The Event of al- Mubahalah

'And unto him who disputeth with thee therein, after the knowledge hath come unto
thee, Say! 'come ye, let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and
your women, and ourselves and yourselves and then let us invoke and lay the curse
of God on the liars.' (Qur'an 3:61)

In the story of this dialogue which the Prophet (s.a.w) commanded with some
Christians, the Prophet (s.a.w) took a new route to deal with the situation when the
dialogue reached a dead end, and it is this method of challenging which the verse
tells us about.

The narration of the great Ali bin Ibrahim al-Qommi, from Imam al-Sadiq (AS) says
that: 'The Christians of Najran came (as a delegation) to the Messenger of ALLAH....
They prayed using the bell; the Prophet's companion objected: O Messenger of
ALLAH! This in your mosque? He (s.a.w) said: Leave them (to pray as they like).

When they finished they came to the Prophet (s.a.w) and said: To what do you call?
He (s.a.w) said: To bear witness that there is no God but ALLAH and that I am the
Messenger of ALLAH and that 'Isa (Jesus) (a.s) is created a slave (of ALLAH), and
eats, drinks and excretes.

They said: Then who is his father? The revelation was then revealed to the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) saying: Say to them - what do you say about Adam, has
he been created a slave (of ALLAH), eating, drinking, excreting and marrying? So the
Prophet (s.a.w) asked them and they replied: yes.

He (s.a.w) asked them: Then who is his father? They could not answer, so ALLAH
revealed: Verily, the similitude of Jesus with God is as the similitude of Adam; ALLAH
created him out of dust, then said ALLAH unto him BE, and he became' (Qur'an
3:59) and 'And unto him who disputeth with thee... let us invoke and lay the curse
of God on the liars' The Messenger of ALLAH (s.a.w) said: So, challenge me: if I am
telling the truth the curse falls unto you, and if I am a liar the curse falls unto me.
They said: You are speaking in justice.

They agreed on a date for mubahalah (challenge). When they returned to the places
they were staying in, their leaders al-Sayyid, al-'Aqib and al-Ahtam said: “If he
challenged us with his people, we accept the challenge for he is not a Prophet; but if
he challenges us with his family in particular we don't challenge him, for he is not
going to push forward his family unless he is truthful.”

In the morning, they came to the Messenger of ALLAH (s.a.w) and with him the
Commander of the Faithful (Ali a.s), Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husain (a.s), so the
Christians said: Who are those? The people replied: This is his cousin and successor
and son-in-law, and this is his daughter Fatimah, and these are his grandsons al-
Hasan and al-Husain.
When the Christian delegation saw a woman, two children and only one man with
the Prophet (s.a.w), they got scared and worried and Abu Harisa said: "O my
Christian friends, I am seeing such bright faces that if they pray that God move this
mountain from its place then the mountain will be moved. I warn you do not have
Mubahila with them or you all will be destroyed and banished."

The Christian delegation was still amazed and frightened when the brother of Abu
Harisa, Karz ibn-e-Alqama stated that "O my fellows, it appears that Muhammad
(s.a.w) is the same last apostle and prophet that has been mentioned in our sacred
books.

So they became frightened and said to the Messenger of ALLAH (s.a.w): We give
you the satisfaction, so give us leave from the challenge.'

Al-Qummi commentary, vol.1, p. 104; Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1871; Sunan al-
Turmuthi, vol. 5, p. 638; Shawahid al-Tanzeel, vol. 1, p. 155; al-Sawa'iq al-
Muhriqah, p. 148; al-Kamil fil Tareekh, vol. 2, p. 393.

......'and our women': those amongst women who represent the nearest position to
my humanistic and spiritual affiliation in my life, and here I put forward my daughter
Fatimah, the Doyenne of the Women of the World, who is 'part of me' and ALLAH
becomes angry for her anger and satisfied for her satisfaction' in this great challenge
so as to prove that I am absolutely sure about the truth of my call, for man does not
put forward his most beloved people to the places of danger unless he is certain of
safety.

The 24th of Zil-Hajj marks the anniversary of the auspicious occasion of Eid-e-
Mubahila. This is the day of victory of Muslims over Christians. The event of
Mubahila occurred in the 10th of Hijrah.

Historical perspective of Eid-e-Mubahila

Najran was a fertile land located in the Northern mountaneous region of Yemen
about 20 Kms from Sanaa. About 40,000 Christians inhabited the land divided into
73 small towns. They were idol worshipers historically just like the Arabs but a priest
named Femeon, a constructor by profession, preached Christianity in the area of
Najran and soon all the population converted to Christianity and Najran became a
powerful center of activities of Christians.

They also constructed a church and named it \'Kaba-e-Najran\'. They prayed and
offered various offerings there which resulted in an annual income of about two
hundred thousand Dinars which was used for the priest who lived and studied there.
After the conquest of Makkah when Islam started spreading rapidly and the warring
groups came under the flag of Islam, the Holy Prophet(pbuh&hf) starting sending
emissaries to the tribes who had not yet accepted Islam.

In 10 A.H. a similar message was sent to the Christians of Najran and they were
offered either to accept the teachings of Islam or live in the protection of Muslims
and give \'Jazia\' - a kind of fee for protection services. When the Bishop of Najran
received this message, he invited all the scholars and influential people of Najran
and asked them to think and find a solution to this situation.

This news spread rapidly among the masses and some people got infuriated as well
but the Bishop of Najran pacified them and advised them to be mindful of the
military might of the Islamic regime and try to find a peaceful solution.

Christian mission heads to Madina

After deliberations, it was finally decided to send a mission to Madina and have a
dialog with the Muslims. A 14 member deligation headed by Aqib Saidawar and Abu
Harisa started off for Makkah. Abu Harisa was considered as the greatest Bishop and
scholar of the Christian world at that time and Aqib Sadawar was the biggest
strategist and negotiator of the time.

When the delegation reached Madina, the people got impressed by their lavish
dressing and pomp and show since it was the first time that a mission had arrived in
such a manner.

When they entered the Masjid-e-Nabawi, the Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) looked

at the precious stones, gold and silk clothes that they were wearing and turned
away his face and did not pay any attention to them. After a while when no one
noticed their pomp and show, they got out of the Masjid-e-Nabawi and met Hazrat
Usman and Ubaid-ur-Rehman outside and asked them as to why they were invited
by the Muslims and then treated in this manner.

Hazrat Usman mentioned that he did not have a clue about that but if they consult
Imam Ali(AS), he would be able to tell them what was going on. They took the
delegation with them and arrived at the house of Imam Ali(AS) and mentioned about
the whole incidence to him.

Imam Ali(AS) said to the delegation that they were wearing dresses of silk and
ornaments of gold which depicted their superior mentality and that they should take
them off and dress simply. Only then the Prophet(pbuh&hf) would allow them to
visit him and entertain them. When they followed the instructions of Imam Ali(AS),
they were allowed to visit the Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) after the Prayers of
Asar and have discussions with him.

Proposal of Mubahila

After exchange of views on several issues, the delegation did not seem to be willing
to accept the observations about the incorrect beliefs of Christianity and the logical
explanations proving the incorrectness of their beliefs. At that time Allah(swt) send
down the famous Ayat-e-Mubahila of the Quran:

Glorious Quran Chapter 3 Verse 61:

And unto him who disputeth with thee therein after the knowledge hath come unto
thee, Say ! (O\' Our Apostle Muhammad !) (Unto them) come ye, let us summon our
sons, and (ye summon) your sons, and (we summon) our women and (ye) your
women, and (we summon) ourselves and then let us invoke the curse of God on the
liars !

Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) recited this Ayat and invited them for Mubahila -
praying to God(swt) to destroy and banish the liars.

Mubahila became necessary since the Christian delegation was adamant to accept
the truth. After some hesitations the delegations asked to be given one day to
reconsider their options and then accepted to have the Mubahila after two days. In
their consultations among themselves, the grand Bishop Abu Harisa told his
companions that if tomorrow, Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) brings his companions
and his tribesmen and military might with him for Mubahila then they should accept
the challange without fear but if he brings only the members of his family, then
never accept the challenge.

Whom did the Prophet (pbuh & hf) take with him

The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh & hf) selected a place close to Madina for the
Mubahila which was then cleaned and prepared by Hazrat Salman Farsi (r.a.) and
the next day the Christian delegation reached the designated place. A number of
muhajirren and ansaar also gathered at the site.

The Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh & hf) took with him Imam Hasan (AS), Imam
Hussain (AS), Bibi Fatima (s.a.) and Imam Ali (AS) and headed towards the site in a
manner that Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) was leading the group holding Imam
Hasan (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS) and Bibi Fatima (s.a.) was behind him and
Imam Ali (AS) was behind Bibi Fatima (SA).
Saad bin Abi Waqas relates that when the Ayat-e-Mubahila was sent down, Prophet
Mohammad(pbuh&hf) called Imam Ali(AS), Bibi Fatima(s.a.), Imam Hasan(AS) and
Imam Hussain(AS) and said \"O my Allah(swt), these are my Ahl-e-Bait\" . (Sahih
Muslim, Vol.2, Page 287).

Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) sat down under a tree with these weighty

personalities and said that when I pray to God, you all should say \'Ameen\'. When
the Christian delegation saw a woman, two children and only one man with the
Prophet(pbuh&hf), they got scared and worried and Abu Harisa said \"O my christian
friends, I am seeing such bright faces that if they pray that God move this mountain
from its place then the mountain will be moved.

I warn you do not have Mubahila with them or you all will be destroyed and
banished.\"
The Christian delegation was still amazed and frightened when the brother of Abu
Harisa, Karz ibn-e-Alqama stated that \"O my fellows, it appears that
Mohammad(pbuh&hf) is the same last apostle and prophet that has been mentioned
in our sacred books.

We should not have Mubahila with them because anyone who had Mubahila with the
prophets in the past as well were destroyed. Look around you and observe that the
signs of your destruction are appearing.\" When they looked around, they observed
that the entire atmosphere had changed and it appeared that a furious storm is in
offing.

Result of the Mubahila

Witnessing this, they backed off from the contest and requested that their friendship
be accepted. Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) accepted their request and asked Imam
Ali(AS) to write the agreement according to which they Najran tribes accepted to
pay \'Jazia\' and live under the protection of the Muslims.

This victory is a unique one in the history of this world.