Part 11

Politics, religion, Economics, and the overall condition of Arabs... 61

“Then I am him.” Without harming Muhalhal, Al-Haarith simply let him go, showing a wonderful display of faithfulness that truly deserves admiration.

Another example involves An-No’maan ibn Al-Mundhir, who feared for his life after he refused to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the emperor Kisra. Having first placed his family and weapons in the safekeeping of Haani ibn Mas’ood AshShaibaanee, An-No’maan traveled to Kisra, who treated him very harshly. Kisra sent a message to Haani, demanding that he hand over all that An-No’maan had entrusted him with, but Haani refused. And so Kisra sent an army to fight Haani and his tribe.

Haani gathered his fellow tribesmen and delivered the following sermon: “O people of Bakr, one who is killed yet has an excuse is better than one who is safe yet has fled (from the battlefield). Indeed, caution does not protect one from preordainment. And indeed, patience is one of the causes of victory. I say yes to death, but no to humiliation and baseness. To head towards death is better than to turn away from it, and to be stabbed in the upper part of the chest is better than to be stabbed in the back (i.e., while fleeing). O people of Bakr, fight, for death must come to us all.” In choosing between living and fulfilling his promise, Haani chose the latter, yet as happens so frequently in life, he sought out death but was granted life (the opposite happens just as frequently: those who seek out comfort and life are often met by death ina most unexpected manner). In the Battle of Dhee Qaar, the Bakr tribe fought valiantly and triumphed over their Persian foes.

6) Patience in hard times and contentment with the bare necessities

Arabs consumed food in moderate quantities. They looked down upon the person who ate too much, and when they would finish eating a meal, it was not uncommon for them to say, “Gluttony does away with intelligence.” Arabs had an uncanny ability to

"1 Taareekh At-Tabaree (2/207).

endure hardship, a quality that they probably developed through living in the harsh desert for many generations. Low supplies of food and water, tortuous and rocky mountain pathways, the extreme heat of the desert - nothing seemed to perturb them. Once they embraced Islam, they had to be more patient than ever before; in harsh times, one of them would go days with only a small number of dates and some drops of water.

7) Showing mercy when revenge was within one’s grasp

Arabs did not back down from fighting their enemies, but it frequently occurred that, at the very moment when one of them had the upper hand against his enemy, and had the ability to pounce on him, he forgave him and left him alone. Arabs were also known to show mercy on the battlefield, in that they wouldn't kill their wounded opponents.

These are just some of the good qualities that Arabs possessed during the days of ignorance. Islam then came and developed those qualities, channeling them in the right direction. With their inherent goodness being strengthened by Eemaan and piety, they conquered countries and the hearts of people, filling the earth with faith, after it had become replete with disbelief; with justice, after it had become overrun by oppression and wrongdoing; and with goodness, after it had become overwhelmed by falsehood and evil.

What better can be said about Arabs than that among them was the Messenger of Allah #? The Persians, the Romans, the Indians, and the Greeks - none of these were chosen to have among them the Messenger of Allah #%, despite the vast knowledge of the Persians, the philosophy of the Indians, the skilled arts of the Romans, and the genius of the Greeks. In spite of their more advanced civilizations, the above-mentioned peoples were not chosen to have the Messenger of Allah #¢ in their midst. As primitive and uncivilized as they were in some regards, Arabs possessed, more so than others, a sound inherent nature and an overall preparedness to receive, embrace, and then disseminate the message of Islam.

Some I portant Events That Took Place Bef re The Birth Of The Prophet

Before delving into the study of the Prophet's birth and early years, we discuss in this section those events that had a direct bearing on Islam, that represented the dark days of pre-Islamic ignorance, or that signaled the great change that was about to take place in Arabia and in the entire world. True, the earth was immersed in darkness; but it is from Allah’s Sunan (ways; Sunan is plural of Sunnah) regarding the universe that relief comes after hardship, that light comes after darkness, and that ease comes after difficulty.

‘Abdul-Muttalib Digs The Well Of Zamzam

In his highly beneficial book, Saheeh As-Seerah An-Nabawiyyah, Shaikh Ibraaheem Al-’Alee mentioned an authentic narration that describes how ‘Abdul-Muttalib found and dug the well of Zamzam. Of course, it was Haajar who first found the well of Zamzam, but history books record that, because of the wickedness of later generations, the Zamzam well became buried and, if not forgotten, then at least lost - until the time of ‘Abdul-Muttalib. ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib #related that Abdul-Muttalib said, “WhileI wassleeping in Al-Hijr (a part of the Ka’bah that is on its northern side), someone came to me and said, ‘Dig Taibah (Taibah comes from the word Tayyib, which means goodness).’ ‘And what is Taibah?’ lasked, but he then left me. On the following day, Ireturned to my place of sleep (in Al-Hijr). When I fell asleep there, he came to me (again) and said,

“Dig Barrah (Barrah comes from the word Birr, which means goodness and purity).’ ‘And whatis Barrah?’ asked, but he (again) left me. On the following day, I returned to my place of sleep. And when fell asleep there, hecame to meand said, ‘Dig Al-Madnoonah.’ ‘And what is Al-Madnoonah?’ | asked, but he left (again without answering me). On the following day, I returned to my place of sleep. After] fellasleep there, he came to meand said, ‘Dig Zamzam.’ “And whatis Zamzam?’ Lasked. He said, ‘It (is a well that) never runs dry, and it is not dispraised (i.e., it is fresh and good). It is drink for the greater pilgrims (i.e., those who come for Hajj). Anditis situated (so goand find it there) between excrementand blood, at theeyehole of the Al-’Asim crow (i.e., the crow that has whiteness in its legs), at the village of the ants.’””

After he was made aware of the significance and location of the Zamzam well, ‘Abdul-Muttalib went out (to search for it) with an axe. He took along with him Al-Haarith ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who was, at the time, ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s only son. When ‘AbdulMuttalib saw the edge of the well, he magnified Allah 3, by exclaiming, “Allahuakbar (Allah is the Greatest)!” By the sound of his voice, the Quraish knew that he found what he had been looking for, and so they went to him. They said, “O ‘AbdulMuttalib, this indeed is the well of our father, Ismaa’eel, and we have a right over it, so make us a partner to you in it (ie, in its ownership).” He said, “I will not do so; this is a matter for which I, and not you, have been specifically chosen, and which I have been given from among you.” They said, “Then do us justice, for we will not leave you alone, but will instead dispute with you over it.” He said, “Then appoint whomsoever you wish, and we will take the matter to him for judgment.” They said, “ (We choose) the soothsayer of Banu Sa’d ibn Hudhaim.” He said, “Yes (agreed).” The man they had chosen lived in the border regions of Ash-Sham (the area of Ash-Sham consists of Syria and neighbouring lands).

With a group of companions from his subtribe - the children of ‘Abd-Manaaf - ‘Abdul-Muttalib set out for the journey to AshSham. Joining them on the journey was a group of people from

Some Important Events that took place before... 65

every subtribe of the Quraish. Between them and their destination was a vast desert land, void of any villages or townships; so the journey was not going to be an easy one. And it proved difficult indeed, for, at some point during the journey, ‘Abdul-Muttalib and his companions ran out of water. They then remained thirsty for so long that they were sure that death was imminent. The other subtribes, however, did have water, but when the children of ‘Abd-Manaaf asked them for some, they refused, saying, “We are in the desert, and we fear that what happened to you will happen to us (if we are too free with our water).” ‘Abdul-Muttalib said to his companions, “ think that each man among you should now bury his own grave, using the strength he still has with him. Whenever a man among you dies, the others can push him into his hole and then bury him, until there remains one man, since it is better for one man to be lost (without a burial) than for the entire caravan to be lost.” They said, “Good indeed is the command you have given us.”

Each man among them dug his grave and then sat down, waiting for his death. But then ‘Abdul-Muttalib said to them, “By Allah, for us to kill ourselves in this manner will not make us deserving of (praise) on earth, and we should not be weak like this. Perhaps Allah will provide us with water in some land (ahead of us), so prepare to move on.” They were getting ready to leave, when ‘Abdul-Muttalib made his camel stand up, and gushing forth from underneath its hooves was a spring of fresh water. ‘Abdul-Muttalib and his companions exclaimed, “Allahuakbar (Allah is the Greatest).” They all drank water and filled their containers. They then invited the other subtribes of the Quraish, who, all the while, had been watching their every move. ‘Abdul-Muttalib said, “Come to this water, for Allah has indeed provided us with drink.” They came, drank, and filled their containers with water. They then said, “By Allah, we will never again enter into a dispute with you regarding Zamzam, for the One Who has given you this water to drink in this barren land, is indeed the One Who gave you Zamzam to drink. So return to your water rightly-guided.” There being no point to go to the soothsayer of

Banu Sa’d, they all returned to Makkah, and no one thereafter argued about ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s right to have complete control over the Zamzam well.

After he related this narration, Ibn Ishaaq wrote, “This is what has reached me from ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib 4 regarding Zamzam.’""] Many other narrations are related in regard to the superiority and virtues of Zamzam water. An example is a narration that is related in Saheeh Muslim; in it, the Messenger of Allah #2 said, “Indeed, it (Zamzam water) is blessed; indeed, it is Ta’aam To’om (i.e., just as food fills a person, Zamzam water fills a person who drinks it).