepped forward and made a challenge for a duel. Muhammad bin Maslamah and Zubair bin Awwam ~ accepted the challenge. After a fierce fight, Maslamah ~ killed Marhab and Zubair bin Awwam ~ slew Yasir. As per some narratives, Ali~ was the man who had killed Marhab. Finding it almost impossible to face the Muslims in the open, the Jews stayed in their forts. The Muslim army launched an attack on the fort called Na'im which belonged to Marhab and captured it.

The next fort to be captured was Sa'b bin Mu'adh. Then attack was made on the second settlement of Khaibar. Its forts were also captured. Now came the Qamus, fort of Abu Huqaiq in the third settlement, it also fell. Safiyyah bint Hua'i was brought to Al-Madinah as a captive and the Prophet :i married her after setting her free. Watih and Salalim were the two remaining forts that came under siege by the Muslim troops, which continued for ten days.

They obtained peace and safety from the Muslims on giving half of the produce from their lands and gardens. During the battle of Khaibar, fifteen Muslims were honored with martyrdom, four from the Muhtijirin and eleven from the Ansar, while 39 Jews were killed. Zainab bint Al-Harth, the wife of a Jewish chieftain, Salam bin Mishkam served the Prophet :i a poisonous roasted goat. As he took a piece of it, he spat saying that the bones were giving information about the poison. Bishr bin Al-Bara' ~ who was sharing the meal, had taken a piece of meat and swallowed it which led to his immediate death. Zainab was called and she confessed her crime.

She was handed over to the relatives of Bishr ~ but they held back from killing her as she had already accepted Islam. According to another narrative, she did not embrace Islam and was killed in retaliation. Preparations to set out for Al-Madinah were still 1 Prophet Muhammad !Jf · on when some migrants of Abyssinia appeared before the Prophet ti along with the valuable gifts and a letter from Negus, the King of Abyssinia. Their caravan included Ja'far bin Abu Talib, his wife, Asma' bint Umais, his sons Abdullah, Aun, and Muhammad, Khalid bin Saeed bin Al-As bin Umayyah, his wife, Aminah bint Khalaf, and i his son, Saeed ~ - While Umm Khalid, Amr bin Saeed, Abu Musa ; Ash'ari, Jahm bin Qais, Harth bin Khalid, Muhinah bin Ghidar, i Ma'mar bin Abdullah, Abu Hatib bin Amr, Malik bin Rabi'ah bin Qais and Amr bin Umayyah Damri ~ were those who had gone to bring them back. Some of them went to Al-Madinah and the rest i arrived in Khaibar. On the way back in the eastern side from Khaibar, there lay the flourishing town of Fidak.

The Jews of Fidak sent a message to the Prophet ti; to take away everything in lieu of their lives. The request was accepted. Since Fidak came under possession without a fight, the property was given to state control as the sole property of Allah and His Messenger. When the Muslim army passed by Wadi-ul-Qura, the Jews of the area began to shoot arrows at the Muslims. They were also besieged and they earned peace and safety at the cost of half of their produce. The people of Taima also obtained peace like those of Wadiul-Qura.

After the Conquest of Khaibar On way back from Khaibar, one morning the Prophet ~ and the entire Muslim army slept past sunrise. It was the Prophet~ who got up first and roused the others from their sleep. At a little distance from there, he ~ and his Companions offered the Fajr prayer. Thus he ti; showed the Companions the offering of the prayer when rising late from the sleep. The Jews were very wealthy and the lands of Khaibar under their possession were also very fertile. After the conquest of Khaibar, the booty and agricultural lands distributed among the Muslims removed their poverty and hardship.

Now the Muhdjirin became owners of property and became free from the need for help and support of the Ansdr. From the lands of Khaibar, the Prophet ti received the property of Fidak, which served the purpose of caring for the many History of Islam visiting delegations and his other guests, while the land from Banu Nadir sustained his relatives, the orphans and the poor. A very wealthy man from Makkah, Hajjaj bin Ilat Sulami, left Makkah telling everyone that he was going on a journey but he actually went to the Prophet :;I and he became a Muslim in his presence and joined the Prophet :;I during the expedition of Khaibar. He said, "The Makkans are still unaware of my conversion to Islam. With your permission, may I go to Makkah and bring my wealth, which is.-in the possession of my wife and collect the money I have' given as loans to the Makkans?" The Prophet :I granted him permission. When Hajjaj i ~ went to Makkah, he found that the Makkans desperately wanted to know about the outcome of the Muslims action in Khaibar.

Hajjaj ~ used this event to deceive the disbelievers. He told them nothing about the consequences of the battle of Khaibar and utilized their support in collecting his loans, they considered it a support for a fellow enemy of the Muslims. He then set out from Makkah with his entire wealth after collecting the whole amount that was outstanding, he only informed Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib about his accepting Islam and the conquest of Khaibar by the Muslims. The Makkans were angry and depressed at the success of the Muslim military action in Khaibar and Hajjaj's escape from Makkah with such a vast amount of wealth. On his return from Khaibar, the Prophet ~ sent detachments to all those tribes who were still making efforts to inflict harm on the Muslims. The purpose behind sending those detachments was to send terror into their hearts so that any conspiracy would be prevented before it was put into action.

Abu Bakr~ along with Salamah bin Akwa' ~ and others were sent to the Fazarah tribe, while Umar ~ was dispatched to the Hawazin at the head of thirty horsemen. Abdullah bin Rawahah ~ was sent to arrest Bishr bin Zaram, the Jew who used to incite the Jews of Khaibar against the Muslims. Bashir bin Sa'd Ansari ~ set out at the head of thirty horsemen to punish Banu Murrah, while Usamah bin Zaid ~ went to the clan Huraqah (Banu Humais) of Juhainah tribe. Cha.lib bin Abdullah Laithi ~ was sent to Banu Al-Mulawwih, and Abu Hadrad Aslami ~ was sent to Rifa'ah bin Qais, the chief of the Jusham bin Mu'awiyah clan. Abu Qatadah and Muhallim bin Jaththamah ~ were sent to Idam. Prophet Muhammad Jff All these military detachments came back with success.

Usamah bin Zaid ~ lifted his sword to kill a person who immediately pronounced La ildha illallah (there is no God to be worshipped except Allah), despite this, Usamah ~ put him to death. When the matter was later reported to the Prophet :i, he asked Usamah ~ to explain his action. He submitted that he had killed him because he had pronounced the Shahadah just to save his life. "Did you split his heart to see if he had pronounced the Shahddah out of hypocrisy?" The Prophet ~ angrily expressed himself. Usamah ~ expressed his utmost regret over his behavior and promised not to repeat it again. In the same way, Abu Qatadah and Muhallim bin Jaththamah ~ were once going somewhere when they came across Amir bin Adbat, a man from Ashja' clan who was making a journey with his goods.

When Amir bin Ad bat noticed the Muslim detachment, he said "AsSalamu Alaikum" in the Islamic manner. But the Muslims doubted his sincerity and Muhallim bin Jaththamah ~ put him to death. When the expedition returned, the incident was reported to the Prophet :i, he expressed his displeasure and said to Muhallim ~, "Why did you kill him in a state of his being a believer in Allah?" Then he :i gave the relatives of Amir, fifty camels as compensation and they agreed to free Muhallim ~ from retaliation. Invitation Letters to Islam In this same year, the Prophet ~ sent letters to the kings of the Arabs and non-Arabs. His letter to Negus, the King of Abyssinia has already been mentioned. Negus accepted Islam gracefully.

Then the Prophet ~ sent Dihyah bin Khalifah Al-Kalbi ~ to Heraclius, the king of Rome; Hatib bin Abu Balta'ah ~ to Muqauqis, the king of Egypt and Alexandria; Ala bin Al-Hadrami ~ to Mundhir bin Sawa, the king of Bahrain. Amr bin Al-As ~ was sent to the king of Oman; Salit bin Amiri~ was sent to Haudhah bin Ali, the king of Yamamah; Shuja' bin Wahb ~ to Harith bin Shimr Ghassani, the king of Damascus, and also to Jabalah bin Aiham. Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah Makhzumi ~ was sent to Harith bin Abd Kulal Himyari, the king of Yemen; and Abdullah bin Hudhaifah Sahmi ~ to Chosroes, the king of Persia. History of Islam Heraclius, the king of Rome did not embrace Islam fearing the opposition of the Christians and the loss of the throne, but he paid respect to the letter of the Prophet ~ and his messenger. The King of Egypt held the letter and the envoy of the Prophet ~ in high esteem. In reply he wrote a very courteous letter to the Prophet ~ and sent garments, a donkey and two slave-girls to him.

Mundhir bin Sawa also showed respect to his letter and the envoy. The king of Oman embraced Islam when he received his letter. However, Chosroes, the King of Persia, tore the letter into pieces and behaved rudely with Abdullah bin Hudhaifah ~ - Informed of this, the Prophet ~ remarked, "Even so shall Allah shatter his kingdom to pieces." And it happened exactly as he said. Arrival In Makkah The Prophet ~ in the early part of Dhul-Qa'dah, 7 AH, asked only those Companions who had taken part in the Treaty of Hudaibiyah to make preparations for the journey to Makkah. Two thousand Companions in all, left for Makkah. Abu Dhar Ghifari ~ was appointed the Administrator of Al-Madinah.

According to the Treaty, they took off all their weapons except their swords and entered Makkah. Reaching the Ka'bah, the Prophet ~ asked the pilgrims to lay bare their right shoulder and wrap a part of the Ihram passing it from below the armpit, and then go around the House of Allah in a running manner. He did this so that their readiness, determination, strength and diligence would come in to full view of the onlooking Makkan polytheists. A large number of polytheists had shifted to mountain passes and plains to avoid the sight of the believers performing Umrah, which would be distressful for them. After accomplishing the rites of Umrah, the Prophet ~ married Maimunah ~ , the sister of Umm Fadl and the wife of Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib. The fourth day, Suhail bin Amr and Huwaitib bin Abdul-Uzza came to the Prophet~ and asked him to vacate Makkah as per the Treaty.

He said, "Don't worry, Jam ready to leave Makkah. But you are quite aware that I have just married a woman here and the bride has not yet been sent to me. If you allow me, J will have a Prophet Muhammad 3if€' marriage party and invite all the Makkans to a feast before leaving the city. I think you will lose nothing if it is done." Suhail said, "We need no feast or your party, and you should go from here observing the terms of the Treaty." So, the Prophet~ proclaimed their departure then and there. The Prophet~, along with his Companions, came out of the Haram (sacred) area and halted at Sarif valley, Maimunah bint Harith ~ joined the Prophet ~ there. On the eve of leaving Makkah, Umarah, the daughter of Hamzah ~' who was still a young child, came running and crying to go to AlMadinah.

Ali~ lifted the child and put her on his saddle. Now Ja'far bin Abu Talib and Zaid bin Harithah also rose to make a claim saying, "Since she is my cousin and my wife is her mother's sister, she must be given under my care." The Prophet~ patiently heard all the claims and then entrusted the child to Ja'far saying, "The mother's sister is like the mother, so she shoul Prophet Muhammad ~ the command of Zaid bin Haritha ~ - He instructed them that if Zaid ~ were killed then Ja'far bin Abu Talib~ should take the command. If Ja'far ~ were also slain then the command would pass on to Abdullah bin Rawahah ~' and in case of his falling the Muslims were at liberty to choose anyone as their commander. The Prophet~ escorted the army for a distance and then returned to Al-Madinah. Zaid bin Harithah ~ led his force to Ma'an where he found out that Shurahbil bin Amr, the ruler of Mu'tah was present at Balqa' with a hundred thousand Roman troops. This news sent a wave of anxiety into the hearts of the Muslim troops, which were halted at Ma'an holding consultations about dealing with the new developments.

The deliberation were going on when Abdullah bin Rawahah ~ gave a call at the top of his voice: "Men, you have come out in quest of martyrdom. We do not fight the enemy on the strength of our numbers, or our power; we fight them with the religion we have been honored with by Allah. Thus advance towards Mu'tah and the army of Heraclius. Keep your right and left wings in order. Come on, we shall be winners both ways; either we win or we gain martyrdom." In response to Abdullah bin Rawahah's inspiring speech, Zaid bin Harithah ~ got up with lance in one hand and the standard in the other. And with him rose the entire Muslim army filled with a new spirit and enthusiasm.

The Muslim troops moved ahead from Ma'an and chose a vast field in Mu'tah to give battle. Both the armies stood face to face, three thousand Muslims against one hundred thousand enemy soldiers armed to the teeth. The Muslim army had with them Khalid bin Walid ~ for the first time and he had his first opportunity to test his sword on behalf of Islam. Moreover, it was the first battle between the Muslims and the Christians, Zaid bin Harithah ~ was moving ahead of all with the standard of Islam firmly in his hand. The right wing was Jed by Qutbah bin Qatadah Udhri ~, while the left wing was under the charge of Abayah bin Malik Ansari~- Zaid bin Harithah ~ descended on the army and died fighting bravely with innumerable wounds on his body. The standard was History of Islam now taken in hand by Ja'far ~ who led the fight.

When the battle became confined, he jumped off his charger and hamstrung its forelegs and fought until he lost his right hand. He took the standard in his left hand but when it was also cut off, he kept the standard flying with the support of his neck. At last, he fell dead on the battlefield. The standard was then held aloft by Abdullah bin Rawahah ~- He too dismounted from his horse and pressed onwards. He also was granted martyrdom after killing a number of enemy soldiers. After his exit from the battle scene the Muslims were subdued by a sense of anxiety.

But Thabit bin Aqram ~ sprang forward and gave a call by lifting the standard: "O Muslims! Unite to choose a man to lead you." The Muslim troops raised their voice: "We agree on your leadership." Thereupon Thabit bin Aqram ~ said, "I am not fit for the job; choose Khalid bin Walid as your leader." "We agree on Khalid bin Walid," the people confirmed in one voice. Hearing this Khalid bin Walid ~ swung into action and took the standard from the hand of Thabit bin Aqram ~- Now the Muslim troops rallied round him with new zeal. Khalid ~ infused in their hearts a new spirit of do or die. And along with this he launched such successive attacks on all sides that the enemy soldiers were left unnerved. Not only did Khalid bin Walid ~ fight gallantly, he also led his army to show its mettle in the battlefield.

He displayed his genius as a military commander and kept the entire military in full control with extraordinary skill. He moved ahead and drew back the right and the left wings according to the demand of the battle. Despite superiority of numbers, the enemy troops did not prove a match for the Muslim army of far less numbers and weaponry. Khalid bin Walid ~ looked like a flash of lightning throughout the battlefield. The whole day he led his three thousand men against the large army of one hundred thousand. By the evening the Romans escaped leaving behind booty and corpses.

Khalid ~ - Saifullih His instinct for leadership and military skill was acclaimed by everyone and he has received the title of the "Sword of Allah" from Allah and His Messenger ~ -The same day that the fighters in the cause of Islam Prophet Muhammad ~ were engaged in giving battle, hundreds of miles away, the Prophet ~ ascended the pulpit to tell the Muslims: "The Muslim troops took on the enemy. Zaid gained martyrdom and Allah forgave him then Ja'far took the standard in his hand and was surrounded by the enemies, with the result that he was honored with martyrdom, and Allah forgave him too. Following this, Abdullah bin Rawahah ~ took the standard of Islam in his hand and fell down martyred. They were all lifted to Paradise. After these three, Khalid bin Walid, the sword among the swords of Allah took the standard in his hand and set the matter right." From that day on, Khalid bin Walid ~ came to be called Saifullah (the Sword of Allah). As the sad news broke out, the household of Ja'far ~ was subdued with grief.

The Prophet ~ sent a meal to Ja'far's house. When Khalid bin Walid ~ reached near Al-Madinah along with his troops, the Prophet~ came out of Al-Madinah to greet them and gave Khalid ~ the glad tidings of the title of 'the Sword of Allah'. One of the Companions saw in a dream Ja'far ~ flying in Paradise with two wings. From that day he was called Ja'far Tayyar - 'Ja'far, the flier' . As per one narrative, the Prophet ~ once said, "Allah the Almighty has conferred two wings on Ja 'far with which he keeps flying in heaven." The battle of Mu'tah was fought in Jumada Al-Ula, 8 AH. The Expedition to Quda 1 ah ( Dh.it-us-Sal.isil) About a month after the battle of Mu'tah came the news that the people of Quda'ah had collected an army near the Syrian border to invade Al-Madinah.

The Prophet ~ at once dispatched a detachment consisting of three hundred Muhajirin and Ansar under the command of Amr bin Al-As ~- On reaching near the enemy, it came to be known that the number of the enemy soldiers was far more than was expected. A courier was immediately sent to Al-Madinah. The Prophet ~ sent Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ at the head of reinforcements. The enemy army could not stand the joint onslaught and scattered in fear and confusion. The raiding party returned safe and sound. Shortly after this came the news that the Juhainah tribe, along the seacoast, at a distance of five stages from Al-Madinah had History of Islam collected men and arms to raid Al-Madinah.

The Prophet ~ immediately sent Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah ~ at the head of three hundred Muhajirin and Ansar, but the expedition came back without engaging the enemy because they were so terrified at the sight of the Muslim detachment that they fled. Conquest of Makkah A surprising incident occurred in Sha'ban, 8 AH. Banu Khuza'ah and Banu Bakr had halted their long standing feud and made peace after entering into alliances respectively with the Messenger of Allah~ and the Quraish as part of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. According to the Treaty they could not attack one another for a period of ten years. But Banu Bakr developed an evil scheme against Banu Khuza'ah and they planned to take revenge on their rivals. The Quraish of Makkah should have held Banu Bakr back from implementing their plan against Banu Khuza'ah making them uphold the Treaty.

Instead of preventing them, the Quraish, totally at variance with their obligation to the Treaty, came out in the open lending full and active support to Banu Bakr with men and material. They broke their covenant to the extent that Safwan bin Umayyah, Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, and Suhail bin Amr joined the fighting along with Banu Bakr. The combined attack of Banu Bakr and the Quraish inflicted on Banu Khuza'ah a heavy loss of 20 or 30 men. Being caught by a surprise attack at night while they were asleep, they found no where to take refuge except at the House of Allah, the Ka'bah, and even some of them were killed there (this was also a breach of trust as the Ka'bah was a sanctuary for all). That fateful night when the massacre of Banu Khuza'ah took place and the terms of the Peace Treaty were thrown to the wind, a few persons of Banu Khuza'ah in Makkah cried for help from the Prophet ~ - At that same moment the Messenger of Allah was in the house of Maimunah ~ in Al-Madinah and was performing Wudu (ablution). He heard what they said in Makkah and replied: "Labbaik!

Labbaik! (I am at your service)." Maimunah ~ said, "Whom were you talking to when you said Labbaik?" The Prophet~ replied, "At this moment the complaint of Banu Khuza'ah was being brought to me and I responded to it." Amazingly, they also heard in Makkah Prophet Muhammad Ji at the same time the consoling voice of the Prophet ~ - The next morning the Messenger of Allah ~ said to Aishah ~, "Last night, Banu Bakr and the Quraish have jointly massacred some of the Banu Khuza'ah." Aishah ~ said, "By this did the Quraish violate the Treaty in your opinion?" The Prophet of Allah~ confidently said, "They have certainly breached the trust, and very soon, Allah the Almighty will issue His Command concerning it." A Few days after the incident Budail bin Warga' and Amr bin Salim came to AI-Madinah and put their complaint before the Prophet ~ - Amr bin Salim told his tale of woe in a poem filled with gloom and grief at their being brutally attacked and killed. Some of the verses are as follows: "The Quraish have committed a breach of trust against you, and they have broken the firm treaty signed with you. They have plundered us like hay, and they believe that we have nobody to help us. They are mean and deficient in number, and they attacked us at Watir when we were lying asleep." The Prophet of Allah :i; consoled them saying, "You will be helped." At the time of their departure from Al-Madinah the Messenger of Allah :i; remarked: "Abu Sufyan has set out from Makkah to seek an extension in the duration of Peace Treaty and get it consolidated, but his mission will end in failure." When the Makkans found time to think over the consequences of their misconduct, they were struck by fear. They sent Abu Sufyan to renew the Peace Treaty.

The Messenger of Allah ~ ordered the Muslims, on the other hand, to make preparations for the ensuing battle and to keep it a top secret. On the way back to Makkah, Budail bin Warga' and his group came across Abu Sufyan who was heading for AlMadinah. "Where have you been?" asked Abu Sufyan. "I was only up in this valley," Budail replied. Abu Sufyan was under the impression that the Prophet :i; was unaware of the attack against Banu Khuza'ah that had just occurred. He was determined to get the Peace Treaty renewed as soon as possible.

History of Islam Abu Sufyan in AI-Madinah: Abu Sufyan came to Al-Madinah and made several attempts to contact the Prophet of Allah ~ ' Abu Bakr Siddiq, Umar and Ali :.~, but none of them paid attention to him. During this exercise in futility Ali ~, in order to make him look foolish, said to him, "You are the chief of Banu Kinanah, so you can go to the Prophet's Mosque and announce that you extend the terms of the Treaty and confirm it." He did accordingly and left in hurry. When he went back to Makkah and related what had happened, they laughed at him saying, "Ali has made a fool of you." Only then did Abu Sufyan become conscious of his stupidity. Immediately after the departure of Abu Sufyan, the Prophet ~ asked the Companions to march on Makkah. In spite of the massive size of the military preparations, the Companions did not know the target of attack. It was simply because the Messenger of Allah ~ wanted the Makkans to be caught unaware.

However, a Companion of the Prophet ~ ' Hatib bin Abu Balta'ah ~ informed the Quraish of the impending Muslim attack, in a letter sent through a woman. Allah the Almighty informed this to His Messenger ~ through inspiration. He sent Ali and Zubair bin Awwam ~ immediately after the woman with the description of her features. They caught her after a hard chase, he searched her belongings but the letter remained hidden. However, Ali~ was quite sure about the letter because he knew the Prophet ::i did not say anything that wasn't absolutely true. When Ali ~ threatened her with dire consequences, she drew out the letter from her hair and handed it over to them.

The letter was from Hatib bin Abu Balta'ah 4'k, to the Quraish. The letter along with the woman was brought to the Messenger of Allah ~- Hatib 4:b was sent for and was asked for an explanation. He said, "Since my relatives were still in Makkah and in danger, I liked to oblige the Makkans by informing them about the ensuing Muslim attack so that my relatives would remain safe from them." Having heard this, Umar 4:b lost his temper and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Allow me to cut his head off." The Prophet ~ observed, "O Umar, Hatib has committed a mistake which is pardonable." And so Hatib ~ was forgiven. Prophet Muhammad :Ji March to Makkah: On Ramadan 11, 8 AH, the Prophet~ set out from Al-Madinah at the head of a ten-thousand-man army of the Companions. The failure of Abu Sufyan' s mission had disheartened the Quraish and they were in the dark about the plans of the believers.

The Prophet's march to Makkah was very swift. They came across his uncle Abbas bin AbdulMuttalib ~ on the way who, along with his wife and children, was moving to Al-Madinah after they had embraced Islam. The Messenger of Allah ~ took Abbas ~ to Makkah and sent his relatives to AlMadinah. Marching quickly, the Muslim army reached Marr-azZahran at a distance of 8 miles from Makkah. The Makkans were still unaware of the presence of Muslim troops even though they were so close to Makkah. They encamped at that place.

The Makkans came to know of the Muslim force only from the shepherds who went back in the night. Informed of this, Abu Sufyan came out to look into the matter. The Prophet~ had already deputed Umar ~ at the head of a patrol party to ward off a night attack. Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib ~ was anxious about the safety of his people and wanted them to accept Islam and be safe. He came out mounted on Duldul, the mule of the Prophet ~, in the night and moved towards Makkah. As per the order of the Messenger of Allah ~ the entire Muslim army had, in separate groups of one thousand each, lit their campfires.

When Abu Sufyan witnessed the blazing campfires spread over a vast area, he was shocked and stunned to the core to think how such a large army had been collected. Abbas ~ recognized the voice of Abu Sufyan even in the dark night and sounded back that the army belonged to the Prophet ~ and was ready to invade Makkah the next morning. Abu Sufyan was left more confounded at this disheartening news. He, in a state of utmost bewilderment, drew near Abbas ~ to seek his counsel at this juncture. Abbas ~ said to him, "Ride on the back of this mule and I will bring you to the Prophet~ for he alone can give you protection." Abu Sufyan got on the mule without a moment's delay. Umar Faruq History of Islam recognized Abu Sufyan and wanted to kill him at once.

But Abbas ~ spurred the mule and quickly went into the camp of the Prophet ::i, Umar • came chasing him and said, "O Prophet of Allah! Command me to kill this disbeliever, for he has come under our control without any condition." Abbas~ said, "I have already given him protection." But Umar • sought permission once again. Abbas~ replied to him with a pinch of taunt, "Umar'! You would not have insisted on his being killed had he belonged to your family." Thereupon Umar ~ said, "Abbas! I felt more happy on your accepting Islam than I would have been, had my father done so because I found the Prophet~ eager for your becoming a Muslim." After this exchange between the two, the Prophet of Allah ~ enjoined, "Well, Abu Sufyan is given respite for a night." Following this he asked Abbas ~ to keep Abu Sufyan in his own camp. And next morning Abu Sufyan appeared before the Prophet~ and confessed Islam.

Abu Sufyan ~ honored Abbas • appeared before the Prophet of Allah ~ and submitted, "Abu Sufyan is a person who loves honor, so would you please give him some special honor." At this h~ said, "He who enters the Sacred Mosque will be safe, he who enters the house of Abu Sufyan will be safe, he who shuts his doors upon himself will be safe and he who goes unarmed will be safe." Abu Sufyan ~ felt elated. The army on the move surged like an ocean. Different tribes had passed by with their tribal colors. Abu Sufyan ~ ascended a raised spot to witness the spectacle of the Muslim troops on the march and hurried back to Makkah ahead of all to announce: "He who enters the Sacred Mosque or my house will be safe." The Prophet of Allah ~ wanted to avoid bloodshed at all costs. His exit from Makkah in a state of helplessness and then his victorious and glorious return must have been on his mind. This day he made a triumphant entry into Makkah with his head lowered giving thanks to Allah the Almighty.

He then circumambulated the Ka'bah seven times mounted on his animal and then cleared the Ka'bah of idols. He then took the keys of the Ka'bah from Uthman bin Talhah, and entered the Ka'bah and prayed to Allah the Exalted. Following this the Prophet of Allah ~ Prophet Muhammad 1! stood at the door of the Ka'bah, holding its frame, while the Quraish arranged themselves in front of him in the courtyard filled with fear and shame. Historic Address of the Prophet ~= The Prophet ~ said addressing them: "There is no God but Allah Alone. He has made good His Promise and help to His slave. He has alone overthrown all the Confederates.

Lo'! All the rites, privileges and claims to retaliation and blood compensation are beneath my feet except the custody of the Ka'bah and the giving water to the pilgrims. Even cutting down a green tree is not valid within the sanctuary. 0 you people of the Quraish, Allah has abolished the haughtiness of paganism and the pride of lineage. Man comes from Adam and Adam came from dust. Allah the Almighty says: 'O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may know one another.

Verily! the noblest of you, with Allah is the best in conduct.' (49:13) 0 Quraish, what do you think I am about to do with you?" "We hope for the best," they replied, "you are a noble brother, son of a noble brother." The Prophet of Allah ~ said in reply, "I say to you what Yusuf (Prophet Joseph) said to his brothers: 'Have no fear this day, go your way for you are all free'." The address being over, the Prophet~ went up to Mount Safa and sat down to take the oath of allegiance to Allah and His Messenger from , the people. After finishing with men, he deputed Umar ~ to take Bai'ah from the women, and he kept seeking forgiveness of Allah for them. Safwan bin Umayyah fled to Yemen for fear of life. Umair bin Wahb from his tribe sought safety for him and he was granted immunity. Safwan was the man who had resisted the entry of the Muslims into Makkah and fled from Makkah after the conquest; so did Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl, and he too was granted safety. Both of them had the pleasure of coming to the fold of Islam after the battle of I Hunain.

The Truth came and Falsehood vanquished: Destruction of idols installed in the Ka'bah meant the destruction of the idols all over Arabia. Likewise, the entry of the Quraish into Islam History of Islam implied the whole Arabia coming to the fold of Islam, for all eyes were fixed on the Quraish of Makkah to see whether they accepted Islam or not. A large number of the Quraish were converted to Islam after the conquest of Makkah. However, many of them still remained immovable and unyielding. But none of them were compelled to accept Islam. The sole aim before the Muslims was to do away with disruptions, bring perfect peace and confer on them complete religious freedom.

With peace prevailing and freedom of religious practice granted, the idol worshipers got a full opportunity to study, observe and watch Islam in operation. It resulted in their quick conversion to Islam in large numbers. After the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet~ announced throughout the land that nobody becoming a Muslim was allowed to keep an idol in his house. Following this he sent a few parties to destroy idols installed in the area around Makkah. He sent Khalid bin Walid ~ at the head of thirty soldiers to break Uzza, the idol of Banu Kinanah and to pull down its temple. Khalid bin Walid ~ went and broke Uzza to pieces and razed its temple to the ground.

Amr bin Al-As~, was sent to destroy Suwa', the idol of Banu Hudhail. When Amr bin Al-As ~ reached the spot, the priest said, "How will you be able to overpower it?" Amr ~ said, "Just watch." Saying this he entered the temple and broke the idol to pieces. Seeing this, the priest renounced idolatry and embraced Islam on the spot. Sa'd bin Zaid Ashhali ~ was sent to Qadid to destroy Manat. The priests were sure the Muslims would fail in their task but they saw with their own eyes the believers break the idols and pull the temple down. All idols and temples were destroyed.

The first priority being completed, the Prophet ~ resumed his mission of preaching Islam through Muslim missionaries and sent them near and far. Khalid bin Walid ~ was sent to Banu Jadhimah with the order to avoid a fight. But the situation demanded it and a few from Banu Jadhimah were killed. When Khalid bin Walid ~ returned to Makkah with the booty, the Prophet ~ expressed regret and sent back the booty along with blood money through Ali ~- Prophet Muhammad ;iii Battle of Hunain The resounding victory of the Muslims over the Quraish and the everincreasing conversions to Islam frightened the enemies of Islam out of their senses. Those tribes who were not allies of the Muslims were disturbed and worried. The Hawazin and the Thaqif were the two tribes who were most hostile to Islam and they also were old archrivals of the Quraish.

Living between Ta'if and Makkah, they expected to become the next target of attack by the Muslims. The Hawazin Chief, Malik bin Auf brought around him all the tribes of Banu Hawazin and Banu Thaqif to fight against the Muslims. Several other tribes like Nasr, Jusham and Sa'd also joined hands with the Hawazin. Their troops concentrated at Autas. On receiving this information, the Prophet~ sent Abdullah bin Abu Hadrad Aslami ~ as a spy. He came back with the news that the enemy had already completed its military preparations and they were ready to fight.

The Prophet ~ ordered quick preparations and led an army of twelve thousands comprising ten thousand men from the Muhajirin and the Ansar and two thousand new entrants to Islam from Makkah. The Muslim army reached Hunain on Shawwal 10, 8 AH. The enemy had already taken its position in the depressions and hollows and the craters of the valley. As the Muslim army started descending into the valley in the half light of morning, the enemy suddenly rose from their place of ambush and started to attack with full force. Since the Muslims were caught unaware by the celebrated archers of Hawazin, they could not withstand the sudden onslaught of the enemy and their flanks fell back. The two thousand Makkans were the first to flee in terror no one paying attention to the other.

The Prophet ~ was then on the right side of the valley along with Abu Bakr, Umar Faruq, Ali, Abbas, Fadl bin Abbas, and Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith ~. The Prophet ~ had all the while stood firm in his place, riding his white mule without any fear or nervousness. Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib ~ was holding the bridle of his mule, while the Prophet of Allah ~ was calling aloud: "Verily, I am the Prophet without falsehood; I am son of Abdul-Muttalib." History of Islam When the Prophet :i saw his men in confusion, he said, "O Abbas, call the Muslims to this side." The Muslims recognized his voice and rushed towards the Prophet ~- However, not more than about a hundred men could rally around the Prophet ~ for the rest were barred by the intervening enemy and resumed fighting from where they had been. Calling out Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great), the Prophet~ advanced with his mule and launched such a fierce attack that the enemy plunged into disorder and confusion and fled from the scene. Now the Muslim troops gathered and bore down upon the army, which resulted in a smashing defeat of the enemies of Islam. At the outset, when the Muslims were suffering reverses, a rude fellow from Makkah who had joined the Muslim army but was still not strong in faith, let out his antipathy to Islam saying, "The spell of their sorcery has ended today." Another person of the same category remarked.

"Their flight will not stop before they get to the sea." A man named Shaibah stepped forward towards the Prophet ~ with the evil intention of taking revenge on him but fell down unconscious. The Hawazin paid a heavy toll in the battle before escaping in terror. Banu Thaqif then attempted to fill the gap but in vain. They could not resist the advancing flood of Muslim troops and fled from the battle field after suffering terrible loss of life. Notable chieftains of the enemy were killed but their commander-in-chief, Malik bin Auf escaped unhurt and took refuge in Ta'if. A part of the fugitives gathered in Autas while another fled to Nakhlah for their lives.

The Prophet :i sent military detachments chasing them and fighting took place at both locations again, they could not withstand the heavy onslaught of the Muslims and gave in. The Muslims returned victorious with booty and captives. When the captives and spoils of Hunain were brought to the Prophet~, he ordered them to be taken to Ji'ranah and appointed Mas'ud bin Amr Ghifari ~ to be in charge. The spoils of this battle, known as the Battle of Hunain, went up to six thousand captives, twenty-four thousand camels, more than forty thousand sheep and goats, and four thousand Uqiyyah (a measure of weight) of silver. Prophet Muhammad ;Ji Siege of Ta'if The fortress of Malik bin Auf was located in route from the valley of Hunain to Ta'if and the Prophet ~ demolished it along with the fortress of A tam. He found the people of Ta'if wanting to give battle and so they were besieged.

The siege dragged on for twenty days. During this period people from the surrounding areas began accepting Islam. During the battle of Hunain only four Muslims were martyred while during the siege of Ta'if the number of Muslim martyrs reached twelve. The Prophet~, at last, raised the siege and returned to Ji'ranah with his men and distributed the spoils. A deputation of the Hawazin came there and called on the Prophet of Allah ~ and sought forgiveness for the sake of Halimah Sa'diyah. He asked them to come at the time of Zuhr prayer when all the Muslims would congregate for the prayer.

When they did as told, the Prophet ~ gave his reply, "Whatever was apportioned to me and the Banu Abdul-Muttalib is yours." Thereupon the Muhajirin and the Ansiir said, "Whatever share has been given to us is passed on to the Prophet ~-" Saying this, they set all the captives of Hawazin free. Thus, in a very short duration, about six thousand prisoners were released. Among the captives was also Shima' bint Halimah Sa'diyah, the foster-sister of the Prophet~- When she was produced before the Prophet ~' she said, "O Prophet of Allah, I am your foster-sister." The Prophet ~ asked for proof, and she replied, "The bite you gave me on my leg. The mark is still there." The Prophet ~ accepted the proof and stretched out his robe for her to sit on and treated her courteously. He gave her the choice of living with him in affection and honor or going back to her people. She chose to go back to her tribe.

And the Prophet ~ gave her a bondsman, a slave girl and a considerable quantity of wealth and goods. Deep Love of the Ansarfor the Messenger~ When the Prophet ~ began to distribute the spoils at Ji'ranah, he gave a large portion to the Quraish whose faith in Islam, he wanted to strengthen. Since most of the Makkans were from the Quraish, and History of Islam they were relatives and fellow-countrymen of the Prophet ~, some of the young men among the Anstir aired their grievances at the meager gifts given to them and the large portion given to the Prophet's relatives and compatriots. The Prophet ~ also got wind of what was going on among the younger section of the Anstir. The Prophet of Allah ~ ordered the Anstir to assemble in an enclosure. He then said addressing them, "Did you say such and such?" The Anstir submitted in reply: "Our young men have said so no doubt, but none of the discerning, respectable and mature persons has ever thought it nor has such a thought ever entered our minds." Having heard this, the Prophet of Allah~ said: "O the Anstir, did J not come to you when you were astray, and Allah guided you through me?" The Anstir replied, "Yes, indeed, Allah and His Prophet are most kind and generous." The Prophet ~ again asked them, "You were divided and He softened your hearts and you united through me?" They again submitted, "Yes, indeed, you did us this great favor." The Prophet ~ asked once again, "You were poor and Allah made you rich through me?" The Anstir admitted, "Yes, indeed, Allah and His Messenger did this great favor for us." The Prophet~ again asked them, "O Anstir, why don't you speak to me?" He then added, "I would have acknowledged it if you had replied: 'You came discredited and we believed you; you came deserted and we helped you; you were a fugitive and we gave you shelter; you were poor and we comforted you.' 0 Anstir, are you not satisfied that these men should take away camels and goats while you go back with the Prophet.of Allah?" The Anstir wept bitterly until tears ran down their beards.

The Prophet of Allah~ further said, "Had migration not been destined, I would have been one of the Anstir myself. If all the people go one way, and the Anstir take another, I would take the way of the Ansnr. 0 Allah! Have mercy on the Anstir and their children and their children." We can not even conceive of the joys, the Anstir felt at this time. The Prophet of Allah ~ let them understand that these people were new entrants to Islam and they were given more so they would be reconciled to Islam, not by way of any special favor. Prophet Muhammad !Ii First Governor of Makkah On the way back from Ji'ranah, the Prophet of Allah :i entered Makkah to perform Umrah. Before leaving, he installed as Governor of Makkah, a young man of a little more than twenty years.

Also he left Mu'adh bin Jabal ~ as an instructor of the Quran and Islamic injunctions. The young governor named Attab bin Usaid was given the significant post for his profound fondness of religious knowledge. A dirham per day was fixed for him so that he would not depend on anyone else for his needs. He was the first man in Islam to perform Hajj as a ruler. That year the Muslims and non-Muslims performed Hajj according to their own tenets and none got in the way of other. However, they performed their duties so close to one another that the polytheists found ample opportunity to observe the good deeds and moral excellence of the Muslims.

It is worth mentioning here that Urwah bin Mas'ud, a chieftain of Ta'if was outside when Ta'if was raided by Muslim troops in 8 AH. Urwah now followed the Prophet :i when he was on his way to AlMadinah and confessed Islam at his hand before his entry into AlMadinah. Urwah ~ then sought permission of the Prophet :i to preach Islam among his people. He :i said, "Your people take pride in that they could not be defeated by the Muslim army. When you preach Islam to them, you might be killed." Urwah ~ submitted, "My people love me very much and I hope they will listen to me." Thus the Prophet :i acceded to his request. Following this, he went to Ta'if, ascended a raised place and began to call the people to accept Islam.

The people of Ta'if surrounded him on all sides and showered arrows on him, which led to his martyrdom. On being asked about the retaliation, Urwah ~ said to his relatives: "By the Grace of Allah, I have been honored with martyrdom. Now my sole desire is that I am buried beside those Companions of the Prophet :i who were martyred and buried during the Muslim siege of Ta'if." It was in this year that the Prophet's son Ibrahim was born to Maria Qibtiyah (Coptic). Also in this year his daughter Zainab ~ passed away. The same year, a wooden pulpit was made for the Prophet :i, and he History of Islam wrote a letter to Mundhir bin Sawa. Mundhir bin Sawa ~ had already embraced Islam in response to an earlier letter sent to him, according to which he began to charge the Jizyah (protection tax) from the Jews and Magians of his territory.

The Ninth Year of Migration Following the Prophet's return to AI-Madinah after the conquest of Makkah and Hunain, the pagans of Arabia started coming into the fold of Islam. At the outset of 9 AH, people from the far off regions of Arabia began to send their representatives to the Prophet of Allah ~ to announce their declaration of Islam. That is why, 9 AH came to be called the Year of Deputations. From the temporal standpoint too, the Prophet ~ had become the ruler of Arabia. The believers had Zak!,t made obligatory on them, while the disbelievers had to pay a nominal amount as Jizyah (protection tax). In order to collect the zakah, tax collectors were sent to various tribes.

At times the tax collectors suffered resistance and even were martyred, while on other occasions they punished the wrong doers. At last, a regular system of Zakiit was established. Expedition to Tabuk The Ghassanide King collected a big army to avenge his ignominious defeat at Mu'tah. He then sought help from Heraclius of Rome, who was pleased to send an army forty thousand strong to his help and decided to march with the large army. The monk named Abu Amir, referred to before, went to the Byzantine monarch, Caesar with the sole purpose of inducing him to invade AI-Madinah. Abu Amir was also regularly but secretly in correspondence with the hypocrites of Al-Madinah, who had already started construction work of a mosque named Dirar Mosque.

News of such serious matters kept pouring into Al-Madinah for some time. Military movements of this magnitude could not be ignored. The Prophet of Allah ~ gave a call to the believers in general to come and join hands to take on the massive army of Heraclius. The Muslims from all areas of the country rushed to Al-Madinah in response to the call. Prophet Muhammad :jj The Prophet of Allah~ generally kept the military preparations and movements a secret to keep the hypocrites and the enemy in the dark. But, since such large-scale preparations were not possible secretly and silently, the Prophet~ announced that the preparations were to give battle to the Roman army.

It was the year of a bumper crop and the time of reaping the harvest was upon them and some of the people felt a little unwilling to leave and lose the crop. Heraclius and his ministers had brought the hypocrites to their side as a part of their military campaign. The hypocrites were constantly in league with the Jews of Al-Madinah and were holding regular consultations against the Muslims. A band of twelve hypocrites built their own separate mosque as a center for carrying out their hostile activities and anti-Islamic propaganda, and for creating a rift among the Muslims. When they saw the Muslims engaged in preparing for the impending battle, they started passing discouraging remarks along with mentioning the hardships of such a long and arduous journey. What they wanted was the Caesar to invade Al-Madinah and to frustrate all the efforts of the Muslims to stop this Christian movement towards Al-Madinah.

The Prophet ~ had, on the other hand, ordered all the Companions to join the expedition. Since coming face to face with the massive Christian army meant large-scale preparations from the Muslim camp which needed provisions, mounts, and weapons in large quantities and numbers. The Prophet ~ had, therefore, made an appeal to the Muslim masses to lavishly contribute to the war fund. The Muslims had also showed an astonishing response to the appeal. Othman bin Affan ~ was about to dispatch his trade caravan to Syria, but contributed the whole of it to the Muslim campaign. Abu Bakr Siddiq ~ contributed all goods and chattels of his household, entrusting his wife and children to Allah the Almighty, while Umar Farug ~ divided everything in his house in two and gave one half to the fund being raised by the Prophet of Allah ~- The poor among the Muslims who lived on their sweat and labor contributed their wages to the Muslim war preparations.

The hypocrites didn't give any contributions. An army of thirty thousand History of Islam strong collected in Al-Madinah. The Muslim army could hardly prepared footwear because the Prophet~ said to them that footwear raises foot soldiers to the category of cavalry. Islamic Army's Departure: The Messenger of Allah ~ set out for Tabuk with an army of 30,000 men from Al-Madinah. The campaign was undertaken in the month of Rajab, 9 AH. They had hardly covered a distance of one hour and reached Dhi Awan when the hypocrites submitted, "We have built a mosque.

Please offer prayer therein to bless it." The Prophet ~ replied, "Presently, I am busy making preparations for the journey; I shall see to it on my return." Departing from Al-Madinah, he ordered the army to pitch the camp at Thaniya-tul-Wada and he put Muhammad bin Maslamah Ansari~ in charge of Al-Madinah. The chief of the hypocrites, Abdullah bin Ubai also left Al-Madinah with his band of people and camped at the low-lying area of the Thaniya-tul-Wada. He apparently wanted to show that he also accompanied the Muslim troops, but in fact, he broke away from the Muslims and came back to Al-Madinah with his men. However, a few of them went along to work as spies for the forces hostile to Islam. The Prophet ~ had left behind Ali~ to look after his family. The hypocrites used this as an opportunity to spread false rumors about Ali ,tk,.

They implied that the Prophet~ gave little importance to Ali ,tk, and, therefore, left him alone in Al-Madinah. When his patience ran out, he hurried from Al-Madinah and joining the Prophet ~ at Al-Jurf asked, "The hypocrites are saying such and such about me and so I have come to you." The Prophet of Allah ~ said, "They are liars. I have left you behind to look after my household; so go back." In order to sooth his feelings the Prophet~ further said, "You are to me as Hamn was to Musa, except that there will be no Prophet after me." Ali ,tk, returned to Al-Madinah pacified and satisfied. When the Muslim army arrived at Al-Hijr (presently Al-Qura Valley), the destroyed territory of Thamud, the Prophet ~ exhorted, "Pass on swiftly seeking forgiveness of Allah even without drinking a drop of water from its wells." When the Muslim troops had to pass a night at Prophet Muhammad ~ Al-Hijr the Prophet~ told them that no one was to go alone out of the camp. When passing through the ruins of the deserted territory, he covered his face with his mantle and drove his mount fast. He also instructed his Companions to hurry up seeking the forgiveness of Allah the Almighty while passing through the settlements of the tyrants and sinners lest they be overtaken by what they (the Thamud) had suffered.

At Tabuk: When the Muslim expedition arrived at the stream of Tabuk near the Syrian border, Heraclius recognized him as a true Prophet and withdrew out of fear. The Christian troops and the Ghassanide king also left their positions and cleared out of the area of the Muslim force. Tabuk lay at a distance of fourteen or fifteen stages from AlMadinah where the Prophet ~ stayed for about twenty days. During this period, Yuhannah bin Ru'bah, the ruler of Ailah appeared before the Prophet ~ to offer his obedience to him, his request was accepted in return for Jizyah (tax) which he paid on the spot. The people of Jarba' also followed suit and earned peace on the same conditions, and the same came to pass with the people of Adhruh. Dumat-ul-Jandal was located near Tabuk whose ruler Ukaidir bin Abdul-Malik was a Christian and belonged to Banu Kindah tribe.

He refused to obey the Prophet ~ and showed arrogance. He sent Khalid bin Walid ~ at the head of a detachment saying, "You will see Ukaidir hunting a white antelope." When Khalid ~ came near to his palace after a night's journey, he saw an amazing event. It was a hot summer moonlit night, Ukaidir was enjoying his rest with his wife on top of his palace. All of a sudden a white antelope came out from the adjacent forest and started rubbing its horns against the gate of his palace. His wife drew her husband's attention to this. Ukaidir, along with his brother Hassan, chased the animal on horseback.

He had covered a short distance when Khalid's detachment surrounded them. Ukaidir was captured alive while his brother was killed in the encounter. His beautiful silken garment was sent ahead through a courier and Ukaidir himself was brought by Khalid bin Walid ~- The Prophet ~ spared the life of Ukaidir who showed his obedience and History of Islam promised to pay the Jizyah. After returning to his palace, he sent to the Prophet ~ two thousand camels, eight hundred horses, four hundred pieces of armor and four hundred lances and was granted a peace treaty. Dirar Mosque burnt down When the rulers of the Syrian frontier were totally subdued, the Prophet ~ and his Companions decided to go back to Al-Madinah. At a distance of one hour from Al-Madinah, the Prophet :j sent Malik bin Dukhshum Salimi and Ma'n bin Adi Ajli ~ to bum down and demolish the mosque built by the hypocrites, the Prophet of Allah ~ was instructed to do so from the Verse: "And as for those who put up a mosque by way of harm ...

" (9:107) The Prophet ~ and his Companions came back to Al-Madinah in Ramadan, 9 AH. [According to the occurrence of events, his return to Al-Madinah seems in the month of Ra jab.] Ka'b bin Malik, Mura.rah bin Rabi' and Hila. I bin Umayyah :$, were the three Companions who did not join the Muslim expedition to Tabuk on account of their indecision. On the return of the Prophet of Allah ~ all three appeared before him and confessed their faults. The Prophet ~ forbade everyone to speak to them. For fifty days they kept seeking the forgiveness of Allah, then Allah granted them a pardon. Before they were pardoned, no one including their family members would even respond to their salutations.

They felt forsaken and abandoned and the whole world seemed to have closed on them. When the King of Ghassan came to know of this ordeal, he sent a courier to Ka'b bin Malik ~ with a letter in which he had written: "You are a man of wealth and honor and Muhammad has ill-treated you to the extreme. You better come to me. I shall hold you in the highest honor and grant you very good treatment." Having gone through this letter, Ka'b ~ threw it into an oven. When the repentance of Ka'b bin Malik ~ was accepted, the Prophet ~ and the Companions congratulated him and he gave away all his wealth and property in the way of Allah. Prophet Muhammad !Ii' The People of Ta'if accept Islam When the people of Ta'if heard the news of the Muslim's successes in Tabuk they were totally sure that they were no match for the Muslim force.

Urwah bin Mas'ud ~ had been martyred in Ta'if, but his son Abul-Mulaih along with a few others came to Al-Madinah and embraced Islam. On the Prophet's return from Tabuk, Abd Yalil bin Amr came to Al-Madinah at the head of a deputation of the people of Ta'if. He allowed them to camp in a corner of the Prophet's Mosque. Abd Yalil and his fellows accepted Islam and took an oath of allegiance at the hand of the Prophet~ on behalf of their people. The Prophet ~ sent Uthman bin Abu Al-As~ there as their ruler, and Mughirah bin Shu'bah ~ to demolish their temple of idol Lat. From the treasures of the temple, the blood money of Urwah bin Mas'ud ~ was paid and the rest was distributed among the Muslims.

The deputations started arriving after the Prophet's return to AlMadinah. They would come to accept Islam and then return to their people along with some Companions to teach them Islam. He would give gifts and rewards at the time of their departure. Meanwhile Ali ~ was sent to the Tai' tribe at the head of a detachment, which stormed the region and Adi bin Hatim, the ruler of the Tai' ran away. However, Hatim's daughter was brought as a captive. She requested the Prophet ~ to favor her.

He set her free but asked her to stay until a noble man was available to take her to her region. In a few days the people of Syria came to the Prophet ~ and he sent her with them along with some clothes and provisions. When the girl reached her brother Adi bin Hatim, he asked his sister: "What kind of man is the Prophet?" She replied, "He is a man to meet with; he is very noble and polite and a great benefactor." Adi got right up and left for Al-Madinah as a representative of his people. The Prophet ~ gave him respect, took him to his home from the Prophet's Mosque and seated him on his bed. On the way home a woman stopped him (the Prophet~) and he stayed with her until she finished talking. Such a kind and noble gesture affected Adi.

Following this the Prophet ~ gave him some good counsel. At the end, Adi bin History of Islam Hatim stretched out his hand, took the oath of allegiance, became a Muslim and returned to his people. First Deputy of the Prophet of Allah After returning from Tabuk the arrival of deputations kept the Prophet :j so busy that he could not spare himself to lead the Hajj caravan to Makkah. He delegated Abu Bakr ~ to perform the job. Abu Bakr ~ departed at the head of three hundred Hajj pilgrims along with twenty camels from the Prophet :j and five of his own to be sacrificed during Hajj. Soon after the departure of the Hajj caravan under Abu Bakr ~, forty Verses of Surat At-Taubah were revealed.

These Verses delineated some essential injunctions like banning the polytheists' entry into the zone of the Sacred Mosque from the next year, banning the naked circumambulation of the House of Allah, and the fulfilling of the covenant made with the Prophet ~- These injunctions were supposed to be announced on the occasion of the Hajj. The Prophet :j immediately sent Ali~ riding on his (the Prophet's) dromedary with the instructions that these Verses be read out to the audience on the Day of Sacrifice after the Hajj was completed. Ali ~ traveled quickly and caught up with the caravan of Abu Bakr~ at Dhul-Hulaifah. Abu Bakr ~ asked him whether he had come as the commander or the commanded. "I have come as the commanded and you will remain the commander. I have been entrusted with the duty of reading out these Verses." On reaching Makkah, Abu Bakr ~ oversaw the Muslims perform the rites of Hajj while Ali~ read out the Verses of Surat At-Taubah.

The same year the Prophet's daughter Umm Kulthum ~ passed away, Hajj was declared as obligatory and was performed under the guidance of a Muslim leader and Abu Bakr~ gave them instructions on the rites of Hajj. The polytheists were given a duration of only four months to vacate the sacred zone otherwise Allah and His Messenger :j would bear no responsibility whatsoever concerning them. Hearing this announcement even those in Makkah who had remained polytheists accepted Islam. Abdullah bin Ubai died the same year. Prophet Muhammad ::/ff The Tenth Year of Migration From Muharram 10 AH up to the end of the year, deputations kept arriving and Arab tribes continued joining the caravan of Islam. In Rabi' Al-A.khir, Khalid bin Walid ~ was sent to Najran and its surrounding areas accompanied by four hundred Companions with instructions to call the people thrice to accept Islam and avoid fighting.

They were pleased to embrace Islam when Khalid bin Walid ~ reached there. Banu Al-Harith bin Ka'b was one of the tribes who was converted to Islam. The Prophet ~ called Khalid ~ and the Companions back while Amr bin Hazm ~ was sent to those areas as an instructor of Islam. In Ramadan 10 AH, a deputation from Ghassan tribe came, which consisted of three members. They accepted Islam with all pleasure and returned to their people, but they refused to come into the fold of Islam. In Shawwal 10 AH, a seven-member deputation from Banu Sala.man came headed by its chief Habib bin Amr, and returned after accepting Islam.

One day Habib bin Amr ~ asked the Prophet ~' "Which is the most excellent deed in Islam?" He replied, "It is to offer prayer on time." During the same period came the deputation of ten members from Azd and accepted Islam, by their preaching the whole tribe converted to Islam. For the same reason a fight broke out between Azd and Jursh tribes. Before the fight, Jursh people had sent their two men to Al-Madinah to enquire about the Prophet ~- When these men approached the Prophet ~, he said to them, "The Jursh and the Azd engaged themselves in fighting against one another and the Jursh were defeated." It had happened the same day. When both went back and related the event, the entire Jursh tribe accepted Islam. The same year, Ali ~ was sent to Yemen to teach them Tauhid and forbid polytheism. With his efforts, Hamdan, the well known tribe of Yemen, embraced Islam entirely.

During this year the deputation from Murad tribe came after breaking away from Muluk Kindah and accepted Islam. The deputation of Banu Abdul-Qais also came headed by Jarud bin Amr and they all converted to Islam from Christianity. They went back and brought their whole tribe to Islam. History of Islam Musailamah Kadhdhab In the same year the deputation of Banu Hanifah came from Yamamah which included Musailamah bin Hubaib Kadhdhab (liar), Jurjan bin Ghanam, Talq bin Ali and Salman bin Hanzalah. They stayed for a fortnight and learned the Quran from Ubai bin Ka'b During this period, other persons used to be in the company of the Prophet :i, but Musailamah was away most of the time, with the permission of the Prophet :i, under the pretext of looking after the belongings of the group. Among the deputations which came during this year were those of Banu Kindah, Banu Kinanah and Hadramout and accepted Islam.

In the same year, Wa'il bin Hujr appeared before the Prophet ~ and embraced Islam. Expressing his joy over this, the Prophet ~ asked Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan ~ to make him his guest. On the way to his home Mu'awiyah ~ was on foot and Wa'il bin Hujr was on his mount. Mu'awiyah ~ asked Wa'il for his footwear because his feet were burning from the heat. "I shall not give them for I have already worn them," Wa'il replied rather rudely. "Well, let me ride behind you," Mu'awiyah ~ proposed as an alternative.

"You can't ride the mount of a king," Wa'il replied with an air of arrogance. "But my feet are burning," Mu'awiyah ~ spoke rather painfully. "It is enough for you to walk in the shadow of my camel," Wa'il retorted. This is the same Wa'il that when he approached Mu'awiyah ~ during his caliphate, he showed him so much respect. Hubihalah This means mutual condemnation and the asking of God's punishment to come down on the one who is false. The same year a Christian deputation came from Najran along with their chief AbdulMasih and bishop Abu Harithah, they were 60 people with 24 from the distinguished families.

They entered the Prophet's Mosque and started bitter arguments. Meanwhile, the earlier Verses of Surat Allmran and the Verse regarding Mubahalah were sent down. When the Prophet :i asked them to accept Islam, they showed rudeness. The Prophet ~ said, "Isa (Jesus) was raised out of clay by Allah like Prophet Muhammad ;Ji Adam." "No, Jesus was the son of Allah," they contended. The Prophet ~ said, "If you are true in your claim then come along to a field with me and my relatives, and both the parties shall sit separately and say: 'May the torment of Allah descend on the one who is a liar'." Hearing this they kept silent. The next morning the Prophet ~ took Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain'-" with him and said to the Christiaµs, "When I invoke Allah to send down His torment on the one who is telling a lie, you say, 'May it be so'." The straight forwardness of the Prophet ~ frightened them so much that they declared: "We don't want to enter into Mubahalah." "Accept Islam if you don't want Mubahalah, and become one with all the other Muslims," the Prophet ~ said firmly.

"We don't accept this offer either," they replied. "Be ready then to either pay the (fizyah) tax or measure your swords with us. "We shall pay the tax," they said. The Prophet ~ later said, "Had they accepted the Mubahalah, they would have been destroyed up to their hairs and nails." When going back, they wished to have an escort sent with them. The Prophet ~ sent Abu Ubaidha bin Al-Jarrah ~ with them and, after a short time, all the Christians became Muslims. All the Yemenite tribes and their ruler Badhan had already turned to Islam.

The Prophet ~ had allowed his rule to continue intact, but he died that year. Following this, he installed Shahr bin Badhan, Amir bin Shahr Hamdani, Abu Musa Ash'ari, Ali bin Umayyah, and Mu'adh bin Jabal c$, as rulers of different parts of Yemen. Also, Ali~ was sent at the head of a few Companions with the instructions that arms must not be raised against any unless it was done by others first. He was sent with the sole purpose of collecting zakah and charitable donations. T~e Farewell Pilgrimage These events were followed by the month of Dhul-Qa'dah, 10 AH, when the Prophet of Allah •;I; set out on the journey to the House of Allah to perform Hajj. A large number of Companions accompanied him with a hundred sacrificial camels.

This caravan from Al-Madinah entered Makkah on Sunday, Dhul-Hijjah 4. Ali~ joined the caravan from Yemen and performed Hajj with the Prophet ~- History of Islam The Farewell Address On this occasion the Prophet ~ taught his Companions the rites of Hajj and delivered an address at Arafat. He said after praising and glorifying Allah: "O people! Behold I am not sure of meeting you here next year or after that. 0 people! Your blood and your property are inviolable like the sacredness of this day in this month in this city of yours. Do no wrong to others lest you are wronged.

The Devil has lost hope of ever being worshipped by those who pray. However, he will be followed in lesser matters. Therefore, you should shun his company. 0 people! You have rights on your womenfolk and they on you. Be good to them. Behold!

Whoever holds anything in trust should return it to the person who has entrusted him with it. I leave among you two things, one the Book of Allah and the second is the Sunnah of His Messenger. You will not go astray while you hold to the Book and the Sunnah. You will be asked if I have conveyed the Message of Allah and fulfilled the mission?" "We testify that you have conveyed the Message of Allah," the Companions replied with one voice. The Prophet~ said, "O Allah! Be Witness." The Prophet ~ spoke addressing his Companions in words and manner, which are used when bidding farewell or saying good-bye.

This is why this Hajj is called the Farewell Hajj (Hajjat-ul-Wada'). More than one hundred thousand Muslims performed their Hajj that year under the guidance of the Prophet of Allah~- That day he also said: "These are the best words ever spoken by any of the Prophets: 'There is no true God except Allah Alone, Who has no partner to Him, all praise is due for Him, He has power on every thing'." On the day of Arafat, the Prophet of Allah ~ was still in Makkah when the following Verse was revealed: "This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5:3) Most of the Companions appeared jubilant at the revelation of the above Verse, for they thought that their religion was perfected and completed. But a few among them, like Abu Bakr ~, who had deeper Prophet Muhammad ~ insight and wisdom, grew sad for the Verse indicated their separation from the Prophet ~ , because the existence of the Prophethood would , no longer be required after the perfection of the religion. The Consolation of Ali ~ During the Hajj some of the fellows of Ali ~ who had been with him to Yemen complained to the Prophet ~ about Ali ~ -Some of the misunderstandings of the people of Yemen had given rise to these misgivings. Addressing the Companions at Ghadir Khum, the Prophet of Allah ~ said admiring Ali, "The one who is my friend is the friend of Ali and the one who is an enemy of Ali is my enemy." , Following the address Umar 4, congratulated Ali ~ saying, "From this day on you are a very special friend of mine." The Prophet ~ then came back to Al-Madinah and his son Ibrahim~ passed away. The Eleventh Year of Migration The Sickness of the Prophet ;i In Muharram 11 AH, the Prophet ~ developed a temperature which kept getting higher.

When the news of his illness spread, the evildoers had an opportunity to start their treacherous activities. Musailamah, Tulaihah bin Khuwailid, Aswad and Sajah bint Harith all claimed they were prophets. They thought that they would also achieve success due to their claims like the Prophet of Allah ;i did. But Allah the Almighty put the seal on the Prophethood of Muhammad ~ and demonstrated it once again by driving each one of them to an , ignominious failure and defeat for their heinous claim. Musailamah ' the liar gained notoriety in Yamamah and Aswad bin Ka'b Ansi in i Yemen. One day the Prophet ~ came out while sick with a bandage tied around his head because of a headache.

Addressing the Companions he said, "Last night I saw in a dream that I had two bracelets of gold , on my wrists and I threw them away out of dislike. I interpreted this dream to mean that the two bracelets stand for the men of Yamamah and Yemen (Musailamah the liar, and Aswad the liar)." Aswad the liar History of Islam was killed by a person named Firoz during the lifetime of the Prophet of Allah ii, while Musailamah the liar was killed by Wahshi, the killer of Hamzah ~ during the caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq~- Wahshi used to say: "I have killed the best man while I was in a state of disbelief and the worst man after 1 became a believer in Islam." Jihad in the way of Allah from the Sick-bed: When the Prophet ii felt a little relief on Safar 26, 11 AH, he ordered to make hasty preparations to take on the Romans because of menacing news from the borders of Syria and Palestine. The next day he appointed Usamah bin Zaid bin Harithah ~ as the commander of the Muslim detachment and said to him, "Hurry up to the land of your father and go quickly so that they won't have time to find out about your movements. You will be, Allah willing, crowned with success." Marching on the Romans was necessary because due to the events of Yamamah and Yemen and the Christian conspiracies against Islam, it had once again encouraged the Romans to turn against Arabia. The departure of the Muslim troops was so necessary and so significant that in spite of the severity of his illness, the Prophet ~ got up to fix the standard of Usamah ~ with his own hands and let them go ahead. He had ordered all the distinguished Companions to join the detachment.

Thus Abu Bakr, Abbas, Umar, Uthman and Ali ~ were all going under the command of Usamah ~- However, Ali and Abbas ~ were held back in Al-Madinah to attend to the Prophet ~ during his illness. Usamah ~ took his detachment out of Al-Madinah and made camp at Jurf about 5 km from the city. Abu Bakr and Umar ~ would come to the Prophet ~ from there with the permission of the army commander Usamah ~ and then go back. In the meantime the Prophet's condition grew worse while Usamah ~ and his troops anxiously awaited the news about him. The Prophet ~ also gave his approval to their holding up at Jurf. However, some people expressed their misgivings at the commandership of Usamah ~ because his father had once been a slave.

When the Prophet~ heard about the disapproval, he summoned the people and said, "Why there is an objection against his appointment as commander Prophet Muhammad :JI! when his father had already been the commander of previous Muslim detachments?" He further added, "Zaid is among the foremost Muslims and commands a place of distinction in Islam." Those raising the objection subsided, showed their repentance and accepted Usamah 4ik, as the commander of the Muslim detachment. Illness increases: The illness went on increasing day by day. The Prophet~ sought permission from his wives to stay in the room of A.ishah ~ , which they readily acceded to. He entered the apartment of A.ishah ~ and then came out to say, "I tell you to fear Allah. May Allah guide you all, I leave Him with you and entrust you to Him. I am a warner . against Hell and a giver of glad tidings of Jannah (Paradise).

Jannalz is for those who seek not oppression in the earth, nor corruption. The next life is for those who ward off evil. Never give yourselves to arrogance and vainglory." After a pause the Prophet ~ said, "My family members should wash my body," and added, "leave the spot for a while after putting my body beside the grave so that angels may perform their funeral prayers in groups one after another. The males of my family should come first to perform their funeral prayers followed by their women." The Prophet of Allah ~ lay bed-ridden for three successive days. Asking Abu Bakr ~ to lead the Prayers: The Prophet ~ deputed Abu Bakr 4ik, to lead the Muslims in prayers , in the Prophet's Mosque. A.ishah ~ submitted, "My father is not able to serve in this capacity for he is too tender-hearted to do this.

Please ask Umar to do the job." He said, "No, Abu Bakr will do it." Abu Bakr ~ was leading the prayer when the Prophet~ felt a bit better and came into the mosque. As soon as Abu Bakr ~ came to know of the Prophet's arrival, he tried to get back, but the Prophet ~ motioned for him not to leave his place. Thus the Prophet~ led the prayer sitting while Abu Bakr ~ was standing in the prayer. The Sahihain (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) report that one day, during his illness, the Prophet of Allah ~ asked for a pen and paper. Since he was then undergoing the intensity of his illness, Umar ~ intervened to say that History of Islam he must not be put to any trouble for the Quran is enough for us all as he has already said. But some of the Companions were in favor of letting him dictate.

The Prophet :i disliked the clamor of voices and asked the people to leave. At the time he was suffering from a violent headache and this was the reason why Umar ~ had suggested not to trouble him in any way. When his pain had subsided a little, he called the people in and said, "Make it a practice to keep the visiting deputations happy with gifts and rewards. Drive the polytheists out of the Arabian Peninsula and send the army of Usamah ~- Show kindness to the Ansar and forgive their mistakes and consider none superior to Abu Bakr ~ in your assemblies." Following this he fell unconscious again due to the pain. A little before Death Ali, Abbas, Fadl bin Abbas, Abu Bakr, and Umar ~ remained at the service of the Prophet~ most of the time during his fatal illness. The Prophet of Allah :i disliked anything to be left with him at the time of his final departure.

He, therefore, asked Aishah ~ to give away in charity five or six dinars remaining with her. He extorted Ali ~ to take care of the prayers and relatives. Abu Bakr ~ led thirteen prayers in all during the Prophet's illness. On Monday, Rabi' AlAwwal 12, 11 AH, he came out with a bandage tied around his head when Abu Bakr ~ was leading the dawn prayer. Following this he went back home and lay down with his head in the lap of Aishah ~. Abu Bakr ~ also left for home happy and satisfied.

Just at that moment Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr ~ entered the room with a green toothstick (Siwak-a natural toothbrush) in his hand. The Prophet ~ looked at it in a way that she thought he wanted it. She then took the toothstick from her brother, chewed it a little to make it soft and pliable, and then she gave it to him. He rubbed his teeth with it, and then leaving it, he put his head against Aishah's breast and stretched out his legs. Death A cup of water was kept near him. He dipped his hand in it and wiped his face with it, saying, "O Allah, help me in the pangs of Prophet Muhammad ;Ji death." A.ishah ~ had been keeping her eyes fixed on his face when his eyes became glazed saying, "With the Highest Companionship in Jannah (Paradise)." Thus the Prophet ti passed away from this mortal world.

The news of the Prophet's death fell like a thunderbolt on his Companions and they all were stunned. The Condition of Umar ~ Umar ~ was so terribly shocked that he temporarily lost his senses. He got up with his sword drawn and said at the top of his voice: "Some of the hypocrites have developed a notion that the Messenger of Allah ti has passed away. But, in fact, he has not died. He has rather gone to his Lord as Moses had done. He shall come back and cut their hands and legs." Umar ~ had gotten so emotional that nobody had the courage to ask him to sheathe his sword.

After a short while Abu Bakr ~ arrived and went straight into the room. He took the head of the Prophet ti in his hands, watched it and said, "May my mother and father be sacrificed for you, verily you have tasted the death which Allah the Almighty had decreed for you, and never will you face any other death hereafter." He then came out saying Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un (to Allah do we belong and to Him do we return) on his lips. Firmness of Abu Bakr ~ Abu Bakr ~ asked Umar ~ to keep quiet but he paid no heed. He then stood at a short distance from him to address the people who now left Umar ~ to cluster round Abu Bakr~- He praised Allah and then said: "Omen, if anyone of you worships Muhammad ti, let him know that Muhammad ti is dead. But if anyone of you worships Allah, then Allah is alive and He does not die." Then continuing his speech he recited the Qur'anic Verse: "Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed Messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him. Will it be that, when he dies or is slain, you will turn back on your heels?

He who turns back does no hurt to Allah and Allah will reward the thankful." (3:144) History of Islam All those who were present on that occasion felt pacified and their state of shock and bewilderment subsided quickly. Umar ~ says: "At first I paid no heed to the call of Abu Bakr. But when he recited the Verse, it seemed as if it had just been revealed. I was taken aback and fell down as if I had no legs. I felt as if I had just then come to know of the Prophet's death." Hall of Banu Sa 1idah Deliberations upon the new developments were going on when the news came that the Ansiir had collected in the hall of Banu Sa'idah and were about to take the oath of allegiance at the hand of Sa'd bin Ubadah ~- Some of them disputed the idea of choosing two leaders, one from the Quraish and another one from the Ansar. Abu Bakr and Umar ~ accompanied by a group of Mulzajirin got up without losing a moment and proceeded towards the trouble spot to put the matter right.

However, Ali, Abbas, Usamah, and Fad! bin Abbas ;i the near relatives of the Prophet ~ were left behind to look after the burial affairs in conformity with the instructions of the Prophet~ himself. Ali ~ washed his body while Abbas ~ and his two sons helped moving him from one side to the other, while Usamah ~ was pouring water over the body. The Funeral Prayer and Burial The task of washing the body being over, the Companions were divided over the place of burial. Abu Bakr ~ then said, "I have heard from the Messenger of Allah :i that every Prophet is being buried on the spot where he has breathed his last." The Prophet's bedding was accordingly removed from the place and a grave was dug for him at the same spot. The grave being completed, the people came to perform the funeral prayer in groups one after another. The women came in after the men and after them the children, all of whom prayed over him.

Nobody acted as an Imam for the funeral prayers of the Prophet ~- On receiving the sad news of the Prophet's illness and then of his final departure, Usamah bin Zaid ~ and his men moved back to Al-Madinah and the military standard was placed upright at the door of the Prophet's Prophet Muhammad !f!i room. The fw1eral prayer was performed in the room of Aishah ~ , where his burial was to take place. Obviously, it was impossible for the men, women and children of the entire city to perform the prayer together. Moreover, the prayer was not to be led by an Imam. Thus it was natural that all took some time in performing the prayers in separate small batches in the small room. The Prophet~ passed away on Monday and was buried the next day, on Tuesday.

Noble Features The Prophet :i was neither very tall nor short in stature. Among the people he appeared to rise higher than the others. His complexion was white and reddish, head large, beard full and thick, hair black and slightly curly and thick, sometimes touching his ear lobes and sometimes reaching down to his shoulders. His eyes round, wide, black, attractive, with red lines in the white parts and slanting thick brows parted in the middle. A vein· protruded between the two eyebrows, which became more prominent in anger. His cheeks were even, soft and full.

His teeth white and bright like pearls, and he would never burst into laughter he would simply smile. He was of a smiling countenance, soft-spoken, eloquent, and a man of all-round human qualities. The Seal of Prophethood was between the two shoulders. He used to do his work with his own hands Children Apart from Ibrahim ~ , who was born to Maria Qibtiyah (Copt) ~ , all his children were born to his first wife Khadijah ~ . First of all she gave birth to his son Qasim ~ who died in Makkah at the age of four years. It is after his name that the Prophet :i came to be called AbulQasim (father of Qasim).

Thereafter for the Prophet~ she had Zainab t;, followed by Abdullah~ who was surnamed as Taiyib (pure) and Talzir (clean). She then gave birth to Ruqaiyah ~, Umm Kulthum ~ and Fatimah ~ in order. While all his sons died in infancy, all his daughters grew up to be married. But none except the youngest daughter Fatimah ~ was blessed with progeny. She bore four children to Ali bin Abu Talib, Hasan, Husain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum JJ;,,. History of Islam Character and Features Various States and Conditions of the Prophet ~: The Prophet :I; had become an orphan in the womb of his mother and he began his life in hardships and difficulties.

But when he departed from this mortal world, he had the whole of Arabia under his authority and none of the states of Arabia was beyond his control. But his simplicity, purity and uprightness served as a guiding light throughout his life. Bukhari reports Aishah ~ to have said, "The Prophet ~ never preferred himself to anyone in worldly affairs. He would do his household chores as you all do. He would milk the sheep and repair his shoes. When the construction work of the Prophet's Mosque was being done, the Prophet :I; also participated in the work like a common laborer carrying bricks for the mosque.

He was one of the workers digging the trench, breaking stones and carrying clay in preparation for the Battle of the Confederates (also known as the Battle of the Trench). His common diet was barley bread of unsieved flour. But even the barley was sometimes not available for days at a time. Sometimes no fire was lighted in the hearth of his houses, and members of the Prophet's household had to live on dates and water. He never openly disliked any food nor criticized it. He would eat from whatever was served to him and held himself back when he wasn't hungry or when the food was disagreeable to him." When Aishah ~ was asked about his bedding she related, "It was made of coarse animal skin filled with date-bark." When the same question was repeated to Hafsah ~, she said, "It was just a piece of sackcloth.

One night I folded it in four parts to make it more comfortable for the Prophet ~. The next morning he asked as to what I had spread as the bedding. I told him that it was the same piece of sackcloth, but I had folded it in four parts to give him more comfort. The Prophet ~ asked me to make it as it was because it held him back from performing the night prayer." The Prophet's coat of mail had been pawned with a Jew in return for 30 dirhams but he didn't have enough money to get it back from him. Prophet Muhammad Ji The Messenger of Allah ti departed from the world and the coat of mail was still with the Jew. He left his weapons, a mule and a coat of mail as inheritance but with the instructions that these things were to be given in charity.

Are they not blind who accuse him of lifting his sword against his own people for (Allah forbid) personal gain, sensual desire, for power, wealth or for fulfilling a lust for territorial gain? Anas .;$., says, "I came to the Prophet ti when I was only 8 years old and served the Prophet of Allah ti for 10 years. During such a long time he never uttered a painful word nor blamed me for doing anything wrong." Abu Hurairah ~ relates that once the people said to him, "Please invoke on the polytheists, the curse of Allah." He replied, "I have not been sent to invoke the curse of Allah; I have rather been sent by Allah as mercy for mankind." Aishah ~ says, "His taste and temperament had nothing to do with I , nonsensical things." He would lift children in his lap to play with them, go to far off places to fulfill the needs of the sick. He would be ' the first to salute others and never pulled his hand back after a handshake before the other did. He would call his Companions with their surnames out of respect and addressed them with suitable and likeable names. He would never cut in while anybody was talking.

However, he would forbid anyone from talking nonsense or he would get up to stop it. Cheerful and Perfect Manners: Abdullah bin Harith ~ says, "I have never seen a person more cheerful than the Messenger of Allah ti." As per his saying, "The strong man is not one who knocks another down but the one who controls himself when his anger reaches its peak." Anas ~ said, "He was the bravest of all. Once the people of AlMadinah found themselves in an unknown terror thinking it an invasion from the enemy. The people followed the commotion. But the panic-stricken people found to their utmost wonder that the Prophet ti History of Islam was already returning from the center of the trouble riding bareback on a horse. He came across them on the way and pacified the people saying, "Don't worry; there is nothing to fear." Bara' bin .A.zib ~ states, "The people fled the field on the day of Hunain, while the Prophet :i was going forward reciting the martial lines: 'I am surely the Prophet, I am son of Abdul-Muttalib.' None was more valiant and courageous than he on that day.

We took refuge behind him from forceful attacks. The one who could bear the charge of the enemy being beside the Prophet :i on the battlefield was considered the bravest among us." Anas ~ relates, "Once I was walking with the Prophet~ who was wearing a cloak with a coarse fringe, a bedouin met him and violently tugged his cloak. I saw that the man's tugging had left a mark on the neck and shoulder of Allah's Prophet ~- When the Prophet ~ turned towards him, the nomad said, "O Muhammad, give me two camels loaded with what Allah has given you, for it neither belongs to you nor your father." The Prophet ~ kept silent out of his grace and politeness despite such rude and bitter words. Then speaking rather softly, he said to the nomad, "Should you be treated as you have treated me?" "No," the nomad said emphatically. "Why not?" The Prophet ~ asked. "It is because you don't believe in tit for tat," he very confidently replied.

The Prophet :i smiled at his plain talking and then ordered to load one of his camels with barley and another with dates." Once Zaid bin Sa'nah, a Jew came to the Prophet ~ and demanded payment of the money owed by the Prophet :i and addressed him rudely, saying, "You son of Abdul-Muttalib are late." Although the Prophet ii kept smiling at his rudeness, Umar ~ rebuked and reproached him. Thereupon the Prophet :l; said to Umar ~, "This man was entitled to better treatment from you. You ought to have advised me to repay the loan promptly and asked him to make his demand politely." At the same time he asked Umar ~ to pay the loan and give Zaid twenty Sa' (60 kilograms) extra so as to compensate him for his threatening attitude towards Zaid. The gracious and obliging behavior of Allah's Prophet ~ caused Zaid to embrace Islam then and there. Prophet Muhammad J!i Anas ~ relates, "I accompanied the Prophet :i to Abu Saif, the smith whose wife would suckle his son, Ibrahim~, who was then on the brink of death. This sad plight brought tears to the eyes of the Prophet ~- Thereupon Abdur-Rahman bin Auf ~ said, "Do you also show impatience, 0 Prophet of Allah?" The Prophet :i replied, "O Ibn Auf, these are the tears of mercy and affection, not of impatience and thanklessness.

The heart saddens and the eyes shed tears, but we must not say anything that goes against the Will of Allah." Abu Khudri ~ relates, "Once some people from the Ansar asked for something from the Prophet :i and he gave them. He gave all he had, when they repeated their demands, the Prophet :i remarked, 'I never lay aside whatever comes to me. Verily, Allah the Almighty saves those from the disgrace of asking for something who beg Allah for it; Allah makes rich those who long for it; Allah makes them patient who keep patience; and none has ever been given a better gift from Allah than patience'." Abu Hurairah ~ states, 'The Prophet :i has said more than once: 'If I had gold equal to Mount Uhud, I would feel happy only when I had distributed all of it before the end of three days. I keep nothing with me save what is necessary for the repayment of a loan'." The Prophet :i would rise to help the needy even when he had nothing to give. In such a situation he helped by borrowing from others, even when he already had loans of the same nature, otherwise he never borrowed anything from anybody for his own personal needs. Jabir bin Abdullah ~ relates, "I accompanied the Prophet :ion an expedition.

My camel lagged behind because of exhaustion. After a short while the Prophet :i passed by and asked, 'How are you Jabir?' I told him, 'My camel is exhausted.' He hit my camel and it sped up. Then we moved ahead talking with each other. During this exchange he asked me, 'Will you sell the camel.' I replied in the affirmative. Thus he bought it from me and moved ahead. I reached the destination late in the day.

I tied it to the door of the mosque. 'Leave it there and come in to perform two Rak'ah of prayer,' the Prophet :i said to me. The prayer being over, he asked Bilal~ to make payment History of Islam for the camel. When I moved a little with the amount, he called me back. I was afraid if the camel was to be returned. But on my return he said, 'Take the camel with you along with its price, which has already been paid to you'." Once the Prophet ~ was passing through a grove along with a person.

He cut two toothsticks one straight and another bent. He took the bent one and gave the straight one to his companion. Although he insisted on him (the Prophet~) to take the straight one, the Prophet ~ refused saying that everyone will on the Day of Judgment be asked about his etiquette with the company he has passed sometime with. Ibn Abbas ~ relates that once some dispute arose between a hypocrite Muslim named Bishr and a Jew. Both of them came to the Prophet ~ for a verdict. After hearing both of them and looking into the matter, he gave his verdict in favor of the Jew.

When they came out, Bishr said, "The verdict is not fair; let us go to Umar." Both of them went to him. The Jew stated before Umar ~: "Both of us have gone to the Prophet and he gave his verdict in my favor, but this man (Bishr) didn't accept it and has now brought me to you to seek and accept that of yours." Umar ~ verified the statement of the Jew with Bishr who said, "This is a fact that we had gone to the Prophet for his verdict in the dispute but now I seek to prefer your verdict to that of his." Umar ~ said, "Just wait, and I will give my verdict right away." He went into his house and came out with his sword and cut off the head of the hypocrite Bishr, and remarked, "Anyone who rejects the decision of Allah and His Messenger ~ after claiming himself a Muslim, I decide his matter in this manner." Following this his hypocrite fellows raised much hue and cry against this action but Allah the Almighty lent support to this decision of Umar ~ through His Revelation, and it is said that from that day he came to be called 'Faruq'. After the conquest of Makkah, Fatimah bint Al-Aswad of Banu Makhzum was apprehended on the charge of theft. The Prophet ~ ordered to cut off the right hand of the culprit after her crime was proved. The notables among the Quraish felt this was disgraceful. They wanted to save her from punishment by virtue of intercession, but none of them had the courage to go before the Prophet ~ with this Prophet Muhammad j!j purpose in view.

At last they approached Usamah bin Zaid ~ to Intercede with the Prophet ~ on the issue. When he brought the 111atter to the notice of Prophet~, his expression completely altered. f-Ie said, 'Usamah! Do you speak to me about the limits set by Allah?" fie got up then and addressed the people saying, "The people before rou were destroyed because they used to overlook when a highborn pr a man of substance among them committed a theft, but when the poor or the weak did the same, they chastised him as ordained by the law. I swear by Him Who holds my life, if Fatimah bint Muhammad ~ad committed this theft, I would have amputated her hand." ~nformality: Pnce the Prophet ~ said: "Keep away from praising me beyond a ~imit like the Christians who crossed all limits in adoring Isa bin Maryam. I am one of the slaves of Allah, so call me Abdullah (the b1ave of Allah)." I Once the Prophet ~ came out and all the Companions got up to pay their respect to him. Thereupon he said, "Do away with the practice of ~tanding up to adore anyone like the Ajami people (non-Arabs)." [He would keep very close to his Companions and took his seat ;wherever he found a place.

He took part in the work done by the servants and made them sit beside him. jHe has said that one who endeavors to do the needful for the hungry :and the poor, attains the status of one who fights in the way of Allah, I !and one who prays the whole night and observes fast the whole year. :A certain person called on the Prophet ~ and asked, "O Prophet of iAllah, what is the way to Jannah (Paradise)?" He said, "Truth. It is :because when a person is truthful, he adopts virtue, which leads to ,the light of Faith, and Faith leads him to Jannah (Paradise)." On :another occasion he said, "Keep truthful even if your truth leads you :to face death and destruction, for undoubtedly it is where salvation rests." iOnce, on the way to Badr from Makkah, Akhnas bin Shuraiq said to iAbu Jahl, "O Abul-Hakam, I ask you one thing, and none is here History of Islam except we two; tell me truthfully whether Muhammad is truthful or a liar." Abu Jahl replied, "By God, Muhammad always speaks the truth and he never uttered anything untrue." Abu Saeed Khudri ~ is reported to have said, "The Prophet~ was more modest than a graceful and veiled virgin. We read from his face the sign of his displeasure. When he disliked anything, he would indicate it indirectly so that the person was not shamed. However, he made no concessions in matters of the Word of Allah and the upholding of the Truth." Moderation: A.ishah $., related that when the Prophet~ said anything of anyone, he never mentioned the person by name. He would rather say, "What type of person are those who do such things." Most of the time he kept silent and never talked unnecessarily; his speech was always clear and lucid, neither so long as to contain loose substance nor so short as to exclude some essential points.

His movement was moderate, neither so slow as to become undesirable to others in his · company nor so fast to cause exhaustion. In short, he practiced moderation in every aspect of life. Cheerful Disposition: He radiated cheerfulness. Once he promised to give someone a camel. When that person asked for it, he~ said, "l can give you the calf of a she camel." "What shall I do with the calf?" the person said with a touch of disappointment. Thereupon he :i said, "If a camel is not the calf of a she-camel, whose calf is it?" But the Prophet :l; never uttered' a word of untruth even during casual talk.

Laudable Traits of Character: When the Prophet :i was in the company of his Companions, he was, so close to them that a newcomer wouldn't recognize him distinctly: and would ask for the Prophet :i to be pointed out to him. He did not like to eat anything that might cause a bad smell to emit from hi~ mouth. He wore clothes with patches; he liked simple but clean Prophet Muhammad J!i [garments. He used a toothstick several times a day. The people sitting )beside him never complained of his body, clothes or mouth emitting a [bad smell. He sought forgiveness between parties where it could be jhelpful in bringing about reforms, but in case of crimes demanding :punishment, he never held himself back, because refraining from !chastising the criminals was to him tantamount to aiding and abetting ;in promoting crimes.

Charities from Muslims were not limited to the Muslims, he extended it to the Christians, Jews and polytheists too. He put up with exemplary ease whatever calamities befell him but he became restless ito find anybody else in trouble. He applied all sources and resources in accomplishing any job but left the outcome to Allah the Almighty, and he was least afraid of the result going against his hope. He 'showed humility but not meanness; he was awesome but not rude and rash; he practiced generosity but not extravagance; whoever came ,before him, all of a sudden felt awe-stricken but when seated beside ihim, began to love him. He asked to keep away from epidemics, ! forbade quacks to treat patients and disliked the use of prohibited things as medicine. Whenever he had two ways to do a thing, he used the easier one.

He served the prisoners of war like his guests. He took 'part in manly sports and exercises like archery, shooting, and horse racing along with his Companions.