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MOLVI ABDUL AZIZ by Larbi Benrezzok
MA. English Literature

DARUSSALAM
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© Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 2011

King Fahd National library Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Abdul aziz, Moulavi
Islamic studies - grade 12 I Moulavi Abdul Aziz 1. - Riyadh 2011
240p : 28cm ISBN : 978-603-500-086-4
1- Islamic education studies and teaching
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L.D. No. 1432/2377 ISBN: 978-603-500-086-4

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 A[[ pratse bdongs to A((ah; we pral5e Htm and seek Hts help
and forgLveness. We seek nifu.ge Ln AUahJYom the evlt wtthLn us and
JYom our strif'uJ deeds. Whomever Allah gutdes, there l5 none to
ml5gutde hLm; and whomever He leads astray, none can gu.lde htm.
We bear wLtness that there l5 no god worthy of worshtp except A((ah,
and we bear wttness that Muhammad LS Hts servant and Messenger.
We pray to Allah the AlmLghty to bestow Hts peace and blesstngs
upon Prophet Muhammad, upon hts good and pure famlty, as wd(
as upon a(( the noble companLons and those who follow them tn
rtghteousness untl[ the Day of]udgement.
Gtven the dLre need forlslamLc studtes matertal Ln schools
tncorporatlng the subject tn Engltsh, Darussalam has endeavoured
to publl5h an lslamtc Stu.dtes sertes covertng aa the grades, JYom
grade one through grade twdve.
The present sertes covers all areas oflslamLc studtes: tafseer,
hadeeth, tawheed, ji.qh, seerah, and general etlquette rdatlng to
d�erent areas and sLtuatlons. Due to the tmporlance of authentlc
lslamLc knowledge, every qfort has been made to ensure that
the matertal presented tn the serLes l5 authentlc. Also, gLven the
tmporlance of ArablelslamLc terms, most of the terms are presented
Ln theLr orLgtna( ArabLe scrLpt, along wtth the translLteratlon and
the translatlon of thetr meanLngs. Thl5 also applLes to suppltcatlons
whLch have to be memorl5ed Ln theLr ArabLe versLon. The aLm here
LS to hdp the student read the orLgLnal text and understand Lts
meanLng. Each lesson LS foaowed by exercl5es coverLng questlons
about the lesson.
One strLkLng feature Ln the serLes LS the colowful artwork
used Ln Lt that certaLnly appeals to chltdren. ThLs l5 cenaLnly bound
to attract the young readers' attention, stimulate them, amuse them
as wdt as educate them, even though thts feature ts not stressed tn
books for the upper grades.
The sertes atms to acquatnt the student wtth the teachtngs
oflslam tn every aspect: bdtifs, practtces and moral conduct. The
sertes, wtth tts untque features, certatnly.fills a gap tn thts area whtch
has tong been parttaUy neglected.
The present breathtaktng work was tnttiated by an expert tn
the .fidd of education, Maulvt Ahdut Aztz, MA. Engttsh ltterature,
who has hdd dliferent posts tn the .fidd tndudtng that of Sentor
Admtntstrative Officer tn the Department of Prtvate Education,
Mtntstry of Education, Dubat, UAE,from 1982 to 2002.
The current project also owes tts extstence tn tts present form
to some people who made tnformative suggestions, particularly
Larbt Benrezzouk, CoUege of Languages and Translation, lmam
Muhammad tbn Saud Untverstty, Rtyadh, who undertook the
patnstaktng task of checktng the authentidty of the matertal
presented tn the sertes, proofreadtng the text as wdt as addtng
riferences to certatn quotations from the Qgr'an and the hadeeth.
Spedal thanks also go to Mr. S�td Chaudhary for proofreadtng tn
thts addttion and to Mr. Zu1flqar Mahmood who consdentiously
applted hts experttse tn the .fidd of graphtc destgn to produce the
sertes tn a superb shape.
We pray to Almtghty Allah to reward our endeavours and
to make the present sertes abundantly ben�dal to students tn aU
stages of education as weU as to any one who reads them.

Abdu[ MaW� M�ahLd

S8jar, 1432 AH.
January 2011.
1. Pre-Islamic Arabia

1.1. Social and Economic Conditions, Beliefs and Customs 9

1.2. Makkah: History in Brief 10
1.3. Social Conditions in Arabia during the Time of lgnorance 12
1.4. Religious Conditions: Beliefs and Customs 14
1.5. Characteristics of the Pre-IslamicArabs 16
1.6. Economic Conditions and Commercial Life in
Pre- Islamic Arabia 18
1.7. Weighs and Measures 20

2. Life of the Last Prophet �

2.1. The Prophet's Birth: 'The Year of the Elephant' 22

2.2. The Prophet's Lineage and Ancestry 23
2.3. The Short- Lived 'Abdullaah 24
2.4. Childhood 24
2.5. Aaminah and 'Abdul-Mu.tlalib Pass away 26
2.6. Muhammad's Early Occupation 27
2.7. Babeeraa the Monk 29
2.8. The Sacrilegious (Fijar) War 30
2.9. Hilf al-Furi_ool: Alliance of the Virtuous 30
2.10. Divine Protection 31
2.11. The Prophet's Marriage to Khadeejah � 32
2.12. The Rebuilding of the Ka ' bah 34
2.13. Meditation in the Cave of Hiraa' (Mount Hiraa') 35
2.14. Prophethood: The First Revelation 36
2.15. The Pause of Revelations- Fatrat al- Walliy 38
2.16. Revelations Resume 38
2.17. The Call to Islam in Makkah- the Secret Stage 39
2.18. The Early Muslims 39
2.19. The Call to Islam in Makkah- the Public Stage 40
2.20. Essentials of the Prophet's Early Call of His People 41
2.21. The Quraysh Reject the Messenger ofAllah � and His Message 42
2.22. The Quraysh Take Action 43
2.23. Quraysh Approach Abu Iaalib 43
2.24. The Muslims' Emigration (Hijrah) to Ethiopia 44
2.25. Why Abyssinia? 45
2.26. The Boycott 46
2.27. The Year of Grief 48
 2.28. The Journey to at-Iaa'if 48
2.29. The Night Journey and the Ascension to Heaven
(the Israa' and the Mi 'raaj) 50
2.30. Madeenah residents Embrace Isam:
A Turning Point in the History of Islam 51
2.31. Several Migrations 51
2.32. The Long- awaited Hijrah Finally Takes Place 52
2.33. The Hijrah 53
2.34. The Suraaqah Incident 54
2.35. The House of Abu Ayyoob al-An§.aaree 56
2.36. The Constitution ofMadeenah:
Sah.eefat al-Madeenah 58
2.37. The Command of Prayer andAdhaan 58
2.38. The Hypocrites: Munaafiqoon 59
2.39. The Change of the Qiblah: The Direction of Prayer 59
2.40. War and Peace 61
2.41. Campaigns and Expeditions 61
2.42. The Issue of Succession to the Prophet � 67
2.43. Remembering the Prophet �: the Most Beautiful Model 68
2.44. His Character was the Qur'an Itself 71
2.45. Fulfilment of His Mission 73
2.46. The Prophet's Statesmanship: the Constitution ofMadeenah 74

3. The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs

3.1. Abu Bakr a§.-.S.iddeeq � 76

3.2. 'Umar ibn al-Kha.ttaab �: al-Faarooq 85
3.3. 'Uthmaan ibn 'AffaanAbu 'Amr al-Qurashee � 91
3.4. 'Ali ibn Abee Iaalib � 99

4. Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and

Major Themes

4.1. Definition of the Qur'an 108

4.2. The Qur'an is the Highest Form of Revelation 109
4.3. The Qur'an is Protected from Corruption 110
4.4. The Names of the Qur'an 112
4.5. Beginning of the Revelation 112
4.6. The Last Revelation 112
4.7. Why the Qur'an Was Revealed in Stages 113
 4.8. How was The Qur'an Collected? 113
4.9. Divisions ofthe Gracious Qur'an 115
4.10. Makkan andMadinan Soorahs 116
4.11. Coherence in the Qur'an: Nadhm 116
4.12. What is the Qur'an about? 117
4.13. Major Themes of the Glorious Qur'an 119
4.14. ScientificMiracles in the Qur'an 120

5. Detailed Study of Some Siirahs of the Qur'an

1. Soorat al-Faatih.ah (The Opening): (1: 1-7) 122

2. Soorat al-Baqarah (The Cow): (2:1-193) 125
3. Soorat Aal- 'Imraan (The Family of 'Imraan): (3:35-62) 130
4. Soorat al-Anbiyyaa' (The Prophets): (21 :51-112) 133
5. Soorat al-Qasas (the Story) (28:1-44) 147
6. Soorat ad.-Duh.aa (The Bright Morning Hours): Soorah 93 160
7. Soorat al-Qadr (The Night of Degree): Soorah 97 165
8. Soorat at-Takaathur (Greed for More and More): Soorah 102 168
9. Soorat al-Kaajiroon (The Unbelievers): Soorah 109 171
10. Soorat al-Ikhlaas_ (The Purity of Faith or Pure Sincerity): 173

6. The Glorious Qur'an's authority

6.1. A Word about Soorah and Aayah 177

6.2. Its Authority and Place 178

7. The Five Pillars of Islam

7. The Five Pillars oflslam 185

7.1. The First Pillar: The Two Statements of Faith (ash-Shahaadataan) 186
7.2. The Second Pillar: Establishing the Prayers (Salaah) 187
7.3. The Third Pillar: Giving Zakaat 190
7.4. The Fourth Pillar: The Pilgrimage to the House-the Hajj 193
7.5. The Fifth Pillar: Fasting in Ramadaan 195

8. Festivals and Religious Observances

8.1. 'Eed-ul-Fitr and 'Eed-ul-Ad.-h.aa 198

8.2. Marriage in Islam 202
8.3. Funerals 210
9. The Articles of Faith

9. The Articles of Faith 215

9.1. BeliefinAllah 216
9.2. BeliefinAllah'sAngels 218
9.3. Belief in Allah's Books 220
9.4. BeliefinAllah's Messengers 221
9.5. Belief in the Last Day 227
9.6. Belief in the Divine Decree (al-Qadar): The Good of it and
the Bad of it 229

4. The Glorious Qur'an as Source of All Teachings in Islam

10.1. The Qur'an and its Method oflnterpreting

its Teachings (Tafseer) 233
10.2. The Sunnah as a Source of Guidance for Muslims and its
Relationship to the Qur'an 235
10.3. The Importance of the Sharee'ah in the Life of the Muslim
Community and Individuals 237
The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section 'Wo

1. Pre-Islamic Arabia

1 .1 . Social and Economic Conditions, Bel iefs a nd Customs

The Term Jaahi/iyyah: What is

Jaahiliyyah?

The term Jaahiliyyah, wh ich occ u rs i n

t h e Qu r'a n fou r times (3:1 54; 5 :50; 33:3 3; a n d
48:26), comes from t h e Ara bic root j - h - /,
which means 'ignora nce, lack of knowledge,
to ig nore, foo lish ness, q u ick temper and to
be ras h'. Jaahiliyyah is not m erely ignora nce,
but rather, in the extrem e sense, a state of
mind that reflects the q u a l ities of knowing
the truth but stu bbornly refu sing to
acknowledge it. It is to deli berately act against
-- � -
- '?" .._,....
what is rig ht, com bi ned with stu b born ness,
;._ �..__
arg u m entativen ess, disrespect a nd tota l
---

-�
disrega rd for people's criticism.
Th us, the word jahl means ignora nce,
foolish ness and stupid ity, a nd its opposite is
�um, or knowledge. The term is also u sed for
havi ng wrong beliefs a bout something as
wel l as for not doing something as it ought
to be performed. Jaahiliyyah indi cates the
state of things, the state of ignora nce or the
Age of Ignora nce and is often used to refer
� Section
to paganism of the pre-Islamic period. To
be more precise, Jaahiliyyah is the time of
ignorance before the advent ofthe Messenger
of Allah � in Arabia. The most decisive thing
that one should rea l ize here has to do with
'Allah'. Some people pres u m e 'Al lah' to be the
M uslim God, but this is not true. In fact, Allah
is the Ara bic word for the sa me One God: the
True One God of a l l .
Jaahiliyyah is commonly translated a s
t h e 'age of ignora nce'; that is, ignorance of
the Word of God. Therefore, it is relevant to
u n dersta nd the desig nation of Jaahiliyyah
as referring to a n age of recklessness and
disrega rd for certain mora l, spiritual and
socia l va lues brought by Islam. I n the Qu r'a n,
the word Jaahiliyyah is used as the opposite
of Islamic teachi ngs and reforms.
The Islamic teachi ngs are based on
knowl edge and guidance from Allah. Allah
is the source of a l l knowledge as He tau g ht
Aada m �1, the fi rst h u m a n being, the na m es
of a l l thi ngs. (Soorat a/-Baqarah, 2:3 1 ) I n the
pre-Islamic period, the way of l ife a nd laws
were not based on reason or revel ation but
on whi ms, g uesswork a nd superstitions.
However, the Qu r'an does not reject a l l good
va l ues preva lent in Ara bia before the advent
of Islam. Many practices were reformed a nd
other good va l ues, for exa m ple, generosity
and h ospita l ity were reta ined.
As a m atter of fact, life i n Ara bia in
the decades preced ing Islam was by no
means devoid of finer elements. The Ara b
civil ization was no doubt sta le and d ecadent,
as it possessed no phi losophy a nd no a rt
wa htsoever, with the sole exa m ple of poetry.
I n Arabia, there were many towns, but
each fol l owed its own pol itical system, which
o()5 1 0
The Beg i nnings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A r a b i a )
was closer to being a Shaykhdom, rather than
a kingdom. The major cities of those ti m es
were Makka h, Iaa'if and Yathri b (to be cal l ed
Madeenah later) .
1 .2. Makka h : H i story i n
Brief
Prophet lbraaheem �� migrated from
I raq to Syria, then from there to Egypt,
ca rryi ng with h i m the message of the true
One God-Allah �. l braaheem �� was
indeed a model. He was d utifu l to Allah. He
was a man of p u re fa ith and was not at all a n
idolater (see Soorat an-Nab./, 1 6: 1 20). H i s story
of encou nter with the idols and paga ns of his
time is wel l-known, and the Qu r'a n speaks of
this in several places (See, for insta nce, Soorat
ai-Baqarah, 2:258-260; Soorat ai-An�aam,
6:74-8 1 ; Soorat Maryam, 1 9:46-48; and Soorat
ai-Anbiyyaa', 2 1 :5 1 -70) . As for his story of
professing tawb_eed (Oneness of Allah) i n
Ma kkah, s e e Soorat Jbraaheem, 1 4:3 7 a n d
Soorat a�-s_aafaat, 37:99 and 1 02.
l braaheem �� was accompan ied by
his second wife Haajar (Hagar), lsmaa�eel's
mother. His fi rst wife was childless for a time.
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a )
Hagar bore h i m the fi rst son, and h e na m ed
h i m lsmaa �eel. l braa heem took her and her
child to a place close to where the Sacred
House is under a tree a bove the Za mza m well.
There was no Makka h then and no inha bita nts.
There was no water either. l braa heem
l eft her with a s m a l l bag conta ining some
dates and a waterskin1 fi l led with water.
As lbraaheem �� turned to leave, Hagar
followed him and she asked h i m, 'Where a re
you goi ng, leavi ng us i n this deserted place?'
She repeated the q u estion severa l times but
he wou l d not turn to her. Final ly, she asked,
'Has Allah comma nded you to do th is?' He
repl ied, 'Yes: She said, 'Then, surely, He wi ll
not abandon us: And she returned.
l braa heem �� conti n ued u ntil he was
at a mounta i n path, from which he could not
be seen . He tu rned towa rds the p lace a nd
prayed:
Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a
valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House,
so that they may establish prayers. So make the
hearts of some people incline towards them, and
provide them with fruits so that they may give
thanks. (Soorat lbraaheem, 1 4:37)
The place is sti l l ba rren as it was fou r
thousand yea rs ago. No trees bear a ny fru it
there. All the fru its fou n d i n the city a re
brought to it from outside. This clearly shows
that Prophet l braa heem's suppl ication was
accepted. Conseq uently, we see the a mazing
spectacle that the Ma kka n markets a re always
l aden with fruits of a l l varieties.
It was not too long before the water
was exhausted. Both Hagar a nd her child
were thi rsty. It was especia l ly pa infu l for her
1- A waters k i n i s a contai n e r o f s k i n for hold i n g water.
if)5 1 1
Section 'Wv
��
to see the child writhe a round i n s uffering.
She cli m bed the nearest h i l l, ca l led a.s_-$_afaa
to see if she cou l d spot someone. Not fi nding
a nyone, she l ifted her robe a little and ra n
down across the l ength of the va lley to c l i m b
a nother h i l l cal l ed a i-Marwah t o see i f s h e
could find a l iving s o u l . She fou nd no one a nd
she ra n between the hills severa l times. Alla h's
Messenger � has told us that this is the origin
of the sa�ee ritual in b_ajj a nd � umrah. At the
end of the seventh round, angel J i breel ��
came down. He used eithe r his heel or wing
to track down the source of the Zamzam
spring and dug u nti l the water began to g ush
out. Haajar bega n to put a hedge a round the
g ushing water with some sand. As the water­
l evel rose, she c u pped her hands to col l ect it
in her waterskin. The water kept g ushing out
steadi ly. She dra n k from it and conti n u ed to
n u rse her chi ld. The angel told her, 'Do not be
afra id of being a ba ndoned. This is the House
of the Lord, which the child a nd his father will
build. Allah does not a ba ndon his serva nts:
While she held to the place, one of the
fa mil ies of J u r h u m tribe from the Qa htaan
of the Yemen happened to pass by. Fi nding
that water was available there, they sought
her permission to settle down. She placed
� Sectio n
t h e cond ition that t h e spring of water wou ld
remain her property though they could d raw
from it. They a g reed and later sent for the rest
of the tribe to come and join them.
The never ceasing flow of Zamza m has
n ever fa iled right up to this day, when m i l l ions
of gal lons of water a re drawn every day
with the help of severa l large power-d riven
p u m ps. The Za mza m is both water and food
at the same time. It is good for whatever it is
d ru n k for. If you dri n k it agai nst thi rst, Allah
will slake yo ur thirst. If you consider it food,
Allah will satiate you. If you seek to be c u red
with it, Allah will certa i n ly cure you.
Haaja r's child g rew i nto a handsome
young man and learnt Ara bic from mem bers
of Jurhum tribe. Soon they gave h i m one of
their daug hters i n ma rriage. l braa heem WI
visited them severa l ti mes. I n one of these
visits, he asked lsmaa �eel WI to help h i m i n
building t h e House that A l l a h h a d ordered h i m
to bui ld. The House was built on a raised spot
close to Za mza m, and lsmaa �eel conti nued to
l ive next to it, by the side of his i n-laws, the
Jurhum among whom he had married. He
was a truthfu l person as wel l as a m essenger
a nd a prophet (Soorat Maryam, 1 9:54). He had
twelve sons. When he died, he was buried in
the H ij r a rea by the side of h i s mother's grave. It
is said that he l ived for 1 37 yea rs. It might a lso
be poi nted out that the l braa h ee m ic period
is considered
to be 1 900
years before
the advent of
Prophet � Eesaa
(Jesus) WI.
The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( P re - I s l a m i c A r a b i a )
1 .3 . Social Con d itions
in Arabia during the Ti me of
I g nora nce
I n pre-Islamic Ara bia com m u n ities took
the form of a n u m ber of groups or tri bes who
were held together by loya lty to a leader or
by descent from a com m on successor. The
fa m i ly u n its that made up the tri bes were
eq ual in status to each other. The ch ief of
each fa mily had power to select the triba l
ch ief or shaykh, who normally ca me from
certa i n fa m i l ies. Sl avery was com m onp lace.
Before the Prophet's time, slaves were either
war ca ptives or children of slaves or taken in
ra ids i n hosti le territory.
Apart from a few oases and trading
centres, the peninsula was desert and the way
of l ife was nomadic or pastora l. Desert life was
very harsh and u ncompromising. It was often
accom pan ied by grinding poverty. There
was a strong tem ptation to l ay hand on the
belongings of others who were a p parently
wea lth ier. Th is u sua l ly took the form of ra ids
i n which there were strict rules laid down
by the custom. Where possible, possessions
were seized without loss of life. Ki l l i ng carries
severe pena lties according to the tradition of
the desert. The free Ara bs were bound by no
written law. N o authority existed to enforce
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A r a b i a )
law a n d order. Therefore, the only protection
for any person's l ife was the fact that it wou ld
be bought dearly. Blood m u st be paid by
blood: a l ife for a l ife. Retribution or vendetta
was one of the pillars of Bedouin society.
I n terms of culture, the Arabs admired
people who possessed eloq uence a nd who
cou l d a rgue their point of view in the tribal
cou ncil. Wise men were hig h ly respected, but
poets were va l ued even more. The poets sang
of love, grief, joy and sorrow. Contests were
held in which each pa rticipant boasted of his
own tri be a nd mocked those of h is riva ls.
Si nce the rel igion of the Ara bs was idol­
wors h i p, which is agai nst human natu re,
reason and logic, it was bou n d to create a social
l ife that was essentia l ly against the demands
of natu re, reason and logic. Excesses of all
sorts were widespread: d ri n ki ng, g a m b l i ng,
u n l i m ited spouses, i nfa nticide from fea r of
or as a result of poverty, ki lling of female
children for reasons of a fa lse sense of honour
and eru ption of wars for petty reasons! All
these led to anarchy.
I n many ways, the Ara bs of the pre-Islamic
times were loathsome in their man ners and
mora l s. They consu m ed g reat q ua ntities of
a l cohol, gam bled freq uently and wou l d shed
blood for the most trivial reasons. They wou ld
d evour the wea lth of orphans, stea l, forn icate
and deal in usu ry. However, it was the female
Section 'Wo
slaves and fa l len women who forn icated; free
women were rarely g u i lty of that crime.
Some of the marriage p ractices
preva lent among the com mon people were
not much different from prostitution. Four
kinds of ma rriages were preva l ent a mong the
pre-Islamic Ara bs. One of them was similar to
the one com monly preva lent. Another was
lending one's wife. In this system a man had
sex with a woman who had had no sex with
her h usband between two m enstrua l cycles.
Fo l lowing that, the h usband would not go
near her u ntil he was sure whether or not she
was preg nant from the person with whom
she had sex. There was the g roup marriage in
which a group of people, normally l ess than
ten, assem bled a nd had sex with a woman.
When she becam e preg nant and del ivered
the chi ld, she wou l d send fo r them and
desig nate one of them as the c h i ld's father. A
fou rth marriage was one i n which a woman
h oisted a flag on her house. A lot of people
went to her and had sex with her. When she
del ivered a chi ld, they h i red a tracke r who
declared one of them nea rest in resem blance
to the child as the child's father. When Islam
came, it declared all these practices u n lawfu l
except the fi rst one.
In those days, people wou l d ta ke i nto
m arriage two rea l sisters at a ti m e. A man
wou ld also ma rry the wives of h is father
at his death or when he
divorced them. Divorce had
no l i m it. Men wou ld d ivorce
a ny n u m ber of times, but
Islam abolished this wrong
p ractice. (See Soorat ai­
Baqarah, 2:229)
� Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( P re-I s l a m i c A r a b i a )

Ad mittedly thou g h, a s we have poi nted
out above, l ife in Ara bia preced ing Islam was
by no mea n s devoid of fi ner q u a l ities. There
were, of cou rse, some g ood characteristics
among the Ara bs.
The minds of the Ara bs of those times
were l i ke clean slates, ready to record and
reta i n the right ideas. The m i nd's freedom
from ideas a l lowed a powerfu l memory.
Another characteristic was that Ara bs greatly
va l ued freedom and i ndependence. Th ey
wou l d not bend down to a nyon e except their
leaders who comma nded their respect by
displaying the q ualities that they approved
of, such as, chiva l ry, patience and fortitude.
Mo reover, despite their worship of idols, they
d id not deny God's existence.
and fa mous Ancient House. They managed
to keep the custodianship of the Ka � ba h fo r
three hundred to five h u n d red yea rs, but they
proved to be evi l custod ians. For it was d u ri ng
their time that idol-worship entered the
Arabian Peninsu la. One of thei r chiefs cal led
�Amr Luhay had travel l ed to Syria, where he
fou n d people wors h i pping idols. When he
i n q u i red a bout the ro le of those idols, he was
told that when they supplicated to them for
ra i n or sought other help, they would receive
the ra in and the help they had soug ht. So h e
asked them to donate a n idol to him. They
gave him H u bal which he brought down to
Ma kkah and persuaded people to offer their
devotions to it.
From then on whenever Ba n u lsmaa�eel
(the Children of lsmaa�eel) travelled, they

1 4 . . Rel ig ious Con d itions: took a stone from the Holy Sanctuary with
them, pitching it wherever they encam ped
Beliefs and Customs and went rou nd it in the manner pilgrims
The a n cestry of the Qurays h goes back now go rou n d the Sacred House to wors h i p
to lsmaa�eel, son of l braa heem. The name Allah. This practice l ed t h e masses t o choose
Q u raysh is said to have been a nickname for the best shaped stones a round for wors h i p.
one of the a ncestors of the Pro ph et �. The This is how those who were on the religion of
Qu raysh lived i n Ma kkah a round the Ka � bah, Prophet lbraaheem
which they honoured and maintained. As a OOJ\ ended up
resu lt of their cu stodianship of the Ka � ba h, turning idol-
their honour, status a nd reputation g rew. worshi ppers. Every
Then a new tri be migrated to Makka h major tribe had its
from Yemen. The reason for the migration own stone god.
seems to have been the bu rsting of the Ma'ri b These were the
Da m (also ca l led a i-�Arim Dam), w h i c h resu lted very same idols
in a major flood a nd a g reat loss of crops. The that the people
dam was i n Yemen. The newcomers were the of Prophet
fa mous tri be of Khuzaa�ah. The Khuzaa�ah Nooh �l
bruta l ly unseated the Qu raysh and esta blished h a d
themselves as the principal occupa nts of the w o rs h i p ped,
va l l ey and the new cu stod ians of the va lua ble as mentioned in the

� 14
The Beginnings of Islam ( P r e - Is l a m i c A ra b i a )
Qur'a n (Soorat Noo� 7 1 :23-24) .
Each tri be, city, and loca lity had its own
god, a nd every household in Ma kka h had
its own idol. When a Ma kkan set out on a
journey, their l ast act at home was to seek
the blessings of the fa m i ly deity, and the
fi rst thing they did on thei r return was to pay
res pect to it.
People used to compete with each other
in col lecting idols and setting up tem ples.
Those who could afford this pla nted a slab of
stone in fro nt of the Ka � ba h and performed
the ritua l of going rou n d it (tawaaf). Such
stones were ca l led an�aab. I n the words
of Abu Rajaa' al � utaa ridee, as reported in
S.afleefl ai-Bukhaaree, 'We wors h ipped stones.
When we fou nd a better stone than the one
we had, we took it and threw away the old
one. Where no stones were available, we
erected a sand-mou nd, m i l ked a g oat over
it and worshi pped it: When a traveller ha lted
at the place, he would col l ect fou r stones,
wors h i p the most beautifu l of them and
used the other th ree on which to
rest his pot for cooki ng.
The a ngels, they believed,
were the daug hters of Allah,
and thus they
begged them
••
•
to i ntercede
with H i m on
thei r behalf.
The jinn were
rega rded as
o/j5 1 5 (
Section 'Wo
the co-s harers of Allah i n the practica l control
of the world. The tri be of Ba nu Maleeh
wors h i p ped the jinn; the tribe of H i mya r
worshi pped the sun; the tribe of Ki naanah
worshi p ped the moon, the Iay' tribe
worshi p ped J u p iter; while the Ba n u Asad
wors h i p ped Mercury.
The Quraysh had named deities that
were special for them, such as lsaaf and
Naa'ilah. �Aa'ishah � narrated, 'We had
always hea rd that the pair lsaaf a nd Naa'ilah
com m itted fornication i n the Sacred House
and were turned to stones: (Mahdi Rizq u llah
Ahmad, Tr. by Iqbal Dha heer, A Biography of
the Prophet of Islam)
The Prophet � once said,
I saw 'Amr ibn 'Aamir of Khuzaa'ah (that is to
say, 'Amr bin Luhay) dragging his intestines
in the Fire. He was the one who introduced
idol-worship. ( Reported by ai-Bukhaaree)
Th ree hundred and sixty idols had been
insta l led i nside the Ka � ba h and its cou rtyard ­
the Hou se built by Prophet l braa heem for the
wors h i p of the true God-Al lah.
N othing but the traces of the rel igion of
Prophet l braa heem �� had remai n ed, such as
respect a nd the tawaafrou n d the Ka � bah,flajj,
�umrah stopping at �Arafa h and M uzda l ifa h
and sacrifice. The creed of tawfleed (Oneness
of Allah) tau g ht by l braa h ee m �� had not,
however, d ied com p l etely. A few a d hered to it,
d issatisfied with idol-worsh i p. They believed
i n the Oneness of Allah, both i n His Divin ity
as wel l as His Lordship, a nd were waiti ng for
the next prophet to come. They were known
as ai-Hunafaa'.
� Section
1 5 . . Cha racteristics
of the Pre-Islamic
Arabs
Life in t h e desert is such
that it produces people whose
promine nt characteristic is that of
tou g h fig hters. The outsta nding
features of their l ife are:

1 . I m moderate sea rcity of food,

2. The exceptional effort required
to prod uce it,
3. The need to underta ke
lengthy travels in the desert
and the need of the Bedouins
to be their own g u id e on these
travels, and
4. The need to provide for their own
protection and secu rity.
Of these promi nent cond itioning
influences on the character of the Bedouin,
the sca rcity of food is perhaps the u ppermost.
It resulted in a healthier body and a stronger
physique. Although the Bedoui n's meal is
sma l l in qua ntity, it is not lacking i n proteins­
consisting as it does of m i l k, m eat (som etimes)
and dates. Cereals are a luxury. Sweets are
al most u n known.
It is i m portant to realize that the
Ara bia n Jaahiliyyah was a state of moral
ignora nce, which demonstrated itself i n
practical behaviour a n d attitudes. It does
not necessa rily denote i n herent bad ness of
cha racter.
To be fa ir, the Ara bs had many good
qua l ities as wel l, which made them wel l­
prepa red for the d uty of ca rrying the ban ner of
Islam. Here a re some of these good qual ities:
a. Naturallntelligence
Natura l i ntelligence took on different
forms. Fi rstly, they had a very strong memory.
Consider the vastness of their lang uage.
I n Ara bic, there are 80 words for honey, 90
for fox, 500 that mean lion, 1 000 that mea n
camel, and 1 000 that denote sword. To be
sure to be a ble to memorize all those words,
the Ara bs had to have stro ng memories. They
were u n l ettered, but they loved poetry, as
much as, or even more than a ny other l iterate
and civil ized people. B ut i n order to preserve
poetry, and i n order to pass it down to the
next generation, they had to rely on verbal
com m u nication and on powerfu l m emories.
Therefore, one should not be su rprised to
learn that many of the Prophet's Companions
memorized the Qur'a n and that some
in divid uals a mong them had com m itted to
memory h u n d reds, a nd even thousands in
some cases, of fladeeth na rrations, which they
conveyed to the next generation of M u sli ms.

A second q u a l ity which the
Ara bs possessed was innocence that
cou l d be descri bed as ignora nce
of fa lsehood. The Arabs were thus
natu ra l ly prepared to receive the truth
- the Message of Islam.
b . Generosity
The quality of generosity was
deeply rooted a mong the Ara bs who
had always been and sti l l a re to the
present day a g ood exa m p l e of this
virtue. If a n Ara b owed noth ing except
a ca m el, and if a g u est ca m e to visit
h i m, he wou ld, without giving the
matter a second thoug ht, slaug hter
the ca mel and feed its m eat to their
g uest. It was perh a ps Haatim a1-Iaa'ee
who was most widely renowned for
his generosity: stories of his generous
acts were spoken of and lauded i n
gatheri ngs a l l over Arabia.
� 17
Section Wo
c. Bravery
The Ara bs wou ld praise men
for having died on the battlefield
and would criticize a nd ridicule
those who d i ed peacefu l ly on
their beds. Nothing meant more
to the Ara bs than individual
honour and the honour of one's
clan a nd tribe. If a nyone dared to
attack their honour, they would
defend it with their lives to the
last d rop. They wou l d consider it a
blemish on their character if they
did not help the oppressed who
ca m e to them seeking their help
and protection.
d. Love for Freedom
The vast desert of the Pen i nsula was the home
of the Arabs who loved freedom and were not under
the direct control of a ny king or ruler. Their honour
m ea nt more to them than their very l ives. If a nyone
dared to h u m i l iate them, they wou l d not t h i n k twice
a bout killing h i m .
e . Truthfulness, Honesty and Keeping
Promises
I n genera l, the Arabs avoided lying. This rea l ity
is perhaps best highlig hted in the story involving
Abu Sufyaa n �. Stil l a polytheist and a bitter enemy
of Islam, Abu Sufyaa n � travel led a broad and met
Heraclius, the l eader of a foreign empire. H eraclius
beg a n to ask q uestions a bout the Prophet � and
a bout the new fa ith i n Makka h . Abu Sufyaan could
have best served his pu rpose by lying a bout the
Prophet 1;, but h e did not do so. I nstead, h e spoke
truthfu l ly a bout the Prophet � and h is good
cha racter.
� Section The Beg i n ni ng s of Islam ( P re - I s l a m i c A ra b i a )

f. Patience in Hard Times and 1 6 . . Economic Cond itions

Contentment with the Bare
and Com mercia l Life in Pre­
Necessities
Islamic Arabia
Due to the excessive sca rcity of food, the
Ara bs consu m ed food i n moderate q u a ntities.
In p re-Islamic
They looked down u pon those who ate too
Ara bia, M a kka h
m uch and used to say: G l uttony does away
was a p rosperous
with i ntel l igence. The Ara bs had a natura l
c o m me rcial centre
ability t o endure hardshi ps, a q u a l ity that
whose powe r and
they proba bly developed thro u g h living i n
i nfl uence was
t h e h a rsh desert for many generations. Low
g rowi ng. The va l l ey of
su ppl ies of food and water, the winding rocky
M a k ka h was ba rren,
mountain pathways, the extrem e heat of the
with no cultivation
desert: nothing seem ed to perturb them.
w h a t s o e v e r .
Once they embraced Islam, they had to be Therefo re, the
more patient than ever before; i n hard times, Ma kka ns u n d e rtook
one of them would go days with a small two business j o u rneys
n u m ber of dates and some d rops of water. eve ry yea r, one in
wi nter a n d t h e oth e r
g. Showing Mercy when Revenge was
one i n s u m mer. I n
with in One's Grasp
wi nter, they used
The Ara bs did not back down from to send their trade
fig hti ng their enem ies. However, it frequently carava n s to Yemen
ha ppened that, at the very moment when and i n s u m me r to ash­
one of them had the u p per hand agai nst Shaa m2, which was a
their enemy and had the a bil ity to pounce ferti l e and prosperous
upon them, they wou l d forg ive them and cou ntry. Bei ng the
leave them alone. The Ara bs were also known custod ians of the
to show mercy on the battlefield. They wou l d Ka � bah, the Q u raysh were treated wel l by
never kill their wou nd ed opponent. eve ryone. Peo ple wou l d serve them a n d
genera l ly not pose a ny th reat t o t h e i r l ife
These a re just some of the good q u a l ities and property. They earned a g ood p rofit i n
that the Ara bs possessed d u ring the days of t h e i r busi ness dea ls. Mo reover, accord ing to
ignora nce. a p re-I s l a m i c custom preva l ent in Ara bia, the
months of Mub_arram, Rajab, Dhu/-Qa�dah
and Dhui-Hijja h (the fi rst, seventh, eleventh

2 - The traditional Arabic term Ash-Shaam i s a name for the

whole "Greater Syria" region that today comprises Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon and Palestine.

o/;2 1 8
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e -Is l a m i c A r a b i a )
a n d twe lfth months of t h e l u n a r calendar)
were co nsidered 'sacred' i n the sense that
a l l tri bal wa rfa re had to stop d u ri n g these
m onths.
D u ri n g these months, the a rea a round
the p recinct of the
Sacred House in
Ma kka h and the open
space beside it were
uti l ized as a trade
centre to which peo ple
from d i stant p l aces
ca m e for tra d i n g . A l l
t h e essential t h i n g s
req u i red for l iving
were readily ava i lable
in the ma rket of
Makka h . The sto res
fo r the sale of va rious
com m od ities, located
in d ifferent l a n es and
ave n u es mentioned
by h i storians, tend to
show the economic
and cultura l g rowth of
Makka h . The vendors
of pe rfu mes had their
sta l ls i n a sepa rate
a l l ey, a n d so were the
shops of fru it-se l l ers, g rocers, barbers, fresh
dates and oth er wa res and trades that stood
in d iffe rent q u a rters.
A n u m be r of these ma rkets were
spacious enough, as for exa m p le, the m a rket
set a p a rt for food g rains was wel l -stocked
with wheat, g hee (clarified b utterL h o ney
and s i m i l a r com m od ities. A l l these vita l
goods were bro u g ht by trading caravans.
For exa m p l e, wheat was b ro u g ht to Ma kka h
� 19
Section �
fro m Ya m a a m a h . Li kewise, cloth a n d shoe
stores had sepa rate q u a rters a l l ocated to
them i n the m a rket-place.
Ma kka h had a l so a few m eeti n g p laces,
where ca refree you n g men used to gather
together for recreation and pastime. Those
who were wea lthy and accustomed to a
l uxurious style of l iving wo u l d spend wi nter
in M a kka h and s u m mer in Iaa'if. There were
even some smart you n g men known fo r
their expen sive a n d trim d resses costing
h u n d reds of dirhams (si lver coi n s of that
period).
Ma kka h was the centre of a wea lth­
prod ucing trade on a l a rge sca le. I ts
mercha nts sent tra d i n g carava ns to d ifferent
cou ntries in Asia a n d Africa and i m ported
a l most everyt h i n g of n ecessity a n d costly
wares m a rketa ble in Ara bia. They u s u a l ly
b ro u g ht res in, ivory, gold a n d e bony from
Africa; h i de, i n cen se, fra n ki ncen se, sp ices,
sandal-wood and saffro n from Yemen;
d iffe rent oils a n d food-g ra i n s, a r m o u r, s i l k
and wines fro m Egypt a n d Syria; cloth fro m
I raq; a n d gold, tin, p recious sto nes and
ivory from I n d i a . The wea lthy mercha nts of
Ma kka h someti m es presented the p roducts
of their city, of which the most va l u ed were
l eather p roducts, to the kings a n d n o bles
of other cou ntries. When the Qu rays h sent
�Abd u l l a a h ibn Abu Ra bee ' a h and �Am r
ibn a i-�Aa� to Eth iopia (Abyssinia) to bring
back the M u s l i m e m i g ra nts, they sent with
hem l eather goods of Makka h as g ifts to the
Negus a n d his g e ne ra l s.
Women a l so took part i n co m me rcia l
u n d erta kings a n d sent out trading ca rava ns
bou n d fo r Syria and other cou ntries.
Khadeejah �' the daug hter of Kh uwwayl id,
� Section
was a fa mous m erch a nt wom a n of d i g n ity
a n d wea lth. Like other adva nced nations
of the then wo rld, the com m ercia l ly
m i n ded citizens of M a kka h had based their
economy on commerce fo r which they sent
out ca rava ns in differe nt directions; they
a l so org a n ized stock m a rkets a n d created
favou ra b l e conditions in the h o m e market
for the visiting tou rists a n d traders.
Th i s h e l ped to i n crease the fa m e a n d
1 .7 . Weig hts a n d Measures
Ma kka h was the c h i ef centre of big
busi n ess i n Ara bia a n d its citizens were
prospero us and wea lthy. The ca rava n of
the Q u rays h, which was the cause fo r the
Battle of Badr w h i l e returning from Syria,
consisted of a thousa nd camels and carried
mercha ndise worth 50,000 dinars (gold coi n s
of that period).
Both the Roman and Sa ssa nian3
3- The Sassanid Em p i re (also s p e l l ed Sassanian Empi re)
was the l a st pre-Is l a m i c Pers i an Empi re, ruled by the
Sassanian Dynasty from 224 to 651. The Sassanid Empi re,
which succeeded the P a rthian Empi re, was recognized as
The Beg i n n ings o f I s l a m ( P re - I s l a m i c A ra b i a )
d i g n ity of Ma kka h a s a rel igious centre and
contri b uted g reatly to the prosperity of the
city. Everything req u i red by the peo ple of
Ma kka h, whether a n ecessity or a l uxu ry,
reac h ed their hands beca u se of the city's
com m ercial i m porta nce. Th is fact finds a
refere n ce i n these verses of the Qu r'a n:
So let them worship t h e Lord of t h is House, Who
has fed them against h unger and has made them
safe from fear. (Soorat Quraysh, 1 06:3-5)
c u rrencies, known as dirham a n d deenaar
(co m monly spelt dinar), were i n genera l use
i n Ma kka h a n d other pa rts of the Pen i ns u l a
a n d were o f two kinds: one was a n I ranian
coin known to the Ara bs as baghliyah, a n d
the other was a Roma n coi n, which was
cal led tabriyah. These were si lver coi n s
a n d t h u s i n stead of u s i n g t h e m as u n its of
coin age, the Ara bs rec koned their va l ues
accord i n g to their wei g hts.
one of the two m a i n powers in Western A s i a and Europe,
along s i d e the Roman Em p i re and later the Byzantine
Em p i re, for a period of m o re than 400 years.
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( P r e - I s l a m i c A ra b i a ) Section �
The coi n s i n use d u ring t h e time of the Pro p h et :I we re
genera l l y si lver coins. The deenaar was a gold coi n fa m i l i a r
t o t h e Ara bs as the R o m a n coi n i n circu lation i n a s h-Shaam
(G reater Syria) and Ara bia d u ri n g the p re-Islamic a n d early
I s l a m i c period. It was m i nted i n the Rom a n E m p i re with
the i ma g e and n a m e of the E m peror i m p ressed on it.
The weig hts a n d measu res in gen era l use in those
days were saa�, mudd, rat/, ooqiyyah, mithqaal, wasaq, a n d
so on.
Accord i ng t o M u s l i m scholars, the m etric equ iva lents
of the I s l a m i c weig hts and m eas u res a re as fo l l ows.

• 1 Dirham= 3 . 1 7 1 gra ms
• 1 Deenaar= 4.25 g ra m s
• 1 Mithqaa/= 4.25 g ra m s
• 1 Rat/= 408 g ra m s
• 1 Mudd= 0.5 1 l itres
• 1 Saaa�= 2 . 1 76 kg, o n e Sa' of wate r= 2.75 l it res
• 1 Ooqiyyah = 1 27 g ra m s
• 1 Wasq= 1 3 0.67 kg, o r 1 65 l itres.

(Th is d eta i l concern i n g the I s l a m i c weig hts a n d

m ea s u res is largely based o n Mu'jam Lughat ai-Fuqahaa'
(Dictionary of Islamic Legal Terminology) by Dr. M uha m m a d
Rawaas Q a l � a h Jee, D r. Haa m i d �aadiq Q u n aybee, D a a r a n ­
Nafaa'i s, Bei rut, 1 408 AH/1 988.

o/}5 2 1
� Section The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )

2. Life of the Last Prophet �

2. 1 . The Prophet's B i rth: 'The Yea r of the Elepha nt'

The Messenger of Alla h � was born i n Ma kka h elephant. His a rmy included between nine to
on M onday morni ng, the 1 2th of Rabeee ai­ thirteen elephants. When Abra h a h reached
Awwal, i n the Yea r of the Elepha nt, 5 7 1 CE, a i-M uhassi r Va l ley, between M uzda l ifa h and
some fifty-five days after the u nsuccessfu l M i na, the elephant knelt down to the g round.
expedition of Abra h a h agai nst Makka h . Abra ha's soldiers did everything they possibly
Yemen a t that t i m e was u nder t h e ru l e could to bring it to its feet, but it stu bbornly
of Eth i opia, and Abra h a h was its governor. H e refu sed to move. Whenever they d i rected
b u i lt a g rand cathedral i n Sa ne aa: hoping to it towa rds the north, south or east, the
m a ke it take the place of M a kka h as the great elephant would move q u ickly, but whenever
place of pilgri m age for a l l Arabia. A man from they d i rected it towards Makka h it wou l d
Ki naanah, a large tribe of western Sa udi kneel down. Th is was t h e clea rest of
Ara bia in H ijaz, understood forewarnings for the a rmy not
to move one step forwa rd,
went to Sa n eaa' with the but Abra h a h was bl inded
deli berate i ntention of by his a m bition for the
defi l ing the c h u rch, sanctuary he had b u i lt
which he did one and his d etermi nation
to destroy the
Ka e bah. Had he and
his a rmy tu rned back,
they wou ld perhaps
have escaped the
g reat disaster. But it
ground i n revenge. was too late.
Having made his
prepa rations, h e set Suddenly the
off for Makkah with western sky g rew
a large a rmy of sixty da rk, and a strange
thousa nd warriors, sound was heard
in the front of which i n the dista nce. Its
he placed a colossal vol u me g radually
The Beg i n nings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo
i ncreased. A great wave of da rkness
a rrived upon the a rmy fro m the
direction of the sea, and the air
a bove them was fu l l of birds which
were very m uch l i ke spa rrows
a nd swa l l ows. Each bird had three
pebbles the size of d ried peas, one
in its beak a nd each one of the other
two between the claws of each foot.

They swooped to and fro over

the a rmy, pelting them as they did
so. The pebbles were hard and they
landed with such ra pid ity that they
even pierced coats of mail. Every
ston e fou n d its mark. Every pebble
killed its man. As soon as a soldier
was h it, his flesh wou ld beg i n to rot.
A large n u m ber of Abraha h's soldie rs
were killed in this way. Many others,
Abra h a h incl uded, d ied soon after
their return to �a n � aa:
The Ara bs attached g reat
i m porta nce to this event. They dated
their ca lendar from it, sayi ng, 'Th is
occu rred i n the Yea r of the Elephant:
'so-a nd-so was born in the Yea r of the
Elephant' or 'th i s ha ppened so many lbraaheem

yea rs after the Yea r of the Elepha nt'.

According to many schola rs,
this event took p lace in the yea r 5 7 1
of t h e C h ristian Ca lendar. Accord i n g
to others, however, i t occu rred i n the
yea r 570 CE. There is a d iffe rence of
opinion among schola rs concern i ng
the exact date of the bi rth of the
Prophet �. Some scholars m a intain
that he was born on the gth Rabee�
ai-Awwal in the Yea r of the Elephant.
2.2. The Prophet's Li neage and
Ancestry
The Prophet's father was �Abd u l l aah, and his
mother was Aa minah, daughter of Wa h b ibn �Abd
Manaaf. �Abd u i-M utta l i b was his gra ndfather, and Abu
Iaa l i b was one of his uncles. The Prophet � was born
a mong the best of tri bes on earth and was of the best
of li neage. H i s a n cestry can be traced back to Prophet
� Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a s t P ro p h e t
l braa h eem �\. As soon a s h e was born, his
mother sent word to his g ra ndfather, �Abd u i ­
M utta l i b, i nforming h i m of t h e birth of a boy
and asking h i m to come to see h i m . ' Abdui­
M utta l i b came, took h i m i n his arms and
carried h i m to the Ka � ba h, where he voiced, i n
a passionate m a n ner, a n ela borate i nvocation
of thanks and g ratitude to Allah for this g ift.
Then h e brought h i m back to his mother a nd
na med h i m M uha m mad. The Ara bs were
not fa m i l iar with this name and were rather
s u rprised by it.
2 .3 . The Short-Lived
eAbd u l laah
We possess only scant i nformation
a bout �Abd u l laah, the father of the Prophet
�. He was the favou rite of his father, the
celebrated �Abd u i-M utta l i b. He was ma rried
to Aaminah, the daughter ofWa h b, who was a
noble l ady from Ba nu Zu h ra h of the Qu raysh .
T h e ma rriage w a s extre mely s hort-l ived.
�Abd u l la a h set out on a trading expedition
to Syria, leaving Aa m i n a h expecti ng his
child. He never return ed. �Abd u l la a h died in
Madeenah on his return trip from Syria. When
news of his death reached Ma kka h, Ba n u
Haashim, a n d especia l ly Aaminah, were g rief­
stricken. Alla h's Messenger ;I was not yet
born. �Abd u l l aa h had no children except the
future p rophet, nor had Aam i n a h a ny other
child. �Abd u l l aa h was bu ried in Madeena h .
He was twenty-five w h e n he d ied. Alla h's
Messenge r � was born shortly after the death
of his father.
�l
2 .4.
C h i ld hood
The fi rst woman who suckled him after
his mother was Th uwayba h, the freed female
slave of Abu La hab, with her son, Masruh. Abu
La hab was one of the Prophet's u ncles. The
rea l name of this uncle was �Abd ai-Uzzaa. He
was popularly n ickna m ed Abu La hab, l itera l ly
'father of the fla me' on account of his bea uty
which was most nota bly expressed in his
g lowing face. It was the genera l custom of the
Ara bs l iving i n towns to send their children
away, soon after their birth, to Bedouin wet
n u rses so that they m i g ht grow u p in the
free and hea lthy surroundi ngs of the desert.
Thereby they wou ld develop a strong body
and acq u i re the pure speech and manners of
the Bedouins. They were noted both for pu rity
of their language and for being free from
those vices which usually develop i n i nactive
societies.
Some of the tribes had a high reputation
for n u rsing and rea ring children. Amongst
these were the Ba n u sa �d ibn Bakr, a n outlying
branch of Hawaazin, whose territory lay to
the southeast of Ma kka h. The Prophet � was
entrusted to Ha leemah, the daug hter of Abu
Dh u'ayb. She was from Ban u Sa'd ibn Ba kr. Her
husband was ai-Haarith ibn �Abd ai-� Uzzaa,
cal led Abu Ka bshah, from the same tribe.
Traditions descri be h ow Haleemah
and all her household were favou red by
successive strokes of good fortune while the
child M uha m mad � l ived u nder her ca re. It
is na rrated that Ha leemah d escribed in after­
yea rs that she, along with her husband and
a recently born son of their own whom she
was n u rsi ng, set out from her vi l lage in the
com pa ny of some women from Ban u sa�d ibn
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section 'Wo
Bakr in q uest of n u rselings to suckle. She said,

It was a year of drought. We had nothing left. I set forth on a grey female donkey of mine
and we had with us an old she-camel which could not yield one drop of milk. We were
kept awake all night by our son who would keep crying all night because of hunger, for
I had not enough in my breast to feed him. At length, we reached Makka h and set about
looking for nurselings. Aaminah offered her son first to one and then to another, until
she had tried them all and they had all refused.
That was because we hoped for
some favours from the boy's father.
"An orphan!" we said, "what will his
mother and grandfather be able to
give us?"We had fixed our eyes on
the reward that we would get from
the child's father.
Every nurse who had come
with me got a baby, and when we
were about to depart, I said to my
husband, "I hate to return in the
company of my friends without
having taken a baby to suckle. I
shall go to that orphan and take
him:' So I went and took him for
no reason except that I could find
none but him.
I carried him back to where our
mounts were stationed, and no
sooner had I put him in my bosom than my breasts overflowed with milk for him. He
drank his fill, and his foster-brother also drank his fill. Then they both slept, although my
baby had not been able to sleep the previous night at all. My husband went to that old
she-camel of ours and he found her udders full. He milked her and drank of her milk. I
also drank with him until we could drink no more. Our hunger was satisfied. We enjoyed
a sound sleep during the night, and in the morning my husband said to me, "By Allah,
tlaleemah, you have taken a blessed child:'
Then we set out. I carried him and rode my donkey which outstripped the whole
troops of fellow-travellers so much so that none of their donkeys was able to keep pace
with her. We reached our dwellings in Banu Sa' d. It was a barren place. But when we
brought Muhammad � to live with us, the barren land soon sprouted lush grass. My
flock would come fully satisfied at every evening full of milk. We continued to enjoy this
increase and bounty from Allah. The baby was growing well. None of the other boys
could match him for growth until the baby's two years had passed, and I weaned him.

By the time he was two-yea rs old, Haleemah took him again to

his mother although she was eager that he should stay with her for the
blessings he had brought her and her fa m i ly. The Prophet's mother gave
him once more i nto her keeping and Haleemah brought h i m aga in to her
home. The Prophet ;i stayed with them u ntil he was fou r or five years old.

r/55 2 5
� Section The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � l

2 .5 .
While the Prophet � was staying i n
Ha leema h's house, a very stra nge i ncident Aa minah and ('Abd u i­
took place. An a ngel ca me, split open his chest Mutta l i b Pass away
and removed a blood clot from his heart and
th rew it away. Then he clea nsed his heart and After this i ncident, Haleemah was so
replaced it. M uslim has recorded this i ncident worried a bout the boy that she took h i m
i n his S_ab_eeb_ on the authority of Anas ibn once more to Makka h and retu rned h i m to
Maa l i k � who said, 'Wh i l e the Prop het � was his mother. He was six yea rs old then. The
playing with some boys, Jibreel �� came to boy l ived happily with h is mother i n Ma kka h
h i m, took h i m, laid h i m on the g ro u nd and for some time, winning t h e affection of h i s
split open his chest. Jibreel extracted his grandfather a nd h i s u ncles and a u nts, and his
hea rt, removed from it a black clot and said, many cousins with whom he played.
"Th is is the portion of Sata n i n you :' He then The reu n ion of orphan M uha m mad :i
washed the hea rt with Za mza m water i n a with his rea l mother was destined to be short­
basin made of gold, joined the heart together l ived. When he was six yea rs old, his mother
and retu rned it to its place. The children ra n decided to ta ke him on a visit to his maternal
u p to their mother and said, "Muha m mad has uncles in Madeenah. She was i n her early
been m u rdered:' They h u rried o n ly to fi n d twenties then. She set o ut to cover a jou rney
h i m standing alone, pa le a n d shaken: Anas of a bout 500 kilometres with her orphan boy
� added, 'I have seen the stitch ma rks on h i s and her female serva nt U m m Ayman. She
c hest: spent a month there
This i ncident certa i n ly deserves more and then decided
than a passing thought or mention. What to go back
ha ppened on that day was one of the to Makka h .
signs of Prophethood. It was a clear proof H owever, not long
that Allah had chosen M uha mmad � for a after they had set o u
very i m porta nt message. Pu rifi cation from on t h e i r return journey,
Sata n's i nfl uence was in fact preparation for Aa minah fel l ill.
protecti ng the Prophet � from evi l of every After some days,
sort. Although idol-wors h i p and evi l deeds she d i ed at ai­
were practised on a large sca l e among the Abwaa: on the
Q u rays h, the Prophet � never ever bowed road between Makka h and
down to an idol, nor com m itted a sin. The and she was bu ried there.
remova l of the b lood-clot from his heart U m m Ayman broug ht the boy back
certa i n ly purified him from every i m matu rity to Ma kka h and she did a l l she possi bly
and recklessness of youth. The i ncident a lso cou l d to comfort him now t �t he had
shows u s the degree to which Allah protected lost both his father a nd m other. H i s
the Prophet � a nd prevented Sata n from g ra ndfather 'Abd u i-M uttalib �
having a ny i nfl ue nce whatsoever over him. took complete charge of h i m . It --
---
-------- �-- �-

o/)5 26
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P ro p h et � ) Section Wo
soon beca me clear that his specia l fond ness died. When he was dying, � A bd u i - M u tta l i b
for 'Abd u l laah had been transfe rred to entrusted his g ra ndson to Abu iaalib, who was
�Abd u l laa h's son. a fu l l brother of young M uha m mad's father.
�Abdu i-M utta l i b was the foremost chief Abu Iaa l i b conti nued the love and the
of Ma kka h and the u ndisputed leader of Banu kind ness that his nephew had received from
Haash i m . He was the most handsome among the old man. Henceforth he was as one of
the Qu raysh men. He was very ta l l, kind­ h is own sons, and h is wife Faa1i m a h d id a l l
hea rted a nd generous and enjoyed g reat s h e possibly c o u l d to ta ke t h e place of h i s
character. He was held in high esteem, and no mother. After many yea rs, Alla h's Messenger
ruler had ever met him but would show him � u sed to say of her that she wou ld let her
respect and hold h i m in awe. He had been the own children go h u n g ry rather than him. Like
leader of the Quraysh u ntil his death. h is father, Abu Iaa l i b was dignified, honoured
�Abd u i-M utta l i b was very fond of h is and g reatly respected by his people.
grandson, and their inti mate relationship
grew even stronger as time passed . Every
2 .6. Muhammad's Ea rly
day, he would spread a couch in the shade of
the Ka'ba h, and out of respect for their father
Occu pation
none of his sons wou l d ventu re to sit on it,
M uha m mad � did what he cou l d in his
but he would seat h i mself beside the Prophet
early youth to earn his l iveli hood. In fact,
� on the couc h and stroke his back. Almost
he tended sheep and goats for a wage and
everyday they wou ld be seen together. But,
wou l d thus spend day after day a lone in the
a las, h i m too M uha m mad � was d estined to
h i l l s a bove Ma kka h or on the sl opes of the
lose very soon.
va l l eys beyond.
When M uha m mad � was eight years,
two months and ten days
old, his g randfather passed
away in Ma kka h . U m m
Ayma n reported that she
had seen the youthfu l
M uha m mad � weeping
as he q u ickened his steps
to follow the coffi n of his
gua rdian and protector.
The pri ncely patria rch died
at the age of eighty-two,
according to the most
rel iable sou rces. Some
scholars put his age at over
a hundred yea rs when h e
The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( The Four Rig htly-Guided Caliphs) Section �
3 .3 . � uthmaan i b n �Affaan Abu �Amr a i-Qurashee �
- The Th i rd of the Rig htly-G uided Cal i phs

� uthmaan ibn � Affaan, t h e th i rd Rig htly­
Gu ided Ca liph (24-35 AH� 644-656 CE), was
born in Makkah in the yea r 577 CE, some
forty-seven yea rs before the Prophet's Hijrah
to Madeenah.
He belonged tothe g reat Ba n u � u m ayya h
clan of the Qu raysh tribe. H is fath er's name
was � Affaan ibn Abu i-�Aa� ibn Umayya h a l-
Qurashee. Abu �Amr was his honora ry title
(kunyah). � uthmaan � was of noble l i neage,
wea lthy and extremely handsome. He entered
Islam at the invitation of Abu Bakr A�-S.iddeeq
� shortly after the Prophet's mission began
'
i n Ma kkah, and was one of the few people of
Makka h who knew how to read and write.
� uthmaan � was a wealthy merc hant

�;)5 9 1
o<$fj Section
and an accompli shed man of the world. He
ma rried the Prophet's daug hter Ruqayya h �'
took part in the two emigrations to Abyssinia
(Ethiopia) a long with her and later joined the
E m igra nts i n Madeenah. He cou l d not ta ke
part in the Battle of Badr beca use of the i l l ness
of his wife Ruqayya h �· After Ruqayya h's
death, � uthmaan's a l l ia nce with Alla h's
Messenger � was renewed by his ma rriage
to the Prophet's daughter Umm Kulthoo m .
U m m Ku lthoom � d ied while � uthmaan �
was away from Madeenah, partici pating i n
t h e Ta book Expedition.
He earned the title of Dhun-Noorayn (the
one with the two lig hts) beca use of havi ng
married two of the Prophet's daug hters,
Ruqayya h and U m m Kulthoom, at different
times. The Prophet ;i is reported to have
said to � uthmaan that if he had a nother
u n ma rried daug hter, he would have given
her to h i m in ma rriage.
The Prophet's Envoy to the
Q u raysh at ai-H udaybiyyah
Alla h's Messenger ;i had ha lted at the
place ca l led ai-Hudaybiyya h, just outside
the Hara m (the Holy Preci nct), with a bout
1 400 of his Com panions. There he awaited
the outcome of events when prevented by
the pagan Ma kka ns from making the lesser
pilgrimage (� umrah) .
The Prophet � sent � uthmaan �, who
had powerfu l relatives among the Q u raysh, to
negotiate with the Ma kkans. When he did not
return at the expected time, a rumour spread
that he had been kil led or ca ptu red and that a l l
was lost. At that moment of peril, t h e Prophet
� took the pledge of a l legia nce, known as the
The Beg i n nings of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
Pledge of Good Pleasure (Bay� at ar-Ridwaan),
from his Com panions. The Prophet ;i h i mself
represented the a bsent � uthmaan by proxy i n
t h i s oath. Sitti ng beneath a n acacia tree that
was g reen with its spring foliage brea ki ng
i nto l eaf, he put out his l eft hand, as the hand
of � uthmaan, and grasping it with his rig ht
hand, pledged the a l legia nce. The ru mour,
however, turn ed out to be fa lse, and there
was g reat rejoicing when he retu rned to the
ca m p. � uthmaan � was g reatly a d m i red for
his cou rage and wisdom d u ring this m ission.
The Virtues of � uth maan
ibn �Affaan �
� Aa'ishah � narrated that the Prophet
;i was once was lying i n bed i n her room
with his thigh u ncovered when Abu Bakr �
sought permission to enter. He was given
permission to enter and the Prophet ;i
conversed with h i m i n the same very state.
That is, without covering his thigh. Then
� u mar � sou g ht permission and it was
given to him and he conversed with h i m in
that very state. Then � uthmaan � sou g ht
permission, a nd the Prophet ti% sat u p and set
rig ht his clothes. · When � Aa'ishah � asked
h i m why he got up a nd set his clothes rig ht
when � uthmaan sought permission to com e
� 92
The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Fo u r Rig htly-Guided Caliphs)
i n but d id not sti r and observe such care i n
a rra nging h is clothes w h e n A b u Bakr and
� u ma r sou g ht permission to enter, he repl ied,
'Should I not show modesty to someone
to whom even the angels show modesty?'
(Reported by M uslim)
Once, while the Prophet � was on
Mount Uhud along with Abu Ba kr, � u mar and
� uthmaan, the m o u nta i n trembled, and he
sa id, 'Be steady, Uhud, for there a re on you
a prophet, a man of truth and two martyrs.
(a i-Bukhaaree) The man of truth h ere is
obviously Abu Bakr A�-.$iddeeq � while the
'
two ma rtyrs were � u ma r and � uthmaan. The
Prophet's prediction later came true.
When the ea rly Muslims mig rated to
Madeenah, there was a well cal led Roomah
which belonged to a Jew who used to sel l
its water t o M uslims a t a heavy price. When
the Prophet � said, 'Whoever digs the wel l
of Roomah w i l l enter Pa radise' Uthmaan .ffi,
purchased it for a very high price and donated
it for the use of a l l the Muslims.
� uthmaan .ffi, was very generous and
always sought to donate h is money fo r the
sa ke of Allah. The Ca m paign of Difficu lty
(Jaysh ai-� Usrah, a l so ca l led Ghazwat a l­
� usrah) was a name given to the Ca m paign of
Tabook on account of the extremely difficult
circumsta nces u nder which it took place.
When he heard the Prophet � say, 'Whoever
eq u i ps the Army of Difficulty, h i s reward
will be Pa radise: 3 � uthmaan � brought the
Prophet � a thousand gold deenaars which
he pou red into his lap. The Prophet � picked
them up with his hand and said repeatedly,
' N oth ing shall harm � uthmaan after what he
d id today. ' It is also na rrated that he equi pped
3- Reported by a i - B u khaaree.
� 93
sectio n Wo
the Army of Difficu lty with seven h u n d red
ounces of gold, or seven h u n d red and fifty
camels a nd fifty horses.
� uthmaan ibn � Affaan .ffi, was one of the
ten Companions to whom the Prophet �
promised Paradise i n thei r l ifetime. The other
nine were: Abu Bakr a�-.$iddeeq, � u ma r ibn ai­
Khattaa b, �Ali ibn Abee Iaa l i b, Abu � u baydah
i bn a i-Ja rraah, Sa�eed ibn Zayd, az-Zu bayr ibn
ai-�Awwaam, Ia lha h ibn � u bayd u l laah, Sa 'd
i bn Abu Waqqaa� a nd � Abd u r-Rahmaan ibn
�Awf. May Allah be well-pleased with them all.
� uthmaan .ffi, was always very close to
the Prophet �, and he related 1 46 ab.aadeeth
from h i m .
� uthmaan ibn �Affaan's
Cal i phate
� uthmaan � was the th i rd of the
Rig htly-G u ided Ca l i ph s (a/-Khulafaa' ar­
Raashidoon). H is calip hate came a bout as
a res u lt of the u n a n i mous a g reem ent of
the Co m pa n ions. The actual process was
as fo l l ows: � u m a r � had exc l uded his own
sons from the s u ccession to the ca l i p hate,
which he l eft to be d ecided by a consu ltative
co u n c i l (shooraa) consisting of six mem bers,
n a m ely Ia lha h i b n � u bayd u l laah, az-Zu bayr
i b n a i-�Awwaam, sa�d ibn Abu Waq q aa�
� uthmaan ibn � Affaa n, � A l i i b n Abee Iaa l i b
and �Abdur-Rahmaan ibn � Awf. � uthmaan
wa s u n a n i m ously el ected caliph by this
consu ltative co u n c i l . Then the rest of the
people all pled g ed their a l l egiance to h i m .
� uthmaan .ffi, rem a i ned a rig htfu l leader
(imaam) u ntil the d ay he was m a rtyred. He
accepted the ca l i ph ate afte r � u m a r's d eath
in 23 A H .
O(§fj Section The Beg inn i ngs of Isla ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

D u ring his ca liphate, Armen ia, Ca ucasia, development i n Islamic h istory, m a king the
Kh u raasaan, Kirmaan, Sijistaan, �yprus and Muslims stronger in defending their shores
m uch of North Africa were added to the a nd helping facil itate the conquest of islands
dominion of Islam. Everyday, more and more such as Crete and Cyprus.
people embraced Islam. The fi rst half of ! Uthmaan's ca l i phate
In the beginn i ng, ! Uthmaan � was peacefu l. Afterwa rds, revolt began i n
conti n ued the same pol icies a nd principles I raq a nd I ra n . Civil wa r a rose a n d t h e u n ity of
that were adopted by ! U ma r �. One pa rticu lar the Prophet's time was shattered. Despite the
ach ievement of the rule of ! Uthmaan was tro u bles of h is ca l i phate, ! Uthmaan � is held
the establish ment of a i n n ocent of them.
navy, which was In the beg i n n i ng,
a major the

�}5 94 <.:
The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
� uthmaan � worked wel l, but the tro u b l e
beg a n with some i m portant offi cia ls
a ppointed by the ca l i p h . Some of the offi cials
d id not behave i n a respo nsi ble manner as
they treated the co mmon people u nj u stly.
This took place particu l a rl y i n lands d i sta nt
from Madeena h, in reg ions where most
people were new converts to I s l a m .
� u mar � was very ca refu l and strict
a bout the activities of h is g overnors and
other officials in va rious parts of the Islamic
territory. Whenever he d iscovered any trace
of corru ption by any official, he wou l d replace
h i m . But after his death, things changed
ra pid ly. � uthmaan � was extremely gentle.
He was a very h u m ble person and was not
as strong as � u mar was. He sta rted to receive
com plaints agai nst some of his governors and
other officia l s i n d ista nt reg ions of the Islamic
territory. On the basis of these com plaints
he changed the governors of the provi nces
of Koofa h in I raq and Egypt, but this not did
satisfy many people in these reg ions.
A n u m ber of people once ca me to
Madeena h from Koofah, Basrah and Egypt
to com plain a bo ut their governors in their
reg ions. � uthmaan � listened to them
ca refu l ly a nd assu red them that he would
take action agai nst each and every corrupt
offi cia l if found g u i lty. U pon hearing this, the
g roup of com plai ners left Madeenah, satisfied
by the ca l i ph's assu rance. But on their way out
of the city, someth ing mysterious too k place.
They fou n d a man who had carried a forged
secret l etter from the ca l i ph to his governors.
The l etter com m a nded them to kill a l l these
com plainers when they reached home. The
storm bu rst with gathered fu ry agai nst the
aged ca liph as a resu lt of this forged letter.
o/55 95
Section Wo
Hence, a g roup of rebels came to
� uthmaa n's home to force h i m to resign. They
even prod uced the letter which apparently
bore the official seal of the ca l i ph. � uthmaan
� den ied the charges. Th e letter was, in
fact, a forgery by a n enemy of Islam, na med
�Abd u l laah ibn Sa ba: who sought to create
trouble in the M uslim co m m u n ity. People,
however, refused to believe the ca liph and
forced him to resign. When he refused, the
rebels and the pl otters cli m bed over the
wa lls of his ho use, crowded in and struch
the ca liph with their swords. � uth maan was
read ing the Qu r'a n when he was attacked.
H is blood flowed down upon the sacred text.
Thus attacked, his fa ithfu l wife Naa'ilah cast
herself u pon her wou nded h usband, and
as she sh ielded him with her a rm, a sword
severed several of her fi ngers, which fel l on
the g ro u nd. The i nsurgents plu nged their
wea pons into the ca liph's body, and he fel l
l ifeless t o t h e g round. A scene of riot followed.
Women screamed. The house was g utted.
� uth maan ibn �Affaan � d ied at the age of
eighty-two in the yea r 35 AH, after a reign of
twelve yea rs. H is m u rderers kil led h i m out of
enmity a nd wickedness.
� uthmaan � Prepa res an
Official Authentic Copy of the
Qur'a n
One of the most sign ificant acts of
� uthmaan � was the prepa ration of the
official copy of the Qu r'a n and its d istri bution
to va rious pa rts of the M u s l i m state. It was
d u ring the ca l i phate of Abu Ba kr A�-.S.iddeeq
� that the Qur'a n was col l ected and put in
v($!] Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

one vol u me. Once com p l ete, the col lected

Qu(an was placed in the state a rch ives
under the custodianship of Abu Bakr �. Abu
,
Bakr s contribution, we can summa rize, was
to collect the fi rst hand Q u (anic fragments
then scattered a bout Madeena h and a rra nge
for their tra nscri ption i nto a master vol u m e.
This col lection was termed whuf, p l u ra l of the
,
word �ab.eefah, wh ich litera l ly means sheets
of parch ment:
Appointing � u mar � as the n ext ca l i p h
o n his d eath bed, A b u Bakr � entrusted h i s
successor with t h e �ub.uf. Wounded fata l ly
, ,
by Feerooz Abu Lu l u ah, a Ch ristia n slave
from Persia, towa rds the end of 23 AH, � u ma r
� refused to nominate a ca l i p h, leaving
the decision to the people. Mea nti me, he
entrusted the wb.uf to his daug hter Haf�a h,
the Prophefs widow a nd Mother of the
Believers.
D u ri ng the ca l i ph ate of �uthmaan �� a
report ca m e from Azerbaijan that the M u s l i m s
h a d fa l l en i nto disagreement concern i n g ibn Thaabit, �Abd u l la a h ibn az-Zu bayr,
t h e recitation o f t h e Q u (a n . These reg ional Sa�eed ibn a i-�Aa� and �Abd u r- Rahmaan
diffe rences over the pronunciation of the ibn a i-Haarith to m a ke d u p l icate copies
,
Q u r a n had ca used frictio n . H udh ayfa h i bn a i­ and i n structed the three Q u rays h ite men,
Ya maan � ca m e to � uthmaan d i rectly from ,
S h o u l d you d isagree with Zayd ibn Thaabit
the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia and on a ny poi nt concern i n g the Q u (a n , write it
said, , 0 Ca l i ph, ta ke this com m u n ity i n hand i n the d i a l ect of the Qu rays h, as the Qu(an
before they d iffer a bout the Book l i ke the ,
was revea led i n their to n g u e. They did so,
Ch ristia ns and the Jews had: (a i-Bukhaaree) and when they had p repa red severa l copies,
,
H u d hayfa h ibn a i -Ya maan s wa rning ca m e � uthmaan retu rned the �ub_uf to Haf�a h. (M.
in 25 AH, and i n that very yea r � uthmaan M. a l-A � d h a m ee, The History of the Qur'anic
resolved to end th ese d isputes. Text, p. 88)
So � uthmaan sent Haf�a h � a m essa ge After consu lti ng the p ro m inent
,
stating, Send u s the �ub_uf so that we may Com pan ions, � uthmaan formed a council
m a ke perfect copi es, and then return the which included Zayd ibn Thaabit and U bayy
�ub_uf back to you : Haf�a h � sent them ibn Ka � b.
to � ut h maan, who co m ma nded Zayd Zayd ibn Thaabit � was one of the

0/}5 96 \.
� Section The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e La st P r o p h e t
When M uha m mad � was sti l l yo u ng, Abu
Iaa l i b was going through a fi nancial crisis. He
had many mouths to feed, and his busi ness
was not going so well. To help his uncle
get through these hard times, M uha m mad
� worked as a shepherd. In a n authentic
b_adeeth, he is reported to have said, 'Every
prophet tended sheep: His Com panions
asked h i m, 'And d id you?' He replied, 'Yes, I
tended them for the Ma kka ns i n return for
qaraaree( I bn Hajar m entions that scholars
hold two opinions concern ing the meaning
of the Ara bic word qaraareet.. The fi rst opin ion
states that a qeeraat. (si n g u l a r of qaraareet.) is
a part of a dinar or dirham, and the second
one states that qaraareet. is the name of a
place i n Makka h .
Working as a shepherd afforded the
Prophet � the cha nce to work i n peace and
q u iet, to enjoy the bea uty of the desert a nd
to contemplate the wonders and g randeur
of Alla h's creation. I ndeed, Allah wou ld
have provided the Prophet � with wea lth
and comfort so that he would not have to
work as a shepherd, but this practice was a
d ivine tra i n i n g for h i m so that it wou ld be
m uch easier for h i m to dea l with people and
tolerate their harm. I nd eed, a shepherd needs
a g reat deal of patience and forbearan ce to
look after his fl ock. Th is practice proved
usefu l to the p rophets. A shephe rd picks u p
a n d develops many wonderfu l q u a l ities: the
0"')3 28
ij )
very q u a l ities that the Prophet � needed to
l ead his com m u n ity to the truth. Some of
these q u a l ities i ncl ude patience, h u m bleness,
bravery, mercy and com passion, a nd a bove
a l l the love of ea rning one's living through
lawfu l hard work.
By doing so his fol l owers were also
ta u g ht a very good lesson, namely, the most
honoura ble way to l ive is to eat from what one
earns by engaging in lawfu l work. A person
who i nvites others to Islam m ust especially
avoid ta king from what is i n their ha nds. H e
should b e i ndependent of a l l h u m a n beings.
A self-sufficient man is dignified i n the sight
of others. Whatever good he does, he does it
for Allah. The Prophet � once said, "Never has
a ny one eaten a better food than what he has
eaten out of the labour of his own hands; and
David, the Prophet of Allah, used to eat out of
the labour of h i s own hands. (AI-Bu khaaree,
b_adeeth no. 2072) Moreover, this b_adeeth
is suggestive of the adoption of a lawfu l
occ u pation, no m atter how people may look
askance at it. That was the reason why the
prophets took such occu pations.
When one is self-sufficient, depend ing
upon no one but Allah, one gains the freedom
of being able to spea k the truth. Beca use they
a re dependent u pon the generosity of others,
many people bow their heads low before
evi ldoers. They remain si lent a bout their
wrongdoing for fea r of losing thei r jobs and
their l iveli hood.
The Beg i n ni ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo

2.7. Ba heeraa the Monk

When M uha m mad � was twelve yea rs old, he accom panied h is

uncle, Abu Iaa l i b, on a trade jou rney to Syria. When they reached Bu.s_raa,
an a ncient city in southern Syria that was under the Roman rule, there
was a monk named Baheeraa, who came out of his cell to meet them.
Although he had not met them before, he readily recog nized the Prophet
� a nd said while taking his hand, 'Th is is the master of a l l m a n ki nd. Allah
will send h i m with a message which will be a mercy to a l l beings: Abu
Iaa l i b asked h i m, 'How do you know that?' Baheeraa repl ied, 'When you
a ppea red from the direction of � Aq a bah, every single rock and tree
fel l down in prostration, which they never do except for a prophet. I
can a lso recogn ize h i m by the a pple-l ike 'Sea l of Prophethood' below
his shou lder bones: He a l so asked Abu Iaa l i b to send the boy back to
Makka h and not to ta ke h i m to Syria as there was a serious danger to
his l ife from the Roma ns and the Jews. Abu Iaa l i b obeyed and sent him
back to Ma kkah with some of h is serva nts.
The tri p to Syria was no doubt a major event in the l ife of the
Prophet �. For the fi rst ti me, he saw the bustling com mercia l centres
of other la nds. The trip brought h i m i nto contact with a society which
differed considerably from the one i n which he had g rown up.
oW Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Isla ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )

2 . 9. Hilf ai-Fudool: Alliance

of the Vi rtuous

As a young man, the Prophet � took

part in the formation of the 'Al l ia nce of the
Vi rtuous' in Makkah. He once said, 'I was
present in the house of �Abd u l la a h ibn
J u d ' a a n at so excel lent a pact that I wou l d
not exchange m y part i n i t for a herd of red
ca mels, and if now, in Islam, I were sum moned
to it I wou ld g ladly respond:
2 .8. The Sacri legious The expression fuQ.ool comes from the
word faQ.I, which means nobil ity, su periority
(Fijaar) War
and virtue. Hence, it was an a ppropriate
name for the a l l i a nce. The owner of red
A war that raged between Ki naanah and
ca mels d u ring those times wou ld today be
Quraysh on one side and Qays �Aylaan, a n
eq uiva lent to a -J���-�...,._..-
...,., ��""""""
im portant c l a n o f t h e Hawaazi n, on a nother
m i l lionaire.1
was ca l l ed the Fijaar or the Sacrilegious Wa r
In fact, ti_ilf
beca use both sides violated the sa nctity at
a/-FuQ.ool was a
the Holy House. The conflict dragged on for
kind of league
three or fou r yea rs. Alla h's Messenger � took
agai nst i njustice.
part in one of these battles. His efforts were,
Mem bers of the
however, confi ned to helping by gathering
a l l ia nce were
enemy arrows that had mi ssed their mark
req u i red to
and handing them over to his uncles so that
come to the aid
they cou l d shoot them back. At that ti me, the
of th ose who
Prophet � was a bout twenty yea rs old.
needed a n extra
The Arabic word njaar means
helping hand,
wicked ness. This wa r was given such a name
such as the
beca use the sa nctity of Ma kkah was viol ated,
o p p ressed
and the Ara bs considered a ny violation of
injustice, widows, slaves, orphans,
Ma kka h to be a wicked cri me. The Prophet �
travell ers, the poor and the elderly. The
lea rnt a bout wa r and ch iva l ry d u ring these
objective of this a l l iance was to protect the
tri bal e ncou nters.
defencel ess a nd ensure the safety of stra ngers
in Ma kka h . The l eag ue ca me a bout beca use a

1· A l i Mohammad as-Sallaabee, The Noble Life of the Prophet �.

Darussalam, R i yadh, Saudi Arabia, 2005, Vol. 1, p. 103.

� 30 '
The Beg i n n i n g s of Isla ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo
stranger from Yemen sold goods in Ma kka h mem bers of the Quraysh a ristocracy ra l l ied
to a n influentia l member of a powerfu l local to his assista nce and secu red the return of h is
clan who su bseq uently refu sed either to pay goods. Meeti ng i n the ho use of �Abd u l laah
the price or to return the goods, as a result ibn Jud �aan, they pledged henceforth to
of which the wronged seller stood up in com bat oppressive acts and uphold justice.
the vici nity of the Ka � ba h a nd im plored aid The Prophet � then in his early twenties, was
'
for h i mself as a stra nger i n the city. Severa l present at this gathering.

2 . 1 0. Divine Protection
Alla h's Messenger � was p rotected b y A l l a h . He dista nced hi mself
from the indecencies and bad ha bits of the Jaahiliyyah the pre-I slamic
period of socia l and mora l decline. The term Jaahiliyyah is com mo n ly
tra nslated as the 'Age of Ignorance': ignora nce, that is, of the word of
Allah.
Alla h's Messenger ·� felt a deep sense of revulsion at the wors h i p of
idols. Once he was req uested to act i n the name of the idols ai-Laat and
ai-� Uzzaa, but he repl ied with the sta rtling answer, 'Do not ever ask me
a nyth ing for the sa ke of these idols. I have never hated a nything more:
The Prophet � n ever l ied or deceived a nyone; he was since re and
truthfu l. He outshone everyone i n truthfu lness, trustworthi ness, b ravery
and modesty. He respected fam i ly ties. He shared the burden of others.
He honoured his guests, a lways provided his own food a nd was content
with s i m pl e mea ls. What set h i m a pa rt from his fel low M ak kans was h is
a bsol ute truthfu lness, trustworthiness, i nteg rity, sense of justice and
compassion for the poor, the oppressed a nd the downtrodden, as wel l
as his tota l refusa l to worship a ny idol or do a nything im mora l . He had
gai n ed experience i n trading thro u g h his travels with the trade carava ns
to g reater Syria beca use of his honesty, h a rd work a nd the busi ness
acumen he showed in trad ing; he was soon being sou g ht after to ta ke
charge of other people's merchand ise, that is to say, for those who could
not travel themselves so that he wou ld trade on their beha lf.
Soon he was popularly acclai med for these q ua l ities. A�-S.aadiq (the
Truthfu l) and ai-Ameen (th e Trustworthy) were the titles on everybody's
l i ps for M uha mmad � which itself means the Pra ised One. Always
'
fa ithfu l a nd truthfu t people used to deposit their va l ua b l es with h i m for
safekeeping.

� 31 <:
o<$fj Section The Beg i n n i n g s of Islam ( L ife of t h e La st P r o p h et ::i l

2. 1 1 . The Prophet's Ma rriage to

Khadeeja h •

Khadeejah • belonged to the fa mous Qu raysh tribe.

She was the daug hter of Kh uwayl id ibn Asad. She was from
the noblest of fa m i l ies a nd richest of their women. She was
i ntellige nt, resou rcefu l, d iscreet, affectionate and of noble
cha racter. She conducted trade with the help of active pa rtners
who got a share i n profits. When she lea rnt of M uha m mad's
honesty, trustworth i ness and high moral q u a l ities, she sent
him a message expressing her d esire to ta ke her goods for her
to Syria. She promised she wou l d give h i m a share of the profits
that was g reater than what she wou l d norma l ly give others. He
agreed to the terms and travel led in the compa ny of Maysa ra h,
a serva nt she had provided to be his travel com pa nion.
The Prophet :1 succeeded i n his trade m ission very wel l. The
profits were unusually hig h . His mild man ners and agreea ble
tem pera m ent won h i m the hea rts of men he employed i n the
cou rse of his journey. Throughout the trip, Maysa ra h witnessed
the wonderfu l cha racter, nobility a nd truthfu l n ess of the
Prophet :1.
I n addition to that, Khadeeja h experienced plentifu l
blessings i n her wea lth. Based u pon these reasons, she had
a heart to hea rt d iscussion with her friend N afeesa h, the

� 32
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t i!i l Section 'Wo

daug hter of M u nya h, tel l i n g her a bo ut the positive feel i ngs

she was having a bo ut the Prophet ;1. Nafeesa h went to the
Prophet ;I a nd proposed to him on behalf of Khadeejah. The
Prophet ;I was so pleased with the proposal that h e went to
his u ncles to seek their advice. They all agreed to his marriage
to her.
Khadeejah � was at that time a widow, at the rather
advanced age of forty. Very wealthy and with a strong and
independent wi l l, she had repeatedly decl i ned ma rriage offers
made by some of the most promi nent men of the Quraysh,
after the death of her second h usba nd. She had previo usly
been ma rried to � Ateeq ibn � Aa'idh ai-Ma khzu mee. She bore
h i m a female child. After h i m she was ma rried to Abu Haalah
at-Tameemee. She bore h i m a boy. Abu Haalah d ied before the
advent of Islam.
M uhammad ;I ma rried her at the age of twenty-five
yea rs, in the prime of his youth. The ma rriage proved to be one
of affection and happi ness. She was the fi rst woman that the
Messenger of Al lah ;I married, a nd he d i d not ma rry a ny other
woman until she d ied. Their ma rriage was wondrously blessed.
She bore h i m six childre n, two sons a nd fou r daug hters. Their
eldest child was a son named a i-Qaasim, and the Prophet ;I
ca me to be known as Abu i-Qaasim, the father of a i-Qaasim.
B ut the boy d ied i n i nfancy. The next child was a daug hter
whom they named Zayna b, and she was followed by three
other daug hters Ruqayya h, U m m Ku lthoom, and Faati mah;
and finally a nother short-l ived son, 'Abd u llaah. He was a lso
cal led at-Iaahir and at-Iayyi b.
All their daughters except Faati mah � died during the
Prophet's l ifetime. Faati mah � died six months after h is own
death. All h is daughters witnessed Islam, em braced it and
emigrated to Madeenah. Of the daughters who married, only
Faatimah had descendants. She was the mother of a i-Hasa n
a n d a i-H usayn. Her h usband 'Ali was a cous i n of the Prophet ;I
a nd the fou rth rig htly-g u ided ca liph.
oW Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe of t h e Last P r o p h e t
2 . 1 2 . The Rebuilding of the Ka � ba h
When the Prophet � was thi rty-five
yea rs o l d, the Q u rays h d ecided to rebu ild
the Ka � ba h . As it then stood, its wa l ls were
,
sca rcely a bove a man s height a n d it had
no roof. Therefo re, even when the door
was locked, access was ea sy. It is said that
w h i l e a wom a n was b u rn i n g i ncense she
accid enta l ly set fi re to the b u i l d i ng, thus
ca using a great deal of damage to it. Some
historians assert that the main reason fo r
the reconstruction was a th eft of trea sures
be l o n g i n g to the Sanctuary by some people
who c l i m bed the roofl ess wa l l s.
Being situated in perhaps the lowest
part of the va l l ey of Ma kkah, the Ancient
House was often fl ooded by torrents of
water co m i n g down fro m the surro u n d i n g
h i g h ground and h i l ls. T h e condition of the
b u i l d i ng had d eteriorated. The Q u rays h,
therefore, resolved to rebu ild it. H owever,
their awe of the Ka � ba h made them hesitate
to lay hands on it. They we re afra id of
i ncurri n g the wrath of A l l a h . it was the daring
of the ch i ef of Ma khzoom, ai-Wa l eed ibn
a i-Mug heera h , that put an
end to their d o u bts
and fea rs. He
sta rted the
demolition
by p u l l i ng
down a was ag reed
porti on of
the southern
wa l l . But the rest
of the people held
back. They wa ited u ntil the
o/}5 34
ii l
next morning to see what evil wou l d befa l l
them. When nothing happened, they a l l
joined i n t h e d e m o l ition. Fo u r major clans of
the Qu rays h worked together i n ha rmony,
each clan b u i l d i n g one wa l l of the fou r­
wa l l ed Sanctuary. Wood from a Roman
vessel, which had wrecked at a bout that
time on the Red Sea Coast near Jeddah, was
bought and u sed for the n ew b u i l d i ng, and
the Q u rays h were assisted i n their work by
a Roman mason, p robably a s u rvivor of the
wreck.
But when the b u i l d i n g was as h i g h as
,
an average m a n s heig ht, it was time to place
the Sacred Black Stone i n the easte rn corner.
The act of putting the Black Ston e i n place
was considered to be the hig h est honour,
and each of the clans was determi n ed to
cla i m it. A violent disagreement bro ke
out a m o ngst them. Each clan wa nted the
h o n o u r of l ifting it to its place. The d i spute
co u l d have bro ken out i nto a serious
confl i ct, but tha n ks to the wisdom of a n old
c h ief of the Ba n u Ma khzoom, whose
name was Abu U m ayya h
ibn a i - M u g h eerah,
b l oodshed was
ave rted and
a peacefu l
sol ution
u pon. He
sug gested to
the Q u raysh that
the fi rst man to enter
thro u g h the gate of the Mosque
The Beg in n ings of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P ro p h e t � ) Section Wo
be e ntrusted with the ta s k of putti ng the
Black Sto n e i n p l ace. The plan was a rbitra ry,
but it wo rked. They ag reed to fo l l ow the old
ma n's co u nsel. As the Q u rays h asse m b l ed,
a nxiously waiting with their eyes fixed on the
gate, M uhammad � entered. He was g ive n a
warm welcome. They cried with sati sfaction
a nd sponta n eous exciteme nt, 'Here comes
M uha m mad! H e re comes ai-Ameen (th e
Tru stwo rthy) ! We accept h i s j udgement'.
When they
explai ned the
matter to h i m , he
said, 'Bri ng me a
cloa k.' And when
they bro u g ht it,
he spread it on
the g ro u n d . He
then took
Black Sto n e and
the
2. 1 3. Med itation in the
laid it i n the m iddle Cave of H i raa' (Mount H i raa')
of the m a ntle and As the Prophet � a pproached the age
said, 'Let each clan of forty, he came to spend more and more of
catch hold of the border of the cloak. Then h is time in retreat. He wou l d withdraw into
l ift it up a l l of yo u togethe r: When they l ifted secl usion in the Cave of H i raa: towa rds the
it up to the right heig ht, he took the Black top of Mount H i raa: some two m il es northeast
Ston e and pla ced it i n the corner with h i s of Makka h towa rd s the back of the mountain.
own hands. T h e b u i l d i n g w a s t h e n conti n u ed He a pp l ied hi mself there to a rdent devotions,
and completed a bove, and roofed over i.e. wors h i p. He spent his time in long vig ils,
with bea m s fro m the stra nded s h i p. Th is prayers a nd contem plation-sometimes for
was h ow Muhammad � p revented a wa r seve ra l days at a time. This mounta i n is cal led
from breaking out a mong the Q u raysh by a Jabal an-Noor (Mount of Lig ht) because there
s u preme d isplay of wisdom. The rebu i l d i n g the fi rst verses of the Qu r'a n were revea led.
o f the Ka � ba h was perhaps t h e fi rst major At Mount H i raa: he wou ld remain
event i n which M uhammad � appea red in pl unged i n deep thought and reflection. I n
p u b l i c after his m u ch-ta l ked-about ma rriage h is sol ita ry retreat, the Prophet � wou l d be
with Khadeej a h �: the pro m i nent lady of q u ite alone most of the ti me. He wou l d ta ke
the Q u raysh. with h i m provisions a nd devote a certain

o/;8 35
� Section The B eg i n n i n g s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h et
h u m be r of nig hts to the wors h i p of Allah.
The n he wou l d return to Khadeejah ., and
on his return ta ke more provisions a nd go
again to the mountai n . D u ring these times
it often ha ppened that after he had left the
town and was a pproach i n g the mount he
wou l d hear clea rly the words, ' Peace be on
you: a nd he would turn a nd look for the
spea ker, but no one was i n sig ht, and it was as
if the words had come from a stone or a roc k.
Alla h's Messenger � is reported to have said,
'I know the rock in Ma kka h that used to greet
me. I know it very well: (Muslim, hadeeth no.
2277)
The fi rst kind of revelation to which the
Messenger of Allah � was i n itiated was the
2 . 1 4. Prophethood: The Fi rst Revelation
D u ring one
RamaQ_aan, in
h i s t h i rd yea r of
solitude in the
cave of H i raa: the
Prop het � was a l o n e
i n the cave of H i raa'
on the n ig ht d esti ned for
the beg i n n i ng of his pro p h etic
m ission. He was p recisely fo rty l u na r
yea rs, six months a n d twelve days old;
that is to say, thi rty-n i n e G regorian yea rs,
o05 3 6
:!i l
true d reams d u ring sleep, a nd h e n ever saw
a d ream but it ca me l i ke the brea king of l i g ht
and dawn. (a i-Bukhaaree) This lasted for six
months. The fi rst of these Prophetic d reams
occu rred in the month of Rabee� ai-Awwa/,
when the Prophet � had j ust com pleted his
fortieth yea r.
The Prophet � once said that the true
good d ream is one of the forty-six parts of
Prophethood. We know that the tota l period
of revelation was twenty-th ree yea rs, of which
the fi rst six months formed of true d reams. It
is i m porta nt to note here, however, that no
verse of the Qu r'a n was revealed to h i m in h i s
slee p. T h e entire Qur'a n w a s revea led t o h i m
w h i l e he was awa ke.
t h ree months
and twe nty
days.2• It was the
twe nty-fi rst n ig ht
of RamaQ.aan,
Monday, Aug u st 1 0,
in the yea r 6 1 0 of the
C h ristian Ca lendar.
The Prophet � was a l one
a n d fu l l y awa ke i n the cave when
2 - For more details, s e e Safi-ur-Rahman a i - Mubarakpuri, The Sealed
Nectar, Darussalam, R i yadh, Saudi Arabia 2002, pp. 867
The Beg i n n i n g s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )
Angel J i b reel �� a p pea red and said to h im,
'Rea d ! ' Th e Pro ph et ;I rep l i ed, ' I ca n not read:
The Prop h et � h i mself later na rrated what
h a p pened next: 'Th en the a n gel took me
and pressed me u ntil all strength went out
of me, then he relea sed me a n d said, "Read ! "
I said, "I cannot read." T h e n h e too k hold of
me a n d pressed me ag a i n u ntil a l l strength
went out of me; then h e rel eased me and
said, "Read!" I re p l i ed, "I ca n n ot read :' Then
he took me and p ressed me a t h i rd ti me;
then he released me and said,
Read in the Name of your Lord Who has created!
He has created man from a clinging clot.
Read, for you r Lord is the Most Gracious,
Who has taught by the pen,
Taught man what he knew not. (Surat at-�Aiaq,
96: 1 -5)
Tre m b l i n g with fea r, the Messenger of
A l l a h ;I retu rned to Khadeej a h i@i; and said,
'Wra p me up! Wra p me u p!' She wrapped
h i m up u ntil he felt sec u re again. Then he
told h e r a bout what had h a p pened a n d said,
'I ndeed, I fea r for myself!' Khad eej a h i@i; said,
'By A l l a h ! A l l a h wi l l n ever h u m i l iate you ! Yo u
fu lfil the d uties of ki n s h i p, s u p port the weak,
h e l p the poor, honour g uests and h e l p those
i n g e n u i n e distress:
Then she set out with h i m to her
pare nta l co usin Wa raq a h i b n Nawfa l who
had e m b ra ced Christian ity before I s l a m and
u sed to write the B i ble i n He brew. H e was
� 37
Section Wo
old and b l i n d . Khadeej a h i@i; said to h i m,
'My cousin, l isten to you r nephew.' Wa raq a h
turned t o M uhammad ;I a n d sa id, 'What d i d
you see, m y nephew?' M uhammad ;I told
him what he had seen. Wa raq a h then said
to h i m, 'That was the Angel of Revelation
whom Allah sent d own u pon Moosaa . lf only
I were you nger a n d wou l d be a b l e to l ive u p
to the time when yo u r people will d rive you
o ut: M uha m ma d ;I asked, 'Wi l l they rea l ly
expel me?' 'Yes; h e re p l i ed, 'a nyo n e who
eve r b ro u g ht something s i m i la r to what yo u
have b ro u g ht was treated with h osti l ity. If I
s h o u l d l ive t i l l then, I wou l d certa inly g ive
you s u p port and assista nce:Wara q a h passed
away soon afterwa rds before the Prophet ;I
beg a n to preac h I s l a m pu b l icly and before
the persecutio n by the Q u rays h sta rted,
and the revelations paused for a w h i l e. (ai­
Bukhaaree)
It was an Ara b custom, which is a l so
preva lent these d ays, to address a n old and
res pected man as u ncle, h e n ce Khadeeja h's
words 'you r nephew� Wa raq a h bel i eved
that M uhammad ;I was the fi n a l M essenger
sent to mankind. He is cou nted among
those who embraced Islam. The Pro p h et ;I
later stated that Wa raq a h was o n e of the
dwe l l ers of Parad ise. H e once said, 'Do not
spea k i l l of Wa raqa h , for I i ndeed saw that
he had a g ard en o r two g a rdens i n Pa radise:
(Reported by ai-Haakim)
O($:fj Section The Beg in n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e La st P r o p h et ii l

2. 1 5. The Pause of Revelations - Fatrat ai-Wahiy

Between the fi rst revelation mentioned i n the a bove tradition and the next a
period ela psed d u ring which the Prophet � received no revelation, which was a
time of deepest distress for him. There is no unanimity regarding the d u ration of the
pause of the revelations or the i nterm ission. It is, h owever, reasona ble to mainta i n
that i t was i n fact short, l asti ng o n l y a few days. To say that i t lasted a bout two and
half or three yea rs is not correct.

2 . 1 6. break o f revel ation as fo l lows:

Revelations While I was walking, I heard a voice coming from the sky. I looked
up and saw the same angel who had visit�d me at the Cave of
Resume
.!:iiraa; sitting on a throne between the sky and the earth. He filled
In fact, the pause of me with awe and I returned home and said, 'Wrap me up! Wrap
revel ations fo r a few d ays me up!'Then Allah the Most High revealed the following verses:
was to rel i eve the Prophet 0 you wrapped in a mantle!
;i of the i ntens ity of the Arise and deliver your warning.
awe he had experienced Magnify your Lord.
i n the Cave of H i ra a' a nd Purify your clothes,
to i ncrease h i s longing for And keep away from idolat�y. (Soorat ai-Muddath-thir,
reve lations. After the pause, 74:1 -5)

the reve lation came to
h i m again. I t is recorded in
Sab_eefl ai-Bukhaaree that
the M essenger of A l l a h �
was heard ta l ki ng a bout the
After this the revelation started coming frequently and regula rly.
Thus, for the fi rst ti me, the Prophet ;i was comma nded to
preach Islam. The a bove-quoted verses were the fi rst verses
to be revealed after the pause of revelations.

/}5 3 8
The Beg i n ni ngs of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo
2 . 1 8. The Early Muslims
2 . 1 7 . The Cal l to At fi rst, a s w e have poi nted out a bove, M uha m mad
Islam i n Makkah � preached Islam q u ietly a mong close relatives, friends
and acq uainta nces. The fi rst to accept Islam was, as
the Secret Stag e
is u n iversa lly acknowledged, his wife Khadeejah. �Ali
When Alla h's Messenger i b n Abee Iaalib, who was a ten-year-old cousi n of the
� received his Lord's command Prophet � and a mem ber of the household a nd later son­
to 'rise and warn� h e indeed in-law, was the next convert. The Prophet � u ndertook
rose a nd wa rned his people to s u p port 'Ali beca u se of the l i m ited resou rces of
and ca rried doing so u nti l he Abu Iaa l i b and the large size of h is fa m i ly. N ext was the
m et his Lord, some twenty­ Prophet's freed man and adopted son Zayd ibn Haarith a h .
three yea rs l ater. He spent Next t o accept Islam was A b u Ba kr w h o was the Prophet's
these twenty-th ree yea rs close friend and confidant for many years.
vigorously a nd relentlessly Rega rding the conversion of Abu Ba kr, Muha m mad
strivi ng to abide by the noble � sa id,
a nd weig hty order to 'rise I never invited anyone to Islam who did not display some

and warn� He compl ied with hesitation in embracing it except Abu Bakr. He alone did not delay
when I invited him to Islam, nor did he hesitate.
his Lord's com mand with
u n ique vigour, energy and
Abu Ba kr � was the fi rst convert outside the
d ed ication. H i s efforts i n this
i m med iate household of M uha mmad �. He was two yea rs
respect fa l l i nto two major
younger than the Prophet � who was forty yea rs old. Abu
stages: a secret stage a nd a
Ba kr � was thus the fi rst male adult to accept Islam. Being
public stage. The secret stage
a successfu l mercha nt, he possessed considera b l e wea lth.
was approxi mately for the
He was very popu lar i n Ma kkah owi ng to h is fine and easy
fi rst three yea rs of his m i ssion.
manners. He was the fi rst of the pro m i nent persona l ities
The second stage lasted u ntil
of Makka h to accept Islam. He was the fi rst free-born man
he fi na l ly left Makka h on his
who openly declared himself a Muslim. People reg ularly
fa mous hijrah (em ig ration) to
turned to h i m for advice beca use of h i s knowledge and
Madeena h and the rest of his
experience. Through his personal efforts,
l ife.
a good n u people
The private stage Isla
was m a rked by secrecy i n
conveying t h e message. It
was d isti n g u ished by g reat
ca re a nd caution in ca refu l ly
i nviti ng certa i n individuals to
Islam. These include � uthmaan i bn �
� Awwaam, ' Abd ur-Ba hmaan ibn �Awf, sa � d ibn Abee
� 39
oW Section The Begi n n i ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a st P r o p h et � )

Waqqaas and Ia lha h ibn � u baydu l laah.
Among the ea rly M uslims were a lso Bilaal
ibn Ra baah the Eth iopian, Abu � u baydah ibn
ai-Ja rraah, Abu Sa lamah ibn �Abd u i-Asad,
a i-Arqa m ibn Abee ai-Arqam, � uthmaan ibn
Madh � oon, and his two brothers Qudaamah
and �Abd u l laah. � u baydah ibn ai-Haarith,
Faati mah bint a i-Khattaa b, sister of � u m a r,
the second rig htly-g u ided Ca l i ph, sa�eed ibn
Zayd, h usband of Faati mah bint ai-Khattaab
and severa l others who accepted Isla m .
Among t h e fi rst Musli ms, t h e Qu raysh
were a clear majority. The thought that the
early converts consisted p rimari ly of slaves,
social outcasts and downtrodden persons
is both wrong a nd biased. The vast majority
of those early M uslims were, in fact, Q u raysh
free-born men and were not slaves at a l l .

2 . 1 9. The Cal l to Islam i n Makka h - the Public Stage

D u ring the three yea rs of Prophet :i then addressed them,
the private stage, many , 'Tell me, if I were to i nform
people accepted Islam you that some cava l ry i n
i n Ma kkah. G ro u ps of t h e va lley were about
men and women to attack you, wou l d
entered Islam. you believe me?'
Soon the mention They replied,
of Islam was on 'Yes, we have never
everyone's l i ps experienced any
in Ma kkah. Then lie from you: He
Allah com ma nded then said, 'I am a
His Messenger :i to wa rner to you before
procla i m publ icly what a severe punis h ment:
had come to h i m from h i s Abu La hab shouted
Lord: 'And wa rn you r n ea rest a ng rily, 'Perish you for the rest
relatives: (Soorat ash-Shu�araa', 26: of the day. Is it for this that you have
2 1 4) gathered us?'
This verse was revea l ed rou g h ly three The Prophet :i was dismayed by the
years after the fi rst reve lation at H i raa: AI­ respon se. The response of the Q u raysh was
Bukhaaree records that when the verse 'And not wa rm. It was h osti le in the case of Abu
warn you r nea rest relatives' was revealed La hab. But Allah comforted the Prophet :i.
to the Prophet :i, he ascended the h i l l of Abu La hab was condemned together with
a.s.-.S.afaa, near the Ka � b a h, and proclai med his wife in strong terms. Soorat a/-Masad
in a loud voice: '0 Ba n u Fi h r, 0 Ba n u �Adiy; was revealed to the Prophet :i. Th us the
ca l l i ng the clans of the Qu raysh, ti l l they fi rst person to threaten the Prophet :i and
had a l l gathered. Among those present was attem pt to shout him down was h is own
Abu La h a b, an u ncle of the Prophet :i. The u ncle, Abu La hab.

o/';8 40
The Beg i n ni ngs of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P ro p h et � ) Section �
The a bove-mentioned tradition from ai­ Lord a nd Master. Life a nd d eath a re u nder
Bukhaaree marks �he beg i n n i n g of the p u blic H is Command. He alone should be fea red.
stage i n which Alla h's M essenger � openly From H i m alone we should ask everything.
ca l led the Qu raysh to acknowledge and He alone is worthy of wors h i p. His order and
worship no god a pa rt from Allah, the only H i s d ecree a re fu lfil led i n the heavens, i n the
True God. fa rthest reaches of the earth and beneath
it, in the seas, the skies and every other part

2 .20. Essentials of the of the u n iverse. H is knowledge a nd mercy

e ncompass everyone and everything. He
Prophet's Early Ca l l of His forgives sins, rel ieves stress, removes woes
People and g uides those who have gone astray.
l
H e feeds the h u n g ry, clothes the
I n t h e fi rst insta nce, Alla h's na ked and heals the sick. He is One
Messenger :i i nvited the Q u raysh and Alone a nd has no partners.
idolaters of Ma kka h to Allah is you r only Lord and
declare the testi mony of Master. Su rrender you r
faith: Laa ilaaha illal/aah, bei ngs a n d you r l ives
M u b_a m m a d u n tota lly to H i m Alone.
Rasu/ul/aah (There is Worsh i p and serve no
no god but Allah, a nd one but H i m . There is
M uha m mad is the no g od but Allah and
Messenger of Allah) M uha m mad is the
- the fa mous M uslim Messenger of Allah.
ca l l to p u re monotheism The roots
(tawb_eed). from which the word
The statement Laa ilaaha Islam comes means both
illal/aah consists of two ph rases. The 'submission: 'peace' and 'secu rity'.
One is a n egation, the other is a n affi rmation. The term Islam thus signifi es the religion i n
Laa ilaaha (there is no god) wi pes out the w h i c h peace, secu rity a nd subm ission a re
existence of every fa lse god and condemns attai ned through tota l subm ission to the will
fa lse worsh i p. The word i/aah could refer to of Allah. Everything i n the heavens a nd on
a ny matter, person, idea or notion which is earth belongs to H i m . No man has a rig ht to
undeserved lytaken or adopted as an object of be the master of a nother man or to spread
worship or adoration, i rrespective of whether corruption on earth.
it is done out of excessive love or excessive A l la h's Messenger � told the Qu raysh
fea r, while the two words illallaah affi rm the idol-worsh i ppers: An everlasti ng l ife awaits
existence of the One, True God - Allah. you beyond where you will meet Allah and
Allah is there. He is the only Tru e God. your l ife will be justified. You must prepare
He is the Creator a nd the Provider. He is you r you rselves for that.

o/;8 4 1
� Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e La st P r o p h e t � )

2.2 1 . The Quraysh Reject the Messenger of Allah

ti a n d His Message

Th i s simple message shook the very foundations of the Makka n society. I n

rea lity, the Quraysh l ived u nder the yoke of false gods. Idols lorded over them.
Man-made gods of thei r own desires lorded over them . When the Quraysh saw
that the Prophet's cal l was di rected agai nst their gods, their principles and their
long-sta nding false practices, they were g reatly a la rmed. Polytheism (the false
bel ief that there is more than one god) was d eeply ing rai ned in their m inds,
hearts and sou ls. Si nce they did not believe i n a ny d ivi nely revealed rel igion, their
hea rts had hardened. They had become a material istic people. They cared only
for their worl d ly welfare. The situation was extremely g rave, they thoug ht.
The time of the pil g rimage wou l d soon be u pon them. Arabs wou l d come to
Makkah from a l l over Arabia. The Qu raysh had a h ig h reputation for hospita l ity.
Now the pilgrims wou l d hear their gods rejected by the Prophet � and hi s
fol lowers. They would b e u rged t o forsake t h e rel igion of their forefathers and :
to embrace I sla m. They were terrified. They wou l d lose their authority. Therefore,
when the message of Islam th reatened their authority in Makkah, they made :
up their m inds to use a l l their energ ies and resou rces in an effort to protect the
I
authority and wea lth to which they had g rown accustomed. It was very h a rd for ·

them to g ive u p their ancestors' way of l ife. They feared that Islam wou l d bri ng a n :
end to thei r economic wel l-bei ng and would end thei r free way of l ife and thei r
su perior socia l status.
Al la h's Messenger � ta u g ht that Allah is One. The Makkans had many gods
a nd goddesses. Thei r fathers and grandfathers had worshi pped these g ods for
generations. The Ma kka ns d rew econom ic benefits from their rel igious beliefs,
which they fea red they mig ht lose by becom i n g M usl ims. Ma kka h w a s t h e centre
of their rel igion. The Quraysh were i n charge of the Holy Kat bah. The Ka tbah had 1
three h u n d red and sixty idols. People came from a l l over Ara bia to worship these
idols i n the Ka t ba h. The Prophet's message th reatened them a l l. It cha l lenged ;
·
them. lt exposed them. Therefore, h is im med iate enemies i n Makkah rose against
the Prophet � and his ca l l. They beg a n to ca l l hi m a poet, a soothsayer and
possessed. ·
Many si m ply heard the Qu r'a n and embraced Islam. Some saw the Prophet � ·
and were im mediately ca ptivated by the l ig ht of mercy, generosity and h u m a nity
that was visible i n h is man ners and morals, i n h is works and words. Islam beg a n
to spread, a n d t h e opposition conti n ued to harden and i ntensify, g rowing all the
more furious and violent.

� 42
The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo
2 .2 2 . The Quraysh Ta ke Action
Those who embraced I s l a m and joined the Prophet � were
a l so tortured i n cou ntless ways, just as was the Prophet � hi mself:
They were mocked, a bused, tortu red, flogged, im prisoned and
boycotted. The Quraysh tu rned to cheap means i n a desperate
attempt to turn the tide of the Prophet's Ca ll.

Some were subjected to m uch m ore i n h u m a n tortures. They

were made to l ie on b u rning coal fi res u nti l the melting body fat
extinguis hed them. Some were d ragged over b u rning sand and
rocks. Yet such was the strength of their fa ith that none of them
a ba ndoned it i n the face of such trials and tribu lations.

2 .2 3 . The Q u raysh Approach Abu Taa l i b

M uhammad :i contin ued his mission. H e proclaimed the
truth loud ly. Abu Iaa l i b conti n ued to care for him and defend h i m .
Eventual ly, a d elegation of t h e chiefs of t h e Qu raysh visited Abu
Iaa l i b in a desperate effort to pers uade h i m to forsa ke his nephew.
They said, 'Abu Iaa l i b! You r n ep hew has insu lted o u r gods. He has
criticized our religion, ridiculed our customs a nd degraded our
forefathers. Either leave him to us or there will be a bitter split
between you a nd us:

'l;g 43
O($fj Section The Beg i nn i ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e Last P r o p h e t �l

They vi sited Abu Iaa l i b three ti mes. Once
Abu Iaa l i b said to the Prophet i;, 'Nephew,
you r people have come to me with threats.
Spare me and you rself. Do not burden me
more than I could bear:
Alla h's Messenger � saw that Abu Iaa l i b
was very upset by what had ha ppened. He
fou n d it hard to carry on defending h i m. He
said, 'lf they were to place the sun i n my rig ht
hand a nd the moon in my l eft, I wou l d sti l l
not l eave i t u ntil A l l a h makes me victorious or
Another report states that the Prophet
i; loo ked u p i nto the s ky and asked the
polytheists, 'Ca n you see the sun ?'They repl ied
in the affirmative. Then he sa id, 'I am no more
capable of giving u p this m ission than you
are capa ble of stea ling a flame from the sun:3
Then Abu Iaa l i b told the Prophet �, 'Nephew,
go and say whatever you l i ke. By Allah, I will
never su rrender you to a nyone:
3- Mahdi R i z q u l l a h Ahmad, A Biography of the Prophet "]f;,, Darussalam,

I perish doing it: R i yadh, Saudi Arabia, 2005, Vol. 1, p. 172.

2 .24. The Musli ms' Migration {Hijrah) to

Eth iopia
The Qu raysh i ntensified their efforts to repress the spread
of Islam and to oppress the n ew Muslim converts. The noble
and mercifu l Prophet � was moved when he saw the tria ls and
tribulations to which his fol l owers were subjected. However,
as the persecution g rew u n beara ble, the Prophet � said to his
Companions, 'If you go to Abyssi n ia (modern Ethiopia), you will
find there a king i n whose cou ntry no one is wronged:The Prophet
i; hi mself and a few of his Companions were compa ratively safe
d u e to the protection afforded to them by Abu Iaa l i b, but the same
did not a pply to the rest of his fol l owers.
So, it ca me a bout in the month of Rajab, in the fifth yea r of
the Prophet's m ission, that a bout a dozen Muslim men and fou r

o/55 44
The Beg i nnings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a st P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo
.
women secretly left Ma kkah for Ethiopia, Al·'Uta

.
where they received a friendly reception by Khaibar

As hamah Neg us, who had obviou sly strong

.
tendencies towa rds the doctri ne of pure Yanbu �· • Al-Madinah

'{.
Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) preached by the
Prophet �. Rabigh •

These emigra nts i ncl uded a d a u g hter 0 Makkah

Turabah

I
Jeddah •

of the Prophet �' Ruqayya h �' who was ' AHa'lf

Migration to Abyssinia
accompa n ied by her h usband t Uthmaan When the Prophet (a) saw that his Companions
were constantly persecuted, and that he cannot
protect them, he said to them: "If you leavefor the

i bn t Affaan �. With respect to these few land of Abyssinia, there is a king who oppresses

� �� � �A; �d� ; �i=��� ����:��';;::C, ���

" " ' � u
AI Qunfudah • a s r � �
was the first migration in Islam.
emigra nts, Alla h's Messenger � said, 'They e
,;.
a re the fi rst people to emigrate in the cause
o-
0 • Abha
"'

of Allah, after l braa heem a nd Loo1 �1: 0 • Najran

:J
'
�. • Jizan

The fi rst migration, or hijrah, made a 0

Farasan
Ma'rib •
Shabwah
.
""

profound impression on the minds of the .

/
Sana'

J;
Kamarano
0

:J
idol-worshi pping Q u raysh, for they rea l ized �$')
0 Aksum

that the Muslims were prepa red to sacrifice � Shaqra .

1
• Ta'izz
-'�6
;,
everything, even home and cou ntry, for •I
'%-�4 Aseb •

the sa ke of their faith. Soon afterwa rds, the

emigra nts lea rnt of mass conversion of the
people of Ma kka h to Islam, a nd some of them
made their way back home Makka h . But this
tu rned out to be only a ru mour.
The Prophet � ordered his fol l owers
again to migrate to Ethiopia. In this second
migration, eig hty-three men and eig hteen
women partici pated, for the M uslim
com m u n ity had obviously grown after
' U ma r's accepta nce of Islam. Soon afterwa rds,
the Qu raysh sent a deputation to Ethiopia,
hoping that the emigra nts be forced to return
to Ma kka h . But the Negus was by this time
fu l ly convi nced of the divine origin of the
Prophet's teachi ngs, and he fi rmly refu sed to
su rrender the emigrants.
It is i m porta nt to note that the migration
to Ethiopia was not a single event, for it took
place in two successive stages. And this was
the fi rst migration of Islam.
2 .2 5 . Why Abyssinia?
There a re a n u m ber of reasons why
the Prop het � chose Abyssinia over other
lands. Fi rstly, the Negus, the king of Ethiopia,
was a j ust king, a fact that the Prophet �
h i mself poi nted out when he said that the
in Abyssinian king's cou ntry no one was
wronged. This proved to be true, for the Negus
protected the M uslims and refused to hand
them over to the Qu raysh. Second ly, Abyssinia
at that time was a land of prosperity. It was a
trade centre to which the Q u raysh travelled.
Third ly, and perhaps most im porta ntly, the
Qu rays h had no authority whatsoever in
Abyssi nia. The Prophet's Compa n ions cou ld
not migrate to a ny other p lace with i n the
Arabian Pen i ns u la, since for the most part,
and on most occasions, the Ara b tribes within
Ara bia obeyed the Qu raysh . Fou rth ly, the

//;55 45
� Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e Last P r o p h et � �

Prophet � knew a bout l ife i n Abyssinia and poi nt here, but it is recom me nded to read Ali
loved it. His n u rsemaid U m m Ayman, who Moham mad as-Sa l laa bee's The Noble Life of
was Abyssi nian h erself, spent a lot of ti me the Prophet � mentioned above.
with him d u ring his child hood, and it is not
u n l i kely that she had spoken to h i m a bout her
homeland, its traditions and rulers. Fi nal ly,
and perhaps most significa ntly, the main
pu rpose of the migration was to spread Islam
outside of Ma kkah, and not simply flee from
persecution.
I n his book In the Shade of the Qur'an,
Sayyid Qu1b writes,
The Messenger of Allah ·� was searching for
a stronghold outside of Makkah, a stronghold
that could protect the beliefs of Islam and
guarantee the freedom to openly practise Islam.
In my estimation, this was the foremost reason
that prompted the migration. The view that the
Prophet's Companions migrated only to save
themselves is not supported by strong evidence.
Had they migrated only to save themselves from
torture and temptation to leave the fold of Islam,
those Muslims who were the weakest in status,
strength and protection would have migrated as
well. But the fact is that slaves and weak Muslims, 2.26. The Boycott
who bore the major brunt of persecution and
torture, did not migrate. Only men who had strong The fa i l u re of the Ma kkan delegation
tribal ties - ties that protected them from torture to obta in the expulsion of M uslims from
and temptation - migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Ethiopia provoked hostile reaction in Makka h
In fact, the majority of those who migrated were where the persecution of M uslims was fu rther
members of the Quraysh.4
intensified. When the Qu raysh saw that the
Prophet's Compa nions sought refuge i n a
The fact that the Negus and other cou ntry where they had found secu rity and
Abyssinian people embraced Islam supports sta bility, that the Negus had u nderta ken to
the view that spread ing Islam in Eth iopia was protect them, that the fea rsome � u mar ibn
one of the reasons beh ind migration to that ai-Khattaa b � had accepted Islam a nd that
land. Th is is not the place to elaborate on this Islam conti n u ed to spread among the tri bes
4 - Quoted b y A l i Mohammad as-Sallaabee, The Noble Life o f the
Prophet �. Darussalam, R i yadh, Saudi Arabia, 2005, Vo l. pp. 487- of Ara bia, the Qu raysh d ecided on a tota l
488.
boycott of the Prophet � and his fa mi ly.
The Beg i n nings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )
They wrote a docu ment i n which
they made it binding upon themselves
that they wou l d not ma rry with them,
nor g ive their daug hters i n ma rriage
to them; neither wou l d they sell them
a nyth i ng, nor buy a nyth i n g from them;
nor would a l low any kind of provision to
reach them, not to show mercy to them;
not to mix with them; not to sit with
them; not to speak to them; not to enter
their houses u ntil they handed Alla h's
Messenger � over to them. They vowed
to observe the terms of the doc u ment.
They then h u n g the docu ment i nside
the Ka �bah, i n order to i m press it even
more upon themse lves.
The boycott was fu lly enfo rced
agai nst the Prophet �, his fol l owers and
their protectors, Muslims and idolaters
a l ike. The boycott took place in the
beg i n n ing of the seventh yea r of the
Prophet's m ission. The isolation and
boycott lasted for a bout three yea rs.
The na rrow pass (shi�b) of Abu
Iaa l i b, to which they had been confined,
was a rugged l ittl e va l l ey enclosed by
h i l l s on a l l sides and cou l d be entered
fro m Ma kkah by a na rrow way through
the mountai ns. I n this d ry va l ley, A l la h's
Messenger �, his fol l owers and the
clans of Ba n u Haashim and Ba n u a i­
M utta lib were obl iged to retire with
l i m ited suppl ies of food and necessities.
Soon the suppl ies of food and basic
n ecessities began to run s hort. The
Qu raysh prevented them from going
to the ma rket-place. Whenever any
� 47
Sectio n Wo
merchand ise a rrived i n Ma kkah from
a broad, the Qu raysh wou ld p u rchase a l l
of it, rega rd l ess of whether they needed
it or not. Their sole i ntent was to i nfl ict
as m uch harm as possi ble on the Banu
Haashim clans and conseq uently lay
their hands on the Prophet �.
The hardship a nd suffering beca me
their lot. As days and months of their
confi nement d ragged along, the wa i l i n g
o f h u n g ry children and women i n the
val l ey could be heard i n Makka h . The
siege and embarg o beca me too d ifficult
to bea r. They were forced, out of h u n ger,
to eat the leaves of trees. Many idolaters
were m oved to pity and sympathy.
Others were impressed by the courage,
devotion a nd dedication of the Muslims
to their ca use. The Prophet � conti n u ed
to go to the Ka � ba h and to pray open ly.
He used every opportunity to preach to
the outsiders who visited Makka h for
trade or on pilgrimage d u ring the sacred
months. In the third yea r of the boycott
and the siege, many Qu raysh leaders
began to fee l g u i lty a bout isolati ng
their kinsmen to perish i n the va l l ey.
U ltimately, the u nj u st boycott was l ifted
and the M uslims were a l lowed to return
to their homes.
The boycott is a usefu l rem inder of
the hardships and sufferings which the
early M uslims had to bear i n the ca u se of
their faith. It a l so shows that the boycott
was a wea pon to which enemies of Islam
have always resorted i n their futi l e effort
to put a n end to Islam.
o<:$fj Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a st P r o p h et � )

A few days after Abu Iaa l i b's death,

Khadeejah �' the Prophet's beloved wife
who had always hel ped a nd consoled h i m
i n times of hardship and distress, a l so died.
She was a bout sixty-five years old and he
was nearly fifty. They had l ived together in
p rofound harmony for twenty-five yea rs, and
she had been not only his wife, but a lso his
intimate companion, his wise counsellor and
the mother to his whole h ousehold, which

2 .2 7. The Year of G rief
Hardly had the Messenger of Allah
:! settled in Ma kka h after the end of the
boycott when two events took place that
were particularly hard for him to bear. Fi rst,
Abu Iaa l ib, his uncle and protector, passed
away. This took place in the tenth yea r of the
Prophet's mission. Abu Iaa l i b, however, never
beca me a Muslim. He d ied as an idolater.
included ' Al i and Zayd ibn Haarithah. Her
d eath left the Messenger of Allah :! without
that affectionate support which had for so
long hel ped to sustain h i m i n the face of trial
and persecution. He was deeply g rieved a nd
was a l m ost overwhel med by sorrow. The yea r
i n which Abu Iaa l i b and Khadeejah � d ied
beca me known as the Yea r of Grief (tAam a/­
Huzn) beca use of the tremendous loss to the
a l ready affected Prophet �-

The Historical way between

Makkah and At-Iaa'if
which the Prophet (�) followed

.. - . ..__
- -
·
'Ain Zabidah
I

•·. : � �
At-Ta'if- ,
v'

2 .28. The Jou rney to at-Taa'if

To preac h in Ma kka h now seemed hopel ess, a n d to p rovoke the
Qu rays h was not the best wisd om. The Pro p h et :!, therefore, decided
to ca rry his message to the people of the n ea rby g reen and bea utifu l
town of a1-Ia'if. I n the month of Shawwa/, towa rd s the end of May or
the beg i n n i n g of J u ne 6 1 9 CE, i n the tenth yea r of Prophethood, the
The B eg i n n i n g s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h et � ) Section Wo
Pro p h et ti set out on foot towa rds a.t-Ia a'if, a bout s ixty to seventy
m i l es fro m M a kkah, acco m pa n i ed by h i s trusted a d o pted son Zayd
i b n H a a rith a h , to i nvite p e o p l e to I s l a m . Once t h e re, he went stra i g ht
to a l e a d i n g fa m i ly i n t h e city. But t h e i r response to h i s ca l l was ve ry
d i s a p p o i nt i n g .
The tri b a l l ea d e rs ridicu led h i m a n d rej ected h i s ca l l . They
i n st i g ated t h e i r s l aves a n d street u rc h i n s to fo l l ow h i m a n d s h o ut
a b use at h i m . They kept pelti n g h i m with sto nes u ntil h i s feet
started b l e e d i n g . Zayd, w h o tried h i s b est to s h i e l d h i m, received
a pai nfu l wo u n d in the h ead. The i n so l e nt m o b conti n u ed to c h a se
the Prophet � a n d h i s Co m p a n i o n two o r t h ree m i l es a c ross t h e
sandy p l a i n s u nt i l t h ey were d rive n t o t h e outski rts o f the city,
w h e re the Pro p h et � a n d Zayd too k s h e lter i n a v i n eyard. When the
vi n eya rd's own e rs saw t h e P ro p h et � b l eed i n g, they were obvi o u s ly
moved. They sent t h e i r C h rist i a n slave, � Addaas with a c l u ster of
fresh g ra pes o n a p l atter.
Befo re the Prop h et � sta rted eati n g h e said, ' I n the N a m e of
Al l a h : ' Add a a s looked e a g erly i nto h i s fa ce, t h e n h e said, 'Th ese a re
not the words w h at t h e people of t h i s country n o rm a l ly say.' A l l a h's
Messenger � said, 'Where a re you fro m, a n d w h at i s yo u r re l i g i o n ? " !
a m a C h risti a n fro m N i n eve h,' � A d d a a s re p l ied. T h e P ro p h et � then
said, 'That means fro m t h e city of the rig hteous man Yoo n u s the
son of M atta a .' U pon say i n g th is, � Addaas bent ove r him a n d kissed
his head, his h a n d s and feet. Later on, when the P ro p h et ti fe lt
s o m ewhat refres hed, h e set out towards M a kka h .
Late t h a t n i g ht h e rea c h ed t h e va l l ey o f N a k h l a h , a h a l fway h a lt
betwee n the a.t-Ia a'if a n d M a k ka h . W h i l e h e was sta n d i n g i n p rayer
there, a g ro u p of seven jinn who passed by l i stened spel l bo u n d to h i s
recitation. As soon a s h e co m p l eted the recitation, t h ey e m b raced
I s l a m a n d ret u rned to t h e i r com m u n ity, u rg i n g them to favo u ra b ly
res pond to the P ro p h et's ca l l to I s l a m . U lt i m ate l y, the Pro p h et
� retu rned to M a kka h . The M a kka ns h a d lea rnt of t h e Proph et's
d i s a p po i nt m e nt at a.t-Ia a'if a n d were p re p a r i n g a d e g ra d i n g
rece pt i o n fo r h i m, but A l l a h's h e l p a rrived. A g ood-hea rted c h i ef,
a i - M ur i m i b n � Ad iyy, too k h i m u n d e r h i s p rotecti o n a n d b ro u g ht
h i m to h i s h o m e. Th u s d i d A l l a h's Messe n g e r � re-enter M a k ka h,
g u a rded by a polyt h e i st, scoffed at by his fe l l ow citize n s.
A.t-Iaa'if e p isode was the h a rd est m o m ent i n the Proph et's l ife.

� 49 K ,
� Section The Begin n i n g s of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t ;i )

2 .29. The N ig ht Journey a n d the

When M uha mmad
:i spoke to the people he
Ascension to Heaven (the lsraa' a nd m et i n the mosq ue of his
the Mi"raaj) jou rney to Jerusa lem, his
e nemies were immed iately
victorious. They now felt that
they had a sure ca use for
mockery. Every c h i ld of the
Qu raysh knew that it would
normally ta ke a rider a bout
a month to go from Ma kka h
to Syria and a month to
return. M uha mmad :i, they
mista kenly thoug ht, clai med
to have gone there i n one
single n ig ht. A group of
men went to Abu Bakr and
asked h i m, 'What do you
t h i n k of you r friend now?
It is in this period that the Prophet's N i g ht Journey to He has told us that he went
Jerusalem (lsraa) and his ascension from there to heaven to Jerusa lem last night
(Mr raaj) took place. One night the Prophet :i was awakened and prayed there and then
from sleep and taken, in the company of Angel Jibreel &ft\1 retu rned to Makka h : Abu
fi rst to Jerusalem. There he was met by a l l the prophets, who Bakr confidently repl ied,
gathered together behind him as he prayed in the centre of 'If he says so, then it is true.
the site of the Sanctua ry, the spot where the Dome of the There is noth ing surprising
Rock stands today. From the rock, led by Angel Jibreel &ft\1, a bout that. In fact, he tel ls
he ascended through the seven heavens and beyond. Th us m e a bout the revelations
he saw what Allah made him see, the heavenly worlds which that he receives d u ring a ny
no h u man eye can see. During the journey, the five daily hour of the day or nig ht, and
prayers were made obligatory for his fol lowers. Th is event is I know h i m to be spea king
referred to i n Ara bic as ai-Mitraaj (ascension i nto heaven) in the truth: It was for this
the b_adeeth and the Prophet's biog ra phy (seerah) . It is also reason that the Prophet :i
b riefly referred to in the Qur'a n (Soorat a/-/sraa', 1 7: 1 and gave him the n ickname "a�­
Soorat an-Najm, 53: 1 3- 1 8). Both the Night Journey (lsraa) S.iddeeq': which mea ns 'the
and the Ascension (Mitraaj) were bodily occu rrences. truthful:
The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h et � �
2 .30. Madeenah Residents
Embrace Isla m : A Turning
Poi nt in the History of Islam
Soon after t h e Prophet's return from a!­
Iaa'if and the N i g ht Journey, at the time of the
pilgrimage, six men from Madeenah embraced
Islam. Madeenah, then known as Yathrib, was
a small oasis a bout 400 kilometres to the north
of Makka h. It is now known as Madeenat-un­
Nabiyy (the City of the Prophet), ai-Madeenah
ai-Munawwarah (the Radiant City), or simply
Madeenah, for short. These six converts
del ivered the message of Islam to as many as
they cou ld, a nd at the time of the fol lowi ng
pilgrimage in the yea r 62 1 CE, twelve persons
ca me. They pledged to the Prophet � that they
would not associate a nyon e i n worship with
Allah, not to stea l, not to commit adu ltery, not
to ki l l their children, not to utter sla nder and
not to d isobey him. Th is time the Prophet ·�
sent M u��ab ibn � u mayr with them to teach
them the Qur'a n and Islam and to spread the
message of Islam.
More and more people in Madeenah
- men, women and tribal chiefs - accepted
Islam over the cou rse of a yea r. At the time of
the fol lowing pilgrimage seventy-three men
and two women came. They met the Prophet
� at a i-�Aqaba h, a place i n the va l ley of Mi na,
not fa r from Makkah. They pledged to protect
the Prophet � as they would protect their own
women and children. They i nvited him and a l l
Muslims i n Makkah to Madeenah. When asked
what wou ld be theirs if they fu lfi l led their
pledge, the Prophet � repl ied, 'Pa radise� Th us
the beg i n ning was made, a nd the foundations
of Islamic society and civil ization were set.
Section Wo
2 .3 1 . Several M i g rations
Ma kkah was no longer a safe place for
Muslims to live in. Therefore, Alla h's Messenger
� enco u raged his fol lowers to migrate to
Madeenah. Qu ietly they sta rted to move out.
The M uslims of Q u raysh began to migrate
in considerable n u m bers. In a few months,
more than a h u n d red fa m i l ies had l eft their
homes and migrated to Madeenah. And it
was not long before most of his Companions
had migrated with the exception of Abu Bakr
and 'Ali.
The Quraysh did all that they possi bly
could to stop the migrations. They were aware
of the power of the Prophet's message. They
sensed the danger that M uslims' presence
in Madeenah posed to their northern trade
ca rava n routes. They saw no other way to stop
a l l this but to ki l l the Messenger of Allah :i.
The Qu raysh nota bles consu lted one a nother
on what cou rse of action to take rega rding
M uha m mad �.
They fina l ly ag reed that each clan would
provid e one strong and wel l-connected
young man, give them a sword each, and
together they wou ld attac k the Prophet �,
each striking a blow the moment h e wou l d
leave his house. That way, they thoug ht, t h e
responsibility for his m u rder would be d ivided
among the tri bes, and his b lood wou l d thus
be on all the clans' hands. Conseq u ently, the
Prophet's clan would have to accept blood
money instead of revenge. The Q u raysh held
this cou ncil on Th u rsday morning, S.afar 26, in
the Fou rteenth yea r of the Prophet's mission
(Septem ber 1 2, 622 CE).
v<:§fj Section The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h et � )

2.3 2 . The Long-awa ited Hijrah Takes Place

H owever, Allah h i m with their p roperty as
had a l ready i nformed they wou l d trust no one
the Prop het � thro u g h e l se.
'
A n g e l Ji breel �1, of the The Prophet � a lso
Qu raysh's wicked plot. i nformed ' Al i � of what
The lon g-awaited hour of Jibreel �� had to ld him
un derta king the hijrah had a bo ut the plot the Quraysh
come. Having lea rn ed of t he had hatched agai nst h i m .
the plot and g u id ed to l eave The Prophet � took u p a
Ma kka h fo r Madeenah, green mantle i n which he
Alla h's M essenge r � went at used to sleep and gave it
midday to Abu Ba kr's house to ' Al i, sayi ng, 'Sleep on my
to fi n a l ize the emigration. bed in it, a nd no harm will
Abu Bakr was overjoyed come to you from them:
at having been chosen for �Ali ibn Abee Iaa l i b lay
the honour and blessing down on the Prophet's bed
of being the Prophet's co mpanion on h i s and covered hi mself with the latter's cloa k
blessed a nd e poch-ma king jou rney. in order to deceive the Qu rays h who had
On that fatefu l n ig ht, as darkness fe l l, become aware of his i ntention to emigrate
the youths ch osen by the Quraysh leaders and were bent on killing him.
to m u rder the Prop het � surrou n ded his Then the Prophet � began to recite Surat
house. They had decided to pou n ce on h i m Yaa Seen. When he came to the words, 'And We
a s soon as he came out of h i s house for the have put a barrier before them and a barrier
dawn p rayer. Meanw h i l e, the Messenger behind them; and We have veiled them, so
of A l l a h :I han ded over all the money and that they ca n not see (Soorat Yaa Seen, 36:9):
belongings left by the Ma kka ns with h i m fo r he ca me out of his house, a nd Allah took away
safekeeping to 'Ali �. The Prophet � asked the conspi rators' sight so that they could not
h i m to stay behind in Ma kka h so that he see h i m, and so h e passed through their midst
wou l d g ive all the goods deposited i n their and went on his way. When it was dawn, 'Ali
house for safekeep i ng back to their owners. rose and went to the door of the house, sti l l
The Prophet � had a lways been known to be wra p ped in t h e Prophet's g reen cloa k. When
tru stworthy (ai-Ameen), and there were so the plotters saw who it was, they rea l ized that
many Qu raysh polytheists who wou l d trust they had been somehow outwitted.

o/55 5 2 (
The Beg in n ings of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P ro p h et � )
2 .3 3 .
Allah's Messenger � thus left his house
d u ring the nig ht on S.afar 27, i n the fou rteenth
yea r of his mission, corresponding to the 1 2 or
1 3 Septem ber, 622 C E. He retu rned to Abu Ba kr,
and losing no time they went out. As they had
plan ned, they made for a cave at MountThawr,
a l ittle to the south on the way to Yemen. They
knew that as soon as the Prophet's a bsence
was d iscovered search bands would be sent
out to cover a l l the northern outskirts of the
city of Ma kka h. When they had gone a little
way beyond the preci ncts of Ma kkah, the
Prophet � stopped his camel. He looked
back and said, 'Of a l l Alla h's earth, you a re the
dea rest place to me and the dearest to Allah.
Had my people not driven me out of you, I
would not have left you:
When the Quraysh rea l ized that the
Prophet � had evaded them, they became
fu rious. They offered a reward of a h u ndred
she-ca mels to a nyone who could fi nd h i m and
bring h i m back to Ma kka h. Horsemen were
already fol lowi ng each and every route from
Ma kka h to Madeenah. Both the Prophet � and
Abu Bakr � stayed i n the Cave of MountThawr
o/55 53
Section Wo
The Hijrah
for th ree days: Friday, Satu rday and Sunday. The
Qu raysh conti n ued their sea rch to get hold of
them. Both a i-Bu khaaree and Muslim mention
that the Qu raysh pursuers actua l ly ca me to
the cave. Abu Bakr � worried so much about
the safety of the Prophet � that he shook
with fear, but the Prophet � reassured him,
'What do you think of two men whose third
is Allah Himself, Abu Ba kr?' The Qu r'a n itself
refers to this exchange between the Prophet
� and Abu Bakr �. When the pursuers were
standing a bove the cave, Abu Bakr � said, 'If
one of them were to look beneath his feet, he
would see us, Prophet of Allah:The Prophet �
confidently a nswered, 'Do not grieve, for Allah
is with us: (Soorat at-Tawbah, 9:40)
An expert and tru stworthy man by the
name of 'Abd u l laah ibn U rayq i1 who had not
yet embraced Islam had been h i red by Abu
Bakr as a guide. He reached the cave after three
nig hts according to the plan. He brought with
h i m Abu Ba kr's two camels. The camels were
very wel l looked after by Abu Ba kr. Alla h's
Messenger � i nsisted on paying the cost of
his ca mel, thus ind icating the im portance and
� Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f the Last P ro p h et � )
desirabil ity of each Muslim payi ng, as far as
possible, the expenses of his own migration.
It was the Prophet's hijrah, his cutting off of
all ties of home and homeland for the sake of
Allah. The act of emigration, therefore, must
entirely be his own; not shared by a nyone else
- i n a ny respect. The mount on which the act
was accompl ished must therefore be his own .
The camel's n a m e was ai-Qa.s_waa� and s h e
remai ned h i s favou rite camel.
After three days
in the cave, when
Alla h's Messenger
� and Abu Bakr
were ready to be
on the road again,
Abu Ba kr's daug hter
Asmaa' came along
with a large bag of provisions for the jou rney.
She wa nted to fasten it to one of the camels,
but she could not fi nd a string to tie it with.
As she had forgotten to bring a rope, she
took off her wa istband and tore it i nto two
lengths, using one to tie the bag secu rely to
her father's saddle, and the other to tie their
water skin. For this reason, this noble and
brave young woman who was later ma rried
to the celebrated Compa n ion of the Prophet
� az-Zu bayr i bn ai-'Awwaam � earned the
' '
titl e 'Dhaat an-Nitaaqayn' (the one with the
two waistbands). A nitaaq was a waistba nd
of cloth worn by women i n the olden days.
The Prophet � Abu Bakr, and 'Aamir
'
ibn Fu hayra h, Abu Bakr's freed man depa rted,
and their guide �Abd u l laah i bn U rayq i1 led
them through the seldom used routes a long
the coasta l way. This incident took place on
1 Rabee� a/-Awwal, 1 AH (September 1 6, 622
CE).
2 .34. The Suraaqah
I ncident
The awa rd of one hundred camels,
for each of them, which the Qu rays h had
a n nou nced to a nyone who wou l d captu re
the Prophet � and Abu Bakr, was so tem pti ng
that young men were i n purs u it on every
possi ble trial. Alla h's Messenger � and Abu
Bakr thus beg a n their long a nd u nsafe jou rney
to Yathrib (the old name of Madeenah). They
avoided the usual route as m uch as possi ble.
Their expert g u ide was rema rka bly u sefu l i n
t h i s rega rd. They had t o ride fast for almost a l l
the night a n d most of t h e day. The Q u raysh
were sti l l sea rching for them.
Suraaqah ibn Maalik ai-Mudlijee was a
Bedouin of the Kinaanah tri be of Ba n u Mudlij.
He was a wa rrior and poet who mostly l ived
in his tri bal village near Ma kkah. Having learnt
of the wherea bouts of the Prophet � from
a traveller, Suraaqah stole out of Ma kkah in
pursuit of the Prophet :i with the i ntention of
captu ring him and Abu Ba kr himself so that
he would not be obl iged to divide the reward
with a nyone else. When Suraaqah was in sight
of the Prophet :i, his mare fel l twice, but he
contin ued the c hase. As he d rew sti l l closer, his
mare fel l so badly that its forelegs sa n k up to
the knees into the g round, and he was th rown
The Beg i n n i n g s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P ro p h e t � l
off. He then u rged the a n imal by shouts, and
it p u l led u p, d ragging out its forelegs with
d ifficu lty. When it cou ld sta nd again, there
a rose from the holes which its forelegs had
made dust into the s ky, l i ke smoke. Suraaqa h
was very frig htened. It beca me clear to
h i m that the Prophet ;I and his pa rty were
protected from h i m by divine force.
He cal led out loudly a nd named h i m self,
vowing that he intended no harm. Suraaqah
remou nted his mare and rode towa rds them.
When he saw how he had been with held from
harming them, it came to his mind that the
Prophet's cause wou ld defi n itely tri u m p h . He
said to the Prophet ;I that the Quraysh leaders
had put a price on h i s head and i nformed h i m
of their plans rega rding him. He offered them
provisions and utensils, but they accepted
nothing from him. The Prophet ;I sim ply
req uested him to keep their wherea bouts
secret. Suraaqah asked h i m to write a wa rra nt
of security, and the Prophet ;I ordered 'Aamir
ibn Fuhayrah to do so. He wrote it on a piece
of ta n ned leather. Then the Prophet ;I went
his way. Suraaqah embraced Islam after the
Conquest of Makka h and d ied i n 24 AH.
G ra d u a l lythe la ndsca pe bega n to change
as Yath ri b d rew closer. At length, it a p pea red
on the horizon. B ut it was not u nti l noonti me
that the Prophet ;I reached the southern end
of the city, a suburb ca l led Qubaa: He set on
1 st Rabeet ai-Awwa/, 1 A H and reached Yathrib
on 1 2th of the sa me month (September 24,
622 C.E.)
Severa l days previously news from
Ma kka h of the Prophet's a bsence and the
reward for him had reached the oasis. The
people of Qu baa' were expecting h i m dai ly.
The ti me of his a rriva l was now overd ue.
o/;g ss �
Section Wo
Every morning, after the dawn prayer, people
wou l d go out to look for him. Crowds of
chiefta i ns, men, women and children, had
been gatheri ng on the outskirts of the city
ever since news of his setting o ut from Makka h
had reached them. They wou l d go o ut beyond
the fields and pa l m groves and would stop
and wait u nti l the sun beca me i ntense, then
they wou l d return to their homes.
They had gone out one morning but
retu rned by the ti me the Prophet ;I a nd his
fel low travellers had beg u n their descent
down the rocky slope. A Jew who happened
to be on the roof of his h ouse at that time
ca u g ht sight of them. Rea lizing who they
were, he cal led out at the top of his voice
that M uha mmad ;I and his compa n ions had
a ppeared. The ca l l was i m med iately taken
up. Men, women and c h i l d ren h u rried from
their houses. B ut they had not fa r to go.
Alla h's Messenger ;I and his fellow travel ling
compan ions had by now reached the outlyi ng
pa l m g rove. It was the noon of g reat delight
on a l l sides. The Prophet ;I stop ped i n the
suburb of Qu baa: two mi les south of Yath ri b.
He spent fou r days there and built Q u ba a'
Mosq u e which exists to this day. The Qu r'a n
IIIII
I I
o<:§fj Section The Beg i n n i n g s of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h et � )

hig h ly com mends that mosq ue beca use it
was built on the foundation of piety from the
first day (9: 1 08).
On Friday morning, he set off again. At
noon, he stop ped among the Banu Saa l i m
ibn ' Awf, where he offered t h e Jumu'ah
prayer. This was the fi rst Friday prayer that he
offered in the city that from then on was to
be his home. After the prayer, he mounted ai­
Qaswaa: and the others a l so mou nted their
ca mels and set off for the city. Upon his a rriva l
Yathrib was rena med Madeenat-un-Nabiyy
(The City of the Prophet �) - Madeenah, for
short.
poi nti ng to his two-storey house, o n ly a few
metres away. The Prophet � accepted the
invitation and got off his she-camel.
Abu Ayyoob lost no time i n movi ng
their l uggage into his house. I n this way, the
problem of the Prophet's stay i n Madeen a h
was settled without creating a ny fee l ings of
favo u r or disfavou r a mong the va rious clans
of Madeenah, to whom playing host to the
Messenger of Allah � was a high honour.
The Prophet :j then asked a bout who owned
the large and open plot of la nd, and he was
informed that it belonged to two orphan
boys. So he asked them if they wou l d sell
him the cou rtyard and told him to name

2 .3 5 . The House of Abu their price. They said, 'No, we give it to you,
Messenger of Allah: The Prophet :j wou ld
Ayyoob ai-Ansaaree not, h owever, ta ke it as a g ift. He insisted on
In Madeen a h, the Prophet � was g reeted paying the price and the deal was concl uded.
warmly by people in Madeena h .They a l l asked Within a few days, the building of the mosque
him to stay with them. They gra bbed the (Masjid an-Nabawee) was wel l underway.
ha lter of his s he-ca mel he was rid ing but he The Prophet � h i m selftoo k a n active pa rt
said, 'Let her go her own way, for she is u nder in the construction of the mosq u e. The house
the com mand of Alla h:This ha ppened severa l of Abu Ayyoob ai-An�aaree was, natu ra l ly,
times. Many eager invitations were offered. the centre of a l l the attention and emotions
Eventua l ly, the Prophet's she-camel ha lted in which the Prophet's presence attracted, and
the middle of a large and open plot of land it remai ned so for the fu l l seven months of his
and knelt down. stay.
The nea rest A b u
house to where Ayyoob �
she knelt down a nd his wife
was that of were g reatly
Abu Ayyoob a i­ d e l i g h t e d
An�aa ree, who with their
i m m ediately g uests. Only
s t e p p e d two incidents
""""t""----''--__;:..-l
forwa rd and m arred the
invited Alla h's happiness of the
Messenger � h osts. The fi rst
'
�;; 56
The Beg in n i ngs of Islam ( L ife o f t h e L a s t P ro p h e t
was when a n earthen pot of water b roke and
a great deal of water spilt on the floor. Afra id
that it m i g ht drip down to the floor bel ow,
where Alla h's Messenger :i was staying, Abu
Ayyoob used the whole of his bed sheet i n an
attem pt to soa k up the water. Then he went
down to the Prophet � a nd req uested yet
again that he move to the u pper floor. Seeing
his a nxiety, the Prophet � agreed.
The second incident too k place when
the Prophet � once retu rned the food Abu
Ayyoob had prepared for him u ntouched.
Deeply upset, Abu Ayyoob rushed u pset and
asked the Prophet :i, 'Messenger of Alla h, did
you not l i ke the food tonig ht?'The Prophet �
replied, '! did l i ke it, Abu Ayyoob, but I fou nd in
it a strong smell of garlic and onions. You may
eat it, if you wis h. I speak to one, to whom you
do not speak; referring to Angel Ji breel . The
hijrah of the Prophet � and his com pa n ions
hera ld ed a n entirely new e ra i n the history
of not o n ly Islam but a lso that of the world.
Tha n ks to the support offered by the An�aar
(litera l ly Hel pers - the Madinan M uslims),
the Prophet :i was a ble to rea lize the a i m for
which he had u p till then been strivi n g : the
esta blish m ent of a n Islamic society, the fi rst
of its kind i n the world.
With the hijrah, it beca m e suddenly clear
that Islam ai m ed at much more than a mere
moral reorientation of man .With the migration
of the Prophet � a nd his Com pa n ions to
Madeenah, it beca m e clear that Islam aspired,
among other thi ngs, to the esta blish m ent of
a self-contained com m u n ity, which would
cut across the conventional d ivisions of tribe
and race. The fi re of persecution, endured for
more than a decade, had pu rified the m i nds of
the M uslims. It had hel ped them rea l ize that
o/5; 5 7
;j ) Section Wo
tribal kinship ties were of no i m porta nce as
com pared with hig her loya lty towa rd s a n idea.
The n ew conception of brotherhood of men,
un ited not by bonds of blood-relationship
but by the awa reness of com mon outlook
on l ife and com mon objectives, fou n d its
expression in the principle of the Ummah.
Ummah - a n organ ization open to
everyo ne - of whatever race or
colour one be! The
Prophet :i a nd � ���
·J::.:=::::_
�r;;��
h is Com pa n ions to Madeenah
beca m e the l ivi ng symbol ofthis development.
Yea rs later, 'Umar ibn ai-Khattaab, the second
of the fou r Rig htly-g u ided Cali phs, would
recog n ize the signifi cance of the hijrah and
declare 622 to be the fi rst yea r of the new
Islamic era . The fi rst thing Alla h's Messenger
:i did after settling down in Madeenah was
to tie the Emigra nts (ai-Muhaajiroon) and
their hosts ca l l ed the Hel pers (a/-An�aar) i nto
one brotherhood.
Sti l l today, this brotherhood remains the
hall mark ofthe believers. One person from the
Emigra nts was made the brother of one from
among st the Hel pers. The Hel pers offered
to share eq u a l ly a l l that they possessed
with the Emigra nts. Th u s the Muslims were
forged i nto a close-knit com m u n ity of fa ith
� Sectio n T h e Beg i n n i ngs o f Islam ( L ife of t h e La st P r o p h e t � l

and brotherhood. At the same ti me, steps were ta ken and

the n eeded institutions built to i ntegrate the entire social
2 .3 7 . The
life a ro u nd the centre and heart of the worship of One God ­ Command of Prayer
Allah. For this pu rpose, five daily prayers in congregation were a n d Adhaan
esta blished.
Alth o u g h the M u s l i m five
2 .36. The Constitution of Madeenah: d a i ly prayers we re prescri bed
in Ma kka h , they were not
Saheefat ai-Madeenah
fu l ly put i nto action i n their
N ext, the Prophet :i d rew up a docu ment which congregational fo rm u ntil after
detai l ed the relations primari ly between a/-Muhaajiroon the hijrah. The co mmand of
(the Emigra nts) a nd ai-Ansaar a nd the Jews of Madeena h. th ese obligatory p rayers was
This docu ment is known i n Ara bic as S.aheefat a/-Madeenah received by the Prophet :i
(l itera lly 'The Docu ment of Madeenah, or as is more from Al l a h d u ri n g the Mi� raaj,
commonly tra nslated i nto English as 'The Constitution of or ascensior
Madeenah). The docu ment has been the di stu rbe1
preserved i n an M u s l i m s i n f\1
ea rly biogra phy they were n
of the observe th
Prophet :i N ow that M u
safe a n d s
Madeena h, 1

com posed by of esta b l i s �

I bn lshaaq (d. 767), the con g reg
which is ava i lable prayers
to us now i n the command ed
edition p repared Allah becc
H ishaam (d. 833). Dr. an a bsol
Bashier discusses this in priority. Th
d eta i I i n his bri l l ia nt work entitled was, h owe
S u n s h in e at Madeenah publ ished by the Islamic p roblem con
Foundation, U K. An English version of the Safleefah a ppea rs in the best me
this book on pages 1 04-8. ca l l ing the I
The Prophet :i guara nteed for the Jews their rel igion to co n g regc
and their p roperty and conferred on them s pecific rig hts p rayers.
and d uties. The h i storic significa nce of this constitution is T h e
considerable, for it gives us a very clea r idea a bout the natu re Prophet
of society and of i nterfa ith relations thought u p in this ea rly :i disliked
period. the way

o/55 5 8 �
The Begi n n i ngs of Isla ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h et :i l Sectio n Wo
2 .38. The Hypocrites: Munaafiqoon
the Jews and
Christia ns used
h orns and bel ls to {sing. Munaafiq)
a n nou nce their
ca lls to p rayer. Then Islam began to spread ra pidly thro u g hout Madeenah,
Allah honoured and some of the l ea rned ra bbis a lso e m braced it. These
the believers with ra b bis incl uded �Abd u l laah ibn Salaam whose accepta nce
the adhaan (ca l l of Islam a n n oyed other Jews. They envied Islam and were,
to prayer). One at the sa m e ti me, frig htened of it. A g ro u p of hypocrites,
of the Prophet's therefore, emerged. Their leader was �Abd u l la a h ibn
Com panions saw U bayy ibn Sa lool, whose control and a uthority were not
the m ethod in a q u estioned before the advent of Islam. But his people
d rea m . H i s name were now ra pidly em bracing Islam. He and others l i ke h i m
was ' Abd u l laah ibn w h o were g reedy for power and a uthority beca m e open
Zayd. The prophet enem ies of Islam, while others beca m e hypocrites. The
� · accepted hypocrites represented the 'internal' u n seen enemy.
�Abd u l laa h's d ream
as a u t h e n t i c.
Thereafter, the
adhaan, as it is
known today,
2 .39. The Change of the Qiblah: The
was cal led out
D i rection of Prayer
loudly by Bilaal i bn U nti l the time h e was in Ma kkah, the Prophet tj and
Rabaah as seen his Com pa n ions, used to offer the prayer i n a m a n ne r that
in the d ream by he wou l d be facing both the Ka � ba h a nd Jerusalem. The
� Abd u l laah ibn Prophet � prayed, as a rule, before the southern wa l l of the
Zayd � . B i l a a l was Ka � bah, towa rds the north, so as to face the Ka ' b a h and
chosen beca use Jerusalem. This was, h owever, not prom pted by any specific
of the wonderfu l revelation. After his migration to Madeenah, this was no
q u a l ities of h is longer possi ble on account of a change i n d i rections to
voice. face the Ka ' ba h as before i n p rayer. This separation from
the Ka � ba h was natu ra l ly very painfu l for him, and he
a nxiously wa ited for g u ida nce i n this rega rd .
For s o m e eig hteen months, after h is a rriva l at
Madeenah, the Prophet � and the M uslims tu rned their
face in prayer towards Jerusa lem (Bayt-ui-Maqdis), just as
the Jews u sed to do. About eig hteen m onths after his a rriva l
at Madeenah, he received a revel ation (Surat ai-Baqarah,
2 : 1 42- 1 50) which defin itely esta bl ished the Ka � ba h as the

r/;8 59
v<$!3 Section The Beg i n n i n g s of I s l a m ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P ro p h e t � )

qib/ah of the followers of the Qur'a n. This obviously displeased the

Jews of Madeena h .
The wisdom o f mainta i n i n g Jerusalem as t h e qib/ah i n this
i nterim period and then changing it to the Ka� ba h as descri bed by
the Qur'a n was to test the believers i n order to disti ng uish the true
a mong them from the fa lse. This was n ecessa ry to sort the raw and
wea ker elements that had joi ned the Musli ms' ra n ks from a mong
the People of the Book. It was expected that after going through this
test, they wou l d wholehearted ly e m brace Islam or wou ld clearly be
sepa rated from sincere M u sl i ms. The cha nge in qiblah was indeed a
hard test. With the a n nou ncement of the qib/ah, the Prophet � and
the Muslims rejoiced g reatly and felt rel ieved and honoured. But
the Jews were annoyed with the Prophet � and the Muslims.
Th is historic e pisode signal led the formation of a M uslim
com m u n ity, charged with the m ission of Alla h's g u ida nce and
fol lowi ng the most a ncient m essage of Prophet l braaheem �1,

turning towa rds the most a ncient House of Allah which he built
along with his son lsmaa ' eel �1. The Jews questi on ed the ca u ses
and grounds of the sudden change and expressed their disapprova l
of it.

o/;8 60 s::-o
The Begi n n i ng s of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h et � ) Section �
2 .40. War and Peace

As has a l ready been m e ntioned, after
the Prop het � a rrived i n Madeenah, he
fo rmed an a l l i a nce with the J ews. N ext, he
a p p roa c h ed a l l the nea rby tri bes and tried
to persuade t h e m to m a ke an a l l ia n ce o r at
l ea st enter i nto a n o-wa r pact. M a ny tribes
did. Th u s the s m a l l g ro u p fo rced to l eave
Ma k ka h assumed strateg ic i m po rta nce. But
the M a k ka n s who had e a r l i e r pl otted to k i l l
the Prop het � were n o w dete r m i n ed to
wipe out this b u d d i ng com m u n ity of I s l a m .
I n the ro u g h ly t h i rteen yea rs o f the
Pro p h et's Ma kkan p h a se, res ista nce to the
Ma kkan esta b l i s h m e nt and d efe n ce a g a i n st
Ma kkan persecution was co n d u cted
t h ro u g h peacefu l means: t h ro u g h the
peacefu l sp read of the m essa g e of Islam,
freeing of slaves a n d oth e r a cts of cha rity,
a n d m i g rati on at fi rst to Eth i opia fo r some
a n d t h e n to Madeena h . B ut the situation
cha n g ed d ra m atica l ly after m i g ration to
Madee n a h .
T h e Pro p h et � h a d a l ready received
a reve lation (Soorat of-Hajj, 2 2 : 3 9-40)
permitti n g t h e M u s l i m s to resort to a rmed
com bat, fo r the M u s l i m s h a d been w ro n g ed
a n d u nj u stly persecuted by the Q u raysh fo r
ove r t h i rteen yea rs. At the e n d of the period,
they were fo rced to m i g rate and l eave their
h o m es, fa m i l ies, wea lth, l a n d s a n d prope rty
a n d t h e i r m e a n s of l ive l i h ood. It is very
i m portant to note that t h e Q u raysh paga n s
persec uted t h e M u s l i m s m erely beca u se
they said that 'Al l a h A l o n e i s o u r Lord '. The
verse q u oted a bove ca l l s u pon M u s l i m s to
fi g ht a g a i nst rel ig i o u s o p p ression.

2.4 1 . Cam paigns and Exped itions

The Prophet � now began sending out milita ry exped itions
agai nst his enem ies. Severa l such exped itions were sent before
the Battle of Badr, which too k p lace on 1 7th RamaQ.aan, 2 AH (634
C E).
A close look at the Prophet's exped itions before Badr shows
that the rea l object was not to obtain booty. These expeditions
were merely m eant to compel the Ma kkan Qu raysh to give open
battle. The Prophet � understood that the position of the M u s l i m
Com m u n ity a t Madeenah cou l d n ever become secu re un less the
Qu raysh were made to rea l ize, by means of a crushing defeat, that
an entirely new period had beg u n i n the history of their country.

� 61 (
O($fj Section The Beg i n nings of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h et � �
At the beginning of RamaQ_aan 2 AH,
the Prophet ;'jj set out from Madeena h at the
head of some 3 1 3 Com panions, for the fi rst
time assisted by warriors from the An�aar,
seemingly with the intention of attacki ng the
g reat Ma kka n ca rava n l ed by Abu S ufyaan,
now on its way home from Syria. A heavi ly
arm ed Ma kka n force marched towa rds
Madeena h on the pretext of protecting
their trade ca rava n. The Prophet ;'jj, d espite
his com m u n ity's sma l l n u m ber and lack of
arms, decided to face their threat bold ly. On
1 71h RamaQ_aan, at Bad r, the two forces m et
and fou g ht a battle i n which 3 1 3 believers
defeated the 1 000-strong wel l-eq u i pped
Ma kkan a rmy.
Seventy of the Ma kkan chiefs who had
been most active and violent in persecuti ng
the M uslims were killed. Many others were
taken prisoner and were later released for
ra nsom. For the fi rst time, prisoners of wa r
were treated h u m a nely and kind ly. They were
fed a nd hou sed i n the sa me way as thei r
ca ptors ate and l ived. I n the third yea r after
the hijrah, a 3000-strong Ma kka h force again
marc hed on Madeena h both to avenge the
defeat at Bad r a nd to m a ke a nother attem pt
to wipe out the M usli ms. 700 of them were
chain-mai led and 200 mou nted. The Muslims
n u m bered only 700. The two arm ies m et just
outside Madeenah near Mount Uhud.
At fi rst the M uslims were gaining g round
i n this battle, but the tide tu rned agai nst them
when a large conti ngent of Muslim a rchers,
sensing victory at hand, deserted their posts
in the h ope of being a ble to col l ect their
booty. The Ma kka n cava l ry l ed by the brave
Khaalid ibn ai-Wa leed, who later rose to fa m e
a s a sta lwart wa rrior in t h e Muslim a rmies, saw
his cha nce a nd swooped down on the Muslim
fla n k and rea r. I n the resu lting fi g ht, some
seventy Muslims, including the Prophet's
uncle Ha mza h, were ma rtyred. The Prophet ;'jj
himse lf was wou nded. The remaining Muslim
forces at the last m i n ute ra l l i ed, ca using the
Makka n s to q u it fi g hting instead of p u rsuing
their earlier partial victory.
As for the polytheists, twenty two of
them were kil l ed .They fai led to p u rsue their
advantage and c l i nch the victory.
The next major battle known as a/­
Khandaq (the Battle of the Trench) took place
in the month of Shawwaa/, i n the yea r 5 AH
(627 C E) The Ma kka ns now plan ned to make a
final attack on Madeenah to settle the matter
once a nd for a l l . The Ma kkans' resolve to
brea k the back of the Muslims had hard en ed,
and a h uge a rmy of a bout 1 0,000 sold iers was
a massed agai nst them.
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P ro p h e t � )
The Jewish tribe of Ba nu a n-Na.Qee r
played a considerably evi l rol e i n the
formation of the Ma kka n confederacy. The
Banu a n-Na.Qeer by that time had been exi l ed
to Khayba r from Madeena h by the Prophet
� for the fol lowi ng reasons: ( 1 ) for non­
payment of their contri bution to the blood
money they owed to the tri be of Ba n u ' Aa m i r
on account o f tri bal a l l ia nces; a n d (2) the
Qur'a nic revelation to the Prophet � warning
him agai nst Ba n u an-Na.Qeer Jews' plot to
kill h i m . Another Jewish tri be, the Ba n u
Qayn uqaat h a d previously been expelled
from Madeen a h after some of its men put
to death a M u s l i m man, who in defend ing
the honour of a M uslim woman, had ki l l ed a
Jewish man who had dishonoured her.
At the beg inn ing of the Battle of the
Trench, the Ba n u an-Na.Qeer shamelessly
came out agai nst the Muslims and succeeded
in a rousing the Ba n u Gha1afaan tribe to joi n
the Ma kkan confederacy by promising to
offer them half the date ha rvest of Khayba r, on
the a nticipation that they would regain their
was selected as the judge from the Aws tri be,
/55 6 3
Section �
former la nds if the Muslims were defeated.
A third Jewish tri be, the Banu Q u raydhah,
openly pretended neutra l ity while hatching
a secret conspiracy with the Quraysh a nd the
Ba n u G ha1afaan agai nst the Muslims. These
actions of the Jewish tribes were in utter
violation of the terms of the Constitution of
Madeenah.
The Battle of the Trench gained its
name from the trench (khandaq) that was
dug a round the city of Madeenah, a strategy
attri buted to the Com pa nion Sa l maan a i­
Faa risee, who knew it as defe nsive plan from
his native I ran. The pagan Makkans tried va i n ly
to cross the trench for seve ra l days, but they
finally gave up. The siege lasted for over 25
days. I nternal d ifferences, lack of suppl ies, the
deep trench, the cold weather and the high
winds forced the Ma kkan a rmy to withdraw.
This was the turning point in the history of
confl ict with the Makkans. Madeenah was
never to be attacked again.
The Prophet � now moved swiftly
agai nst the treacherous Ba n u Qurayd h a h and
dema nded their u ncond itiona l su rrender. He
rea l ised the threat they posed and decided
that their fate should be j udged by a member
of one of their a l lied tri bes, to which plan
the Jews agreed; and all present, accepted
to a bide by the decision. Sa td ibn M u taadh
which was a l l ied with the Ba nu Qu raydhah.
Sa'd � decided that a l l the men of Ba n u
Qu rayd h a h should b e put t o death, their
women and c h i l d ren made ca ptive and their
o<$fj Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a s t P r o p h et
property divided. The Prophet � said to h i m,
'You have judged with the j udgement of Allah
fro m a bove the seven heavens:
I t is significant to rea lize, h owever,
that these Jewish tri bes were punis hed on
accou nt of their pa rticular acts of treachery,
which threatened the safety of the M u s l i m
Com m u n ity, a nd certa i n ly not on account of
thei r being Jews.
From the beginning the Jews were given
fu l l rig hts of citizensh i p. Yet they com m itted
acts of treason and deception. S u bsequent
generations of Jews, however, were never
held responsible for the evi l deeds of the
Jews of Madeenah. On the contra ry, Muslims
a lways treated them justly and kind ly.
I n the sixth yea r after the hijrah (628 CE),
the Prophet � decided to set out with a bo ut
1 400 or 1 500 of his Companions to perform
the l esser pilgri mage (�umrah) at Ma kka h.
They were unarm ed, but the Qu rays h chiefs,
agai nst a l l esta b l is hed and sta ndard trad itions,
refu sed them adm ission. The prophet �
lea rnt of this and enca m ped at a place ca l l ed
ai-Hudaybiya h just outside the sa nctuary at
Makka h . The Ma kkans sent em issa ries to the
Prophet � i nforming him that they wou ld
'
not be perm itted to enter Makka h that yea r to
perform the lesser pilgri mage. Negotiations
took place between the two sides. Fi nally a
treaty known in Arabic as S.ulh ai-Hudaybiyah
was agreed u pon by the two sides which
promised the end ing of wa r for ten years.
Some of the cond itions of the treaty of ai­
Hudaybiyah were unfavou ra ble to the Muslim
� 64
�l
side, such as the one which req u i red that if a n
ind ivid u a l from t h e Qu rays h were to come
over to the Muslims witho ut permission from
his g u a rd ia n, he was to be sent back to his
peop le. On the other hand, a Muslim defector
to the Quraysh would not be return ed. The
prophet � later made an exception for the
Quraysh women who, u pon accepting Islam,
migrated to join the M uslims i n Madeenah.
He refused to send them back. He rea l ized
the u n usually delicate situation in which
they wou ld find themselves if they were sent
back to their Ma kkan relatives. Moreover, a
revelation ca me down to fo rbid the return
of any bel ievi ng women to the disbel ievers
(Soorat ai-Mumtaflinah, 60: 1 0).
Accord ing to the terms of the treaty,
permission was g iven to the M uslims to
perform the lesser pilgrimage the fo l lowing
yea r. While the negotiations were in prog ress,
Muslims swore a pledge to the Prop het �,
which is known as Bay' at ar-Rid.waan (the
Pledge of Good Pleasure). It is
a lso referred to as the
Pledge of the Tree,
(Bay' at ash-
Shajarah) on
account of
having
s a t
under
a tree
w h i I e
making
the pledge.
The Beginnings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo

Then the Prophet � broke ca m p a nd returned recogn ized as a n eq ual force, to be treated
to Madeena h . On h is jou rney back, Allah respectfu l ly and taken seriously. The resu lt
revealed to the Prophet � that the truce of was that many Makkans a nd Ara b tribes
a i-Hudaybiya h was not a setback but rather a either accepted Islam or made peace with the
victory (Soorat ai-Fatb_, 48: 1 -3). Prophet �.
AI-H udaybiya h treaty gave the idol As soon as ai-Hudaybiyah truce was
worshi p pers and believers a n opportun ity signed, the Prophet � sent letters to va rious
to m ix. The idol worshi ppers soon came to neigh bouring Arab and non-Ara bs rulers and
appreciate the good qualities of the Mus l i ms. kings including Chosroes of I ran and Heracli us,
Many of them embraced Islam d u ri ng this the em peror of the Byza nti ne Empire, inviting
period. The pledge a ppears promi nently them to Islam. He assu red them that he was
i n accou nts of the life of the Prophet � not i nterested in their kingdoms or wealth.
and his Compa n ions. It was a test of fa ith They could keep these for themselves only
for the Muslims in those sorely stressfu l if they worshipped Allah al one, the only true
circumsta nces. The high esti mation of those God.
who swore the p ledge under the tree is Within two yea rs, however, i n the year 8
reflected i n a b.adeeth i n which the Prophet � AH (630 CE), the Ma kkans bro ke the treaty. It
is reported as havi ng said, 'Not one of those was now time to deal with their never-ending
who pledged their a l l egia nce under the tree hosti lity. The Prophet jj reacted firmly to this
wi l l enter the Fire: (Musl i m and Abu Daawood) turn of events. He mobil ized an a rmy of a bout
Althoug h the terms of the truce 1 O,OOO menand setoutforMa kka h.TheQuraysh
a ppea red h i g h ly u nfavou ra ble, even had by now become q u ite demora l ized; they
insulting, for the Musli ms, they were awa re that they had bro ken the terms of
made enormous gains the treaty. They no longer wished to put up a
by virtue of the resistance. The Prophet � captu red the city
treaty. Those and declared a general amnesty for a l l those
who were inside Ma kka h who wou ld su rrender without
expelled resista nce. He forgave a l l those who had been
out of his bitterest enem ies all his l ife, persecuted
Ma kka h h i m and plan ned to ki l l h i m and d riven h i m
n d a n d his Com panions out of Makka h and had
attacked marched thrice to Madeenah to destroy the
severa l Musli ms. This signal event is referred to as ai­
t i m e s Fatb_, l itera l ly 'the Open ing� or the 'Opening of
now Ma kka h'.

� 6 5 8::
� Section The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L ife of t h e L a s t P r o p h et � )

The Ka � b a h was c l ea nsed of t h e 360 the n o rt h e rn border, h i s d eterm i n ation,

idols w h ich h a d been h o u sed wit h i n it. co u ra g e and timely a cti o n made t h e enemy
An icon of t h e Vi rg i n M a ry with t h e C h rist lose h e a rt and wit h d raw. The Ta book
c h i l d in her a rm s and a p a i n t i n g of the Expedition took p l ace i n the yea r 9 AH.
pat r i a rc h A b ra h a m ( l b ra a heem) were a l so After t h e Prophet � h a d s u bd u ed
destroyed. Ta k i n g h i s c u e fro m t h e words Ma kkah, ret u rned victori o u s fro m
spoke n by P ro p h et J o se p h (Yoosuf) to h i s Ta book, a n d t h e Thaq eef tri be of at­
er ra nt b roth e rs, the P ro p h et � t o l d t h ose Ia a'if e m b raced I s l a m, Arab d e legations
who h a d ea r l i e r s h own m e rc i l ess h ost i l ity started po u r i n g i nto Madeenah fro m a l l
towards h i m or h i s fa m i ly a n d towa rds d i recti o n s to p rofess t h e i r a ccepta n ce of
I s l a m, or at l east to ex p ress
their acknowledgement
of t h e Pro p h et's p o l itical
a u t h o rity. The yea r 9 A H
(63 0-63 1 C E), t h e refo re,
ca m e to be known as t h e
Yea r o f De putations. T h e
total n u m be r of d e l egati o n s
m e nti oned by scho l a rs was
m o re t h a n seventy.5
There was a l so a
d e l egation of sixty men
fro m the C h risti a n s of
I s l a m in g e n e ra l , 'Th e re s h a l l be n o re p roach Naj ra a n w h i c h the Prophet � k i n d ly
this day. May A l l a h fo rgive you, fo r H e i s receive d . H e concl uded with its m e m bers
the M ost M e rcifu l of the m ercifu l .' (Soorat a pact accord i n g to wh ich M u s l i m s wo u l d
Yoosuf, 1 2 :92) g ra nt fu l l p rotect ion t o t h e i r c h u rc h e s a n d
H i n d, the wife of Abu S ufya a n, who possessions i n ret u r n fo r t h e paym ent of
had ca u sed the death of H a m za h , t h e p rotecti o n taxes.
Pro p h et's u n c l e, at t h e Battle o f Badr, was I n the yea r 1 0 A H (632 C E) , the P ro p h et
fo rg ive n . H a b b a a r i b n a i -Aswa d, whose :i set out to pe rform t h e p i l g r i m a g e (Hajj)
chase of t h e Proph et's d a u g hter Zayn a b i n M a k ka h . Th i s was t h e o n ly p i l g ri m a g e h e
w h i l e attem pt i n g to m i g rate fro m M a kka h h a d ever perfo r m ed. I n t h e p l a i n of ' Arafat,
to M a d e e n a h h a d c a u sed h e r to h ave a he g ave a sermon of s u p re m e beauty
m i scarriage, was a l so pardoned. and l a sti n g va l u e, w h i c h is m u c h cited by
The neig h bo u ri n g Rom a n E m p i re the Proph et's biogra p h e rs. S h ortly after
now m a d e ready to atta c k a n d w i p e o u t ret u r n i n g fro m the p i l g ri m a g e, the P ro p h et
the M u s l i m s i n Madee n a h . H owever, w h e n
the Prophet � m a rc h ed t o Ta book o n 5- Safi-ur-Rahman ai-Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, Darussalam,

R i yadh, Saudi Arabia 2002.

o/;55 66
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a st P r o p h e t � ) Section Wo
� contra cted a n i l l n ess fro m
w h i c h h e d i d n ot recove r. H i s
pro p hetic m i ssion h a d a c h i eved
2 .42 . The Issue of Succession to
s u ccess a n d was nea r i n g its e n d .
D u r i n g the l a st few d ays o f h i s
the Prophet �
i l l n ess, h e a p poi nted A b u Ba kr
� to l ea d the co n g regati o n a l
p rayers. H is s i c kn ess l a sted ten
d ays.
On M o n d ay, 1 2t h Rabee '
ai-A wwal, i n t h e yea r 1 1 AH
(Mond ay, J u n e 8, 632 C E), t h e
Pro p h et � breat hed h i s l a st i n h i s
h o m e i n Madee n a h . H e was sixty­
th ree yea rs a n d fo u r d ays o l d
when h e d i ed . The Co m pa n i o n s
n o w d i s a g reed a s t o wh e re h e
s h o u l d be b u ried. Abu Ba kr �
reca l l ed havi n g h e a rd h i m say,
' N o p ro p h et d i es but i s b u ried
where h e has d i ed : So t h e g rave When the earth ly l ife of the Prophet � had come
was d u g in t h e fl oor of �Aa's h a h's to a n end, news of his d eath fel l on the Com pa n ions
a p a rtment n e a r t h e couch w h e re l i ke a flash of l ig htni ng. They were stu n ned beca use of
he was lying. T h e n a l l t h e people thei r i ntense love for h i m . Every one of them thought
of Madeenah vis ited him and that the Prophet � was more gracious a nd considerate
p rayed ove r h i m . H e was l a i d in to h i m than to a ny other Com pa n ion. Some of them
his g rave by ' Al i and oth e rs who cou l d h a rd ly believe the n ews of his death. ' U m a r i bn
had p re p a red him fo r b u ri a l . a i-Khattaa b � rebu ked the man who told h i m a bout the
Later, Abu Bakr and ' U mar Prophet's death. He went to the mosq ue a nd warned
too we re b u ried i n t h e s a m e the a u d ience that he wou ld cut off the hands and legs of
a pa rt m e nt. W i t h the pass i n g those who claimed that the Prophet � was dead.
away o f the 'Se a l o f the Pro p h ets' When ' U mar � was speaking thus, Abu Ba kr �
(Soorat ai-Ab_zaab, 3 3 :40), the a g e a rrived from as-Su n.h, where he l ived. The n ews had
o f p ro p h ets a n d revelation c a m e q u ickly spread over the whole oasis. Without pausing
t o a cl ose. to spea k to a nyon e, he went stra i g ht to his daug hter's
a pa rtment and d rew back from the Prophet's face the
mantle with which he had been covered. He kissed h i m
between h i s eyes and said, 'Deare r than m y father and
mother, you have tasted death which Allah had d ecreed · • 0
,d

o/;:8 6 7 (
o<:§fj Section
for you . No death shall ever come
to you after this d eath:
As for the ca l i phate
Abu Bakr a.s_-S_iddeeq, it came
a bout through the u n a n i mous
agreement of the Helpers (ai­
An�aar) and the Emigra nts (a/­
Muhaajiroon). I n the h a l l of Ba n u
Saa � id a h, M uslims pa id homage
to Abu Ba kr � as the successor
of the Messenger of Allah ;i. They
were determ i n ed that the Prophet
;i wou l d leave the world with
the M uslims u n ited and u nder
a strong leader who cou l d ta ke
change of their affa i rs.
Then Abu Bakr gave thanks
to Allah and addressed
people, sayi ng, 'I have been g iven
the a uthority over you, and I a m
not t h e best of you. I f I perform
my d uty wel l, help me; a nd if I
should d eviate, correct m e. Yo u
m ust be God-fea ring. Piety is the
most i ntel l igent practice
im mora l ity is the most foo l ish. The
wea k a mong you will be strong i n
m y sight unti l I secure his rig hts,
if Alla h wills. The strong a mong
you wi l l be wea k i n my sight until
I wrest the right from him, if Allah
wi l ls. Obey m e so long as I obey
Allah and His Messenger �. If I
disobey Allah and h is Messenger
;i, you owe m e no disobed ience:
Abu Bakr's inaug u ral address as
the fi rst ca liph ra n ks as one of the
most i m porta nt speeches i n the
records of Islamic history.
The Beg i nnings of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )
2 .43 . Remem bering the
of
Prophet �: The Most Beautifu l
Model
One m ust a lways remem ber that Prophet
M uha m m ad ;i never claimed to possess any
superhuman q ua l ities: 'I a m only a man l i ke you. It
has been revea led to me that you r God is One God:
(Soorat as-Sajdah, 41 :6)
When the Ma kkans chal lenged him to provide
proof for his prophethood by performing m i racles
he said that the only m i racle he had was that h e
h a d received t h e d ivine revelation in clea r Ara bic
lang uage, which was proclai m ed through h i m, in
the form of the Noble Q u r'a n : 'Say, "If all the people
a nd all the jinn were to come together to prod u ce
the the like of this Qu r'a n, they wou ld not prod u ce its
l i ke even if they back up one a nother with help a nd
su pport:" (Soorat a/-/sraa', 1 7:88)
No matter how eloq uent the Arabs were and
h ow perfect their hig h ly refi ned traditional poetry
was, they could not p rod uce someth ing similar
i n form and content to the G lorious Q u r'a n. The
a nd Qu r'an chal lenged them to prod uce ten soorahs
but they cou l d not:
Do they say, 'He has fabricated it?' Say, 'Bring then ten
soorahs like it, and call all those whom you can besides
Allah, if you are truthful: (Soorat Hood, 1 1 : 1 3)
The Qu r'a n also chal lenged them to p rod u ce one
single soorah, but they again fa i led:
And if you are in some doubt concerning what We sent
down upon Our special devotee, then bring one soorah
like it, and cal l upon all your helpers besides Allah, if you
are truthful. (Soorat A/-Baqarah, 1 :23)
The Prophet :1 knew that he was only a h u m a n
bei ng, a nd was repeatedly rem i nded i n t h e Qur'a n
that he was only a man whose o n ly privi lege was
o/;$ 68 (
The Begin n i ngs of Islam ( L ife o f t h e L a s t P r o p h et � ) Section 'Wv
that he was g ra nted revelation . As the Qur'a n Yet there a re severa l verses i n the Qur'a n
cautions him, that poi nt to the Prophet's exceptiona l
Say, ' I d o not say to you that Allah's treasures are role. The Prophet :1 was sent as a mercy to
with me, nor that I know the unseen, nor do I say to all the creatures: raflmatul-/i/-' aalameen
you that I am an angel. I only follow what has been
(Soorat ai-Anbiyyaa', 2 1 : 1 07); Allah and H is
revealed to me: (Soorat ai-An'aam, 6:50)
angels i nvoke peace and blessings upon
h i m : (Soorat ai-Aflzaab, 33:56) 'He is most
He was a l so remi nded that only Allah
surely of an outsta nd i ng character: (Soorat
the A l m i g hty is a bl e to g u ide mankind:
a/-Qalam, 68:4) I n severa l places one finds
I ndeed, you cannot guide all those whom you
love [to Islam]. Rather it is Allah alone who guides the d ivine com ma nd 'Obey Allah a nd obey
whomever He wills so: (Soorat a/-Qa�a� 28:56) the Messenger' or similar com mands. Such
Qur'a nic g u ida nce formed the basis of a
Th us he was called to preach the veneration of the Prophet :1. Even now
message of uncom promising M uslims will never m ention
monotheism (Tawfleed), anyth ing belonging to
of a bsol ute su rrender or relati ng to the
to One God who Prophet � without
alone is the the
Creator, the f o r m u l a
Susta i ner and i.O I I a I I a a h u
the J udge. � a l ayh i
When wa s a l/ a m
t h e (U pon h i m
M a k ka n s be Alla h's
ridiculed peace and
him, asking blessings).
p e rs i s t e n t l y T h e
when the Day obed ience due
of Judgment to the Prophet :1
wou l d come, h e plays a centra l rol e
h a d to repeat again i n t h e development
that he too was not of Islamic piety. I n Soorat
informed a bout its time, a nd Aal �lmraan, 3:3 1 we read, 'Say,
that he was only a clear warner: (Soorat "If you love Allah , then fol low m e. Allah
a/-�Ankaboot, 29:50); awa kening the heart of wi l l love you and forg ive you you r sins:"
those who a re i n fea r of this 'Hour' (See, for I n the twofold profession of fa ith 'Loa
insta nce, Soorat Iaa Haa, 20: 1 5; Soorat an­ i/aaha i/1-A//aah, Muflammadur-Rasoolul!aah'
Naazi�aat, 79:42, among other verses of the (There is no god worthy of wors h i p except
Qur'a n). Allah, and M uha m mad is the Messenger of

o/'}5 6 9 \.
� Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )

Alla h), the second half defi n es Islam as a d istin ctive religion.
The Prophet � is sing l ed out by Alla h the Almig hty. He is truly
the chosen one, al-mustafaa, and for this reason his Sunnah,
his way of l ife, emerges as the uniq uely va lid rule of cond uct
for the Musli ms. If you wish Allah to love you, you m ust love His
Messenger� by fol l owing h i s Sunnah, for the Prophet � is, i ndeed,
as the Qu r'a n declares, "uswatun b_asanatun" (an excel l ent model)
(Soorat ai-Ab_zaab, 33:21 ). The Prophet's Sunnah consists of his
statements, actions, tacit approva l, p hysical a ppearance, i n ner
q u a l ities and biogra phy; and because of the great sign ificance of
the Prophet's bea utifu l exa m p l e, the science of b_adeeth came to
occupy a centra l p lace in Islamic studies.
For Musli ms, the Prophet � is the moral exemplar of piety
and eth ical cond u ct for a l l time and the best of manki nd. His
Sunnah represents the rea l ization of the Qu r'a n ic idea l s a nd
com mands and is the second source of law after the Qur'a n. When
� Aa'ishah � ' the Prophet's wife, was asked a bout his cha racter,
she simply replied that his character was the Qu r'an itself, that is,
h e translated the Qu r'a n's com ma nds i nto rea l ity.
Va rious ab_aadeeth from sta ndard compi lations detai l the
Prophet's daily conduct in the domestic field, in the mosq ue,
i n a l l world ly matters, among other thi ngs. The love n u rsed by
M uslims for the Prophet � remains undeniable and visible to this
day and will remain so forever. Such devotion to the Prophet �
has inspired a schola rly genre i n Islamic la nds known as shamaa'il,
or characteristics of the Prophet ri, which deta il, for insta nce, the
Prophet's i nward and outward bea uty and nobi l ity of character.
One such work is a i-Qaa.Qee ' lyyaad h's As-Shifaa, which was
tra nslated i nto English by �Aisha �Abd ur-Rahman Bewley
u nder the title Mub_ammad, Messenger of Allah. Every student
of Islam m ust read it. The book praises the details the Prophet's
specific attributes, such as his fortitude i n the face of trials a nd
tri bu lations, the gentleness of his tem perament, his h u m i l ity,
aversion to showi ness a nd his p hysica l ha ndsomeness, which a re
to be used as role models by a l l generations of believers. At this
poi nt, we wish to present only some aspects of these q u a l ities
that people nowadays badly sta nd in n eed of e m u lation.
The Begi n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P ro p h et � ) Section 'Wo
2 .44. His Character was the Qu r'a n Itself
As we have observed above, used to ca l l h i m the "the truthfu l and
�Aa'ishah .,, the M other of trustworthy" even before he received
the Believers, d escribed the revel ations from his Lord . When
Proph et � in this way i n an Heraclius asked Abu Sufyaan,
authentic b.adeeth, 'His 'Have you ever accused h i m
mora l was the Qu r'a n of lyi ng before t h e Qur'a n
itself: (Muslim) The was revea led to h i m?'
Qu r'a n itself says Abu Sufyaa n � repl ied,
a bo ut him, 'And ' Never:
indeed, you a re He never
most surely on d ra n k wine, nor
an o utstanding w o rs h i p p e d
standard of idols, nor sought
c h a r a c t e r.' a m usement in
(Soorat a/- an i m proper
Qalam, 68:4) manner. He was
T h e affectionate to
Prophet ;i was the poor and
sent as a mercy t e n d e r - h e a rted
to a l l m a n kind. to the weak. He
He was sent wou ld never
solely for the deny a nyth ing
pu rpose of he was asked
perfecting good morals. The moral q u a l ities for. He gave assista nce a nd support to the
mentioned i n the Qur'a n a nd the i nj u nctions oppressed a nd never took revenge for hi mself
revea led by Allah, were a l l harmonized i n his u n less one of Alla h's laws was violated.
person. H e l ived u p to a l l the principl es he He d evoted h i mself completely to the
brought and to which he ca l l ed, i n private as wors h i p of Allah. He fasted so m u ch that it
wel l as in publ ic. Throug hout human h istory, sometimes seemed that he never went a day
g reat men have a lways sought to keep their without fasti ng. He wou l d a lso spend long
private lives and personal behaviour secret. stretches of the n ig ht i n optional prayers u ntil
Th is is not the case with Prophet M uha m mad his feet would swell. When ' Aa'ishah ., once
;i, a s i s evident fro m the d eta i l ed record of asked him why he wou ld spend so much time
the Sunnah. in prayer when Allah had forg iven him all h i s
He was the very pattern of excel lence past and future sins, he replied, 'Should I not
and the noblest exemplar. His own peopl e be a g ratefu l serva nt?'

('/;55 7 1
o<$fj Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )

He shun ned a l l forms of showi ness

He proh ibited a l l types of abuse and
and a ppeara nces of pride that com m o n ly
torm enti ng a person under sentence of d eath.
cha racterize holders of high offices and
However, i n spite of his extreme tenderness,
heads of states. � Aa'ishah • once said, 'The
he com manded severe retribution for
fa m i ly of M uha m mad ;j never had their fi l l
cri m inals and offenders.
of barley bread for two consecutive days
He had enormous charm and a great
until he d ied: (a i-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
sense of h u m o u r. He used to joke on occasion
The mattress on which the Prophet
though h e uttered noth ing except the truth .
;j sl ept was made of l eather stuffed with
He used t o exchange good-natured fu n i n
pa l m tree fibre. Accord i n g to ai-Bukhaaree
order to a m use and delight h i s Compan ions.
and Muslim, the Prophet � died i n such
I n fact, he wou l d bend down so that his
a cond ition that his armour was pledged
g ra ndsons, ai-Hasan and a i-H usayn cou l d ride
to a Jew for some food which he bought
on his back.
for his fa m ily. He always practised what he
He was very brave. More than once
preached and never broke a n agreement
fearl ess men fl ed away leavi ng h i m alone,
with a ny of his enem ies or acted
while he stood with fu l l composure facing the
treacherously even if he fea red treac hery
enemy without turning his back. �Ali ibn Abee
from them. He did not engage in fa lsehood
Iaa l i b � who was known for his va lour, once
in order to gain victory in a ny of his battles. '
said that when fi g hting beca me i ntense on
The Prophet � comma nded his
the battlefield, the Prophet ;j wou ld be seen
fo l lowers to show kind ness not o n ly to
in positions nea rest to the enemy. (Muslim)
h u mans but a lso to a n imals and i nsects.
H e was always at great pa ins to look
Abu H u rayrah � na rrated that the Prophet
and act h u m a n . He ate and worked, slept
� said, 'A traveller who was thi rsty saw a
and entered i nto conjugal relationshi ps. He
wel l on the way. He got inside the wel l and
was i nvolved i n trade, wa r, affa i rs of the state
when he ca m e o ut he saw a dog l icking
and the wide ra nge of matters that s u ited his
mud because of thirst. The man thought to
sublime a nd noble natu re. As .S.afi-ur-Rahman
himself that the dog should be as thirsty
ai-Muba ra kpuri has put it:
as he was, and so he got i nto the wel l
Ill-manners and indecency are two qualities
again, fi l led h i s l eather sock with water
completely alien to him. He was decent and did
and carried it out holding it with his teeth.
not call anybody names. He was not the sort of
And thus h e q uenched the dog's thi rst. person who cursed or made noise in the streets. He
Allah was pleased with this act of kind n ess did not exchange offences with others. He pushed
and pa rdoned h i s sins: The Com pa n ions back an offence or an error by forgiveness and
asked, 'Messe nger of Allah, is there also a overlooking. Nobody was allowed to walk behind
reward in the matter of beasts and wild him (i.e. as a bodyguard). He did not feel himself
animals a lso?' The Prophet replied, 'There superior to others not even to his slaves (men or
women) as far as food or clothes were concerned.
is recom pense i n regard to every creature
(p. 32 1 )
that has a l iving hea rt:
The Beg i n nings of Islam ( L i fe o f t h e L a s t P r o p h e t � )
When he entered his house,
he behaved l i ke a ny other man
and would help his wives. He
carried out h ousehold c hores.
He never stood up or sat down
without the name of Allah being
on his l i ps. He gave all those who
sat with him such attention that
they believed that he paid more
attention to them than to a nyone
else. When someone asked for
help, he would either g ive h i m
what he needed or speak kindly
to h i m . He wou ld never name a
person whom he had heard ill­
news a bout - wh ich h e hated.
I n stead he wou l d say, 'Why do
certa i n people do such-a nd-such
a thing ?'
The Prophet � l ived for
twenty-th ree yea rs after the
beg i n n i n g of his mission. This
period of his l ife was the busiest
and most fru itfu l . He fu lfil led
h i s m ission of ca l l ing m a n kind
to the wors h i p of One True
God-Al lah. Throug hout this
period, he strove hard agai nst
a rrogance, evi l a nd u n belief. He
ta u g ht a nd educated those who
followed him. He succeeded i n
esta b l ishing I s l a m in the world,
made it reign su preme and
bui lt, on its basis, a state which
was fou nded on the pri nciples
of the wors h i p of Allah and
brotherhood a mong the faithfu l .
Section Wo
2 .45 . Fulfil ment of H is M ission
These facts spea k of a massive a nd m i raculous
tra nsformation the Prophet ;i broug ht: a u n ique
experience i n the history of mankind whose echoes
sti l l last. Mark the m i raculous change for the better
that the Prophet of Islam � had a l most i m m ed iately
brought a bout in his former violent, im moral and
rel igious cou ntrymen. Makka h and the whole Ara bian
Pen insula had been soa ked i n spi ritua l l ifelessness:
people were s u n k in superstitions, cruelty and vices.
Thi rteen yea rs before the migration (hijrah), Makka h
lay l ifeless i n this corrupt state. What a change those
thirteen yea rs had prod uced! A band of severa l
h u n d red people had rejected idolatry, adopted
the worship of the true One God and su rrendered
themse lves u nconditionally to the g u ida nce of what
He revealed to Prophet Muha m mad � prayi ng to
'
the Almighty with freq uency a nd fervou r, loo king
for forg iveness through H i s mercy a nd strivi ng hard
to fol low through good deeds, a l msgiving and
justice. They now l ived under a consta nt sense of the
O m n i potent Power of God and His timely ca re over
the smal lest of their concerns. But a few years si nce
they were tota l ly i m m e rsed i n s u perstition, idol
wors h i p and practisi ng a l l sorts of vice, they now
p rostrated themselves five times a day in prayer to
Almig hty Alla h-the true One God.
The Prophet � often advised his Companions
to treat their wives kind ly. He wou l d say, 'The best
a mong you a re those who a re the best to their
wives, a nd I am the best a mongst you to my wives:
(Reported by at-Ti rmidhee) He was once seen placing
his knees on the ground for his wife $_afiyya h � to
help her step on and m o u nt a ca mel: (a i-Bukhaaree)
I n a word, h i s character was the Qu r'a n itself.
O($fj Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( L i fe of t h e L a s t P ro p h et ti l

2 46 . . The Prophet's Statesmanship: The Constitution of

Madeenah (Saheefat ai-Madeenah)

If there is of Madeenah were at

i nternational law which is
eq u a l ly applica ble to a l l
nations of t h e world and
is not l i m ited to a few
particular cou ntries, then
it m ust have origi nated
with the advent of Islam.
Muslims a re perhaps
the only nation in
the world that can
authentica l ly claim
to possess a n i nternational
law. As a matter of fact,
international l aw which is both
tru ly 'international' and 'law' began
with the Musli ms.
After their m igration to Madeen a h, the
Prophet � fou nded a state and fra med a
constitution for it. U pon reaching Madeenah,
he fou n d that it was inha bited by many tri bes
that had been fi g hting with one a nother for
nea rly a h u nd red and twenty yea rs. There
was no centra l a uthority and no g overnment.
There were two ki nds of Muslims
in Madeenah, that it to say, those who
belonged to the city, ai-An�aar (the Helpers)
who provided assista nce to the Prophet �
and his com panions when they migrated
to Madeenah, a nd ai-Muhaajiroon (the
Emigra nts), who had migrated there from
Makka h . The majority of the population,
however, consisted of those who had not
yet embraced Islam. There were Jews as
wel l as a spri n kl i n g of C h ristians. The tribes
odds with one another,
hence the i m possibility of
electi ng a leader from
a mong themselves
who wou l d be
accepta ble to all
t h e tribes. Therefore,
they decided to opt for a
neutra l person and they
chose the Prophet � as their
l eader. The rig hts and duties
of the ruler and the ru led were written
down i n deta i l, and a legal docu ment
was prepared. This is the docu ment
which can be cal led the Constitution of the
city-state of Madeenah.
The docu ment which has reached us
contains i m porta nt details abo ut domestic
admin istration. This docu m ent is accepted
by modern scholars as authentic, which was
drawn up someti me before the Battle of Badr
in 624 C E. The rig hts of rel igious freedom a re
clearly asserted and defence a rra ngements
a re also spelled out together with laws of war
a nd peace. The m i l ita ry jihaad in this period
is conceived of as a d efensive enterprise i n
w h i c h t h e Muslims (referred t o m ostly a s
believers), those w h o a re attached t o them
and to the Prophet � including the Jews,
'
engaged.
If one studies the l ife of the Prophet �
objectively, one would not fai l to reach to
the conclusion that M uha m mad � was a true
Messenger of Allah.

0()5 74
The Beginnings of Islam ( L ife o f t h e L a s t P r o p h et ii l Section 'Wo

For Fu rther Study

1 . .S.afi-ur-Rahman ai-Mu barakpuri, The Sealed Nectar,
Darussa lam, Riyadh, Sa udi Ara bia 2002.
2. Mahdi Rizq u l l a h Ahmad, A Biography of the Prophet �'
Darussa l a m, Riya d h, Sa udi Ara bia, 2005.
3. Ali Moha m mad as-Sa l laa bee, The Noble Life of the Prophet �,
Da russa lam, Riya d h, Saudi Ara bia, 2005.
4. Akra m Diyaa' al-t Umaree, Madinan Society at the Time of
the Prophet �' Tra nslated by Huda Khattab, I nternational
I nstitute of Islamic Thoug ht, Herndon, USA, 1 99 1 .
5. Zaka ria Bashier, War and Peace in the Life of the Prophet
Muflammad #:j, the Islamic Foundation, U K, 2006.
6. Musta n�i r Mir, Coherence in the Qur'an, American Tru st
Publ ications, Plainfield, I n d iana, 1 987.
7. Sayyid Abu i-Hasa n Ali an-Nadwi, Muflammad Rasulullaah,
Academy of Islamic Resea rch and Publ ications, Lucknow,
I ndia, 1 979.
8. Qaa.Qee t lyyaaQ, ash-Shifaa; Muflammad, Messenger ofAllah,
Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lu m p u r, Malaysia, 1 979.

o/;55 75
� Section The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Cali phs)

3. The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs

3.1 . Abu Bakr A�-Siddeeq �= The Cham pion of

Truth - The Fi rst of the Four Rig htly-Guided Ca l i phs

His Name and Ancestry
His fu l l name was Abu Bakr �Abd u l la a h
i b n A b u Quhaafa h at-Taymee. He h a d
t h e honorific surname of �Ateeq, wh ich is
va riously exp lai ned by scholars. The majority
of scholars hold that �Ateeq was his surname,
not his na me. To some he was cal led �Ateeq
beca use he was handsome a nd g racefu l.
Some arg ue that he was ca l l ed �Ateeq beca use
of his spotless a ncestry.
H i s rea l name was � Abd u l laah. He was
ca l led Abd u l ka � ba h in the Days of Ignorance
(Jaahiliyyah), and the Prophet � nam ed h i m
'Abd u l laah. H i s mother was Salmaa bint S.akhr.
She was the cousin of Abu Quhaafa h and was
widely known as U m m ai-Khayr. The name
of his father Abu Quhaafah was � uthmaan.
,
Abu Bakr � was his kunyah. The Arabs polite
way of addressing people is by referring to
their parenthood, so that one is add ressed as
father or mother of so-a nd-so, hence the word
kunyah. Both his mother and father belonged
to the Makka n fa mily of Ka � b ibn Sa �d of the
clan of Taym, a branch of the Quraysh.
Abu Bakr � was younger than the
Prophet � wh o was two yea rs and two months
his senior. He was born and bro u g ht u p in
Makkah and l ived as a wel l-to-do m erchant in
Makka h .

o/;8 7 6
The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( The Four Rig htly-Guided Caliphs)
Abu Bakr Em braces
Islam
Among m en, Abu Bakr A�-S.iddeeq �
was the fi rst to believe i n the Prophet � and
the fi rst to offer the prayers led by the Prophet
�. In fact, he was the fi rst to em brace Islam
among men, while �Ali ibn Abee Iaa l i b � was
the fi rst to em brace it among the boys and
Khadeeja h � the fi rst among women.
Abu Bakr � was the Prophet's fi rst
supporter, and he soon ass u m ed an
i m portant position in the newly-formed
Muslim com m u n ity. Especi a l ly characteristic
of h i m was his u nshakea ble fa ith i n Alla h's
Messenger �. On occasions when others
dou bted, for insta nce after the Prophet's
account of his night jou rney (ai-Mi� raaj)
or when the pagans did not know what to
make of his conduct (as on the occasion of
ai-Hudaybiyya h Peace Treaty), he remai ned
u nshaken. It is this fa ithfu l n ess which gai ned
h i m the surname of A�-S.iddeeq ('the g reat
confi rmer of the truth' or 'the cham pion
of truth) which has consta ntly rem a ined
attached to h i m throug hout the historical
tradition of Islam.
His character was gentle. Whenever he
read or recited the Qu r'a n, he wou l d shed
tears. His daug hter �Aa'ishah � rel ated that
he wept with joy at the news that he wou ld
//55 77
Section Wo
acco m pa ny the Messenger of Al lah � i n his
emigration to Madeena h.
He was sh rewd and a man of agreea ble
nature. He was a l so l i ked and respected by
everyon e d ue to his wide knowledge, refi ned
man ners and delightfu l presence. Many
people would come to consult h i m a bout
many issues. He was the embod i ment of
good a nd was spotless, just and rig hteous.
It is beca use of this that when the Prophet �
i nvited h i m to Islam, he embraced it without
hesitation. He fea red nothing a nd took it u pon
hi mself to fol low and adhere to the truth. He
p romised to lend a l l help and support to the
cause of Islam and fu lfil led this prom ise in the
face of hardship and misery.
Many people, including � uthmaan ibn
�Affaan, Ia lha h ibn � u bayd u l lah, sa�d ibn
Abee Waqqaa.s_, � Abd ur-Rahmaan ibn � Aw(
and ' Uthmaan ibn Mad h � oon (may Allah
be pleased with them) accepted Islam at
the hands of Abu Bakr �. He purchased the
freedom of seve ra l slaves. N o sacrifice was too
g reat in his eyes for the sake of Allah � and
H is Messenger �. He never left the com pany
of the Prophet �. Amid the g reatest dang ers,
he fa ithfu l ly stood by the Prophet �, his
friend and master. His l ife atta i ned its h ighest
pea k when Alla h's Messenger � chose h i m
t o acco m pa ny h i m w h e n he emigrated from
Makkah to Madeenah.
()($fj Section The B eg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
H i s self-sacrifici ng com panionship was
rewarded by h is name being made i m morta l
i n the Glorious Qu r'a n as 'the second of
two' (Soorat at-Tawbah, 9:40). On that very
occasion, the Prophet � said to h i m, 'What do
you t h i n k, Abu Ba kr, of two people with Allah
as their third ?' (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree)
Abu Bakr � never l eft the company
of the Prophet � without his perm ission.
He emigrated for the sa ke of Allah and His
Messenger �, l eavi ng h i s fa m i ly and busi ness
in M a kka h, stayed with the Prophet � in the
cave and acco m pa n ied h i m in every battle. H i s
fa m i ly a l so e m ig rated t o Madeenah later with
the exception of his son tAbd u r-Rahmaan,
who had remai ned a n u n bel iever and even
fou g ht at Badr agai nst the Muslims before
he fi na l ly accepted Islam and emigrated to
Madeena h.
In Madeenah, Abu Ba k � set u p a modest
hou sehold i n the suburb of as-Su nh. Through
h i s daug hter t Aa'ishah � , whom Alla h's
Messenger � ma rried shortly after the Hijrah,
the tie between the two was strengthened
sti l l fu rther. Abu Ba kr � was the most valia nt.
He was a l m ost always with the Prophet �
and accompan ied h i m on a l l his m i l ita ry
exped itions. The Prophet � entrusted h i m
with a standard i n t h e Khaybar ca m paign and
later i n the Ta book exped ition. The Prophet �
sent h i m to Makka h to conduct the pi lgrimage
i n the year 9 AH.
Abu Bakr � was the most generous, the
most l ea rned and the wisest of the Prophet's
compan ions. H i s knowledge of the Q u r'a n
su rpassed that of a l l other com pa n ions. This
is the reason why the Prophet ·� delegated
the task of leading the prescribed prayers
to h i m d u ring the days of his fi n a l i l l ness.
H i s memory was very strong i ndeed, and h is
knowledge of the Prophet's Sunnah was so
d eep that the Prophet's com pa n ions wou l d
t u r n t o h i m t o seek his opin ion.
Abu Bakr � possessed a keen power
of j udgement and enjoyed the Prophet's
com pany right from the beg i n n i n g of h i s
Prophethood u ntil t h e e n d of h i s ea rthly l ife.
These distinctions and outstanding q ua l ities
made it possible for t U m a r ibn ai-Khattaa b �
a nd h i s com pa n ions to choose Abu Bakr � as
the h ead of the Muslim com m u n ity, or ca l i p h
(kha/eefah), t h e fu l l title bei ng Khaleefatu
Rasoo/illaah, the successor of the Messenger
of Allah :1.
The B eg i n nings of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
Ca l iphate of Abu Bakr As_­
Siddeeq
When the earthly life of
Messenger :i ca m e to a n end / news of his
d eath descended on his Com panions l i ke a
thu nderbolt. They were stu n n ed beca u se of
their i ntense love for h i m . Every one of his
Com panions thought that the Prophet � was
more g racious and considerate to h i m than to
a ny other Com pa n ion. Some of them could
hardly believe the n ews of his death . � u ma r
i b n ai-Khattaab � rebu ked the man who
told him a bout the Prophefs death. He went
to the mosque and addressed the people
/ wou ld come back to life. Reve rently/ he d rew
sayi ng / He has not died. He has rather gone
to his Lord / just as Moosaa �� had / remai ned
a bsent from his people f�r forty nig hts/ after
which he retu rned to his people. By Allah /
the Messenger of A l l a li _- will i ndeed return /
jus7 'as Moosaa retu rned,to his peop le: TH�n
� u mar warned the aud ience th,at he wou ld
cut off the hands a�d l�gs' of those men who
claimed that the Prophet ti was dead.
Section Wv
Abu Bakr's Bravery
When � u ma r � was spea king thus / Abu
/ Ba kr � a rrived on horseback from as-Sun� fo r
Allah s
the news had q u ickly spread over the whole
oasis. Without pa using to spea k to a nyone/ he
went straight to his daug hte(s a pa rtment and
d rew back from the Prophefs face the mantle
with which he was covered. He kissed h i m
/
between his eyes a n d said / You a re dearer
to m e than my father and mother. You have
tasted d eath which Allah has decreed for you /
but after this you will never die again:
By sayi ng this Abu Bakr � was actually
refuti ng � u ma(s claim that the Prophet :i
the mantle over his face again and went out
to the throng of men whom � u mar � was sti l l
/
addr,essing. Gently/ � u ma r; he said t o h i m .
Then, Bfter givi ng pr-aise t G Allah, h e said /
10 people/ whoever worsh i ps Muha m mad
m u�t know that Muha m mad is indeed dead /
I
but whoever wors h i ps Allah m ust �now that
'
i ndeed Alia� is Livi ng and will n e'Ver die:
� Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Isla ( The Four Rightly-Guided Cal iphs)

Then he recited the fol l owing verse, which had been revealed after
the Battle of Uhud:
Muhammad is but a messenger, and messengers have passed away before him.

)
If he dies or is killea, will you then turn upon your heels as disbelievers? Whoever
turns upon his heels will do no harm to Allah at all, and Allah will reward the
I
grateful: (Soorat Aal-'lmrean, 3:1 44)

It was as if the p:>eople had not known of the revelation of this

verse u nti l Abu Ba kr � recited it that very day. They took it from h i m,
and it was on a l l their l i ps. � u ma r � later said, 'When I h eard Abu Bakr
recite that verse, I was so astou nded that I fel l to the g round. My l egs
wou l d no longer carry m e, and I knew that Alla h's Messenger � had
t
died:
Th is i ncident is the strongest evidence of Abu Ba kr's bravery­
if bravery i s defined as having a fi rm and steadfast heart i n ti mes
of hardships and ca l a m ities. In fact, there was no calamity that was
v g reater than the death of Alla h's Messenger �- May All?h be wel l­
pleased with Abu Bakr � for helping save the M u s l i m nation from many
hardshi ps. He solved many of the problems that afflicted Muslims a nd '
understood the truth on those occasions when no one Jelse did-not:
even � u mar �- '
1
As for the ca l i phate of Abu Bakr A�-.S.iddeeq, it ca m e a bout
through the u na n i mous agreement of the Hel pers (ai-An�aar) and the
Emigrants (ai-Muaajiroon). There was no disagreement a bout this at a l l .
1/� I

Abu Bakli � gave thanks to Allah and addressed the people, sayi ng,
I klave been given the a uthority over you, but I am not the best of you. If I do well,
help me; if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is faithfu lness and
disre�ard for truth is deception. The weak amongst you shall be strong in my sight
u ntil I have secured his rights, if Allah wills, and the strong amongst you shall be

\
weak in my sight until I have gra bbed from him the rights of others, if Allah wills.
Obey me so long as I obey Allah and His Messenger �. If I disobey Allah and His

I
Messenger �� then you owe me no obedience whatsoever. Arise for you r prayer,
may Allah have mercy on you.

Thro u g h his simple but stu rdy character and strong

d etermi nation, Abu Bakr � conducted the young state of Madeena h
through the most difficult and dangerous ti mes a n q l eft it at h i s death
in such a fi rm position that , it could support the rule of the powerfu l
and talented � u ma r i b n a i-Khattaab �-

� 80 c
The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs) Section �

Expedition to the Syrian Border

Abu Bakr � soon had a n occasion for showing his unwavering
resolve to ca rry out to the utmost the will of Alla h's Messenger � in
things both big a nd s m a l l . J ust before he fel l sick, the Prophet � had
given orders for a n exped ition to the Syrian border in order to avenge the
disaster which had befa l len the M u s l i m a rmy d u ring the Battle of Mu'tah,
in which Zayd i bn Harithah � the a rmy leader, fel l . His son Usaamah ibn
'
Zayd � though sti l l a young man of seventeen years, was nominated by
'
the Prophet :i to com mand the a rmy. The ca m p, including all ava i l a ble
fig hti ng men, had been set u p at a i-J u rf, just outside Madeenah, on the
Syrian road. Usaa mah � had broken ca m p on the death of the Prophet :i.
Th e next d ay, after Abu Bakr � was el ected ca l i ph, he took
the ban ner a nd, restoring it to Usaamah � i n token that he was still
com mander, bade the a rmy to m a rch to the Syrian border agai nst the
Romans. The sense of the a rmy, and of Usaa m a h � hi mself, was agai nst
leavi ng the city defenceless and the ca liph exposed to risk of sudden
danger. But Abu Bakr � was fi rm . Ca l m and u n m oved, Abu Bakr � said,
'Were the city swa rming rou nd with packs of sta rvi ng wolves, and I was
l eft a lone, the force wi l l sti l l go; not a word from Alla h's Messenger Clj, my
master's li ps, shall fa ll to the ground:

� 81
v& Section The Beg i n ni n g s of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Gu ided Cal i phs)

When it was suggested that a more experienced genera l should

command the a rmy to the Syria n border instead of Usaamah, Abu Bakr's
anger kind led and said, 'Never! will i a ppoint a man in the place of a man
a ppoi nted by the Messenger of Allah �?'
While a l l was ready for the march, Abu Bakr � went to the ca m p and
accompanied the army a little way on foot, saying, 'I wi l l wal k and soil my
feet for a brief moment in the way of Allah Most High. Truly every step
ta ken in the way of the Lord is eq ual to the merit of man ifold good deeds
and wi pes out a mu ltitude of si ns: After a whi le, he paused and said to
Usaamah, 'If it is you r wi l l, give eumar leave that he may return to the city
for strength and cou nsel: So Usaamah � gave h i m l eave. What a great
discipline!

Abu Bakr Hand les propheth ood. Tu layha h a n d Sajaah, h owever,

later reverted to Islam.
Widespread Apostasies1 The situation was so acute that some
D u ri ng the Prophet's twi l ig ht days, some Bedo u i n Ara bs, who had newly acce pted
of the hypocrites clai m ed prophethood fo r Islam and were ignora nt of its lofty teachings,
themselves. Among them was Musayl i m a h a/­ refu sed to pay the zakaat (th e p u rifying
Kadhdhaab, that is Musayl i ma h the Lia r. Now, d u es). Th is situation kind led Abu Ba kr's anger
spa rked by the Prophet's passing, large-sca le and h e insisted, 'By Allah, I wi l l d efi n itely fi g ht
apostasy flared across m ost of the reg ion. a nyo ne who ma kes a d i sti nction between
Some of their tribal leaders who the obligatory prayer and zakaat,
had lost their positions d u ri ng fo r it is a n obligation upon
the Prophet's l ifetime, the rich. By Allah, if there
fo l l owed M usayl ima h's is even a single cord,
exa m ple, givi ng rise to u sed for hobbling the
new fa lse prophets, feet of ca m els, which
such as Tu layha h they used to g ive to
ibn Kh uwaylid and Alla h's Messenger �
the fa lse p rophetess as zakaat but h ave
Sajaah bint a i-Haa rith now with h e ld, I wo u l d
ibn Suwayd who fi g ht t h e m over it: A b u
ma rried Mu sayl i m a h and Bakr � stood alone in h i s
accepted his self-declared resolve, l i ke a fi rm rock, till
every si ncere bel iever sided with
1- Apostas i es i s the plural form o f the word apostasy. G e n ­ h i m to com bat these a postates - the
e ral ly, apostasy d e notes rej e ct i o n o r desert i o n o f one's re­
deserters of fa ith.
l i g i o u s faith.

o/;55 82
The B eg i n n i n g s of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Cal iphs)
Abu Bakr � h u rried to D h u i-Qassa h,
some n i n e ki lometres away from Madeena h.
He s u m moned all the ava i la b le troops of
the M u s l i m a rmy a n d distributed them i nto
eleven reg i me nts. He then appointed a
d isti n g u ished com mander for each, a long
with a banner and a specific target and fo u g ht
the rebe l l ious tribes a nd fa lse prophets.
Of these, perhaps the biggest and the
fiercest battle was waged i n Ya maa mah
agai nst Musayl i m a h who enjoyed very
strong tribal ties in the a rea and whose forces
Sectio n 'Wo
exceeded forty thousand men armed to the
teeth. � l kri m a h ibn Abu J a h l was sent to fi g ht
h i m, but beca use of his l i m ited s uccess, h e
was despatched t o some other territo ry. The
a rmy was instructed to wait for the a rriva l
of a new co mmander, Khaa lid ibn ai-Wa l eed
�� who, by the G race of Allah, i nfl icted a
crush i n g d efeat on Musayl i m a h's form idable
fo rces. Fo l lowi ng the Prophet's exa mple, Abu
Bakr � treated the va n q u ished mercifu l ly,
and thus helped restore peace i n the country.

Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq � and the Com pilation of the Qur'a n

During the Battle of Ya maamah agai nst

Musayl i m a h the Liar, a round seventy Compan ions,
who had memorized the Qu r'a n, were ma rtyred. This
battle took place in the yea r 1 2 AH. The martyrdom
of such a large n u m ber of memorizers of the Q u r'a n
a la rm ed � u ma r �� so he went to Abu Ba kr � and
said, 'Many of the memorizers of the Qur'a n have
been m a rtyred, and I am worried that more m i g ht be
kil led in the forthcom ing battles. Th is will certa i n ly
lead to the loss of the Q u r'a n u n l ess you com pile it:
� u ma r � not only rea l ised the danger of this g reat
loss, but a l so proposed a sol ution.
Abu Ba kr � repl ied, 'How can I do something
which Alla h's Messenger � did not do?' Abu Bakr �
could not even t h i n k of u n dertaking a project that
the Messenger of Allah ii had neither done nor
comma nded to be done. � u mar, however, conti n u ed
to convince h i m and made h i m awa re of the merits
of such an idea, and Abu Bakr � fi na l ly rea l ised
the i m porta nce of such a project a nd agreed to
u nderta ke it. Therefore, they both decided to put
Zayd ibn Thaa bit � i n charge of collecti ng the entire
Qur'a n i n one man uscri pt.

o/5; 8 3 �
v<§f] Section The B eg i n n ings of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

Zayd i b n Thaabit � was actua l ly the
person best su ited fo r this demanding
tas k, so he set a bout col l ecti ng the va rious
fra g ments of the Qur'a n from 'pieces of wood
and the breasts of people: People bro u g ht
h i m the scra ps a n d parchments u pon which
they had written the Qu r'a n. Now fo r the fi rst
time, the Qur'a n was com p i l ed in the form of
one book, barely two yea rs after the death
of the Proph et ;!lj when a l l of the pro m i n ent
Com pa n ions were sti l l a l ive. The written
copy of the Qu r'a n was ca l led a Mui-flaf,
which remained with Abu Bakr � a nd, after
his death, with � u mar � then with Haf�a h,
'
the d a u g hter of � u mar and a wife of the
Prophet ;!lj. Th us the Qu r'a n was preserved
in its enti rety, and none of its verses was
lost or om itted. By doing this, Abu Bakr �
accom pl ished a mo m ento us tas k. I n fact, he
was the fi rst person to co m pi l e the Book of
Allah.
A b u B a k r � d ied on t h e 22nd Jumaadaa
ai-Aakhirah, in the yea r 1 3 AH and was bu ried
beside the Prophet �. His short reign of
a bout two yea rs a nd six m onths was mostly
ta ken up by wa rs. Duri ng his ca l i phate, Syria
and Pa lesti n e, as wel l as m uch of I raq, were
added to the Islamic la nds.

Tradition gives us a
Abu Ba kr's a ppearance:
short in statu re, with a thin face, sea
a q u i l i n e and sharp nose, a h i g h forehead, deep­
seated eyes a nd a m i ld, but a wise and resol ute
expression. H is cou ntena nce was ha ndsome
d espite h is old age. To h i m, fa ith i n the Prophet
:1 had become second natu re. The g rand
secret of his strength was h i s faith i n Allah �
a n d His Messenger ;!lj. The q uestion that he
a l ways asked was: What did Alla h's Messenger
:1 com mand? From this he n ever moved a hai r's
b readth. May Allah be wel l-pleased with h i m .

�}5 84 c
The Beg i nn i ngs of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs) Section Wo

3 .2 . � u mar ibn a hattaa b �= ai-Faarooq - The Second

of the Fou r Rig htly-Gu ided Cal i phs
H is fu l l name was � u mar ibn a i-Khattaa b Abu Haf� ai-Qurashee a i-�Adawee. lt is a uthentica l ly
reported that the Prophet � once prayed to Allah that He wou ld assist Islam by ca using � u ma r's
reversion 2 . A day later, i n Ohu/-fj_ijjah, i n the yea r 6 AH, � u mar � embraced Islam. He was then
twenty-six yea rs old. The Qu raysh rega rd ed h is reversion as a severe blow to their prestige.
2 - T h e term reve rs i on refers to t h e act o f reve rting, returning t o a form e r practice, b e l i ef, cond ition, etc. Accord ing t o t h e Qur'an
'
< Soorat al-A raaf, 7:172), the a b i l ity to perce ive the exi stence of A l l a h and His Oneness is inborn in human nature, w it h which

eve ry human being is gifted from b i rth. It i s worthwh i l e to m ention here the fam ous saying of the Prophet �. which is recorded
by a i - Bukhaaree and Mus l i m, 'Every child i s born i n the i r o r i ginal purity < fi!rah), and it i s but the i r parents who m a ke them a
Jew, a Christian or a Zoroastrian.' Hence, a person who e m braces Islam m e rely returns to his original inbo rn, natural cond ition

< fi!rah). Reve rsi on, the refore, conveys a deeper meaning, a l t houg h the term 'conve rs ion', which d enotes change i n character,

form, function, spi ritual change from sinfulness to ri g hteousness, change from one rel i gion, bel i ef, and v i ewpoint to another,
can a l s o be used.

o/;55 8 5
� Section The Beg innings of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

A Turning Point in the Fortunes of Islam

� u ma r's acceptance of Islam was a turning point i n the fortunes
of Islam. In fact, his reversion added to the strength of the Muslim
com m u n ity, his emigration to Madeenah led to victory and his
ca l i p hate was a g reat blessing to the Musli m s. � u mar's strong
personal ity g reatly increased the prestige of the small com m u n ity of
Muslims i n Makkah. Muslims were not able to pray before the Ka � ba h
u ntil � u ma r � embraced Islam. From that day onwa rd, the i nfl uence
of the Muslim com m u n ity grew without i nterruption, u ntil it reached
its zenith i n the majestic empire created by � u ma r �.

The Virtues of � u mar i b n ai-Khattaab �

Abu H u rayra h � re ports,
We were once sitting with the Messenger of Allah � when he said, 'While I
was asleep, I saw myself in Paradise, and lo, there was a woman performing
her ablution by the side of a palace. I asked [the angels], "Whose palace is
this?"They replied, "It is Umar's:" (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree)

Once, Alla h's Messenger � said to � u ma r �, '0 I bn ai-Khattaab!

By H i m i n whose Hand my soul is, if Sata n enco u nters you i n some
way, he wou ld certa i n ly ta ke a way d ifferent from you rs: (Reported by
ai-Bukhaaree)

Allah's Messenger � Gave But the outspoke n and lively � u ma r did

not find secrecy a nd ti midity to his l i king.
� u ma r the Title of ai Faarooq -

He did not rest content u ntil he persuaded

Alla h's Messenger � a nd his Co mpan ions to
U ntil � u ma r's conversion, the Muslims
a ppear i n public and declare thei r fa ith and its
could not hold their prayers i n public.
com mands before everybody. So the Muslims
However, after the arriva l of � u ma r i nto the
formed i nto two col u m ns: Hamza h � headed
fold of Islam, they were able to offer their
one, while � u ma r � headed the other. I n fact,
prayers i n the cou rtyard of the Ka � ba h .
this was the fi rst pu blic presentation in h istory,
Entering a i-Arqa m's house, � u mar
and its efforts were outsta n d i ng. The Q u raysh
fou nd the Prophet � and his Compan ions,
were overawed by the bold attitude of the
including Ha mza h and Abu Ba kr, sti l l reciting
sma l l company of believers. I t was beca use of
and studying the Qu r'a n privately, lest the
the g reat ro le � u mar � played i n the success
Quraysh should harm them.
of Islam that Alla h's M essenger � gave h i m
� 86
The Beg i n n ings of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs) Section Wo
the title of a/-Faarooq, or 'the Disti ngu isher: with the new moon of the fi rst month,
that is, the one who disti n g uishes between Mub.arram, of the year in which the Prophet
truth and fa lsehood. � emigrated from Makka h to Madeena h.
� u mar � pa rtici pated in a l l of the battles Hence, the Islamic Year was named ai-Hijrah
of the Prophet �. He succeeded Abu Bakr � or the Era of Emigration.
as ca l i ph, led the d efeat of the Persian and
the Roman empires and managed to extend � u mar's Character
the rule of Islam from I ra n to Egypt. During
his ten-a nd-a-half-year ca lip hate, I raq, Egypt � u m a r's l ife req u i res few li nes to
a nd a l l the Arabian Peninsula were added sketch . Simpl icity a nd d uty were his g u iding
to the dominion of Islam, and a bout twelve p rinciples, and i m pa rtial ity and devotion were
thousa nd mosq ues were built. He is known the leading featu res of his admin istration.
for his profound knowledge of the Qu r'a n He was the ca l i p h of a vast empire, but he
and t h e Sunnah, and for creative i nsight i nto never lost the bala nce of a wise a nd sober
the Islamic Law. He has related 530 ab.aadeeth judgement. 'Where is the ca l i ph?' the visitor
from the Prophet �. wou l d ask as he looked a round the co u rt of
Once, Alla h's Messenger � said of h i m, the Madeenah Mosq ue, and a l l the while the
'There were, before you men from Banu Com mander of the Believers would be sitti ng
lsraa'eel who were inspired without being i n simple attire before h i m .
prophets; and if a nyone of them were Responsi bility s o weig hed upon
in it my com m u nity, then him that he was heard to exclaim,
it wou l d d efi n itely be 'If only my mother had not
� u mar: (Reported by ai­ borne m e; wou l d that I
Bukhaaree) had been this blade
� u mar � laid of g rass i nstead: His
the fou ndations sense of j u stice
of the new was strong. Wh i p
govern m ent a nd i n hand, he would
society. I n fact, it tread the streets
was � u mar who and m a rkets of
esta bl ished the Madeenah, ready
Public Treasury to pu nish offenders
(bayt a/-maal) and on the spot.
offices of accou nts. But even with a l l
It was a l so � u mar � this he was kind-hearted.
who reg u l ated the Cou ntless acts of kind ness
Islamic Ca lendar. He i ntrod u ced are recorded of h i m,
for this purpose the Islamic such as rel ieving the
Yea r, commencing needs of widows and

� 87 c
o& Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided cal iphs)

orpha ns; for instance, jou rneyi ng in Ara bia
d u ring the fa m i ne, he came u pon a poor
woman and her h u ng ry, weeping children
seated round a fi re on which was a n em pty
cooki ng-pot. � u ma r hastened on to the n ext
vi l lage, obta ined bread a nd meat, fi l led the
pot, and cooked a n a m pl e m eal, leaving
the l ittle ones laughing and playing. � u ma r
was the fi rst t o assume the title o f 'Ameer­
ui-Mumineen' or the Com ma nder of the
Believers.

--------·�·��H�H�H��•�·�--
� u mar's Martyrdom Madeenah and pros pered. AI-M u g heera h
used to take fou r dirhams (si lver coi ns) from
AI-Mug heera h ibn S h u � ba h, the his daily ea rnings, which was a bsol utely
governor of Koofa h, had a Zoroastrian reasonable.
Persian slave whose name was One day, the slave
Abu Lu'l u'a h, a native of complai ned to the ca l i p h
Na haawand, a town i n that h i s master charged
Hamdaan Provi nce him too high a tri bute.
in I ra n . He was a But, on fi nding that
hig h ly skil led the Persian slave's
workma n . He earn i ngs were fa r
was a carpenter, a bove the small
blacksmith sum demanded
and scu l ptor. from h i m, � u ma r
AI-M u g heera h held that the
wish ed to let h i m tribute was not
work i n Madeen a h � u ma r,
a nd t o profit from h owever, i ntended to
his earni ngs. U nder the spea k to a i-M ughee ra h
Islamic Law, the owner of on behalf of t h e slave. But
a slave was e ntitled to a certa i n for the present, he advised the
share i n t h e latter's gai ns. It s h o u l d b e latter to behave wel l . This angered the
remem bered that I s l a m g radually a bol ished slave, and when � u ma r asked h i m whether he
the system of slavery com pletely. could build a wind m i l l for him, he da rkly and
Although � u mar � had previously sarcastica lly replied, 'I will make for you such
forbidden a ny non-Muslim adult foreigner a m i l l that all the - people will ta l k of � u m a r
to enter Madeenah, the capita l of the Islamic rea l ised that i t was a th reat, b u t he ignored it.
Empire, he consented to ai-Mugheera h's Abu Lu'lu'ah provid ed h i m self with
req uest i n the hope that the people of a dou b le-bladed dagger a nd hid it in the
Madeenah wou l d benefit by the Persian mosq u e. On the morning of Wed nesday,
slave's skil ls. Abu Lu'l u'a h set u p his trade in 27 Dhui-Hijjah 23 AH (5 N ovember 644 CE),

0""jJ 88
The Beg i n n i ngs of Isla ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs) Section 'Wo
he sta bbed � u m a r � d u ring the Fajr prayer. think that the imaam (the prayer leader) has
Barely had � u m a r pronounced the takbeer made a m i sta ke in his recitation or i n the
(AI!aahu Akbar) when the Com pa n ions who ritual of prayer. Controlled by their sense
had assembled for the Fajr prayer heard of disci pline and rega rd for the prayer, the
h i m cry out, 'The dog has kil led m e: � u ma r Muslims present i n the mosque did not
received several d eep wou nds. A b u Lu'l u'a h, know what had ha ppened in the front.
a stu rdy, bul ky, coa rse man attem pted to They probably thought that their imaam
esca pe from the m osque, sta bbing a nyone had forgotten the words of the Q u r'a nic
who stood in his way with his double-bladed text he was reciti ng and pa used too long to
dagger. I n this way, he sta bbed thirteen men, remem ber them.
seven of whom d ied.
Seeing all this, a man from a mong the
1See who it was that has
Muslims th rew his burnus over him. A burnus
is a hooded cloak and is used to this day by
stabbed me!'
the Ara bs in North Africa and i n the Sa hara . I n
After the congregation had d ispersed,
t h e ea rly days o f Islam, i t was widely used i n
�umar � said to �Abd u l laah ibn �Abbaas
Arabia. When A b u Lu'l u'a h knew that he was
�' '0 I b n � Abbaas! See who it was that has
going to be ca u g ht, he ki l led h i mself with the
sta bbed me: So Ibn �Abbaas went rou nd and
same dagger.
then cam e back a nd said that it was the slave
I n spite of his deep wounds, � u ma r
of ai-Mug heera h who had stab bed h i m . 'That
4> took t h e h a n d of �Abd u r-Rahmaan i b n
skilled craftsm a n ? ' � u m a r asked. I b n �Abbaas
�Awf a n d made h i m adva nce to l ead the
replied in the affi rmative. � u mar then said,
prayer. Those close to � u m a r saw what had
'May Allah punish h i m . I had only done the
hap pened, but those in the remote parts of
right thing for h i m. Praise be to Allah who has
the mosq ue perceived noth ing except that
not caused my death at the hands of a man
they m i ssed � u ma r's voice, and they sta rted
who professes Islam:
uttering the words 'Subb.aanallah ' (Glory be
to Allah). �Abd u r-Rahmaan ibn �Awf � led
� u ma r � was then ta ken to h i s h ome.
the prayer, making it short.
It has been reported that when he later
It spea ks a g reat deal for the d isci pline of
fai nted and the Com pa n ions thought he was
those ea rly Muslims that the turmoil ca u sed i n
going to die that very moment, one of them
t h e front ra nks by t h e assassination o f � u ma r
suggested that they should recite the ca l l to
a n d several other Com panions d i d not brea k
prayer (adhaan), for this was the thing which
u p the congregation. Only those who were
� u ma r had loved most and it wou l d revive
in the front ra n ks moved from their places.
h i m . They recited it a nd, sure enough, he
The rows fu rther down remained sta nding
regai n ed consciousness, looked a round and
in prayer as they had been. The expression
said, 'The prayer? By Allah, those who do not
Subb_aanal/ah (G lory be to Allah) is normally
perform the prayers a re by no mea n s Muslims:
used when the followers of the congregation

�;)5 8 9
o<§:fj Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
Although he was profusely bleeding, t U ma r
� performed his ablution and offered t h e
Fajr prayer w h i c h he had m issed.
A d ri n k made of dates was brought to
h i m . He d ra n k it, but it came out from his
bel ly. Obviously, his stomach was perforated.
Then m i l k was brought to him. He d ra n k it,
and it also came out through his wound. It
was only when this ha p pened that they knew
he was going to die.
The Companions ca m e to visit him and
console h i m . t U ma r hap pened to see a you ng
man whose lower garment was touching the
ground. He ca l led him and said, 'Young man,
l ift you r garment. For i ndeed, this is better for
you r d ress, a nd wss more respectfu l towa rds
you r Lord !' It is characteristic of t U m a r that
even on his d eath bed he did not cease to pay
fu l l attention to the religious inj u nctions a nd
to advise his s u bjects i n this respect.
Our teenaged jea ns-wea ring you n g
M u s l i m m e n w h o d rag their trousers on the
ground should pause here for a few moments
to ponder over this va l uable cou nsel.
t U ma r � then turned to his son
t Abd u llaah a nd said,'t Abd u l laah, find out h ow
much debt there is on m e: It was cou nted and
it was found that it was eighty-six thousand
dirhams or so. t U ma r
had, i n rea l ity, spent it
on severa l pilgri mages
he had performed
with a large fol lowi ng
of poor people
and for some State
emergencies. t U ma r �
o/)5 90
then com manded that it should be repaid
on his beha lf. It is clear that it was a personal
expend itu re. t U ma r � could have rightly
rega rded it as havi ng been spent in the
interests of the com m u n ity of which he was
the head, but h is u ncom monly keen sense
of responsibi l ity dema nded that the above
expenditure, which d id not come u nder a ny
of the conventional budgetary headings
(today we wou l d rec kon it as m isce l l aneous
expenses), should be paid from his own
mea ns.
t U mar ibn ai-Khattaab � then said,
'Go to t Aa'ishah, Mother of the Faithfu l, a nd
say, ' t U m a r offers you his g reetings, but do
not mention the title "Com mander of the
Faithfu l ': for I a m no longer the Com mander
of the Fa ithfu l. Tel l her, " t U m a r ibn ai­
Khattaab asks you r permission to have him
bu ried beside his two Com panions:" By
this he meant the Prophet ;i a nd Abu Bakr
a�-�iddeeq � , whose g raves were within
tAa'isha h's cham ber. t Aa'ishah � repl ied, 'I
rea l ly wa nted it for myself, but today I will
give h i m preference over myself:
t U ma r � d ied and then was laid to rest
beside his two companions. I n fact, t U m a r
was o n e of t h e ten Com pa n ions t o whom the
Prophet ;i p rom ised
Pa rad ise in their
l ifetime. The ca liphate
of t U ma r lasted for ten
, and a half yea rs. (See
M uha m mad Asad's
tra nslation of S.afleeb_
Bukhaaree: The Early
Years of/slam, 1 98 1 )
The Beg i n n ings of Isla ( The Four Rig htly-Guided Caliphs)
personal scri bes of the Prophet � a nd he had
col lected the Qu r'a n d u ri ng the rule of Abu
Bakr �.The mem bers of the cou ncil compared
the official copy of the Qu r'a n prepared d u ring
the time of Abu Bakr with the recitation of
those who had memorized the Q u r'a n . If
there was a ny d ifference in the pro n u nciation
of a ny words, they consu lted the people of
the H ijaz who were more fa m i l i a r with the
language and d ia l ect of the Q u raysh. Th u s, an
authentic copy of the Qu r'a n was p repa red.
This defi n itive copy, once verified agai nst
the �ub_uf, was read to the Com panions i n
� uthmaa n's presence. With t h e final recitation
over, he sent d u p l icate copies for d istri bution
throug hout the va riou s provinces of the
Islamic State.
� 97
Section �
The N u m ber of Certified
Copies Made
H ow many copies did � ut h m a a n �
d istri bute? According to some scholars,
e i g ht copies were ma de, and � uthmaan
� reta i n ed one fo r h i mself. The cities of
Koofa h, Basra h, Da mascus, Ye men, Ba h ra i n,
Makkah and Madeenah each received a
co py. With the tas k com p l ete, the i n k on the
final copy d ry, � uthmaan � com m a nded
that a l l frag me nts of the Qu r'an c i rc u lati ng
i n peo ple's hands be bu rnt. People were
p leased with � uthmaan's decision. No one
voiced a ny objections whatseover. �Ali ibn
Abee Iaa l i b once observed, 'By A l l a h, he
d id what he did with th ese fra g m ents i n
the p resence o f a l l o f u s a l l [a nd none of u s
objected] : ( M . M. a l-A � d ha m ee, The History of
the Qur'anic Text, p. 94)
No copy was sent without a qaari'
or reciter. � uthmaan's main pu rpose was
to elimi nate a l l occasions for disputes i n
recitation. U n iform ity of t h e Qur'a n ic text
throug hout the world for fou rteen centu ries,
between a l l cou ntries and a l l d ivergent
Muslim sects, is proof enough of � uthmaan's
matchless success i n gathering a l l Muslims
upon a single text.
The lmaam's Man uscript
T h i s is t h e n a m e u s e d fo r t h e c o py of
t h e Q u r'a n w h i c h � u t h m a a n � kept fo r
h i m s e l f a n d fro m w h i c h h e was rea d i n g
w h e n h e was m a rtyre d . T h e re w e re traces
of b l ood o n it. Accord i n g to some s c h o l a rs,
t h i s copy is n ow kept i n I sta n b u l, Tu rkey.
o<$fj Section The Beginnings of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliph s)

As Dr. Muha m mad Hamid u l la h ( 1 908-2002) states,

The manuscript is preserved in Topkapi Museum of lstabul. lt is attributed to
' Uthmaan. I have seen it myself. The page bearing the verse: 'But Allah will
suffice you .. .' (Soorat a/-Baqarah, 2: 1 37) has red spots on it. It is said that it is
the blood of 'Uthmaan who was martyred while he was reading the Qur'an.
(The Emergence of/slam, Bhawalpur Lectures, published by Islamic Research
I nstitute, I nternational Islamic University, Islamabad, p. 26)

According to Dr. Muha m mad Hamidu l la h, who spent most

of his l ife in Pa ris, the official copy of the Qur'a n which was sent
to Damascus by � uthmaan � is now p reserved in Tas h kent,
Uzbekista n. How did it reach there? Dr. Hamid u l la h states,
When Tamerlane (Taimoor the lame) conquered Damascus, the most
precious treasure he came by in the loot was this copy of the Holy Qur'an.
He brought it to Samarkand, his own capital, and preserved it there.
(Samarkhand is now in Uzbekistan) The copy remained there until the
Russians conquered the city in the nineteenth century. The famous copy of
the Qur'an was shifted by the Russian Commander-in-chief to St. Petersburg
(Present-day Leningrad).
Russian historians suggest that it was sold by the ruler of Samarkand to
the Russian Commander. The idea is to establish that the Russians had not
stolen, but had bought the copy. In any case, it remained in St. Petersburg
until the end of the First World War. When the Communists came to power,
many who did not want to live under the new regime emigrated to different
countries. One of them was �Ali AkbarTopchi Bashi who went to Paris. I had
an opportunity to meet him.
�Ali Akbar Topchi Bashi was a senior officer of the army when the
Tsar was killed. He sent a commando force to take over the royal palace
in St. Petersburg and seek out the rare copy of the Qur'an from the royal
library. The copy was found and then sent to Tashkent in a railway engine
compartment.

Dr. Hamidullah conti n ues,

When the Communists took over Tashkent, they did not transfer the copy
in question to Leningrad, with the result that it is still there in Tashkent.
During the days of the Tsars, fifty copies, based on the photo of the
manuscript, were printed. I know a bout a few of them. One is in America;
another in England. I saw a copy in Kabul. Another copy is in Cairo. I have its
microfilm. (The Emergence of Islam, pp. 25-26)

o/;55 98
The Beg inni ngs of Islam ( The Four Rig htly-Guided Caliphs) Section Wo
3 4. . �Ali ibn Abee Taa l i b � - The Fourth of the
Four Rightly-Guided Ca l i phs

�Ali ibn Abee Iaa l i b � was a cousin and
son-in-law of the Prophet tj and the fou rth of
the Rig htly-G uided Ca l i phs. H is father, Abu
Iaa l i b, was the son of �Abd-a i-Mutta lib ibn
Haash im. His mother was cal led Faa1i mah
bint Asad i bn Haashim.
�Ali � received the su rname of Abu
Tu raa b (the one smeared with dust) from
the Prophet ti whose daug hter, Faa1i mah, he
ma rried. Once, �Ali � a nd Faa1i mah � had a
qua rrel. So�Aii i ntended to spend the night
i n the mosq ue. When the Prophet ti asked
Faa1i mah a bo ut �Ali and she told h i m that he
was in the mosq ue, the Prophet ti went to
him and saw that his wra p had sli pped from
his back which was covered with dust. The
Prophet � set h i mself to wipe the d u st from
his back, sayi ng twice, 'Get u p, Abu Tu raab
(father of dust): (ai-Bu ka a h ree) No name was
dearer to �Ali than this.

r/}5 99
� Section The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Fou r Rightly-Guided Caliphs)
�Ali � embraced Islam at the age of ten,
shortly after Khadeeja h • had em braced it.
He was born in Makka h, twenty-th ree years
before the Hijrah and was brought u p from
the age of five by the Prophet � h i mslef. �Ali
� was one of the ten to whom the Prophet
:i promised Pa rad ise d u ri ng their l ifetime
(at-�ashrah al-mubashsharoona bii-Jannah).
He was a l so one of the six men a ppoi nted by
� u mar � on his death bed.
When the Prophet :i decided to emigrate
to Madeenah, h i s departure was facil itated
by �Ali � who made people bel ieve that
'
the Prophet :i was sti l l i n the hou se he had
occu pied. He also stayed behind a few days i n
order to retu rn t h e trusts people h a d l eft with
the Prophet :i to their rig htfu l owners.
�Ali � beca m e renowned as a warrior
d u ri ng Islam's struggle for surviva l. H e
partici pated i n t h e Battles of Badr, Uhud,
the Trench (a/-Khandaq), Khayba r and i n
nearly a l l t h e Prophet's m i l ita ry expeditions
except that of Ta book, d u ring which the
Prophet ;i com m a nded h i m to remain in
Madeenah in charge of the affairs there as
wel l as the Prophet's fam i ly wh ile he h i mself
was proceed ing on the Ca m paign of Ta book.
When �Ali � expressed his d isappoi ntment,
the Prophet ;i said to h i m, 'Wi l l you not be
pleased that you are to me l i ke Haaroon was
to Moo sa a?' (ai-Bukhaaree) The Prophet �
referred to the exa m ple of Moosaa �� who
left his brother Haaroon (Aa ron) �� in charge
of his people when he h i mself ascended Mt.
Sinai. �Ali � is reported to have been highly
g ratified by this comparison.
�Ali � h i mself conducted a n exped ition
to Fada k agai nst the Jewish tribe of Ba n u sa�d,
d u ring the Conquest of Khayba r. He received
sixteen wou nds at Uhud, and on the day when
Khaybar was stormed, he ca rried the banner,
which was given to h i m by the Prophet �.
AI-Bukhaaree records: Alla h's Messenger :i
said, 'Tomorrow I sha l l give the sta ndard to a
man through whose hands Allah will g rant us
victory:Th is is a n incident of the Ca m paign of
Khayba r, which took place i n the yea r 7 AH.
AI-Bukhaaree conti n u es,
The people spent the night wondering to which of
them it would be given. When the morning came,
they hastened to the Messenger of Allah �' every
one of them hoping that it would be given to him.
Then the Prophet � said, 'Where is 'Ali ibn Abee
Iaalib?' They replied, 'Messenger of Allah, he is
suffering from an eye disease: (' Ali suffered from
ophthalmia, which forced him to remain in the rear
of the army.) The Prophet � said, 'Send for him and
bring him to me: When he came, the Prophet �
blew into his eyes and prayed for him, and he was
cured as if he had never been ill. Then the Prophet
� gave him the standard. 'Ali � said, 'I shall fight
them until they are like us, Messenger of Allah:
The Prophet � then said, 'Advance warily u ntil you
reach their quarters. Then invite them to Islam and
inform them what duties will be incumbent upon
them towards Allah. For by Allah, if Allah guides
through you one single man, this will be better for
you than to possess the most precious of camels:
The expression u sed in a i-Bukhaaree's
a bove-mentioned b.adeeth is humr an­
na �am, which l itera l ly means 'red ca mel s'.
The Ara bs rega rd the ca m els of this co lour
as the best; hence, humr an-na�am signifies
The Beg i n ni ngs of Islam ( The Four Rig htly-Guided Caliphs)
the hig h-bred or excel l e nt of camels and
is proverbially a p p l i ed to a nything h i g h ly
prized, preci ous, va l u a b l e or excel l ent. Th e
Prophet ti wis h ed to i m p ress u pon � A l i �
that the forem ost d uty of a person who
strives i n the cause of A l l a h (a mujaahid)
consisted i n the endeavo u r to bring the non­
M u s l i m enemy i nto the fo ld of I s l a m before
wag i n g wa r u pon h i m .
Once, Alla h's Messenger ti said t o � A l i
� 'Yo u a re o f m e a n d I a m of yo u.' � u mar
'
� a l so sa id, 'Th e M essenger of A l l a h ti
rema i ned pleased with h i m u ntil h i s d eath :
(ai-Bu khaaree)
After Faati m a h's ma rriage to �Ali � she
'
had no one i n the house to help h e r. One day,
she sa id to �Ali, 'I have g ro u n d corn u ntil my
hands a re blistered, and I have d rawn water
u ntil I have pains i n my c hest: �Ali suggested,
'Al l a h has given you r father a ca ptive, so
go and ask h i m to give you a se rva nt: She
very rel u cta ntly went to the Prophet ti,
but she did not fi n d h i m at home. She only
Section Wo
fou n d � Aa'sha h � and told h e r of h e r desire.
When the Prophet ti retu rned, � Aa'ishah �
informed h i m of Faati ma h's visit. Faati mah �
return ed home with some d isappoi ntment.
However, when she and �Ali went to bed that
nig ht, they heard the voice of the Prophet
� seeking permission to enter. Giving h i m
words o f welcome, they both rose t o their
feet, but he said, 'Remain as you a re; and he
sat down beside them. The Prophet � then
said, 'S h a l l I tel l you of someth ing better than
what you asked of m e? When you l ie down to
sleep, say Allaahu akbar (Al l a h is the g reatest)
thi rty-four times, subflaanallaah (Allah is fa r
removed every i m perfection) thi rty-th ree
times, al-flamdulillaah (Al l thanks a re due to
Allah) thi rty-th ree times: �Ali � used to say, 'I
have never once fa i led to say them since the
Messenger of Allah � ta u g ht them to u s:
It was �Ali � who advised � u mar �
to adopt the Hijrah of the Prophet � as the
sta rting point of the Islamic calendar.

�Ali � was entrusted with the task of m a king representations to

� uthmaan � on account oft h e com plaints which came from the provi nces.
D u ring the siege of � uthmaa n's house, he su pported h i m in every possible
way. After � uthmaan's martyrdom, �Ali � m odestly refused to ta ke power
i nto h i s hands but he later accepted it; a nd on Friday 25th Dhu/-fj_ijjah
i n the yea r 35 AH (656 C E) allegia nce was paid to h i m i n the Prophet's
Mosq ue i n Madeena h .

� 1 01
� Sectio n The Beg i n n i ngs o f I s l a m ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs)

�Ali was thus el ected ca l i p h at a time of u n rest and mounting

d ifficu lties. U pon � uthmaan's assassi nation, the city was horror-struck, for
people hard ly expected the tragic end. For severa l days a n a rchy reig ned i n
Madeenah, a nd t h e rebels a n d conspi rators w h o h a d come from o utside
the city had the u pperhand. No bed of roses was laid for �Ali �. At home
or a broad, difficult and demanding tasks lay before h i m . H e was pressed to
p u n ish the men who had sta ined their hands with the blood of � uthmaan.
Some people were extrem ely ag itated at the ki l l i n g of the aged and
pious ca liph that they demand ed that the new ca l i p h punish the kil lers
i m m ediately. Others wa nted �Ali to act more ca utiously. They wa nted h i m
to address t h e problem of discontent fi rst a nd then p roceed t o pu nish the
killers of t Uthmaan. �Ali � had to decide which problem to address fi rst.
He wa nted to pu nish the ki l lers for ta king the law i nto their own hands
and killing the ca l i ph, but he also wa nted to strengthen h i s own position
before ta king such an action that was likely to weaken the ca l i phate.
H owever, before �Ali could decide which course of action to fol low,
the situation worsened. He i m med iately had to face a rebell ion led
by Ia lha h ibn � u bayd u llaah a nd az-Zu bayr ibn a i-�Awwaam, i n which
�Aa'ishah � a lso took part. In the yea r 36 AH, �Ali marc hed agai nst Ba�ra h,
where Aa'ishah, Ia lha h and az-Zu bayr refused to acknowledge him and he
defeated them in the Battle of the Ca mel, which took place outside Ba�ra h,
in the north of I raq. Many of �Aa'isha h's s u pporters were ki l led and she
herself was captu red. But i n accorda nce with her lofty station, �Aa'ishah
was shown p roper respect and was escorted to her home in Madeena h.
�Aa'ishah � later felt a great remorse for waging the war. She repented to
Allah a nd asked H is forgiven ess. I n this battle, she rode in a litter on the
back of a camel, hence the name of the battle between her and �Ali.
In the yea r 36 AH, seven months after t Uthmaan's martyrdom, tAli
entered Koofa h . He spent the fi rst fou r months in Madeenah, the other
three months i n the Ca m pa i g n of the Camel and briefly stayed i n Ba�ra h. It
was now to be the seat of ' Al i's government. Then M u �aawiyah, Gove rnor
of Damascus a nd a relative of � uth maan rose agai nst the ca l i phate of
tAli, which resu lted in the Battle of .S.iffeen. When tAli was on the poi nt of
wining, h e accepted the proposa l of M u �aawiya h to negotiate the confl ict.
This was because tAli wished to avoid fu rther bloodshed. I n a ny case, �Ali
could not conclude the struggle decisively. N evertheless, he refused to
surrender his a uthority and esta b l is hed h i mself at koofa h i n I raq.

�'j5 1 02
The Beg i n n i ngs of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Cali phs)
�Ali's Assassi nation
In the yea r 40 AH, 66 1 CE, as �Ali �
was prepa ring to l ead the Fajr prayer at the
mosq ue of Koofa h, he was sta bbed by � Abd ur­
Rahmaan ibn M u ljam, who ca rried o ut the
evi l d eed at the demand of a woman who
had made �Ali's assassi nation a condition of
ma rriage. I bn M u ljam, acco m pa n ied by two
accomplices, waited for the ca l i ph i n a narrow
passage and struck h i m on the forehead with
a poisoned sword that penetrated to the
brain.
I bn M u lj a m wa s seized. Of
acco m p l ices, one was ki l l ed, but the oth er
fled i n the t u m u lt. �Ali � was carried
home with strength e n o u g h to q uestion
the assassi n who was b ro u g ht before h i m .
I bn M u ljam declared boldly that the deed
had been forty days i n delibe ration. �Ali
com ma nded his son ai-Hasan to kee p the
assassin i n close custody a n d said to h i m , 'If
I d i e, h i s l ife is lost; but see that you do not
m utilate him, for that is fo rbidden by the
Messenger of A l l a h �:
Section Wo
During the day, one of the daug hters of
�Ali, namely U m m Kulthoom, went into the
assassi n's cel l and cursed him, adding, 'My
father wi l l crtra i n ly live: The fa natic repl ied,
'Listen, I bou g ht that sword for a thousand
pieces, and thousand more it cost me to
poison it. No one escapes its wound: The
wou n d was i ndeed morta l. The Companions
asked the ca liph whether it was his will that his
son should succeed to the ca l i phate if he d ied.
Sti l l true to the elective principle, �Ali � said,
'I do not commit it, neither do I forbid it, but I
leave the matter to you to decide on it: Then
and ai-H usayn to
and counse l l ed them
steadfast in piety, resignation and ki ndness.
After that he conti nued to repeat the Name
of the Lord until he breathed his l ast. �Ali �
died th ree days after the attack at the age of
sixty-three.
After the fu neral rites, ai-Hasan �
sum m oned the assassin before him.
U ndau nted, I b n M u ljam said, 'I made a
covenant with the Lord before the Holy
()($fJ Section The Begi n n i ngs of Isla ( The Four Rightly-Guided Ca liphs)

House at Makka h that I wou ld kill

both �Ali and M u �aawiya h. N ow if you Virtues of �Ali •
will, I shall go forth and kill the other
It was �Ali � who fi rst laid down the ru les of
or perish i n the attem pt: I bn M u ljam
formal Ara bic g rammar, nota b ly descri bing la nguage
was then put to death.
as being made up of nou ns, verbs and particl es. He
�Ali's trou bled and strife-torn
had a uthority i n Madeenah, and he was consu lted
reign lasted for fou r yea rs and n i n e
on difficult q u estions. It was a lso �Ali � who d rafted
months. I n his youth, he was one of
the fa mous Treaty of a i-Hudaybiyya h between the
the m ost disti n g u ished heroes i n
Muslims and the pag a n Q u raysh. �Ali � was very
t h e battles o f I s l a m . For as l o n g as
pious a nd extremely generous. He often b u rdened his
he was a l ive, the Prophet's daug hter,
stomach with a heavy stone i n order to d i m i nish the
Faa1i mah �, remai ned his only wife,
pangs of h u n ger and gave away a l l he had i n cha rity.
by whom he had three sons (one of
�Ali � is reported to have transmitted 586
these, M uhsin, d ied in i nfa ncy), and
aflaadeeth, twenty of which were accepted
two daug hters, the progen itors or
u n a n imously by ai-Bukhaaree a lone and fifteen by
ancestors of the Sayyid race - the
M u s l i m . Not only was he a flaandh of the Qu r'an, but
nobil ity. After she died, he ma rried
he could also describe the exact occasion when a ny
severa l other wom en, by whom h e
g iven aayah or verse was revea l ed to the Prophet �.
h a d eleven sons a n d fifteen daug hters.
�Ali's justice was e njoyed by Muslims and non­
In the character of �Ali, there
Muslims a l i ke, the poor a nd the rich, the ruler and the
a re many things to com mend. He
ruled. Once, d u ring his ca l i phate, h e lost his a rmour,
was extremely chiva l rous. He was
and a few days later h e saw a Jew sel l i ng the sa m e
gifted with extraordinary cou rage
a rm o u r in t h e local bazaar. He accosted t h e Jew a nd
which he devoted to the service of
told h i m that the armour was his. The Jew rejected
Islam, perform ing wonderfu l deeds of
his claim and insisted that he was the rig htfu l owner
heroism. He l ived a simple and h u m b l e
of the armour. �Ali took u p the m atter with Judge
l ife, earning his l iving with m a n u a l
S h u rayh who asked for witnesses i n support of his
labour. Faced with extrem e poverty,
claim. �Ali prod u ced two witnesses, his son a i-Hasan
he exh ibited h u m a n ita rianism,
and h is freed slave Qanba r. Shu rayh told �Ali � that
cha rity, self-sacrifice and self-denial
a son's testi mony in support of his father's claim was
almost u n pa ra l leled in the history of
not admissible in law and decreed that the Jew be
Islam.
a l lowed to retai n the a rmour. Amazed a nd deeply
The sayi ngs, l etters a nd sermons
touched by this exceptiona l display of justice, the Jew
of �Ali � a re collected i n a book
a d mitted that the armour indeed belonged to �Ali �
entitled Nahj a/-Balaaghah (Pea k of
a nd embraced Islam.
the Eloquence), wh ich is considered
It is not exactly known where the body of �Ali
to be the epitom e of eloquence and
� lies, but some bel ieve that it is b u ried at the G reat
one of the g reatest masterpieces of
Mosq u e in Koofa h .
Arabic l iteratu re.

�';55 1 04
The Beg i n n i ng s of Islam ( The Four Rightly-Guided Cal iphs)
A Word of Caution Concerning the Battles of the
Camel and Siffeen
Concerning the battles �Ali � fought
agai nst Ta lha h ibn � u bayd u l laah, az-Zu bayr
ibn a i-�Awwaam, �Aa'ishah and M u �aawiya h
ibn Abu Sufyaan (May Al l a h be pleased with
them a l l), we should adopt an attitude of
strict n eutra l ity towa rds these i ncidents, and
i ndeed towards all the conflicts, contentions
and controversies that fla red up a mong the
Prophet's Com pan ions, becau se Allah Most
High will remove this from their midst on the
Day of Res u rrection, as the Qu r'a n states,
And We shall strip away whatever rancour may be
in their breasts. As brothers they shall be, u pon
couches set face to face. (Soorat a/-tf_ijr, 1 5:47)
Moreover, from his own perspective,
�Ali � was in the rig ht in doing battle with
them, beca use he was firmly convinced of
the legitimate character of his leadership
(khilaafah) to which he had been a ppoi nted
by the genera l agreement of the g roup of
Com panions who had fu nctioned as a n
Electora l Col l ege. Anyone w h o d ecided to
back out at a later stage, and who actua l ly
took u p a rms agai nst h i m, would of course
�}5 1 05
Section Wv
be considered rebels, people i n revolt agai nst
the d u ly a ppoi nted leader, so the leader
wou ld be q u ite justified i n fi g hting them.
Fro m the sta n d point of those on
the other side, nota bly Ia lha h, az-Zu bayr,
�Aa'ish a h, and M u �aawiya h, the battle aga inst
�Ali was fought beca use they bel ieved that
�Ali � had been unsuccessfu l in fi nd i ng
� uthmaan's m u rdere rs and needed to avenge
the death of � uthmaan, the rig htfu l ca l i ph
who had been wrongfu l ly kil led as soon
as possible. �Ali � took his ti me to find the
m u rderers of � uthmaan � as he was not
rea l ly sure about them.
Thus everyone i nvolved could come up
with a plausible j u stification. As fa r as we are
concerned, the best course for us is to adopt
a n attitude of strict neutral ity towa rds this
whole issue and to l eave the verd ict to their
case to Allah �, for He is the best of j udges
(Ab_kam a/-tf.aakimeen). We should rather
focus our attention on our own fa u lts and
concern ou rselves with ways a nd m eans
to pu rify our h ea rts from the root ca uses of
si nfu l behaviou r.
O($fj Section The Begi n n i ng s of Islam (The Four Rightly-Gu ided Cali phs)

1 . (a) Why is the period leading u p to the Prophet's birth i n Ara bia
often descri bed as Jaahiliyyah (period of ignora nce)?
(b) To what extent can this d escri ptio n be justified?

2. (a) Give an outl i n e of the expa nsion of the Islamic empire in

the period of the Rig htly -Gu ided Ca l i ph s.
(b) Why d id the Islamic empire expa nd so ra pidly in this period?

3. (a) Examine the main religious beliefs and practices of the

people of Makka h at the time of the Prophet's birth.
(b) Explain how the Qur'a nic teachings criticise any two of
these beliefs a n d practices.

4. Discuss the sig n ifica nce of the event of the Hijrah to Madeenah
i n the development of Islam.

5. Give a critica l assessment of the main events i n the ca l i phates

of:
(a) Abu Bakr a�-.Siddeeq �
(b) � uthmaan ibn �Affaan �
(c) �Ali ibn A bee Iaa l i b. �
The Beg i n n i ng s of Isla ( The Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs) Section Wv

6. Explain h ow the Prophet's response to the main events d u ring

the ea rly period of Islam i n Ma kka h testifies that he was truly
Alla h's Messenger.

7. Explain h ow the pol icies followed by the Four Rig htly-G u ided
Ca l i phs:
(a) continued, and
(b) expand ed the policies and teachings of the Prophet �.

8. (a) Describe in d eta i l the main persecutions suffered by the

Prophet � a nd his followers i n Makka h .
(b) Explain how t h e Prophet � reacted to these persecutions.

9. G ive reasons why the fol lowing events a re significant in the

d evelopme nt of the early M u s l i m com m u n ity:
(a) the Battle of Badr
(b) the Battle of Uhud
(c) the Treaty of ai-Hudaybiyya h
(d) the Fa l l of Makka h .

1 0. Discuss t h e m a i n reasons why t h e Prophet � faced fierce

opposition in Ma kkah d u ring the early days of his Prophethood.
� Section G
The lorio u5 Qu r'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes)

The Glorious Qur 'an

-
4. Its mode of Revelation , Compilati�� , -- -�

Structure and Major Themes

4.1 . Definition ofthe Qur'an

The Qu r'an is the Arabic Speech of Allah
which He revea led to Prophet Muha m mad �
(47:2) through Angel J i breel &#II i n its precise
meaning and exact wording. It is the l iteral,
u ncreated Word of Allah. The word 'Ou r'an' is
freque ntly mentioned in the Glorious Book
itself (See for insta nce 2:1 85, 1 0:37, 1 0:6 1 a nd
1 7:1 06).
The Qur'a n clearly states to whom,
when, in what lang uage, h ow and why it was
revealed: It was revea led in the month of
RamaQ.aan (2: 1 85) on the N ig ht of Power or
Decree 'Laylat-ui-Qadr' (97: 1 ): 'We revea l ed it
on a blessed N i g ht: (44:3)
It was revea l ed in the Arabic language:
'Surely, We have made it in the Arabic language so
that you may be able to understand it: (43:3)

� 1 08
The G Iori 0 us Q u r'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes) Section 'Wo
It was revealed in portions, each of It is a Qur'a n which We have divided [into parts
which was written and com m itted to memory from time to time] so that you may recite it to the
people at intervals; and We have revealed it by
as soon as it was revealed, and its revelation stages. ( 1 7: 1 06)
was spread over twenty-th ree yea rs of the It is a d ivi ne message brought by Ji breel
Prophet's l ife, d u ring which time he was �� who del ivered it to the Prophet � who, i n
occupied solely with the spread of its m essage: tu rn, del ivered i t t o a l l m a n kind.

4.2 . The Qur'an is the

Hig hest Form of Revelation

Although the Gracious Qu r'a n was revea led

piecemeal, the entire revelation is one whole. It is
the Word of Allah revealed thro u g h Angel Jibreel
�\. Revelation ta kes place i n three forms:
It is not fitting for any human being that Allah should
speak to him except by revelation, from behind a veil or
by sending a messenger that reveals - by His permission
- whatever Allah wills: (Soorat ash-Shooraa, 42:5 1 )

The fi rst of these modes is ca l led wally, which

is used here in its litera l sense of al-ishaarah as­
saree'ah, that is to say, a q u ick suggestion i nto the
mind of man.
The Qu r'a n is uniq u e. It is i n i m ita ble and is
protected by Allah from all forms of corruption.
The word Qu r'a n is a verbal noun which means
'the reading' or 'recitation:

� 1 09
v<Sf] Section The G Ioriou s Q u r'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes)

How did the Revelation

4.3 . The Qu r'a n IS
.

com e to the Prophet �?

lmaam ai-Bukhaaree reports on the
a uthority of ' Aa'ishah, the Mother of the
Believers, � that AI-Haa rith ibn H ishaam
asked the Prophet ?'i, 'Al lah's Messenger, how
does the revelation com e to you?'The Prophet
� replied, 'At times, it comes to m e l i ke the
ri nging of a bel l, this form of revelation is
the hardest of all upon m e and then it stops
from me and I have grasped from h i m (i.e. the
angel) what he said. Someti mes
the angel comes in the form
of a man and ta l ks to
m e and I g rasp what
he says: ' Aa'ishah
� said, ' I ndeed I
Protected from Corruption
Previous revelations h a d been corru pted
i ntentional ly, but the Q u r'a n's fi n a l m essage
to man is exactly the sa m e i n its present form
as it was revealed to Prophet Muha m mad ?'i
more than 1 400 yea rs ago.
Islam teaches us that Allah created the
entire u n iverse, the angels, the jinn and then
m a n kind i n the persons of Ada m a nd his
wife. The history of h u m a n ity began with the
disobed ience of the fi rst couple
and their expu lsion from
Pa rad ise, but Allah did not
abandon them; rather,
He promised to g u ide
them by sending

saw h i m when the them prophets.

Ada m WI\
revelation was
was the fi rst
coming down on
prophet. Some
him on a very cold
of the prophets
day and noticed
brought people
the sweat dripping
Sacred Books from
from his forehead.'
Allah: the best
(Reported by ai­ known were the
Bul khaa ree) Torah (at-Tawraat),
The Qu r'a n which was given
is uniq ue. It is to Prophet Moosaa
i n i m ita ble and WI\; the Psa l ms (az­
protected by Allah Zaboor), which was
from corru ption. g iven to Prophet
The term Qu r'a n Daawood WI\; and
is a verbal noun the Gospel ( a /­
which means lnjeel) which was
the reading or given to Prophet
' Eesaa WI\. Many
recitation.

� 1 1 0 \.
The G Iorio us Q u r'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes)
additions and deletions had crept i nto these
books, but the Qu r'a n has remained i ntact
beca u se Allah the Almig hty has taken it u pon
H i mself to protect it, as the Qu r'an says,
We have sent down the Reminder, and We will
guard it [from corruption]. (Soorat al-fj_ijr, 1 5:9)
All the teachings conta ined in the
former scriptures that were m ea nt to be of
lasti ng va lue and i m porta nce are incl uded
in the Qur'a n. The Qu r'a n gives some specific
accou nts of what the pre-Q u r'a nic scriptures
contai ned. The basic m essage of a l l the
prop hets of Allah, a nd hence all the scriptures
they broug ht, was one and the same m essage
from Allah to man:
Indeed, We have sent forth among every
community a messenger with the commandment:
'Worship Allah Alone and shun all false deities and
objects of worship. (Soorat an-Nab_l, 1 6:36)
Section Wo
Commenti n g on this word, 'Abd u l la h
Yusuf ' Ali writes,
After the corruption of the older revelations, the
Qur'an comes with a two-fold purpose: ( 1 ) to
confirm the True and Original Message, and (2) to
guard it or act as a check to its i nterpretation. The
Arabic word muhaymin is very comprehensive in
meaning. It means one that safeguards, watches
over, stands witness, preserves and upholds. The
Qur'an safeguards 'the Book' for it has preserved
within it the teachings of all the former Books.
It watches over these Books in the sense that
it will not Jet their true teachings be lost. It
supports and upholds these Books in the sense
that it corroborates the word of Allah, which has
remained intact in them. It sorts out what is mixed
with it by the people. What is confirmed by the
Qur'an is the word of Allah and what is against it
is that of the people. (Yusuf 'Ali, The Meaning of the
Glorious Qur'an, Text, Translation and Commentary)

Th us, the Qu r'a n not only preserves the

essential teachings of the previous revelations
but a lso sets out once and for all the eterna l
truth i n its enti rety. I ndeed, it is a book that
conta i ns the essence of the revelations made
to the p rophets, preserving them so perfectly
that the reader has no need to have recourse
to other sacred scriptures which
undergone a l l forms of corru ption.
All the essential points, i n every respect,
a re given to us in the Qu r'a n. The Muslims,
therefore, rega rd the Qu r'a n as the Most
Sacred object on earth - Alla h's Su p reme Gift
to mankind. It is a n object of veneration and
the fou ndation of human u nderstanding of
the u n iverse and ma n's place i n it:
have
If all men and jinn were to collaborate, they
cou ld not produce its like. (Soorat al lsraa; 1 7:88)
-

The Qur'a n, therefore, ca lls itself a

'muhaymin' (g uardian, watcher, tru stworthy
The Prophet � was authorized to
in hig h ness and a witness over the old
challenge his critics and opponents to
scri ptu res). (Soorat ai-Maa'idah, 5:48) The
prod uce someth i ng comparable (Soorat
adjective muhaymin l itera l ly m eans 'watch i ng
Yoonus, 1 0:38). The cha l lenge was ta ken u p
over� 'contro l l i ng� and 'domi nati ng: In this
by more than one styl ist i n Arabic l iterature
context, the Q u r'a n serves as the final, j u dging
- with a p redictable resu lt. The style of the
revelation. Th u s it is the determinant factor i n
Qur'a n is Alla h's style - this is basica l ly what
deciding what is g e n u i n e and what is fa lse i n
forms the m i raculous character of the Q u r'a n.
t h e earlier scriptures.

�111
o<Sfj Section The G lo rious Q u r'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure a n d Major Themes)

4.5 . The Beg i n n i ng of

Revelation
The revelation of the Q u r'a n bega n
i n Lay/at-ui-Qadr (the N i g ht of Power) of
RamaQ.aan (the twenty-seventh night or one
oft h e odd nights of its third part) after Prophet
M uha m mad � had passed the fortieth yea r
of his life, d u ri ng his secl usion i n the cave
of H i raa: on a mounta in nea r Ma kkah, in the
year 6 1 0 CE.
The fi rst revel ation he received
constitutes the fi rst five verses of Soorat a/­

4.4. The Na mes of the

Qu r'an
Almig hty Allah refers to the Qur'a n
by a n u m ber of nam es. These include "the
Qu r'an" ( 1 7:88), the Book "ai-Kitaab" (Soorat
a/-Baqarah, 2:2), the Criterion "ai-Furqaan"
(Soorat ai-Furqaan, 25:1 ), the Rem i nder "ad­
Dhikr'' (Soorat ai-Hijr, 1 5 :9) a nd the Revelation
sent down "at- Tanzee/" (Soorat ash-Shu ' araa',
26:1 92).
Other references to the Q u r'a n a re by
such terms as a n-Noor (the Lig ht), Hudaa
(G uidance), Rab_mah (Mercy), Majeed
(G lorious), Mubaarak (Blessed) and Nadheer
(Wa rner), among other names.
'Aiaq (the Clinging Clot) :
Read in the Name of your Lord, who created;
created man from a clinging clot. Read! And your
Lord is the Most Gracious One; He Who has taught
by the pen; He has taught man that which he knew
not. (Soorat ai-'Aiaq, 96:1 -5)
The remainder part of this soorah, which
consists of 1 9 verses, was revea led on some
other occasion.
The Second Revelation
The second portion of the G lorious
Qu r'a n revea led to Prophet M uha m mad :!i
was the beg i n n i n g of Soorat AI-Muddath-thir
(74: 1 -5). The rest of the soorah was revea led
later. Th is soorah consists of 56 verses.

The Q u r'an : the Final 4.6. The Last Revelation

Revelation
Prophet M uha m m ad � was the Last
Messenger :Ji from Allah to man kind; he
brought the final revelation - the Qu r'a n -
from Allah to man. Therefore, the Qu r'a n is
the last of the Holy Scriptures.
Many M u s l i m Scholars are agreed that
the l ast revelation was verse 281 of Soorat ai­
Baqarah:
And fear the day when you shall be brought to
Allah. Then each soul shall be paid in full what it
has earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly.
The G I 0 ri 0 us Q u r'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes)
The Prophet � passed away nine n ig hts after
the last revelation. Some scholars, however, hold
that the fol lowing verse was the last verse to be
revea led.
This day I have perfected your religion for you,
completed My favour upon you and have chosen for
you Islam as your religion. (Soorat a/-Maa'idah, 5:3)
Th is opinion, however, is not
accord ing to many scholars who a rgue that this
verse was actua l ly revea led d u ring the Farewel l
Pilgri mage.
4.7.
Reasons why
Qur'a n Was Revea led i n Stages
The G racious Qu r'an was sent down in stages
over a period of 23 years, a nd not as a com p l ete
book in one single act of revelation. There a re
severa l reasons fo r this, and the fo l l owi ng a re the
most significa nt:
a) To strengthen the heart of Alla h's
Messenger � from time to time and
whenever the need for g u ida nce a rose.
b) Out of consideration for the Messenger
of Allah � since revelation was a very
'
difficult experience for him.
c) To g rad u a l ly i m ple me nt the com mands of
Allah.
d) To make u ndersta ndi ng, translation i nto
action and memorization of the revelation
easier for the believers.
It is establ ished that the Qu r'a n had been
memorized in its entirety by the Com pa n ions of
the Prophet � d u ring his lifetime. Th is tradition
conti n ued after the Prophet's death and later
among a l l generations of M uslims that have
followed, u ntil today.
� 1 13
Section 'Wv
Although the Q u r'a n was revea l ed
i n portions, it d id not remain long on
sound
that fragmenta ry condition. As its very
name suggests, it was a book from the
fi rst; it cou ld not be com pl ete u ntil its l ast
verse was revea led; it was never without
some form of a rra ngement. In fact, every
the single verse, part of a verse or soorah that
was revea led had its own defi n ite place
i n the Gracious Book. The arrangement
of the Qu r'a n was thus a part of d ivine
scheme. It has been esta bl ished that
the Qu r'a n had been written down in its
enti rety in the l ifetime of the Prophet ;I
but had not been brought together in
one single place. However, the ord ering
of the Qu r'a n and the a rra ngement of
the va rious soorahs was fixed by the
Prophet � h i mself a nd safeguarded
through oral tra nsmission.
Whenever a soorah or verses of a
soorah were revealed to the Prophet ;i,
h e wou ld ca l l one of his scribes1 (those
persons who used to write the G racious
Q u r'an down) a nd say to h i m, 'Write
such-a nd-such a verse i n the soorah
where such-and-such verses occur: (Abu
Daawood)
1- A scri be i s a person who m ad e copies of written
docum ents before p r i n t i n g was i nvented.
o<Sfj Section The G lorious Qur 'an
I n fact, if we keep i n mind the use that was
made of the Qu r'an, we can not for an insta nt
entertain the idea that the Glorious Qu r'a n
existed without arrangement of its verses and
soorahs in the lifetime of the Prophet :i. It was
not only recited in the daily prayers but a lso
com m itted to m emory and reg ularly recited
to keep it fresh in the m ind. Therefore, if the
a rra ngement of the verses and soorahs had
not existed, it would have been i m possi ble to
recite it in the daily prayers, congregational or
otherwise, or to commit it to memory. If the
prayer leader (imaam) happens to make the
slig htest change in the place of a verse d u ring
the cong regational prayer, he will i m m ediately
be corrected by those behind him!
The G lorious Qu r'a n thus existed i n a
com plete and ordered form in the m emories
of the Com panions of the Prophet :i d u ring
h is l ifetime, but no com plete written copy of it
existed at the time, nor could such a copy be
made while the Prophet :i was sti l l a l ive and
sti l l receivi ng revelations. However, the entire
o/;8 1 1 4 8:)0
(Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure a n d Major Themes)
Qur'an was safely preserved in the memories
of his Com panions who were ca lled Qurraa: or
reciters.
It so happened, however, that many of the
reciters fel l i n the fa mous Battle of Yamaamah
d u ring the ca l i phate of Abu Ba kr a�-S.iddeeq
� and it was then that ' U mar ibn AI-Khattaa b
'
� poi nted o u t to A b u Ba kr the necessity of
com piling a sta ndard written copy so that no
portion of the Qu r'an wou l d be lost even if a l l
t h e reciters died. Th is copy was compiled from
the man uscripts written under the direction of
the Prophet :i h i mself, and the a rra ngement
fol l owed was that of the ora l recitation as
fol l owed in the time of the Messenger of Allah
:i. Thus a sta ndard written copy was prepared
and entrusted to the care of Hafsg_h � wife of
'
the Prophet :i and daug hter of ' U mar ibn ai­
Khallaa b. Later on, ' Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, the
fou rth rightly-g uided ca liph ordered copies
to be made from this sta ndard copy. These
copies were then sent to different pa rts of the
Islamic state.
The Glorious Q ur'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes)
4. 9. Divisions of the
G lorious Qu r'a n
The Qu r'a n is d ivided into 1 1 4 soorahs.
The term soorah (pl. suwar, genera l ly written
as soorahs here) l itera l ly m eans an enclosure
or fenci ng, such as the wa l ls a round a city.
It is also used to denote an elevated plain.
When appl ied to the Qu r'an, it signifi es a
specific group of verses, a rra nged i n a specific
m a n ner. In technical lang uage, soorah is the
cha pter-wise d ivision of the Qur'a nic text - a
chapter or part set a pa rt from the preceding
a nd fol lowing text.
The Qu r'a n consists of 1 1 4 soorahs of
unequal length, the shortest consisti ng of
three and the longest of 286 verses, or aayaat.
The Ara bic word aayah (pl. aayaat)
m ea n s sig n. It is the shortest d ivision of
the Q u r'a n ic text, that is to say a phrase or
sentence. The Revelation is G u ida nce from
Allah to manki nd. It is, therefore, not at a l l
surprising to d iscover that its s m a l l d ivisions
a re ca l led Signs (Signs of G u ida nce). The
expression Verse is not accu rate since the
Qu r'a n is not poetry.
A l l soorahs, with the exception of
Soorah 9, beg i n with the words 'Bismillaahir­
Rab_m aanir-Rafleem: All 1 1 4 soorahs i n the
Qu r'a n have their na mes, which serve as a
heading. Both the arrangement of the soorahs
and the order of the aayaat within each soorah
were d etermi ned by the Prophet � u nder the
g u ida nce of Angel J i breel (Ga briel) �1.
Section �
Other Divisions of the
Qur'an ic Text
The Qu r'a n is d ivided i nto 30
portions of approximately equal
length for easy recitation d u ri n g the
thi rty days of a month. Each of these
portions is ca l l ed a juz' (pl. ajzaa') .
Juz' l itera l ly m eans 'pa rt' or 'portion:
Some copies of the Qu r'a n have the
soorahs d ivided into rukoo' (sections
or paragraphs). The rukoo' is usually
acco m panied by th ree n u m bers. The
top n u m ber denotes the n u m ber ofthe
rukoo' with respect to that particular
soorah, the middle n u m ber ind icates
the n u m ber of verses in that rukoo'
and the bottom n u m ber indicates the
n u m ber of the rukoo' with respect to
the juz' in which it occu rs.
Copies of the Qur'a n pri nted
in Ara b cou ntries in particu lar have
each juz' su bd ivided into four ab_zaab
(singular, b_izb) indicated by the word
b_izb, printed in Ara bic. Each b_izb is
su bdivided i nto fou r q ua rters cal led
rub ' .
The Qu r'a n ic text i s a lso d ivided
i nto seven parts of a pproximately
equal lengths, each of wh ich is ca l l ed
manzil, so that if a person wishes to
com plete the recitation of the Qu r'an
in one week, he may do so by reciti ng
one manzil a day.
o<Sfj Section The Glorious Q u r 'an
4. 1 0. Makkan and
Madinan Soorahs
An im portant division of the G racious
Qu r'a n relates to the Ma kkan and Madinan
soorahs. After havi ng received the fi rst
revelation, the Prophet � spent thirteen yea rs
in Ma kkah and then was forced to emig rate to
Madeenah, where he spent the last ten yea rs
of h is l ife. Hence, the soorahs of the Qu r'a n
have also been classified, accord ing to their
origin, i nto Makkan and Madinan soorahs.
A soorah is said to be of Ma kkan origin
when its beg i n n i ng was revea led i n the
Makkan period even if it contains verses from
Madeenah. Li kewise, a soorah is said to be
of Madinan origin when its beg i n n i n g was
revealed in the Madinan phase even if it has
verses from the Ma kka n period in its text.
Out of the total of 1 1 4 soorahs i nto which
the G lorious Qu r'a n is d ivided, 85 soorahs a re,
according to scholars, of Makka n origin. The
Madinan soorahs a re longer than the Ma kka n
ones a nd, therefore, com prise a m uch larger
pa rt of the Qu r'a n.
(Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure a n d Major Themes)
4. 1 1 . Coherence in the
Qur'a n: Nadhm
Coherence (nadhm) denotes clear logical
con nection of ideas, arg u ments and sentences,
a mong other thi ngs, so that together they
make a whole. Every soorah in the Qu r'a n is
a perfect u n it with a centra l theme a round
which it revolves. The central theme is the
un ifyi ng 'th read' i n the soorah.
It is true that every soorah is a unit, but
there a lso exists a logical link between all the
soorahs as they follow one another. Between
different soorahs there is also a logical unity
and coherence.
With the exception of a few, all soorahs
a re fou nd in the Qu r'a n in pa i rs that
com p lement each other.
The concept of the pairing of the soorahs
is orig inal to Amin Ahsan lslahi (1 904-1 997).
According to Isla hi, the Qur'a nic soorahs in their
a rra ngement a re, as a ru le, pa ired. That is, just
as, on one level, each soorah is an integrated
whole and it is d isti nct from all the others, so
on another level, all soorahs exist in the form
of pai rs, each of which is com posed
of two closely matched soorahs
and d isti nct from other pairs. For a
detailed and interesting d iscussion of
this a pproach which is based on and
evolves a round the concept of order
and coherence in the contents of the
Qu r'a n, you may refer to Coherence in
the Qur'an by Musta nsir Mir, American
Trust Publ ications, I ndia napol is, USA,
and a lso to Pondering over the Qur'an
by M uhammad Saleem Kaya ni, ai­
Kita b Publications, London, U K.
The G I 0 ri 0 us Q u r 'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes)
4. 1 2 . What is the
Qu r'a n a bout?
The Qu r'a n is the Word of Allah and
a book of g u ida nce. A q u estion may a rise
here: G u ida nce to what? The a n swer is
sim ply g uida nce to Allah, to His Most
Beautifu l Names and Lofty Attri butes, His
Wi l l and the way i n which one may cond uct
oneself to atta i n His Good Pleasure.
The enti re Qu r'a n, so to say, is the
exposition of the Names a nd Attributes
of Allah the Almighty. I n othe r words,
g u iding the creation to u ndersta nding
Alla h's Oneness (tawb_eed) is the overriding
objective of the Qur'an . Th us, one of the
major objectives of the Qu r'a n is to teach
the creation a bout Allah. The Qu r'anic
teachings a bout Alla h's Names
Attri butes a re extremely essentia l for the
strength and hea lth of one's fa ith.
If one has knowledge and correct
understa nding of Alla h's Names and
Attri butes, then one wou l d never turn
to a nyone else or d i rect a ny form of
worship to a nyon e other than to Allah. It
is worth m entioning h ere that all that is
i n the Sunnah of the Prophet :i is a l so the
exposition of the Qur'a n. Th is g u ida nce
to Allah, the knowledge of H is Na m es of
Attri butes and H i s Wi l l and the g u ida nce
to rig ht conduct, can n ot be obta i ned by
a ny means other than the Q u r'a n a nd
the Sunnah: the sayi ngs and the excel l ent
practices of the Messenger of Allah :i.
o/)5 1 1 7
Section �
The Qur'a n g u ides to the straight path
that leads to Alla h's pleasure and Paradise. It
gives truth-seekers the proper concept of the
truth as wel l as the wi l l power and the moral
cou rage to prod u ce a l iving model of that
concept in rea l life. It helps them overcome
the obstacles they might encou nter from
within or without. Thus the Qur'a n is a book
that is squarely a i m ed at man. I ndeed, it is
'g u ida nce for mankind' (Soorat a/-Baqarah,
2:1 85), as Almighty Allah says about it.
It is in fact g u ida nce for a l l the needs and
benefits of the l ife of this world and that of
the hereafter. It is fi rst a nd foremost a Book of
Guida nce.
Allah also descri bes the Qur'a n as light
'no or' (Soorat ash-Shooraa, 42:52). Light shows
us the path in front of us. I n fact, it is through
l ight that we can avoid the ha rmfu l things i n
our way a nd fol low t h e safe path. H owever,
this light is d ifferent from the l i g ht one
and
senses i n the physical world. It is a spiritua l
light whereby we recog n ize a n d understa nd
what is of rea l benefit to us i n this world and
in the world to come. This light leads to the
Straight Path and to Alla h's G race a nd Mercy.
Nevertheless, this light is o n ly beneficial to
those who fol low it.
The Qur'a n speaks a bout the past, the
present and the future. It a l so spea ks a bout
the u nseen. The verses of the Qur'a n may be
classified i nto three categori es:
( 1 ) those related to the stories of the
prophets and earl ier com m u n ities,
(2) those related to com mands and
pro h i bitions, and
(3) those related to Allah a nd H is
Bea utifu l Names and Lofty
Attributes.
O<§;fj Section The G I ori ou s Q u r'an
The Qu r'an is Allah's speech. It is
d i rectly related to His noble attributes
of greatness, mercy, forgiveness and
knowledge. When we live our life
according to the teachings of the
Q ur'an, we actua l ly l ive it i n a way that
is pleasing to Allah - our Creator. Life i n
t h e shade of t h e Qu r'a n is, in rea l ity, a
l ife that brings one closer to Almighty
Allah. Thu s, there ca n be no doubt then
that one of the m ajor objectives of the
Qur'an is to teach people a bout Allah ­
their Creator.
The Qur'a n guides us i n every
aspect of our lives. It is undoubtedly
one of the greatest blessings that
Allah has given us. Among the most
significant aspects to which the Qu r'a n
g u ides mankind is good character and
proper conduct. Speaking a bout the
p urpose for which he has been sent,
Alla h's Messenger � once said, 'I have
o n ly been sent to perfect good morals:
(ai-Haakim, g raded safleefl by Sheikh al-
When 'Aai'shah � was asked
a bout the character of the Messenger
of Al lah � she repl ied, 'His character
'
was the Qu r'an: (Muslim)
Th us, the Qur'an is not simply a
book that makes people grow mora l ly
and spiritual ly. I t is not just about
i m parting the h u man knowledge
of what is right and correct. It a lso
instils in their hea rts and minds the
feeling of heedfu l ness, fea r, love
and accou ntability to Allah that will
make them do what is proper and
� 118
(Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure a n d Major Themes)
correct. The Qu r'a n, therefore, vividly
describes what wi l l happen on the
Day of J udgmen-t to both those who
are rig hteous and heedfu l of Allah and
those who are evi l.
Th us, once we rea lize this Qu r'anic
objective and sincerely strive hard to
achieve it by reading and studyi ng
the Qu r'an, Allah wi l l certainly gra nt
us knowledge and fi l l our hearts with
heedfu lness (taqwaa). In this way, we
wi l l become usefu l in our society as wel l
a s i n the world at large. O u r conduct
and actions will change for the better,
and we wi l l ca l l people to the way of
Allah - the way of peace i n the world.
Certa in ly, one of the objectives
of the Qur'a n is to show the believers
how to protect themselves from all
the forces of evi l that a re trying to
distance them from their Creator.
Allah ca utions them concerning their
own lower self (an-nafs, or soul) - an
enemy concerning which most people
would not be aware were not for the
revelation of Allah and His g u ida nce
in this regard. Perhaps the clea rest
exa m ple of this class of teachings in the
Qu r'a n deals with the devi l, or Satan.
The Qu r'an vividly describes the ways
and m eans of the devi l . One such way
is his a ppea ring as a sincere advisor
and wel l-wisher, as was the case i n
which he approached Ada m a n d Eve
although Allah had wa rned them
about him, as He Wa rns the bel ievers
about in the G racious Qur'a n . (Soorat
ai-A 'raaf, 7: 20-22)
The G lorious Q u r'a n (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes) Section �
4: 1 3 . Major Themes of
Muslim Com m u n ity, the People of the Book,
l ife after death, the res u rrection and Pa radise
the G lorious Qu r'an and Hell.
Th e Qur'a n a lso descri bes the sto ries of
Oneness of Allah o r the tawb.eed i s the
severa l prophets. These stories conta in very
foundation stone of the Noble Qur'a n. The
im portant lessons. After one of the longest
principal pu rpose of the Qu r'a n is to teach
stories i n the Qu r'a n, the story of J oseph
mankind a bout Allah and H i s Oneness and
(Yoosuf) �� and his brothers, Allah � makes
Attributes. The Qu r'a n eloq uently tells people
a very i m porta nt statement a bout the stories
about their Lord and provides answers to the
when He says:
basic human questions: who is my Creator
I ndeed, in their stories there is a lesson for men of
and God? What is my relationship with H i m ?
understanding: (Soorat Yoosuf, 1 2: 1 1 1 )
Why did he create m e ? I n short, A l l a h
tel ls people a bout Hi mself Thus, the Qur'a nic
so they may get verses explain in
closer to Him deta i l va rious
a n d i ncrease meani ngs and
their love discuss a
for Him va riety of
a n d s u bj e c t s .
wors h i p T h e y
H i m a lone. expound
T h e A I I a h 's
Q u r ' a n Att r i b u t e s,
shows people H is mercy,
the path and way His wisdom, the
of l ife that is pleasing wonders in His creation
to Almig hty Allah. It teaches them such as the heavens, the earth, the
what actions they must perform to please stars, the a lternation of the day and the night
H i m and what actions they must avoid i n and the wonders i n the creation of human
order not to earn His displeasure. beings and a n i ma ls, among many other
Th us the Qu r'a n is a book that develops subjects. Some of them ca rry com mandments
and a l lows people to g row mora l ly and addressing the hea rt, while others a re meant
spi ritu a l ly. for the l i m bs of the body to act upon. Some
Apart from the a bove-mentioned contain prom ises whereas others conta in
themes, some of the great themes developed wa rnings or th reats. Some speak of the ra n ks
i n t h e Q u r'a n a re: Prophethood and revelation, in Paradise, while others m ention the l evels
Sata n and evi l, people as individ uals, people i n Hellfire. Some carry admonitions, while
in society as a whole, the e mergence of the others help i m p rove mora l s and spi ritua l

-Y;8 1 1 9 8::
o<$fj Section The G I 0 ri 0 us Q u r 'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure a n d Major Themes)

g rowth. Some dea l with the history of past nations,

while some others rel ate stories of the ancient nations.
I n short, if you a re honest a bo ut it, you wi l l find
that there is no book i n m en's hands that deal with so
many subjects a nd themes and is as varied i n its content
as the Qur'a n .

4. 1 4. Scientific M i racles in
the Qur'a n
I n fact, the Qur'a n is not a book of science or
technology. It is a book of g u ida nce which principa l ly
aims at g u iding people to the true God - Allah, helps
them establish rig hteousness and create a virtuous
society.
The Qu r'a n is the Word of Allah. lts match less style
and profound wisdom con stitute some of its defin ite
proofs. Furthermore, its m i raculous attri butes fu rther
prove that it is a revelation from A l l a h . One of these
attributes is the fact that a n u m ber of scientific facts
that have been d iscovered in recent yea rs with the help
of modern technology were stated i n the Qu r'a n over
1 400 yea rs ago. These facts cou l d not have been known
at the ti m e of the Qu r'a n's revelation. Th is conclusively
provides fu rther evidence that the Qu r'an is the Word
of Allah a nd categorica l ly poi nts to Isla m's genui neness.
In fact, many Western scientists have embraced Islam
once they fou nd out a bout some of these scientific
facts i n the Qur'a n.

o/;8 1 20
The G I 0 rious Q u r 'an (Its mode of Revelation, Compilation, Structure and Major Themes) Section Wo
The Prophet tj was not fa miliar with such scientific
facts which were d iscovered only in recent decades.
In fact, he was illiterate, which proves beyond doubt
that o n ly God m ust have revea led them to h i m . These
scientific miracles relate to a n u m ber of matters
including the fol lowing:

1 . Embryology and human creation

2. Sensation of pain in the skin
3 . Recent scientific discoveries conce rn ing the
i ntesti nes
4. The significa nce of the sense of h earing as com pa red
with that of sight
5. The origin of creation
6. The m i raculous natu re of fi ngerpri nts
7. The m i raculous hea l ing honey provides
8. The detri m enta l effects of carrion, blood and pork
9. Health benefits of a b l ution, prayer and fasting
1 0.The Qu r'a n, a healing and mercy

Dr. Sha rif Kaf a i-Ghaza l discusses these and

many other scientific m i racles in his brilliantly written
book Medical Miracles of the Qur'an, wh ich has been
published by The Islamic Foundation, Leicester, U K.
o<Sfj Section The Glorious Qur 'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

5 . Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the

---- -------- ----------

Qur,an

1. Soorat AI-Faatihah (The Open ing) ( 1 : 1 -7)

Tra nslation of the Meanin gs of this
Soorah

1 . I n the N a me of Allah, the Most Gracious,

the M ost Mercifu l
2. A l l praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds,

3. the Most Gracious, the Most Mercifu l,

4. Master of the Day of J udgment.

5. You a lone we wors h i p and You a lone we

ask for help.
6. Guide us to the stra i g ht path,

7. The path of those on whom You have

bestowed favou rs, not of those who have
earned You r anger, nor of those who have
gone astray.

� 1 22
The Glorious Qu r'an (Detai led Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Theme of this Soorah:
Understanding the Key
Concepts
Th is soorah, whose seven verses a re the
most often repeated verses of the Qu r'an,
introd uces some of the most freq uently used
Names of Al lah. The soorah expresses our
heartfelt feeling of g ratitude to Allah. The
feeling overwhelms, or ought to overwhelm, all
sensible people who are willing to ponder over
Alla h's providence and His limitless com passion,
mercy and justice - visible in different forms
and manners in life and in the un iverse around
us. As Syed Iqbal Zaheer states:
Any praise that is ever sung, whether for Allah Most
High or for anyone else, in reality belongs to Allah.
Who is it but He who makes the idea click in the
mind of an inventor? Who is it but He who steers
the brush-strokes of a painter? Who is it but He who
flashes the right word in the mind of a writer? And
whose creation it is but His, the material that they
use, the laws they follow and the beauty that they
imitate? In practice, therefore, when anything strikes
us as good and beautiful, it is Allah Who must be
remembered with gratitude, and it is He who must
be praised: (Tafseer lshraaq a/ Ma' aanee, Vol. I, p. 7)
o/55 1 2 3
Section �
There is no god but Allah. Tha n ks
belong to H i m a l one. He a lone is the Owner
and Sustai ner of a l l creation. Th u s, from the
i ntense sense of g ratitude, there springs a
desire i n the h u ma n being to wors h i p and
adore Allah alone, and to ca l l u pon Him alone
for help and g u ida nce. This soorah deals with
the h u m a n quest and longing for g u ida nce.
It is in the form of a suppl ication. Its style is
not didactic or instructional. It does not teac h
us h ow t o supplicate. Rather, the supplication
itself is made to flow on our tong ue as a
sponta neous hym n spri nging from the very
core of our bei ng.
Annotated Glossa ry of
Key Concepts of this Soorah
Allah
The word A l l a h i s used with t h e hig hest
freq uency in the G lorious Q u r'a n. It is the
personal name of the Su preme Bei ng who
created the heavens and the earth and
everything in this u n iverse, and it is used
exclusively for H i m . The Oneness of Allah
(tawb.eed) is the central theme of the Q u r'a n.
� Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Ar-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem
Both term s, which a re the m ost repeated
attri butes of Al m i g hty Allah, are derived from
the root rahima, mea n ing 'to show mercy'.
Such attributes a re often translated as 'the
Most Mercifu l: 'Most Com passionate: 'the
Beneficent: 'the Most G racious' or 'Mercy
giving'. However, these tra nslations do not
convey the fu l l m ean i ng of the terms, nor
do they d isting uish between the subtle
differences i n the meaning of ar-Rab_maan
and ar-Rab_eem. It is i m porta nt to rea l ize that
ar-Rab_ m aan denotes 'the exercise of mercy
on the basis of free choice by one who is a ble
Rabb
This Ara bic term l itera l ly means
'Su sta iner: 'Master: 'Lord' or 'Nourisher: The
set of m ea n ings attributed to the word Rabb
can be sum m ed up as follows:
1 . Lord and Master
2. Sustainer and Nourisher
3. Ruler and Sovereign
4. Protector and G u ider
Allah is the Rabb of the u n iverse i n a l l
these m ea n i ng s. Therefore, He should be
tha n ked and praised for the favou rs that He
has bestowed upon u s.
Hamd
Hamd is genera l ly tra nslated as pra ise,
but g ratitude is a lso an integ ra l part of its
mea n i ng. The more accurate tra nslation
wou l d be g ratefu l pra ise. Allah alone is the
s u bj ect of Hamd.
o($ 1 24 8:)<>
to infl ict severe punish ment without fear of
a ny conseq uences whatsoever:
By contrast, ar-Rab_eem stresses the
ava i lability of Alla h's m ercy in all situations
a nd to a l l creatu res. People o n ly need to
a ppea l for it and it is certa i n to be granted.
I ndeed, it is given at a l l ti mes without such
a ppea ls. There a re cou ntless aspects of Alla h's
mercy that people enjoy, and often without
a ppreciation or g ratitude. Th us the word
ar-Rab.maan cou l d be translated as 'Lord of
G race' and ar-Rab_eem as 'the Ever-Mercifu l :
The N a m e ar-Rab_maan is l i ke a sky fu l l of
l ig ht; the Name ar-Rab_eem is l i ke a warm ray
com i n g from the sky and g iving l ife to makind.
AI-eAalameen
The word al-' aa/ameen is the p l u ra l of the
col lective noun a/-' aa/am. Al-' aa/am denotes
this world a nd its p l u ra l refers to several
other worlds. According to some scholars a/­
' aalameen refers to different species such as
the angels, the j i n n and human beings. Yusuf
Ali states,
There are many worlds: astronomical and physical
worlds; worlds of thought; spiritual worlds; and so
on. In every one of them Allah is all in all: Finally,
as we all know, everyone lives in a world of his
own. The children, for example, live in a world of
their own; and do the sportsmen; poets, and many
others.
Deen
The word 'deen: as u sed in the Qur'a n,
has several meani ngs:
1 . Religion a nd law (Soorat Aal-' lmraan,
3:83);
The G lorious Qur 'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
2. The law of the land (Soorat Yoosuf,
1 2:76);
3. Obedience and subm ission (Soorat an­
Nafl/, 1 6:52);
4. Rewa rd or Judg m ent (Soorat ad­
Daariyyaat, 5 1 : 6)
The term 'deen' i n the sense of reward
covers both its negative and positive aspects:
(a) rewa rd for good, and (b) punish m ent for
evi l and wrongdoing.
The message contai ned in the words
'Maaliki yawmi-d-deen' (Lord of the Day of
Judgment) is clea r: a day of reckoning or
recom pense is inevita ble, and it will surely
come to pass.
I t is, however, i m portant to note that this
statement by no means i m pl ies that He is not
the sole Lord of this world now. The Day of
Section �
J udgment has been specifi ca l ly mentioned
here beca use His a bsol ute lordsh ip will be
appa rent to everyone that day when no one
else will possess a ny authority besides Him to
a ny degree whatsoever. He would p roclaim:
I a m the king. Where a re the ki ngs of the
earth? Where a re the tyra nts? Where a re the
a rroga nt?'
Allah is so just that He has appoi nted a
day when people will be either punished or
rewa rded for their deeds. Allah is the Master
of a l l the worlds and thus we should worship
Him a lone and seek refuge a nd protection
with no one except H i m .
We therefore pray t o H i m t o g u ide us
a long His Straight Path, the way He g u ided
those who received His favou rs and to save
us from being misg u ided so that we do not
d eserve His anger.

2 . Soorat ai-Baqarah (The Cow, 2:1 - 1 93)

Due to small amount of space, it will not be possible
for u s to give here the complete Ara bic text of the verses
of the Qur'a n u nder study as well as their trans lation. M a ny
expla natory works a re now available i n English, which include
the text of the Qur'a n. You m ay consult them. II
Soorat ai-Baqarah: Central Theme
If we look closely at the end of Soorat ai-Faatiflah and the
opening of Soorat ai-Baqarah, we find that the relationship
between these two soorahs is very m uch similar to a
supplication and the response it evokes or the accepta nce it
receives. Soorat ai-Faatiflah ends with the words: 'The path of
those on whom You have bestowed Your favou r, not of those
who have ea rned You r a nger, nor of those who have gone

�/;55 1 2 5 /
o<Sfj Section The Glorious Qur 'a n (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

astray: I m m ediately thereafter follows Soorat a/-Baqarah with

the opening words: 'A/if, loam, meem. This is the Book a bout
which there is no doubt, G u ida nce for the God-fearing:
It is as if the d ivine g u idance a person seeks in Soorat
ai-Faatiflah is given to them straight away to a bide by and
fo l low i n the n ext soorah. When a perceptive person of fi n e
i ntel lect and good taste sees such a sudden response t o his
suppl ication, they a re natu ra l ly overwhel med with a deep
sense of gratitude and praise for Allah.

Structure of Soorat ai­ Section 1 , Verses 1 -39 (39 verses}:

Baqarah
This soorah is entitled a/-Baqarah (the
cow) because it mentions at one point the
story of the cow (see verses 67-73). The
name of this sooarh does not, however,
sign ify that the cow is its main theme. It
sim ply ma rks it as the soorah i n which the
cow is m entioned. The g reater part of this
soorah was revealed i n the earlier Madinan
period, soon after the emigration of the
Fundamenta ls of d ivine g u ida nce
Section 2, Verses 40- 1 23 (84 verses}: The
Children of lsraa'eet the M u s l i m com m u n ity i n
d ecli n e: t h e broken agreement and t h e diseases
of the heart and cha racter
Section 3, Verses 1 24-52 (29 verses}: The
handing over of the Prop hetic m ission to the
Muslim Com m u n ity (Ummah)
Section 4, Verses 1 53-77 (23 verses}: Key

Prophet ·� to Madeen a h . personal q u a l ities and attributes a nd the basic

Soorat ai-Baqarah m a y be d ivided p rinciples of Deen and Sharee' ah
i nto some clear sections, each of which
Section 5, Verses 1 78-1 93 ( 1 6 verses}:
with themes of its own yet i nterrelated
Legal as pects, cri m i nal law a n d law of
with each other. The d ivisions may be
i n h erita nce, a progra m m e to d evelop taqwaa
fu rther divided into s u b-divisions which
(heedfu l ness of Allah) in the bel ievi ng
g reatly help reflection and understanding.
com m u n ity through fasting i n the month of
It should be remem bered that such
RamaQ.aan, fighting i n the way of Allah i n self­
sections or sub-sections a re not d ivinely
d efence
laid down. Th u s, the portion contain ing
1 93 verses could be d ivided i nto five Let u s now ta ke a closer look at these
sections. sections.

-Y)? 1 26 (
The Glorious Q u r'an {Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Section 1 : Verses 1 -39
Verses 1 - 1 9 describe the people
who profit from the d ivine g u idance
(hidaayah) and those who do not. The
soorah begins, hig h ly sign ifica ntly, by
decla ring its own d ivine origin and
authority: 'Th is is the Book a bo ut wh ich
there is no doubt: (Verse 1 ) In fact, this
pronouncement is repeated q u ite often
throug hout the Glorious Qu r'a n, at the
beg i n n i ng of many soorahs and within
the soorahs.
For what pu rpose has the Book
been sent? To g u ide. Guide who and to
what? To g u ide those who are muttaqoon
(conscious of Allah), those who have
the q ua l ity of rig hteousness, Allah­
Consciousness, or taqwaa, to the path
of Allah which l eads to happi ness in this
world and eternal bliss i n the hereafter.
Verses 2-5 lay out i n some deta i l
t h e traits o f those w h o a re muttaqoon.
They describe how the Qur'a n has come
to make people, litera l ly muttaqoon,
com m u n ities conscious of Allah.
The soorah now identifies those
who wou l d never benefit from d ivine
g u ida nce (Verses 6-20). The soorah then
turns to cal l all mankind to the centra l
m essage of the Q u r'a n: To worship a nd
All
� 1 27
Section Wo
a ny partners with H i m in worship (Verses
2 1 -2). To authenticate this message, it
proceed s to esta bl ish the a uthenticity
of the Qu r'a n, and hence that of the
Messenger (Verses 23-5).
Verses 28-29 bring home the rea l ity
of l ife after death. Verses 2 1 -29 offer a
l ucid summary of the entire Q u r'a n ic
message. Verses 30-39 take u p the story
of creation and thereby set forth deta i l
by deta i l the Qur'a nic worldview a n d its
understanding of the natu re of mankind.
People a re given knowledge a nd free will.
Allah has esta blished people on earth as
successors (kha/eefah), succeed ing each
other. People must, therefore, l ive with i n
t h e l i m its and dictates set b y A l l a h . Wh ile
obeyi ng the com ma nds of Allah, people
face a conti nuing battle to c hoose
between good and evi l. Si nce they a re
free a nd mora l ly accou nta ble, they a re
l ia bl e to sin i n this strugg le. To face this
struggle between good and evi l and
overcome their sins, they a re given two
divine gifts:
1. The prom ise to accept
repentance and to forg ive sins
whenever sin ners turn to H i m, as
He forgave Aadam �� (Verse 3 7);
2. The prom ise to send d ivine
g u ida nce, as Allah prom ised
Aadam �� (Ver:se 38).
oW Section The Glorious Qur 'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Section Two: Verses 40-
1 23
The discou rse turns to Ba n u ls raa'eel,
the Jews of its ti me, for 84 long verses. It
rem inds them of Alla h's blessings upon them
and their tha n klessness and violations of
His com mands-the major diseases of their
hea rt, of attitude and behaviou r, fa ith and
practice. I n short, it is a ta le of their broken
pledge with Allah.
The q uestion arises: why does the Qur'a n
do so? Why does it deal with Ba n u lsraa'eel in
its very beg i n n i ng, at such a vita l poi nt i n its
discourse and at such a length?
The pri mary objective of the Qur'a n
is to provide a m i rror fo r the Muslims of a l l
times, to hold u p to themselves, t o see a
fa ithfu l reflection of their own cond ition a nd
desti ny. The Qu r'an here del ivers judg ment
upon Ba n u lsraa'eel beca use of their fa i l u re
to d ischarge their m ission. Thus it provid es
the foundation to rep lace them with this
new Ummah, the Muslim Com m u n ity, raised
under the leadership of Alla h's last m essenger,
M uha m mad �' to continue and fu lfil Alla h's
m ission.
Hence, a lthough the address is d i rected
to Banu lsraa'eel, the rea l addressees a re the
Musli ms, the trustees and keepers of the
Qur'a n. By reading in this light the whole
eig hty-four verses, we find that even specific
events of the h i story of Banu lsraa'eel, l i ke
of the golden calf, become events of our
Th is section (40- 1 23) a lso contains a
genera l da' wah address to Ba n u lsraa'eel.
It provides i nva l uable g u ida nce as to how
da' wah to a declining Muslim com m u nity
should be given and shows what wisdom
should be adopted in da' wah and
reformation.
Verses 47 to 74 rem i n d Ba n u lsraa'eel of
va rious landmark events from thei r h istory
and their corresponding behaviour. Each
event offers a crucial lesson a nd dea ls with
some centra l aspects of thei r l ife. Above a l l,
all these events a re arra nged in a mea n i ngfu l
order. Verses 75 to 1 23 turn from t h e history
of Banu lsraa'eel to their cu rrent states of
heart a nd m i nd, fa ith a nd conduct, attitudes
and behaviour. Specia l ly portrayed is their
denial of and opposition to the last Prophet
:i. But, it is e m phasized, that this is noth ing
new. I t is only a contin uation of a long h istory
of such attitudes.
Section Three: Verses 1 24-
1 52
Verses 1 24- 1 33 present a n account of
the sacred history of Prophet l braa heem
�\, of his pious l ife l ived in fa ithfu l and
excl usive subm ission to Allah. l braa h eem ��
was a ppointed the custod ian of the House
of Allah and the l eader of mankind beca
he proved h i mself in every test he was p
through. The new Ummah is a fu lfil ment
The Glorious Q ur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
The description of the change of the
qiblah - the d i rection of �alaah - from
Jerusalem to Makka h (Verses 1 44-50)
signifi es that tra nsfer of the Prophetic
m ission to the M u sl i ms.
Section Four: Verses
1 53- 1 77
Verses 1 5 3-62 display the key personal
resou rces needed to fu lfil the pledge; for
exa m ple �a/aah, fasting, pilgrimage and
strivi ng i n the way of Allah.
The most essential resou rce is that
one remains ever-mi ndfu l of Allah. One
l ives i n His p resence. One sees everything
as being from Allah and beca u se of H i m
a n d t h us remains ever-conscious of
meeting H i m on the Day of Judgment. I n
short, one remembers H i m as m uch and
as often as one can, i n every situation
and every moment. The �a/aah has been
prescri bed for this very objective. That is
why Verse 1 52 is i m m ed iately followed by
the com ma nd to 'seek help with patience
(�abr) and prayer (�alaah): (Verse 1 53)
�abr, or patience, is mentioned
fi rst. This is because �alaah can not be
establis hed and performed, individ u a l ly or
i n congregation, without patience. Fi nal ly,
the g rave consequences of brea king the
pledge with respect to the Qu r'an a re
given: curse from Allah, from the a ngels,
from a l l man kind, and a biding p u n is h ment
i n the hereafter (Verse 1 59-62).
Verses 1 63-77 spea k of the i m porta nt
fou ndations of Oeen and Sharee' ah.
o(}5 1 2 9 �
Section 'Wo
Then come some of the most
i m portant principles of Sharee'ah. Fi rstly,
a l l g ood things on earth a re perm issible
except those things which a re made
prohi bited (Verse 1 68). Second ly, the
fact that the a uthority to m a ke things
forbidden rests o n ly with Allah and with
no one else (Verse 1 69). Thirdly, hence
only a few things a re declared forbidden
by A l m i g hty Allah, while everything
else is a l l owed (Verse 1 73). Fourth ly, the
prohi bitions can be relaxed i n the face d i re
h u m a n needs (Verse 1 73). Fifthly, mora l
pro h i bitions a re m uc h more i m porta nt.
However, the foundation of a l l
obedience i n l ife rem a i ns taqwaa, o r
heedfu l ness of Allah. Th u s, Verse 1 77
g ives a comprehensive defi n ition of what
taqwaa is.
Section Five: Verses
1 78-1 93: The Com m u n a l
Life: Principles, Law a n d
I nstitutions
Sanctity of l ife a nd property a re
the two fou nd ations of u n ity and order
i n society. They a re taken up i n Verses
1 78-82. These a re i m m ed iately fol lowed
by instructions a bout fasti ng �awm or
�iyaam) d u ring the month of RamaQ.aan i n
order t o d evelop taqwaa or self-d iscipline
to control oneself from overstepping and
violati ng limits set by Allah in h u m a n
relations (Verses 1 83-7). Hence, the
com m a nd: 'Do not eat u p one a nother's
possessions by fa lse mea ns' (Verse 1 88).
3.
Soorat Aal-elmraan (The
Fa m i ly of e l m raan, 3:35-62)
Soorat Aa/-' lmraan is the third soorah
fol lowing Soorat a/-Faatib.ah and Soorat ai­
Baqarah. It is composed of 200 verses, and its
centra l theme is very similar to that of Soorat
ai-Baqarah. It outli nes the mission of the
Muslim com m u n ity that has been chosen to
lead FJlankind. Th us the soorah helps to inspire
them and to prepare them for this highly
i m porta n t task.
We wou ld, however, focus our attention
on Verses 35-62 (28 verses) on ly. The major
theme of this section of Soorat Aa/-' lmraan
is the fam ily of ' l m raan which was chosen by
Almighty Allah to serve His cause.
The fa mily or house of ' l m raan was
honoured by such l u m i na ries as Prophet
Za ka riyyaa (Zacha riah), Marya m (Ma ry), Yabyaa
(John the Ba ptist) and Prophet ' Eesaa (peace
be u pon them a l l), just as Allah honoured the
fa mily of l braaheem �� before them. Verses
35-47 na rrate the story of Marya m � in great
deta i l and explain how she ca m e under the
care of Prophet Zakariyyaa �1.
The Qu r'a n informs us that the father
of Maryam was named ' l m raan and the
classica l Muslim scholars unani mously accept
that she was from the l i ne of
Prophet Daawood (David)
�1. Althou g h the
name of her mother
is not su ppl ied
by the Qur'a n,
it is un iversa lly
accepted as
·
-=����:t
Hanna (Anne) the
daug hter of Faaqood. Agai n there were two
Annas, the other being the sister of Prophets
Moosaa �� and Haaroon �1. Hanna prayed to
becom e preg nant with a male child, and then,
when she beca me preg na nt, she vowed that
the child would be ded icated to the service of
Allah at Bayt a i-Maqdis (Jerusa lem) (Verse 35).
An additional event connected to the period
of time d u ring which Hanna was preg nant
is the death of ' l m raan. Although the death
of Ma rya m's father is not actua l ly stated in
the Qu r'a n, it can be logica lly deduced from
Prophet Zakariyyaa's assu m ption of Marya m's
g ua rdiansh ip, and thus genera l ly accepted by
schola rs as a fact.
The vow made by ' l m raan's wife reveals
to us the fact that she was a woman with a
heart fu l l of fa ith.
She, however, gave birth to a daug hter
(Ma rya m), not a son (Verse 36). She was
hoping for a male child beca use only male
children were d evoted for service in temples,
so that they may free themselves from a ny
preoccu pation with a nything other than
worship and prayer. Accord ing to the classica l
com mentators, it was customary at that tim �
to dedicate boys to the tem pl e. They wou ld
stay at the tem ple, worshipping there and
servi ng it until p u berty, at which time they
wou ld choose to conti nue their service or not.
Han na, however, made the offeri ng
with what she had and add ressed
her Lord in a sorrowfu l tone:
'My Lord, I have g iven birth
to a fema le. The male
is not l i ke the female,
and I have named
her Marya m: Qu r'an
comm entators
record that even the name Marya m (MaryL
which Hanna gave to the child is said to have
had the meaning of'The one who worships; i n
their lang uage ' aabidah, a devout worshi pper.
This is a fu rther indication of Hanna's
dedication to her vow and of the nature of
the futu re life of Marya m �. Subseq uently,
Prophet Za kariyyaa &#:II beca me the g ua rdian
of this u n ique child, and thus Allah provided
her with the best of spiritua l g u ides.
Zaka riyyaa �� then constructed a prayer
sanctua ry, a mib.raab. It is interesti ng to note
the word mib.raab comes from the root b. - r ­
b (b.arb), which primarily means 'to wage wa r'
and signifies that corner of a house which is
reserved for devotional acts - a place where
one, so to say, fig hts the devi l.
Th is is fol lowed by the narration of the
m iracu lous births of Prophets Yahyaa (John
the Ba ptist) &#:II and ' Eesaa (Jesus) �1. The
story of Prophet ' Eesaa �� is a lso told in
Soorat Maryam (Soorah 1 9), in which a lengthy
account of his m i raculous birth is na rrated i n
detail, b u t not of his mother. It is sign ificant
to remember that the Qur'a n describes itself
as a 'wa rner; a 'g uide' and a 'cla rifier; not as a
chronicle. Therefore, one should not expect to
fi nd a deta iled biogra phy of a ny of the g reat
h istorical and Prophetic fi g u res it mentions.
Zakariyyaa &#:II alone used to enter
Maryam's mib.raab, locki ng the door behind
h i m, when he
departed. Whenever
Zaka riyyaa �1, as
Maryam's guardian,
came to provide
her with food a nd
drink, he would
be a mazed to fi nd
that she had a l ready been p rovided, not just
with sustenance (rizq), but a lso with the best
of sustenance, including the fruit of winter
in s u m mer, and that of sum mer in wi nter.
Zaka riyyaa �1, observi ng those m i raculous
provisions and being awa re that the door was
always locked and that only he had the key,
asked Marya m a bout who would possibly
provide her with such food, and she replied, 'It
is from Allah: (Verse 3 7)
U pon seeing this recu rri ng miracle,
Zaka riyyaa �� was encouraged to pray to
Allah that he and his ba rren wife would
l i kewise be blessed with a son in their old age
a nd, sure enough, the Angel Ji breel (Ga briel)
&#:II informed him that he would be gra nted
Yahyaa (3:38-40). Accord ing to some scholars,
Zaka riyyaa &#:II was 1 20 yea rs old and his
wife was 98 when Prophet Yahyaa &#:II was
conceived.
Mea nwh ile Marya m � conti n ued her
sol ita ry worship i n her sanctuary u ntil she
reached the age of p u berty. When Marya m had
withdrawn to the Eastern part of Jerusalem,
the Angel Ji breel &#:II a ppeared i n the form
of a perfect man i n order not to shock her
with his true angelic form, so that she would
be able to accept what he was a bout to tel l
her. Nevertheless, Marya m � was frig htened
and prayed to her Lord for protection from
this see m ing morta l who was a n apparent
stra nger. J i breel ��
then explained
who he was
and the nature
of his m ission
from Allah.
U pon hearing
this news,
Maryam • su rrendered i m mediately to the
wi l l of her Lord, and J i breel �� breathed 'of
the spirit of Allah: and at Alla h's com ma nd:
'kun' (Be!), and she conceived.
In keeping with the theme of the soorah,
the story of the m iraculous birth of ' Eesaa
(Jesus) �� is condensed here. But his message
and the devotion of his d isciples a re d escri bed
in more detail.
This account tota l ly rejects the notion of
Proph.et ' Eesaa's divinity. I n fact, it confi rms
his h u m a nity (or the state of bei ng a person)
rather than a god and honours h i m as a
Messenger of Allah. The House of ' l m raan was
chosen by Allah from the Children of lsraa'eel
to convey His message to them. Thus, Prophet
' Eesaa (Jesus) was i n the line of prophets sent
to Ba n u lsraa'eel, and H is m essage to them,
l i ke all earlier messengers, was 'Be ca refu l of
you r d uty to Allah and obey me: (3:50)
Prophet ' Eesaa �� declares,
I have indeed come to you with a sign from your
Lord in that I form for you out of clay the like of a
bird, and I blow into it, and so it becomes a bird -
by Allah's permission. I heal those born blind and
the leper; and bring to life the dead - by Allah's
permission. I also disclose to you what you eat and
what you store in your houses. Surely, in this, is a
sign for you if you are believers. (Verse 49)
He also proclai ms:
I ndeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship
Him alone. That is a straight path. (Verse 5 1 )
Thus
63
as wel l
m i racles
convince
lsraa'eel of the truth of his assign ment from
Allah. Yet they denied h i m and even plotted
to ki l l h i m, but Alla h � ra ised h i m to H i m and
saved h i m from their scheming. (3:55) The
whole issue of attributi ng divinity to ' Eesaa
&£§1 is resolved by the fol lowing verse:
The likeness of ' Eesaa in Allah's sight is similar to
that of Aadam whom He created out of dust and
then said to him: 'Be' and he was. (3:59)
However, his fol lowers lost his teachings
and attri buted d ivin ity to him. They were
chal lenged to a mabaahalah (mutua l
i nvocation of Alla h's curse u pon those who
a re tel l ing a l ie) to determ ine who was tel ling
the truth. This ta kes place by prayi ng h u m bly
together to Allah and i nvoking His wrath and
curse on those who l ie. (3:6 1 )
This was later proposed to a delegation
of Ch ristians who visited the Prophet ;.i i n
Madeenah i n 9 AH - 6 3 0 C E . However, the
Ch ristian delegation refused to ta ke part in the
joint prayer to esta blish the truth regarding
' Eesaa's d ivin ity or his true natu re.
Accord ing to a l l the reliable a uthorities,
Verses 59-63 of this soorah were revea led i n
t h e yea r 9 AH on t h e occasion of a dialogue
between the Prophet ;.i and a deputation of
the Ch ristians of Naj ra n who, l i ke all other
C h ristians, m ai ntained that Jesus �� was the
'son of God' a nd therefore, 'God Inca rnate:
though they the trial 'th rough
(mubaahalah)
Prophet ;.i
posed to them,
accorded to them
treaty promising all
i r civic rig hts and
e free exercises ·of
i r rel igion.
The G lorious Qur 'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section �

Th is soorah was revea led towa rds the end of the Ma kkan period and
ta kes its title from the fact that sixteen p rophets a re m entioned i n it by name,
with b rief accou nts of pa rts of their history. More space, h owever, is d evoted
to the story of Prophet l braa heem &#II (Verses 5 1 -73). The soorah then ta l ks
of Prophet Loo1 (Verses 74-75). We also get a g l i m pse of Prophet N ooh &#II
i n Verses 76-77. The soorah then goes on to spea k of Prophets Daawood,
Su laymaan, Ayyoob, lsmaa ' eel, l d rees, D h u i-Kifl, Yoonus, Zaka riyyaa and
Yahyaa . We also find a brief mention of Marya m, the Mother of Prophet
' Eesaa (May Al la h's peace and blessi ngs be upon them)
All these p rophets advocated and ta u g ht the sa m e message which
is now fu l ly conta i ned i n the Qur'a n. The soorah then proceeds forward to
spea k of Gog a nd Magog (Ya'jooj a nd Ma'jooj) (Verse 96). Having spoke n
a bout t h e happy people o f Pa radise and t h e wretched o n e s of Hellfi re, the
soorah states:
On that Day We shall roll up the skies as written scrolls are being rolled up, and as We
brought into being the first creation so We shall bring it forth anew - a promise which We
have willed upon Ourselves. I ndeed, We will do it: (Verse 1 04)

The soorah closes with a ca l l to people to u phold tawfleed (Oneness of

Allah), prepare for l ife i n the hereafter and a d here to Alla h's revelation: the
Q u r'a n . I t says,
Say: It is indeed revealed to me that your God is One God; will you then submit? (Verse
1 08)

The Story of Prophet lbraaheem �1: Verses 51 -73

The e pisode na rrated h e re is that of l b ra a h eem's m essage to h i s fathe r
and h is com m u n ity. He said t o h isfatherand his people:'What a rethese i m ag es
to which you a re so devoted ?' (Verse 5 2) The way h e put this q uestion is

(/;8 1 33 �
o<Sfj Section The Glorious Qur '
i n d icative
of his sharp
sense of what is rig ht
�-" and what is wrong. He
gave those stones and forms
thei r correct name 'images� He
did not ca l l them deities, gods
or g oddesses, thus expressing his
disapprova l of their worship. Prophet
l braaheem &#II was g iven a sense of what
is rig ht and considered the action of his
people a bsol utely a bsurd.
His people defended their erroneous
practices by saying, 'We fou nd
forefathers worshipping
them: Thei r a nswer shows
that they were in a stone-li ke
inert state of m i nd that tied
them to senseless trad itions.
They were fa r removed from
freedom of reflection and
thinking. They refused to use
their reason i n g with which
Allah endowed them. Prophet ·���-•..:
l b raa heem &#II said, 'Indeed,
you and you r forefathers have
been in evident error: The act of wors h i p
m ust b e based o n l y on certainty, not on
unfou nded myths.
l braa heem &#II enjoyed a state of
deep fa ith a nd certa inty. He knew h i s Lord,
a nd h i s thoughts were fu l l of the truth of
His Oneness, or tawfleed. He, therefore,
says with certa i nty,
Indeed, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens
�;8 1 3 4
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
and
the earth
who has brought
them into being, and I am
the witness to this truth. (Verse
,.___.,...,..-
56)
H e is the Lord of a l l mankind
as wel l as the Lord of the heavens
and the earth: a single Lord who alone
is the Creator of everything.
l braa heem �� fol l owed this with a n
annou ncement t o his people that he was
intent on doing someth i ng to thei r deities
(Verse 57). But he left h i s i ntent u n clear.
our He, h owever, did what he had i ntended:
He bro ke the idols to pieces-a ll except for
the biggest of them (Verse 58): Th us, the
idols which were the s u bject to worship
were tu rned i nto a heap of sma l l, broken
pieces of wood a nd stones. B ut l braa heem
&#II left the larg est one u ntou ched to see
his people's reaction when they fou nd out
what had ha p pened. l braa heem's people
The Glorious Qur ' (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
came
to the tem p le
to fi nd the utter
'="-'--"
destruction of their idols
except the largest one. They
were fu riou s, and once they knew
that it was l braa heem �� who had
done that, they ordered that he should
be bro u g ht i n sight of all people so that
they m i g ht bear witness. (Verse 6 1 )
When he was bro u g ht before them,
they asked him, 'Was it you who did
this to our gods, l braa h eem?' (Verse 62)
l braa h eem �� replied, 'No, it was this one,
the biggest of them, who did it. Ask them if
they can spea k?' (Verse 63) Conte m pt was
very clea r in h i s answe r. Hence, there is no
need to descri be it as a lie and try to find
some justification for it, as com m entators
on the Qu r'an have done.
l braa h ee m �� simply wa nted to say
to his people: These idols do not know
who broke them to pieces. All of
o/}5 1 35 8::
Section �
them
a r e
inani mate, and
they have no fac u lty of ''--/-"='
recog n ition. Hence, ask them,
if they can spea k!'
This shook them i nto some
sort of reflection, but they soon sa n k
back i nto l ifelessness. At t h i s poi nt,
they resorted to tyra n ny, wh ich also
prevai l s when tyra nts a re l eft speech less.
They resorted to cruelty. They cried, 'Burn
h i m and support you r gods: (Verse 68)
What sort of gods a re these which
need the support of their
worshi ppers? They a re indeed
powerless and helpless.
This ha ppened in a place
known as U r, on the lower
reaches of Euphrates River, not a
h u n d red m i l es from the Ara bian
G u lf. This was one of the crad les
of h u ma n civi lization. Their king
was N i m rod whose capital was in
Assyria, near modern Mosul.
The story goes that they dug
a h uge pit and fi l led it with fi re which was
so i ntense that a b i rd flyi ng over it wou ld
defin itely fa l l dead. l braah eem �� was
th rown i nto it, but he prayed to his Lord:
'Hasbiyyal/aahu was ni' mal wakeel' (Enough
for m e is Allah, a n Excel l ent Trustee).
Almighty Allah � ordered that no
harm wou ld touch him at a l l : 'Fi re, be cool
� Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

and a means of safety for l braa heem: (2 1 :69)
And thus the fi re was cool and a source of
inner peace for l b raaheem �� to enjoy.
Those who compare Allah's actions to
those of h u m a n beings a re those who ask
how this could happen. On the contra ry,
those who understa nd that the two a re widely
different i n both their nature and the mea n s
they e m ploy do not a s k s u c h q uestions. They
do not try to fi nd expla nations, scientific
or otherwise. Alla h's actions can not be
subject to h u m a n sta ndards and can not be
explai ned within the l i mit of human l i m ited
knowledge. This i ncident actua l ly took place
beca use Almighty Allah has power over
everything. King N i m rod and his s u pporters
were destroyed by some d ivine p u n ish ment
Allah i nfl icted on them (Verse 70) . Allah saved
l braa h eem �� from the torture p repared
for h i m while his opponents who schemed
agai nst him were the ones who suffered
the loss. The Qur'an descri bes them as the
'a bsol ute losers:
It was the land of Pa lesti ne to which
l braa h ee m �\, his wife Sara h and his nephew
Loo1, emigrated. Allah gave h i m his son
lshaaq (I ssac) and g randson Ya 'qoob (Jacob)
(Verses 72-73)

Prophet Loot (Lot) �1: Verses 74-75

The story of Prophet Loo1 (Lot) �� is related i n fu l l deta i l

elsewhere in t h e Qur'a n. Here w e have o n ly a bri ef reference to
it, as he emigrated from I raq with his uncle, l braa heem. Loo1 ��
stayed i n the township of Sodom where the people resorted to
revolting practices. They were g u i lty of loathsome, perverted
sexu a l i ndecency, men with m en, open ly, without a ny sense of
shame or g u i lt. Allah poured his punish ment on the town ship
and its people (Verse 74). Allah saved Loo1 and his household
with the exception of his wife. Prophet Loo1 �� is mentioned in
the Qur'a n: Soorat ai-A n ' aam, 6:86; Soorat a/-A 'raaf, 7:80; Soorat
Hood, 1 1 :77; Soorat ai-Hijr, 1 5:61 ; Soorat ai-Anbiyyaa', 2 1 :71 ; Soorat

o/;8 1 3 6
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section �
at-Hajj, 22:43; Soorat ash-Shu' araa', 26:1 6 1 ; Soorat an-Naml, 27:54;
Soorat ai-'Ankaboot, 29:28; Soorat a�-S.aafaat, 37: 1 3 3 a nd Soorat
a/-Qamar, 54:33.
The Qu r'a n mentions that Loo1 �� criticised his people for
seeking women as their l awfu l wives and l usti ng after m en, a
hatefu l i ndecency n ever practised i n com m u n ities before thei rs.
When it beca m e clear that they were beyond convincing and that
they conspired to ba nish him and his household from the city, Allah
� ra i ned u pon them a ra i n of stones and tu rned their dwe l l i ngs
u pside down. The Dead Sea is sti l l cal led Bab_r Loot. Verse 75 closes
Loo1's description declaring:
And We admitted him to Our Mercy. Surely, he was of the righteous.

Prophet Nooh (Noa h ) �\: Verses 76-77

Now follows a similarly s hort reference t o N ooh �� and his

protection.

Again the reference does not provide deta i ls. I t simply

confirms Alla h's response to N ooh when he appealed to H i m.
Prophet N ooh �� l ived at an earlier time than Loot hence the
reference 'long before that:
In Nooh's case, he and his household were also saved with the
exception of h i s wife. As for his people, they were destroyed by the
flood which is described here as 'the g reat ca lam ity'. This flood is
descri bed i n detai l i n Soorat Hood (Soorah 1 1 ).
v<§;f] Section The Glorious Qur'
The Story of Prophet
Daawood (David) '-�'
i�o::J�.I\
Sulaymaan (Solomon)
Verses 78-82
The story of the field over which
Proph ets Daawood and Su laymaan gave
judg m ent is d eta i l ed i n some repo rts that two
men ca m e to Daawood �\, one of them had
a fie ld, or a vineya rd, according to some other
reports, while the other had a flock of sheep.
The field's owner said, 'Th is ma n's sheep
broke i nto my field at nig ht, l eaving it rui ned:
Daawood �� ru led that the owner of the
field should ta ke the sheep i n compensation
for his wasted crops. The s heep's owner then
passed by S u laymaan �� and tol d h i m of
Daawood's judgment. Su laymaan �� went
to his father a nd said, 'Prophet of Allah, you
should have judged d ifferently: Daawood
asked h i m, 'How should I j udge?' Su laymaan
rep l ied: 'Give the sheep to the field's owner
to benefit by them and give the field to the
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
sheep's owner to tend u ntil it is retu rned to
its original condition. Then each man retu rns
and
to the other his property. Th u s the fiel d's
'-!'
� �\\ •· owner will get his field and the sheep's owner
his sheep: Daawood �� confi rmed that that
was the rig ht judg ment and ordered it to be
carried out.
I n fact, both Daawood and S u l aymaa n
judged according to their own discretion,
but Allah � was observi ng thei r j udg ment.
He inspired Su laymaa n �� to give the verd ict
that was fa i rer. Daawood's judg m ent aimed
to compensate the field's owner for the
da mage done to h i m, which esta blished
justice. But Su laymaa n's j udgment added to
justice a constructive d i mension. It
was given by A l la h's inspiration.
It is sign ificant to rea l ize
that although Su laymaan
�� has been pra ised
here, Daawood is not
censored. I t is possible
that the va l u e of the flock
was equal to the damage
done to the crop and so
Daawood �� judged that they
be g iven away i n com pensation.
Th us, both judgments were correct. The
fact that Su laymaa n's j udgment was more
profound d id not disprove the i n herent
justice of Daawood's orig inal judg ment or
deprive it of its merit.
The soorah then moves on to di splay
what was given specifica l ly to each of these
prophets (Verses 79-82).
Daawood �� was fa mous for his Psa l ms.
The Psa lms were actua l ly hym ns wh ich h e
recited i n h i s m elodious voice. The words
used here a re ma'a Daawood (along with
o/55 1 3 8
The Glorious Qur' (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Daawood). I n other words, the mou ntains
and the birds, a l ong with Daawood, were
made subm issive and compl iant. As a result,
the mountains and the birds together with
Daawood cel ebrated the g lory of Allah.
The poi nt which emerges from these
verses is that when Prophet Daawood �� was
reciting his hym ns, the mounta i ns echoed
with his loud, m elodious voice, ca using the
birds to suspend thei r fl i g ht just as if his
voice had cast a spel l u pon them. When a
human being feels thei r bond with Allah
a l ive i n his heart, they feel that the e ntire
un iverse responds to them. All barriers and
i m pedi ments separating different ki nds of
creatu res a re thus removed.
�� who i nvented coats of m a i l, as A l l a h
Those who understa nd such praise
a re actua l ly those who shed a l l ba rriers
a nd separations. They a re those who turn
�� this s k i l l so as to p rotect them in wa rtime.
to Allah, their Creator. This notion is fu rther
The case of S u l aymaan �� was even g reater
borne out by the b..adeeth reported by ai­
Bukhaaree which states that the Prophet
� once h eard Abu Moosaa ai-As h ' a ree 4)0,
who had a n exceptiona l ly m elodious voice,
reciting the Qu r'a n, and he said to him, 'You
have been given a bea utifu l voice l i ke the
bea utifu l voices of the fa m i ly of Daawood:
Thus, one can i ma g i ne the power a nd bea uty
of Daawood's melodies, if Abu
Moosaa's was of such
order that the
Prophet :I
stood by to
l isten.
Section 'Wo
It is im portant to note here, however,
that the word mizmaar, which l itera l ly means
'fl ute' a nd which the Prophet � used to refer
to the voice of Prophet Daawood �� when
he recited the Zaboor simply mea ns voice,
and not a fl ute, for Islam makes m usical
i nstruments strictly forbidden, and Prophet
Daawood �� did not have a fl ute at a l l .
T h e Qur'a n now proceeds to ta l k of yet
another special g ift Allah � gave Prophet
Daawood �1:
And We taught him the fashioning of the coats
of mail for your benefit to protect you from each
other's violence. Will you be grateful?' (Verse 80)
Th is clea rly s h ows that it wa s Daawood
i nstructed h i m t o d o . A l l a h t� rem inds
peo ple of H i s favo u r i n teac h i n g Daawood
(Verses 8 1 -82). The Q u r'a nic text here
states that winds i n their stormy co nd itions
were made s u bservient to S u laymaan,
movi n g at his bidd i ng to the land which
A l l a h � bl essed, which was Pa l estine. Th is
i s obvi o usly a n a l l u sion to the fleets of
sai l i n g s h i ps w h ic h bro u g ht u ntold riches to
Pal esti n e (the l a n d which A l l a h has blessed)
and made S u l aymaa n's wea lth
prove rbial. The wind
was di rected, by
A l l a h's w i l l, to
the b l essed
land in
a
lastin
eac

/}5 1 3 9
O<$fj Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

way. How? It is Alla h's will that controls the
laws of nature a nd sets them i n motion.
What we know of the laws operating in
the u n iverse is very littl e. 'It is We who have
knowledge of everything: (Verse 8 1 ) It
should be remem bered that there is noth ing
difficult for Allah when He wills to have it
done or put in place, rega rd less of whether
or not it is fa m i l i a r to m a n kind. U n l i ke human
knowledge, Alla h's knowledge is perfect and
com p l ete.
The sa m e applies to making the }inn
su bservient to Su laymaan such that they
dived i nto the depths of the sea or deep i nto
the earth to bring h i m some of its riches or
to pe rform other tasks. The use of the wo rd
shayaat.een i n place of }inn conta i n s the h i n t
t h a t they were u n believi ng }inn. It w a s from
among these }inn that Allah � assig n ed
some to Su laymaan �� to dive i n the sea
a n d obey h i m . M oreover, A l l a h � kept watch
over them so that they wou l d not escape or
re bel (Verse 82) . A l l a h � tested Daawood
and Su laym aan. Daawood was tested i n
connection with t h e a d m i n i stration of
justice, while Su l aymaa n's test i nvolved vast
wea lth and kingdom. B ut they rem a i ned
g ratefu l to A l l a h for His favou rs.

A Test of Hardsh i p for Prophet Ayyoo b �\ :

Verses 83-84
The soorah now provides us with the i l l u stration of Prophet
Ayyoob (Job) �� whose story is one of the fi n est that centres on a test.
Qur'a nic texts mentioning Ayyoob �� only spea k in genera l terms,
g iving few deta i ls. I n this particular place (Verses 83-84), the soorah
mentions Ayyoob's supplication and Alla h's response. Th is is because
the overa l l atmosphere of the soorah is one of g race bestowed from
Allah on His Prophets and the care He took of them when He tested
them. Th is applies in a l l test situations, including rejection by their
peoples, as with l braa heem, Loot a nd N oah; power and wea lth as with
Daawood and Su laymaan; or affl iction as with Ayyoob.
Ayyoob's su ppl ication here does not go beyond descri bing his
cond ition and emphasizing Alla h's attributes of mercy (Ve rse 83).

o/;8 1 40
The Glorious Qur'an '� .:: t ailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
He does not a ppeal for his condition to be
changed beca u se he wa nts to rema i n patient
in hardship. Nor does he suggest a nything to
his Lord. His is an attitude of perfect h u m i lity
before H i m . Th u s, He is Alla h's idea l servant:
neither pa nicking in a cond ition of affl iction
nor expressing fru stration at the hardship
he suffers. Although he u ndergoes a test of
h ighest severity, h e does not pray to Allah
to remove his h a rdship. Th us, he l eaves the
matter entirely to the will of Allah �. He is
fu l ly awa re that his Lord knows his cond ition
and does not need his prayer. It is i m portant
to note that there a re va rious reports a bout
what happened to Ayyoob �1, some of
which a re clearly exaggerated. Some i ndicate
that he suffered an i l l ness that made people
ru n away from him, u na ble to look at him.
This is i ndeed contra ry to what a prophet of
Allah is l i ke. What the Qur'a nic texts suggest,
however, is that he suffe red hardship with in
h i mself and within his fa m i ly, a nd this is
enough of a test for a nyone.
There is a lso m u ch controversy
surrounding who Ayyoob �� was, when
he l ived, and to which nation he belonged.
Present-day researchers adva nce a va riety of
views. Some consider h i m to be a n Israel ite,
some an Egyptian, while yet others regard
h i m as a n Arab. Some a re of the opin ion
that he l ived at a time which preceded that
Section 'Wo
of Prophet Moosaa &#.\1, others that he was
a contem pora ry of Prophets Daawood and
Su laymaan, and sti l l others that he belonged
to an even later period.
In short, Prophet Ayyoob �� supplicated :
'Affl iction has seized me, but You a re the
Most Mercifu l of the merciful: (Verse 83)
The supplication is ma rked by the u n usual
sublimity and refi nement. He g ives no vent to
com plaint expresses no desire to be fu lfilled,
nor a ny demand to be met. However, the
briefness of the expression renders the
state ment very powerfu l and very rich in
m ea n i ng. The situation seems similar to that
of a dignified self-respecting person who,
long affected by sta rvation happens to m eet
someone who is generous, and to whom he
merely says, 'l a m extremely h u ng ry, and you
a re ki nd and generous:
Ayyoob's suppl ication was instantly
answered. H is test was over. His personal
affl iction was lifted and his health was
restored. He achieved com plete recovery,
l eavi ng no trace of affl iction. The affl iction
concerned his fa m i ly was a lso l ifted. Allah �
blessed h i m with many children and restored
to h i m h is former prosperity. B ut a l l this was
'a n act of grace from Allah: beca use every
blessing is an act of Alla h's g race a nyway. The
test to which Ayyoob &#.\1 was put provides
a n exa m ple for a l l mankind, and his patient
v<Sf] Section The Glorious Qur' (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

endura nce sets a model for a l l to fol l ow. It
is possible that some people m ig ht m iss
the su btlety of Ayyoob's supplication. An
i l l u strative example from the early Muslims
might help. A woman co m plai n ed to Sa ' d
b i n M u 'aadh � that h e r h ou se h a d no m ice.
Sa ' d i m m ediately rea l ized what sort of
hardship the woman was u ndergoi ng, and so
he ordered that she be supplied with good
amount of bread, butter and meat.

The soorah then refe rs ve ry briefl y to t h ree

other p ro p h ets, n a m e l y l s m a a ' ee l, l d rees a n d
D h u i- Kifl. Ag a i n with a l l the t h ree t h e q u a l ity of
patience i n h a rd s h i p is h i g h l i g hted. l s m a a ' ee l ��
d i s p l ayed h i s patience when h e was req u ested
to s u b m it h i m self fo r sacrifice at t h e h a n d s of h i s
fat h e r l braa h e e m �1 . A s fo r l d rees �1, w e know
n ot h i n g a bo u t h i s t i m e or where h e l ived. H e was
a Pro p h et of A l l a h and h e d i s p l ayed patie n ce that
m e rited a reco rd i n A l l a h's Book - the G l orious
Q u r'a n . D h u i -Kifl is a l so u n known. We ca n n ot
determ i n e fo r s u re w h e re or w h e n h e l ived . The
Q u r'a n i c text h e re is suffici ent to c red it h i m with
b e i n g pat ient i n adversity, a h i g h ly rewa rd i n g
q u a l ity.

� 1 42 ,
The Glorious Qur' (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) section Wo
Prophet Yoonus (Jonah) �1 : Verses 87-88

We have d rawn wo u l d
now a brief be thrown i nto
o utl ine of the the sea in order
story of Prophet to l i g hten the
Yoo n u s (Jonah) loads.
�1. Th is story is, W h e n
however, given they d rew
i n some more the lots, the
deta i l in Soorat name of Jonah
a :L- s_a a f a a t , a ppea red, so
(Soorah 37). they did not
Prophet Yoonus want to th row
�� was ca l l ed him as they
'Dhun-Noon, which l itera l ly m ea n s 'the man knew of his piety. They repeated the d raw,
of the fish' beca use he was swa l l owed by a and h i s n a m e was again d rawn the second
whale a n d then th rown out. He was sent to time. He was to be th rown i n the sea, as it
the people of N i n eveh i n Mosul, I raq, and was a l ready d ecreed fo r h i m .
he cal led them to believe i n A l l a h , but they H e was swa l l owed b y a whale. I n the
rejected h i m a n d his m essage. By way of depth of darkn ess, he cried to Allah and
reaction to their obsti nacy, h e left that pl ace confessed his wea kness, Allah � forgave
i n a ng e r and fo u n d h i mself someti m e later by h i m a n d so he was cast ashore and was g ive n
the sea where he saw a laden s h i p whiCh he sh elter of a plant i n the state of h i s m e ntal
boa rded. However, the ship sta rted jerking and physica l agony. He was refres hed and
and swayi ng ove r the h ug e waves after it strength ened, a n d the work of h i s m i ssion
had sai led fo r some d ista nce. It wa s a bout to prospered. The fo rg iveness h e asked was for
s i n k and the crew a n d passengers co nsu lted the error i n judg m ent a n d n ot fo r a ny sin.
each other rega rd i n g what to do n ext. They I ndeed, the story of Yoonus �� provides
eventually agreed to cast lots with a l l the a good exa m ple to reflect upon. His retu rning
trave l l ers' n a m es. Those whose name was to his Lord and admission of his error provide
oW Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

a good lesson . Moreover, the mercy that Allah
showed h i m by answeri ng his suppl ication
he add ressed through the manifold da rkness
gives us great hope: 'Th us do We del ive r those
who have fa ith: (Verse 88)
The soorah now g ives a q u ic k reference
to Zaa ka riyyaa �� a n d his son Yahyaa
�1, u nderl i ning how A l l a h � res ponded
to Zaa ka riyyaa and a nswered his p rayers
(Ve rses 89-90) . The story of Yahyaa's birth is
g iven i n deta i l i n Soorat Aal-' lmraan, 3-38-
41 . Here it is g iven very b riefly to fit the
atmos ph ere of the soorah. It beg i n s with
Zaa ka riyyaa's s u p p l icati on for a s u ccessor to
ta ke ca re of the sanctuary. He was in charg e
of t h e sa nctu a ry where t h e I s rae l ites offered
their wors h i p before Pro p h et ' Eesaa's birth.
The a n swe r to his p rayer was swift and
d i rect. H i s wife was ba rre n . The soorah o m its
a l l d eta i l s to give us the u l ti mate res ult of
Alla h's respo nse to Zaa ka riyyaa's prayer.
Final ly, M a ryam $ is m entioned a l ong
with h e r son (Ve rse 9 1 ). It is signifi ca nt to
note that M a rya m � is not m entioned by
name beca use the m a i n reference in the
chain of proph ets is to her son. Reference
is made to h e r m a i n q ua l ity. She is the one
'who g ua rded her chastity'.
After m a k i n g brief refe rences to va rious
prophets, the soorah u ltimately g ives a fi na l
com ment:
Su rely, you r rel igion is but one religion, and I am
you r only Lord, so worship M e alone. (Verse 90)
core of this re l i g i o n is that the One True G od,
A l m ig hty Al l a h , is the Lo rd of all mankind
a n d He a l o n e should be wors h i p ped.
Those re ligi ons, which emerged l ater
i n h i story, a re a l l d istortions of t h i s one,
true original rel i gion. Some elements of
this orig i na l rel igion were taken over by a
part i c u l a r creed, wh i l e other eleme nts were
taken over by yet d iffe rent creeds with a
g reat many i nvocati ons added l ater. These
d isto rtions have g iven rise to a m u ltipl icity
of rel igions. The prophets were not the
fo u n d ers of these different rel ig ions. Alla h's
Proph ets ca l l ed people to e m b race o n ly the
on e, true rel ig ion and to serve o n ly the One,
True G od-A l l a h . The soorah warns:
So whoever does righteous deeds while he is a
believer - no denial wil l there be for his effort, and
indeed We record it in his book of deeds. (Verse
94)

Th u s a l l the prophets had the sa m e

rel ig ion a n d came with t h e same m essage,
na mely to ca l l peo ple to the wo rs h i p of A l l a h
a l o n e without a ny partners. N o one d eserves
to be wo rs h i p ped except H i m . A l l the
prophets ca l l ed people to one rel igion. The

,y;g 1 44 \.
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
A l l d eeds based on fa ith a re recorded
with A l l a h � who n ever l oses sig ht of
a nyt h i ng. Th u s, fa ith (eemaan) is the centra l
basis of l ife. The Q u r'an always associates
fa ith with good d eeds whe never it m entions
deeds and their rewa rd s. The Q u r'a n now
sou nds a genera l note: whenever A l l a h
con signs a co m m u n ity t o d estruction, He
does it not beca use of its peo ple's occasional
lapses, but o n ly beca use their ways are
too bad to be corrected or c u red, s howi ng
conscious u nwi l l i ng ness to a bandon their
sinfu l ways (Verse 95) . They wi l l retu rn to
A l l a h fo r fi na l J u dg e ment.
The soorah now presents a sce ne of the
Day of Resu rrectio n . I t begins with a sign
that signals its a p p roach. Th is sign is the
ope n i n g of the gates for Gog a n d Magog.
Who are they? They have not been identified,
but they a re the p rogeny of Aad a m �1.
«;8 1 45 8:)0
Section . �
Where a re they now? Th is is a lso not certa i n .
However, many scholars hold that they are
somewhere behind the Ca u casia n region
of Central Asia. They a re behind a barrier
which they a re u n a b l e to brea k. Acco rd i n g
t o some repo rts, they wi l l b e a b l e t o brea k
the ba rrier only after the second coming of
Pro p h et ' Eesaa �\, towa rd s the end of this
worl d. The actual identity of Gog and Magog
rem a i ns, h owever, a theme u pon which the
Qu r'an does not ela borate.
The soorah then pronou n ces the eterna l
truth:
I ndeed, you [disbel ievers] and what you worship
other than Allah will be the fuel of Hel lfire. (Verse
98)
The soorah then p roceeds to d escri be
them actually in Hell, depicting their a bode
and their condition in it. (Verses 99-1 00)
The since re, devo ut believers, on the
other hand, wi l l be spared all this h a rdship
beca use they have been p ro m i sed a n etern a l
b l issfu l l ife i n t h e hereafter (Verses 1 0 1 - 1 02).
They w i l l be wa rmly received by the a ngels
(Verse 1 03). The scene now d raws to a close.
The heavens wi l l be fo lded up and the
j u d g m ent wi l l be over. The u n iverse known
to people wi l l have no fu rther fu nction to
perform. (Verse 1 04) .
Thus it ca n be n oticed here that the
Qu r'a n i c d escri ption of the end of the world
rad ically d iffe rs from what scientists s u p pose.
They o n ce bel i eved and the g reat m ajority
of people sti l l hold the same opin ion that
the wo rld beg a n with the Big Bang and wi l l
e n d u p with a B i g Crunch or G rind.
The latest findings indicate that the
expansion of the un iverse from all sides is not
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
slowi ng down, but in fact, it a ppears to be
speed ing up. This has put the scientists i nto
confu sion a bout how the world is l i ke ly to
end.
Gra nted that the older theory is correct
and that the world begins to contract
backward, it is l i kely to end in a ball a nd not
in the shape of a scroll - the kind that was
used for writi ng purposes in a ncient ti mes.
Th u s, both ways, the scientific theories are at
va riance with the Qur'an .
The expression az-Za boor, which l itera l ly
means 'scriptu re' or 'book: denotes a ny book
of wisdom (Verse 1 OS). Hence, it refers to a ny
and a l l the d ivi ne scriptures revealed by Allah
to the prophets. I n this, there is a m essage for
people who wors h i p A l l a h . (Verse 1 06)
'AndWe h ave notse ntyo u [O M uha m mad]
but as mercy to the worlds: (Verses 1 07): I n
what sense i s Prophet M uha m mad � a mercy
to the worlds comprising of the believers as
wel l as the u n believers? One answer is that
un bel ieving nations p revious to h i m were
destroyed while their i m m ed iate destruction
was u pheld d u ring his time beca use of
h i m . Another a nswer is that the teach ings
of a l l the previous prophets gave a place of
prominence to mora l laws that hel ped the
earlier nations organ ize their l ives on those
o(8 1 46 8)o
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
grou nds. The Prophet � perfected the noble
q u a l ities of character. Since then the world
has borrowed from its p revious nations as
wel l as this n ew source which was perfected
by Prophet M uha m mad ;i. Conseq uently,
va rious nations of the world have been
a b l e to organ ize thei r l ives better than the
ignorant nations of the past although they
wou l d not l i ke to admit it. Another aspect is
the u n iversa l ity of the Prophet's message and
the fact that it will last till the end of the world,
affecti ng a large n u m ber of people, which is a
mercy to a l l m a n kind.
The u n iversal ity of the m essage the
Prophet � bro u g ht a rises from three factors:
(1 ) the Qu r'a n a ppea ls to a l l mankind
irrespective of descent, race or cultura l
environ ment; ( 2 ) i t a ppea ls exc l usively to
people's reason; and (3) it has remained
entirely uncha nged i n its wording since its
revelation more than fou rteen centuries ago,
and it wi l l certa i n ly rem a i n so till the end of
the world, as the Qu r'a n m a kes it crysta l clear.
Having h i g h l i g hted the aspect of m ercy,
the soorah states a com mand g iven by Allah �
to H i s Messenger �: the com mand to wors h i p
t h e One, true God-Allah. (Verse 1 08) Th is is
the m ost essential element of m ercy i n the
m essage of Islam.
The Glorious Qur'a n (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section �
so ora t 0/-QQ
�OS (th
-- e Stories,

The story of Prophet The soorah opens with the disjoi nted

Moosaa (Moses) ��
letters. They a re referred to as a/-muqatta'aat,
or occasiona l ly a/-fawaatifl (the openings),
beca u se they appear at the beg inn ing of the
Soorat ai-Qa�a� (the Stories) consists
relevant soorahs. About one q ua rter of the
of 88 verses. About one-half of the soorah
Qur'a n i c soorahs a re preceded by mysterious
is devoted to the story of Prophet M oosaa
letter-sym bols ca l led al-muqatta'aat. Out of
�1. It is rema rka ble to note that most of this
twenty-eight l etters of the Arabic a l p h a bet,
story depicts the purely h u ma n side of his
exactly one-ha lf - that is, fou rteen, occur
l ife, that is to say, i m pu lses, perplexities and
in this position, either singly or i n va ryi ng
errors which a re part of the human cond ition
com b i nations of two, three or five letters.
as such. In fact, the Qur'a n stresses these
They a re always pronounced sing ly, by their
aspects in order to n egate any possible
na mes and not as mere sounds - thus: a/if,
tendency on the part of the pious to attri bute
/aam, meem, raa, seen, meem, etc.
'superhuman' or, as a last resort, sem i-divine
The significa nce of these letter-symbols
qualities to Alla h's Prophets.
has perplexed the Qu r'a n com m entators
The presentation of M oosaa's story i n
from the earliest ti m es. There is no evidence
this soorah beg ins with h i s birth. N owhere
of the Prophet � havi ng ever referred to them
e lse in the Qu r'a n has h is story sta rted from
in a ny of his recorded statem ents, nor of a ny
this poi nt, although his stories a re spread
of his Companions havi n g ever asked h i m for
over seve ra l soorahs in the Qur'a n.
a n explanation rega rding them. Hence, the
The soorah ta kes its title from verse 25
m ea n ings of these l etters a re known to Allah
where the phrase 'wa qassa ' alayhi/-qa�asg_'
a lone. This m a kes it clea r that the meani ngs
occurs. Literal ly, the verb qassa means to relate
of these letters i n the Qu r'an have been
events in a proper sequence. Th us, from
hidden from a l l m a n kind as a trial
a lexical point of view, the word
Allah M ost H ig h, and
suitably d escri bes this soorah
si nce it relates, i n d eta il, the
bel iever better
story of Prophet Moosaa
than his
�\.

o(;8 1 47 8)o
0<$($ Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

the U nseen. For a detailed d iscussion on the else. It is this very beg i n n i ng, deta i ling the
topic of the disjoi nted letters, refer to Towards d ifferent cond itions i n which Moosaa ��

Understanding Our Religion by Jamaal a l-Oin was born, helpless among a people who
M. Zara bozo. had long been persecuted and h u m i l iated
This soorah was revea led in Makkah, by Pharaoh, that serves as the m a i n theme
at a time when the M uslims were a small of the soorah. It reveals d ivine will worki ng
m i nority without power, while the idolaters open ly, stri kes d i rectly at the root of cruelty
were in fu l l control of power, wea lth, position and i njustice and lends support and power
and a uthority. In that context, the soorah to the oppressed. Th is is a thought that the
esta blis hed the true sta ndard of power and sma l l and powerless M uslim Com m u n ity in
va l u es. I t clearly stated that there is only One Ma kka h needed to fu l ly understa nd. It was
True Power i n the u n iverse that is Alla h's, and eq ually i m portant that the powerfu l majority
that there is only one true va l ue, that is faith of Ma kka h be made wel l awa re of it too. Every
(eemaan) . Whoever enjoys Alla h's su pport story na rrated in the Qu r'a n is told in the way
does not need to fea r a nyone or anything that best serves its objective of the soorah
even though they may be l acki ng materia l i n which it occu rs. It is a means to educate
power. people.
The soorah begins with three d isjoi nted The episodes of Moosaa's story that
letters, namely tao, seen, meem and declares a re descri bed here a re those of his birth in
that 'th ese a re verses of the Book that ma kes u n usual difficult conditions and how Allah �
things clea r' (Verses 1 -2). Its verses are of took care of h i m . It also depicts his youth and
g reatly su perior q u a l ity and a re of m uch fi ner the wisdom and knowledge with which Allah
i m port, for no one can produce someth ing endowed h i m and covers the events that took
similar to them. place: h ow he killed an Egyptian, left Egypt
The soorah then relates the story of after learning a bout a plot agai nst his life, his
Moosaa �� and Fir'awn (Pharaoh), rig ht ma rriage in the land of Madya n (Med ian) and
from its very fi rst moment, when Moosaa �� the time he spent there. It then m oves on to
was born. ta l k about
Although his being
M o o s a a 's ca l led by
story is Allah and
narrated in g iven His
many other m essage;
s o o ra h s , t h e
it is never encou nter
told from w t h
the very P h a ra o h
b eg i n n i n g a nd his
a ny w h e re courtiers

o(8 1 48 8:)o
The Glorious Qu r'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section 'Wo
and how they rejected both Moosaa �� a ltogether. Pharaoh and the Egyptians
and Haaroon (Aa ron); a nd u lti mately a brief believed that they were the people of the
refe rence to Pharaoh's end. land and that Egypt belonged to them. Some
Fol lowing the Qur'a nic style, the story of them considered Yoosuf �� a foreigner
is actually na rrated in a series of scenes. I n who had come from Palestine. When he
fact, the reader does not m iss a nything of was p u rc hased by the ' Azeez of Egypt, they
the events and images that a re not shown thought it was not rig ht for a foreigner to
between scenes. When the Pharaoh of this have ruled Egypt. The pharaohs ca me to the
story too k authority, he d ivided the people throne of Egypt, and they bore a deep hatred
of Egypt i nto castes or sects. This refers to the towards the Israel ites. Then a particu lar
division of people i nto high and low-born: a tyra n n ica l man beca me the king. He thought
division which the Qur'a n utterly condem ns. that his people, the Copts, were one race and
The Pharaoh gave more rig hts and powers the Israel ites a nother. The Copts were a kingly
to some while he enslaved, crushed and race, created to rule, while the Israel ites were
exploited others. a race of slaves, created to serve.
The Children of lsraa'eel were the most He was an a rrogant tyra nt who believed
oppressed gro u p d u ring his ru l e. They had that no one was higher than him. He did not
been placed on the lowest rung of the believe in Allah. He used to say: 'I am you r
Egyptian social sca le a nd were deprived of lord M ost H i g h : (Soorat an-naazi' aat, 79:24)
almost all h u m a n rig hts. (Verse 4) He cal led on people to wors h i p h i m a nd
'Ch i l d ren of lsraa'eel' is the national prostrate themselves before him.
desig nation of the Jews. lsraa'eel was the In the meantime a Coptic
name borne by their ancestor Ya ' qoob priest went to Pharaoh and
(Jacob), the father of the 'twelve tri bes: a son i nformed him: 'A child
of lshaaq (Isaac) a nd a g ra ndson of Prophet wi l l be born a mong the
l braa heem as wel l as the father of Prophet I srael ites, at whose
Yoosuf. They had come to Egypt d u ring the hands you r kingdom
time of Prophet Yoosuf. It was Yoosuf �� who wi l l be destroyed:
brought his father Ya ' qoob (lsraa'eel) and his P h a r a o h
b rothers to Egypt where they lived for severa l beca me mad with
generations a nd, thus, h a d become a large rage. He ordered
com m u n ity. his g u a rds to kill
They fol l owed a d ifferent rel igion, every newborn
d ifferent from the one the P haraoh a nd his boy of the
people fol lowed. Despite all the d istortions I s ra e l ites.
that had crept i nto their fa ith, they sti l l The tyrant
retained their belief i n One God-Allah felt that the
and rejected Pharaoh's cla i m to be a god. presence
In fact, they rejected Pharaoh's polytheism of this

o/;8 1 49 �
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
com m u n ity posed a threat to his throne.
They were i n large n u m bers, a m o u nting to
h u n d reds of thousands. He, therefore, hit
upon a devi lish plan to foresta l l the danger he
faced from such a com m u nity which did not
recog n ize h i m as their god. H is plan i nvo lved
putting them to do the h a rdest and most
dangerous of works, there by maki n g sure
their suffering conti nued. Above a l l, he killed
their male children at birth but spa red their
female offspring. He even a ppoi nted birth
attendants to i nform him of what c h i ld ren
were born to the I srael ites, i n this way making
sure of the ki l l i ng of a l l newborn ma les. It was
in such conditions that Moosaa �� was born .
(Verse 4).
Allah � wa nted what Pharaoh fea red
and had been wa rned a bout to ta ke place.
The child that Allah � had destined to
destroy Pharaoh's kingdom and to bring
people out of da rkness i nto l ig ht, out of idol­
worship into the wors h i p of Allah, was born.
The soorah asserts:
It was Our will to favou r those who were
oppressed in the land to make them leaders,
to bestow on them a noble heritage and to give
them power in the land (Verses S-6).
Haamaan, who is mentioned
several times i n the Qu r'a n, was
Pharaoh's c h ief adviser. We can
assume that he occupied a position
eq u iva lent to that of a Pri me
Minister. We a re shown here
how Alla h's will comes to pass
and that whatever he decrees
defin itely ta kes place. Moosaa
�� was born u nder very d ifficult
circumsta nces. We a l most see
the sword being taken out of
if;J 1 5 0
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
its sheath to cut his throat. His mother was
worried. She fea red that the news of h i s birth
m i g ht reach the cruel P ha raoh.
At his poi nt Alla h's assistance came to
the worried mother a nd Allah � inspired
her as to what to do (Verse 7). A caring
mother suckling her child was told to cast
him into the river if she fea red h i s life. She
was, however, told not to g rieve for him, as
he wou l d be under the care of the One who
provides all secu rity and drives away a l l fea r.
The term used i n Verse 7 is awflaynaa. The
revelation was not the kind which is sent to
Alla h's Messengers.
It was rather inspiration placed in the
hea rt. In this short verse, Allah � mentioned
two commands, two prohi bitions and two
promises; two commands: suckle h i m and
cast h i m into the river; two prohi bitions: fea r
not and grieve not; and two promises: We
shall restore h i m and make him a messenger.
These words constitute a great
consolation for the early M uslims who were
being hou nded and persecuted by the
Ma kka n pagans, giving them confidence
and hope i n the future. 'Pharaoh's household
picked h i m u p: (Verse 8) The a l l u sion by the
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
words 'Pharaoh's household' is to the slave­
g i rls of Pharaoh's wife who were bath i n g i n
the N i le. Another opin ion is that Pharaoh and
his cou rtiers used to assemble i n the even ings
at the bank of the River Nile with Aasiya h
(Fir' awn's wife) at his side. It is his courtiers
who had picked u p the casket. The objective
beh ind del ivering the child to Pharaoh is also
clearly stated: so i n time he would become a n
enemy t o them and a sou rce o f grief: (Verse 8)
It is i m portant to note that in keeping
with the practice of killing off all male i nfants
of the I srael ites, P h araoh wished to do away
with M oosaa �� too, having recogn ized
h i m as of I srael ite origin. But his wife a rg ued
h i m out of his i ntention. The turn of events
proved her words true. Moosaa �� benefited
from Aasiya h who believed in h i m when h e
returned from Madyan as a messenger. But
Pharaoh refused to bel i eve in him and was
u ltimately drowned. What a bout h i s mother
though? She did as she was told a nd th rew
Section �
her child i nto the river. The soorah portrays
a tel l i n g picture of a d istressed mother's
anxious heart. The heart of M oosaa's mother
beca me 'void' and 'em pty of a l l else'. Anyon e
w h o lost a dear one knows wel l what it feels
l i ke i n the hea rt for the fi rst few days: it is as
if there is a void where the heart used to be,
or, as if with i n the heart there is a place that
is vaca nt (Verse 1 0). Her heart beca me em pty
of everything except Moosaa's remem bra nce.
She could not t h i n k of a nyth ing except h i m .
B u t Allah strengthened her heart and gave
her added strength to dea l with this very
d ifficult situation.
She asked her daug hter to follow the
child i n his casket floati ng along the river.
The g i rl d i d as instructed, seeking to esta blish
what happened to her baby brother. 'She
saw h i m from a dista nce, while they were
unaware: (Verse 1 1 ) She spotted Moosaa ��
from a distance while he was being picked u p
though they d i d not perceive her at a l l .

Here w e o bserve t e working o f Alla h's w I I com pleti ng its scheme

to defeat Pharaoh. It bro u g ht the baby to them, and they picked h i m
u p from t h e river. Above a l l, they were m a d e to love h i m from the
very fi rst moment. Allah's scheme then caused Moosaa �� to refuse
all n u rses' breasts, and thus they looked for a s uckl ing m other for h i m .
H i s sister carefu lly a pproached t h e m and said: 'Sha l l I direct you t o a
fa m i ly who m i g ht ta ke care of h i m with utter sincerity?' (Verse 1 2)
This shows that after her brother entered the palace, she d i d not
g o home but remained close by. M oreover, as soon as she fou nd out
that the child was not s uckl ing from a nyon e a nd that the Quee n was
in search of a n u rse, she went strai g ht i nto the palace a n d told them
that she knew a nurse who would bring up the child with care a n d
utter si ncerity. They were delig hted with what s h e said and the
baby was restored to his mother.

01).? 1 5 1
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
The resu lt of Alla h's scheme was that
Moosaa �� was bro u g ht u p by his own
mother, in his own h ouse, among h i s own
relatives. This u p bri nging made h i m grow
i nto an I srael ite, rather than a member of the
Pharaoh's nation. I t should be remem bered
that i n a ncient times the nobles did not ra ise
their children themselves but gave them over
to n u rses who wou ld ta ke them to thei r own
homes and ra ise them. The Prophet :1; was
hi mself ra ised by Haleemah as-Sa'd iyya h
outside the city, i n the open expanse of the
desert. The same custom preva i led i n Egypt.
Why did Moosaa's sister not say that she
wou l d bring a g ood n u rse but sim p ly said
that she co uld direct them to a com petent
n u rse who wou l d do a good job of looking
after the child, and would t h us bring h i m up
with care and tendern ess? Indeed, Alla h's
plans a re wonderfu l.
The soorah does not tel l us anything
about the many years that sepa rate its fi rst
two events, namely, M oosaa's birth and
rescue a nd the second s howi ng h i m as a
mature adult i n his pri me. We do not know
what happened after he was restored to his
mother for suckli ng, h ow h e was b rought up
i n Pharaoh's palace, what sort of relation he
had with his rea l mother after he was wea ned
and what position he had i n the palace or
outside it as he g rew u p. The soorah is silent
on a l l these poi nts.
The soorah now presents Moosaa �� as
a fu lly mature man endowed with wisdom
and knowledge (Verse 1 4). Th is piece of
information is followed by the rema rk: 'Th us
do we reward those who do good: Th is
suggests that he did wel l, and Allah rewa rded
him with superior knowledge and wisdom.
o/}5 1 5 2
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
We are told: 'Once h e entered the city
at a time when its people were i nattentive:
(Verse 1 5) The words 'entered the city'
seem to suggest that the royal palaces
were outside the c ity. Since Moosaa ��
l ived i n one of these palaces, it was q uite
a ppropriate to say that he 'entered the citl
It was perhaps midday. The markets were
closed and so there were not a ny people
a ro u n d i n the streets.
Anyway, h owever, 'he found there
two men fi g hting: One of these two was a n
Egyptian, said to belong t o Pharaoh's staff,
the other was a n I srael ite who appealed to
h i m for help agai nst their Egyptian e nemy
whom Moosaa �� struck with his fist: (Verse
1 5) The Ara bic verb 'wakaza' ind icates a
punch delivered with ful l strength of one's
a rm. But that caused h is death. Moosaa �\,
h owever, did not want to kill the Egyptian.
H is action was the result of anger, and anger
is a devil or part of what Satan plots. That is
why M oosaa �� said, 'Th is is Satan's doing.
I nd eed, he i s a plain, m isleading enemy:
M oosaa �� was fi l led with regret and turned
to Allah in repentance. That is the way of all
the prophets. Allah � turned to M oosaa
�� because he had not meant to ki l l the
Copt. 'So Allah forgave him. He i s i ndeed the
Forgiving, the Mercifu l : (Verse 1 6)
The dead Egyptian was one of
Pharaoh's serva nts, and his death beca m e
the tal k o f the town a n d s o the g uards
sta rted sea rching for the killer. M oosaa ��
was fea rfu l a n d watchfu l. He fea red being
ca u g ht and taken before the tyra nt.
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
The next day,
Moosaa &#:II saw the
same Israel ite in a fight
with another Copt. The
I sraelite again cried to Moosaa
help hi m, but this time Moo sa a &#:II said
&#:\1 to
to him, 'I ndeed, you are clea rly a q uarrelsome
fellow: (Verse 1 8) The man was a pparently
involved in end less quarrels. After scolding
him, Moosaa �� tu rned to restrain the
Copt, and the Israel ite. The Israel ite th inking
that he was going to h it him, cried out and
thus foolishly let out the secret: 'Moosaa, do
you intend to ki l l me as you killed a person
yesterday? You simply want to l ive in the land
as a tyrant, and you do not wa nt to set things
rig ht: (Verse 1 9)
The intervening events are left out,
namely reports carried to Pharaoh that
Moosaa �� was the person who had
kil led the Copt the previous day, and the
discussions among the courtiers as to what
action was to be taken agai nst Moosaa &#\1,
the majority insisting that he be put to death
in reta liation, among other suggestions. Their
decision a lso implies that a lthoug h Moosaa
&#II was broug ht up among the roya ls, he was
never accepted as one of the roya lty or as one
of the Copts whose life was to be spa red for
accidenta lly kil ling one of them.
The next thing we are told about
concerns a man hurryi ng from the farthest
end of the city to warn Moosaa &#II of a plot to
do away with him. He fu rther advised
Moosaa &#II that he should
leave the city to save his
l ife. (Verse 20) This was
o/';)5 1 53
Section �
evidently the work
of Allah. Something
intervenes, at the right
moment, to carry out His wi l l.
Once more we see
Moosaa's natura l and passionate personal ity,
as he reacted to different situations. He
was in fea r, but he was cautious. He directly
appea led to Allah � for help and protection.
He sought His refuge and prayed for His help:
'My Lord, save me from the wrongdoing
people!' (Verse 2 1 ) Moosaa &#II accepted the
advice and insta ntly left the city.
The soorah follows him as he q u ietly
leaves the city, keeping on the alert, alone
with a bsol utely no su pport, except what
he hopes to receive from Allah Most H igh.
But where could Moosaa &#II go when a l l of
Egypt was Pharaoh's Kingdom and Pharaoh's
guards were everywhere? The Qur'an states:
'When he turned his face towa rds Madya n,
he said: I hope that my Lord will guide me to
the rig ht path: (Verse 22)
In those days, Madya n (ca lled Median
in the Bible) was not a part of Pharaoh's
kingdom. I n fact, Egypt did not have control
over the entire Sinai Peninsu la, but only over
its western and southern pa rts. That is why
Moosaa &#II headed towa rds Madyan, which
was the nearest territory, independent of
Egyptian control. But to get there he had to
pass through the Egyptian territory and cross
various mil itary check posts. He, therefore,
prayed to Allah to lead him to
the path which would safely
take him to Madyan.
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
We fi nd Moosaa �� then at the centre of
a distressing situation; after havi ng l ived a l ife
of ease, plenty and utmost secu rity, he was
now alone a nd lacked a l l apparent mea ns
of security. He was chased everywhere by
Pharaoh and his troops a nd did not know
the way to Madyan. He, therefore, prayed:
'I do hope that my Lord will g u id e me to
the rig ht path: (Verse 22) Almighty Allah
again provided h i m with the assista nce and
protection He n eeded.
U ltimately, his long a nd lonely trek took
h i m to Madya n. He was tired and exhausted,
for he must have covered a distance of
a bout 300 miles, as suggested by the Qu r'a n
Commentator ' Abdu l l a h Yusuf ' Al i.
Sayyid Abu 1 -A' Ia a a 1-Mawdoodee states:
According to the Arab traditions, the place where
Moses (peace be upon him) a rrived was a few miles
to the south of Maqna on the western coast of the
Gulf of ' Aqaba h. It is presently called a i-Bad, which
is a small town (in the present day Saudi Arabia). I
visited it in December 1 959 on my way to ' Aqabah
from Tabook. The residents of the town told me
o(;8 1 54 �
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
that they had heard from their elders that this was
where ancient Median was located. About a mile
and a half away. There are ruins among which we
saw two dry wells. The locals told us, though not
with certainty, that one of the two wells was located
at the spot where Moses (peace be upon him) had
watered the goats: (Towards Understanding the
Qur'an Vol. VII, The Islamic Foundation, UK, p. 209)
When he a rrived at the wel l s of Madya n,
he fou nd there a large crowd of people
d rawi ng water fo r their herds. At some
dista nce from them he spotted two women
who were tryi ng to keep their flock. Moosaa
�� a pproached them a nd asked: 'What is the
matter with you two?' They said, 'We ca n n ot
water our a n i m a ls u ntil the shepherds d rive
home thei rs, a nd our father is a very old man:
(Verse 23)
As women, they cou l d not fend for
themselves i n the midst of so many men.
M oosaa's sense of fai rness cou ld not bea r it,
so he stepped forward to put things rig ht and
vo l u nteered to water their flock for them.
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Moosaa �� then withdrew to the s hade
and fervently prayed, ' 0 my Lord ! Tru ly, a m in
i n d i re need of a ny good which You may send
down for m e: (Verse 24) He sou g ht the physical
shade to rest his tired l i m bs as wel l as the great
shade spread by Allah � whose generosity is
bound less to comfort his heart and soul. Th is
widespread e motional suppl ication reflects
the wa rmth of Moosaa's heart and h is deep
fa ith i n Alla h's ki ndness. N o human m i nd could
ever conceive of expressing i n such a brief
sentence, i n such a perfect sense, the extrem e
hardship that M oosaa �� was u ndergoi ng.
The soorah now q u ickly moves on to the
next scene that leads to a n end of his trou bles.
Almig hty Allah i m med iately a n swered
Moosaa's suppl ication. It was a q u ick relief
granted by A l m i g hty Allah i n the form of
a n i nvitation sent by the old man, the two
women's father, who wa nted to d u ly reward
Moosaa �� and extend his hospital ity to h i m
for h i s noble action (Verse 25).
The i nvitation is del ivered by 'on e of the
two' who came 'wa l king shyly: as a virtuous
young woman should wa l k. In his com mentary
of the Qu r'an, Syed Iqba l Za heer states:
The Qur'an has no romantic tales. But a little
phrase tamshee ' alastibyaa' throws open several
avenues of thought to those who have had the
experience of watching simple men and women
of the countryside living out their lives in complete
innocence and supreme natural joy. Gone into
oblivion are those days and those scenes that
Wordsworth drew in his pastoral poems, perhaps
never to return. Among the Commentators, Yusuf
'Ali stands alone in courage and imagination to fill
the colours in the Qur'anic sketches. The reader is
advised to read all the notes of this context in his
work: (Tafseer lshraaq a/-Ma'anee, Vol. 9, p. 208)
Section Wo
The next scene shows Moosaa ��
na rrating his story to the old man whose
name is with held. Some com m entators
have identified this old man with Prophet
S h u ' ayb �1, but this is sim ply not true
beca u se Prophet S h u ' ayb �� a ppea red
some 400 yea rs before Moosaa �1. Th us,
he was not Prophet S h u ' ayb, but rather
an old man of Madyan. When Moosaa ��
went to h i m, he told h i m his story. Moosaa
�� was h u ngry and needed something to
eat and d ri n k. Above a l l, he was i n need
of secu rity. That is why the fi rst words the
old man said in com ment to Moosaa's
story a re 'Have no fear: He wa nted h i m to
feel at ease by removi ng his fea r. He then
explai ned, 'Yo u a re now safe from those
wrongdoing people: (Ve rse 25) They have
no a uthority over Madya n .
A l ittle time passed. A g uest, after
a l l, can not stay forever. They a l l felt that
it wou l d be good to have h i m with them
permanently. One of the two g i rls asked
their father, 'Why not e m ploy h i m to tend
the flock?'The father was old and a young
man was needed to loo k after the flocks,
and there cou l d be no other possi bil ities!
(Ve rse 26)
A l ittle ti m e ela psed, and at l ength
the father broached the subject of
ma rriage. The father asked if he wou ld
ma rry one of the daug hters and stay with
them for at least eight yea rs, or if he l i ked
ten yea rs, but the longer term was at his
option. (Verse 27) He stated this without
a ny e m barrassment, for the offer was one
of ma rriage. There is, after a l l, noth i n g to
be e m ba rrassed a bout when the objective
is to build a home and esta blish a fa m i ly.
� Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

During the l ifeti m e of the Proph et �\,
fathers used to offer their daug hters to good
men in ma rriage. I nd eed, women offered
themselves to the Proph et �� or to whomever
he wished them to marry. With such an open
and simple a pproach, the Islamic society
u sed to build its homes. This is exactly what
the old man did with rega rd to Moosaa �\.
He told him:
I d o not wish to impose a n y hardship o n you. You
will find me, if Allah so wil ls, a n upright man: (Verse
27)
Moosaa �� accepted the offer. The
contract was made; clear a nd p recise, with
Allah as a witness. Moosaa �� replied,
This is agreed between me and you, whichever of
the two terms I fulfil, I trust I shall not be wronged.
Allah is the witness to all we say. (Verse 28)
M oosaa �� spent 'the longer a nd the
better of the two terms: as related by a i­
B u khaaree. Th u s, Moosaa �� found a place of
secu rity in h i s father-i n-law's home and had
no fea r of Pharaoh and his d esigns. This was
most certa i n ly for a specific pu rpose Allah
wa nted to accom pl ish.
The term agreed between the two men
passed; the
term which
was more
a g re e a b l e
to Moosaa's
fat h e r- i n ­
law. We see
M o o s a a
&!\\ again
j o u r n eyi ng,
but this
t m e
with his fa m i ly. He was retu rning to Egypt
where the dangers l u rking for h i m m ust
have va n is hed d u ring the long period of his
a bsence. I nd eed, it is q u ite possi ble that he
m i g ht have heard that the P ha raoh who had
brought h i m u p was dead, and that a nother
had ta ken his place.
The situation on this second jou rney was
entirely different. He was a bout to receive, on
the way, something that he could never have
ever i magined. H i s Lord was to ca l l h i m and
assign to h i m the mission for which He had
prepared h i m . The night was cold and dark.
While they were trave l l i ng, he observed a fi re
on the slope of Mount Sinai. So he said to his
fa m i ly:
Wait here, for I perceive a fi re. Perhaps I may bring
you from there some information, or a burning
brand from the fi re, so that you may warm
yourselves. (Verse 29)
It was dark and he had lost his way. It was
a l so cold, which m ade h i m happy at the sight
of the fi re i n the distance. He wal ked forth i n
that d i rection t o obta in s o m e i nformation or
a fi rebrand. When he ca m e close to it, he was
addressed from the rig ht bank of the va lley, in
the blessed
spot of
the tree:
'Moosaa!
Tru ly, I a m
Allah, the
Lord of a l l
t h e worlds:
(Verse 30)
We do not
exactly
know how,

«';8 1 5 6
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
or with which fac u lty or sense he received this
call, but he surely received it with his whole
being.
Allah then comma nded him to th row
down his staff (Verse 3 1 ) , and Moo sa a ��
obeyed the com mand. When he threw down
his staff, it was now no longer his staff, for it
turned i nto a writh ing snake which was large
i n size but moved very fast. Moosaa �� was
tota l ly u n p repared for such a n event. He was
ta ken a back. He tu rned back and set to flight.
He did not even consider going back to fi nd out
what had ha p pened to the staff, which was a
natu ra l reaction. He then l i stened to his Lord's
address: 'Come forward and have no fea r! You
a re certa i n ly sec u re: (Verse 3 1 )
A l m i g hty Allah then com manded:
Now place your ha nd inside your garment, and it will
come out shining white without blemish: (Verse 32)
Aga i n Moosaa �� did as he was
com ma nded. He placed his hand inside his
garm ent's top opening. When he d rew it out, it
was shining wh ite, though clea rly very healthy.
He was struck with awe. Soon a nother i nstruction
came so as to ca l m h i m down: 'Then d raw you r
hand close to you r side to sti l l you r fea r: (Verse
32) This act wou l d serve to strengthen his heart
and release h i m from fea r. These were the two
proofs from Allah for Pharaoh a nd his chiefs who
were a d efiantly disobed ient people: (Verse 32)
Moosaa �� was so comma nded beca use
he was being sent agai nst a tyra nt with neither
an a rmy nor a ny m ateria l resources to su pport
his case. Allah � i n structed Moosaa �� to have
recou rse to this action (d rawing his hand close)
on such fearfu l occasions. In this way Pharaoh
wou ld not be able to weaken his hea rt, not even
with a l l his power.
o()5 1 57 8)o
Section �
Moosaa �� now m u st g o to
Pharaoh with these m i raculous proofs
and to present h i mself as the Messenger
of Allah. He was to ca l l Pharaoh and his
nobles to the service a nd obed ience
of the Lord of the worlds. Moosaa ��
then reca lled that he had killed one of
Pharaoh's men a nd that he had to l eave
Egypt to save h i m self: '! fea r that they wi l l
ki l l m e: (Verse 3 3 ) This does not mean
that M oosaa �� was h esitant out of fear.
Rather, th is m eans that he asked Allah
to m a ke the n ecessa ry arrangements
so that Pharaoh and his nobles wou ld
not arrest h i m on a m u rder charge
i m m ed iately u pon his a rriva l and before
he had spoke n to them a bout the fact
that he was Alla h's Messenger. He
fu rther sa id:
And my brother Haaroon (Aaron) is more
eloquent in speech than I am, so send him
with me as an aid to confirm my truthfulness,
for I fea r that they will reject me as a liar:
(Verse 34)
Moosaa �� is reassu red and his
req uest is g ra nted. (Verse 35) This
encou nter between Prophet M oosaa
�� and Allah is descri bed in g reater
d eta il in Soorat Iaa Haa (20, 9-48). 'We
shall surely stre ngthen you r ca u se with
you r brother: That was done by m a king
Haaroon �� a Prophet, for which
Moosaa �� had prayed. Hence some
schola rs have said that no one did a
brother g reater good than Moosaa ��
did to Haaroon, for whose Prophethood
he s u pplicated.
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
As a m atter of fact, Allah � not only
gra nted Moosaa's req uest, but al so gave him a
greatly reassuring prom ise. He endowed both
brothers with power: 'They wi l l not be able to
touch you: (Verse 35) No tyra nt possessed the
means to harm them.
This wonderfu l scene is closed. Ti m e
passed a n d t h e location changed; Moosaa
and Haaroon were then confronti ng Pharaoh.
They stood i n his Council, ca l l ing h i m to Allah.
When they showed h i m Alla h's clear signs,
he said, 'Th is is nothing but forged sorcery:
It wou l d mean that i n Pharaoh's view the
staff's changing i nto a snake and the shining
hand were not rea l tra nsformations but mere
i l l u sions, which Moosaa WI tried to pass off as
m i racles or proofs. I n other words, according
to Pharaoh, a l l that M oosaa WI had done
was to contrive some magical tricks, which
he then presented as signs from Allah. He
a rg ued, 'Never did we hear of the l i ke of this
among our forefathers of old: (Verse 36)
Pharaoh's words were exactly the same as
those employed by the Qu raysh idolaters in
Ma kkah when Prophet M uha m mad � ca l led
on them to bel ieve in One God-Al lah.
Moosaa �� gave a very pol ite a n swer. He
cou ntered Pharaoh's accusation of his being
a sorcerer and of forg ing l ies. He poi nted out
that if he was a liar, he wou l d meet a n evil end
and that if Pharaoh was lyi ng then his end
wou l d a lso be a n evil one. One thi ng, h owever,
was a bsolutely clear: a wicked person never
m eets with true success. A man who is not
a Messenger of Allah, but who pretends
to be so in order to gain material profits, is
su rro u nded i n i njustice and wicked ness and
will never meet with true success.
I n l i ke m a n ne r, whoever accuses a true
()(';8 1 5 8 �
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur 'an)
Messenger of Allah of being a liar or rejects
h i m and ca l l s h i m a magician is a lso g u i lty of
i njustice and wicked ness and will never m eet
with true success. Moosaa WI, l i ke every
prophet, put this very clearly to Pharaoh and
his cou rtiers (Ve rse 37).
B ut Pharaoh's reply was evasive, boastfu l
and sa rcastic. What a brazen lie Pharaoh
uttered : 'I know of no other d eity that you
could have other than myself: (Verse 38) He
sa rcastica l ly said, 'Moosaa says h is God is i n
heaven, s o I wou l d go u p i nto the sky a n d
l o o k a t h i m even t h o u g h I a m convi nced that
he is a liar: (Ve rse 38) What this i m pl ied on
Pharaoh's pa rt is that he had no evidence that
God exists and, accord ing to h i m, that which
lacks proof does not exist, a n error commonly
com m itted by many people.
Th is trend is most com mon a mong the
atheists, and surprising ly, a mong the scientists
who know it as the fi rst scientific pri nci ple
that what they do not have evidence for can
neithe r be rejected nor accepted. But most
often they ta ke sides agai nst self-evident
truths. Sayyid Abu I-A ' laa ai-Mawdoodee
rem a rks,
This mind set is similar to that of the Communists of
the former Soviet U nion. They launched sputniks
and then g libly claimed that their spaceships had
found no god up there in the sky . . . This shows that
the reasoning of ignorant people has not changed
over the last 3500 years: ( Towards Understanding
the Qur'an, Vol. VII , p. 22 1 )
By April of 1 96 1 , Russian cosmonaut Yu ri
Gagarin beca m e the fi rst h u m a n to travel
into space a board Vostok 1 . Peering through
the window of h i s spacecraft, Gagarin was
reported to have made the silly comment, 'I
don't see any God u p here: Long before him,
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
Pharaoh ordered his chief advisor, Haamaan,
to raise a high structure so that he could
mount u p and be able to observe the god
of Moosaa &#II. (Ve rse 38) The Qu r'a n does
not say that Pharaoh had constructed such
a tower and he cl i m bed it to see Allah. The
Qu r'a n sim ply q u otes what Pharaoh said,
whereby it wou l d a ppea r that he was merely
tryi ng to fool people by such deceptive ta lk.
The soorah now proceeds stra i g ht to
display how Pharaoh and his hosts met
their end. They thought that they were not
a nswera ble to a nyone. Acting upon this
assu m ption, they behaved as tho u g h they
were a bsol utely free, bel ievi ng that they
wou ld never have to return to Allah: (Ve rses
39-4 1 )
They den ied Alla h's signs and wa rni ngs,
and Alla h's punishment was q u ick. Almighty
Allah seized h i m a nd his hosts with force and
cast them i nto the sea as if he was no more
than a d ead lizard. Hence,'See what happened
i n the end to the wrongdoers: (Verse 40)
This is a lesson and a wa rning for a l l those
who deny Alla h's m essages, do not believe
o/}5 1 59
Section �
i n the hereafter a nd do not u n dersta nd
that every action must have its inevita ble
conseq uence, good or evi l.
Pharaoh and h i s forces left behind a n
exa m ple o f how one c a n obstinately persist
i n denying the truth. Having led others to
this terri ble path, they d isa p pea red from the
scene to face their woefu l end i n the Hel lfire.
Their successors, h owever, sti l l fol l owed i n
their footsteps, speed ily head ing towa rds the
same evi l e nd. The words of the text (Ve rse 42)
state that they wi l l be on the Day of J udg ment
a mong the 'maqboob.een'. This word contains
severa l m ea n ings: { 1 ) that they will sta nd
rejected and disowned, {2) that they will be
deprived of Alla h's mercy, and {3) that they
will be red uced to a wei rd sha pe, their faces
becoming severely distorted.
Almighty Allah then g ra nted Moosaa ��
the Tawraah, which inaugurated a n ew phase
i n man kind's religious history:
And so after We destroyed those earlier
generations, We gave Moosaa the Book providing
insight for mankind, as a guidance and grace, so
that they may reflect: (Verse 43)
� Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

An Overview of the soorah

Soorat aQ_-Duflaa is a Ma kkan soorah, that is, it was revealed i n
M a kka h . It is com posed of 1 1 verses and i t is soorah 9 3 according
to the a rra ngement of the Glorious Qur'a n. The soorah emphasizes
Alla h's generosity to H i s Messenger � and h ow He honoured h i m
and com ma nded h i m to b e good to t h e wea k and t h e poor.
The soorah, i n theme, provides a touch of tendern ess a nd
mercy. It is a message of affection and the touch of a g racious
hand to soothe pa i n and remove hardship.

,.y;; 1 60 '-
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section 'Wo
The soorah is enti rely ded icated to How long d id the pause last? I t is
the Prophet �- It is a message from h i s gene rally stated that ai-Bayhaqee's
Lord wh ich touched h i s heart with opin ion of six months 'break' sounds
pleasure, joy and tra n q u i l l ity. All in weig hty. It is a lso said that nearest
a l l, it offers mercy and tendern ess to being correct, the opin ion of
to h i s restless soul and s uffering 'Abd u l laah ibn ' Abbaas � is
hea rt. that it lasted forty days. In fact,
Severa l accou nts m ention some have even stated that
that the reve lation of the it was not more than a few
Qur'a n to the Prophet :i ca m e, days. Accord ing ly, this soorah
at one stage, to a h a lt and the was revea led and it came
Angel Jibreel �� stop ped as a spring of mercy, hope,
com i n g to h i m for a while. comfort and reassurance.
This period is ca l l ed 'th e The soorah refuted the
brea k i n t h e reve lation' (fatrat u n be l ievers' fa lse claims and
a!-wab_iy) . Th u s, some time exposed the fa lsehood they
el apsed d u ring which the fol l owed .
Proph et :i did not receive I n the fi rst two verses
a ny revelation. It was a time (Verse 1 and 2), Allah swea rs
of deepest d istress for the by the two great natural
Proph et �- His opponents i n signs: ( 1 ) The forenoon, the
Ma kka h ta u nted h i m on t h i s ti m e when the sun rises and
score, saying, 'Muha m mad is brig ht, which is the time
has been abandon ed by his of activity and m ovement,
Lord .' Revelation, J i breel's energy a nd work, a nd (2)
vi sits and the l i n k with A l l a h the night when it beco mes
were t h e Prophet's o n l y solace sti l l and tra n q u i l . This is an
i n the face of h a rd rejection oath by the nig ht, which is the
a nd his sole comfort agai nst ti m e when m ovement beg ins
o utright denial. They were the to pause. People beg i n to take
source from which he derived s helter and bring a n end to their
strength to sta nd fi rm agai nst the activity. Then fo l l ows a clear and
u n believers who were bent upon emphatic assura nce: 'Your Lord has
rejecting the truth and rid iculing the neither forsaken you, nor does He hate
messenger who b ro u g ht it. They were i ntent you.' (Ve rse 3) The Prophet's enem ies were
on d i recti ng a wicked, vile attack agai nst the a bsol utely fa lse, for Allah is not displeased
Prophet's m essage. So when the revelation with h i m . Nor did He forsa ke h i m . N ig ht
was with h eld, the sou rce of strength for the overta kes a b right day. It does not ind icate
Prophet � was cut off. a ny displeasure on Alla h's part, nor does
� Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

it sig n ify perpetual darkness. By the same
token, a tempora ry pa u se i n revelation ca n not
be take n as indicative of Alla h's d ispleas u re
towa rds H is Messenger :i. Allah � swears by
the natu ral scenes that He is going to send
down revelation to His Prophet, and that his
m ission shall conti nue. It is the rejection of
the polytheists who tried to create dou bts
by claiming that Allah � had s h u n ned and
renou nced His Prophet.

'Your Lord has n either forsa ken you, nor does He hate you: He has not
a ba ndoned you; nor has He been h a rs h to you as is a l leged by those who
want to h u rt you r heart and sou l . For He is you r Lord and Protector and
you belong to H i m . Alla h's favou rs on you have neither ru n out nor have
they been stopped. You a re to get m uch more and better favou rs i n the
hereafter than you a re getting i n this l ife.
'Surely, the l ife to come will be better for you than this present l ife:
(Verse 4) Here Almighty Allah is g iving His Messenger :i the good news that
He wi l l continue to send down revelations to h i m and that He has prepared
for h i m such lofty stations i n the hereafter that He has not prepared for
a nyone else. Moreover, what He wi l l g ive h i m i n the hereafter is fa r greater
and more sublime than what He has bestowed upon h i m in the present
l ife: the good of this life and the good of the hereafter, a l l of that which wi l l
please him, s u c h as victory, power in t h e l a n d and t h e elevation of Alla h's
Word by means of ca l l ing to H i m and strivi ng for His sa ke. He will also
m u ltiply his fol lowers and bestow His favou rs u pon him as wel l as u pon his
fol lowers. The verse may also m ea n that each succeed ing moment wi l l be
better for h i m than the one preceding it: 'And su rely, you r Lord sha l l give
you, and you shall be satisfied: (Verse 5)
The soorah then goes on to remind the Prophet � of his Lord's
attitude towards h i m from the very beg i n n i n g so that he cou l d reflect
on how favou ra bly Allah treated h i m . Allah � mentions three i m m ense,
lofty blessings, among cou ntless others He bestowed u pon h i m in order
to strengthen his heart. 'Did He not find you an orphan and sheltered you ?
D i d H e not find you u n awa re [of t h e Qu r'a n, its laws prophethood] and
g u ided you ? Did He not find you needy and enriched you?' (Verses 6-8)

o/)5 1 62
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section 'Wo
Verse 6 a l l udes to the death of his something, becoming u ntraceable: Daallan
father before the Prophet's birth, the death cou l d also mea n 'unaware: as is u sed i n
of his mother when he was six, and the a nother derivative of t h e word i n Verse 52
death of his g u a rdian g randfather of Soorat Iaa Haa (Soorah 20). AI-Q u rtu bee
'Abd u i-M utta l i b when he (d. 671 A H - 1 273 CE) a rg ues, however, that
eig ht. Then Allah � made his when the Ara bs found a sol ita ry tree in a
uncle Abu Iaa l i b his tract of land, without a companion tree,
guardian. Th us, the -=--· they named it 'Daallan: a nd used
soorah emphasizes that as a landma rk. Allah
the Prophet � was born cal led M uha m mad
an orphan, but Allah � � 'Q_aallan' i n that
protected h i m and
made so many
people kind to h i m ,
\ sense. He found
him a sol ita ry
fi g u r e ,
especia l ly his u ncle w i t h o u t
Abu Iaa l i b despite anyon e with
the fact that he was him in his
a polytheist. search for the
The Prophet truth, and to
:i was brought u p in a n choose h i m for
ignora nt society which h u m a nkind to be
was fu l l of confused g u ided to Him
beliefs a nd erroneous through him:
practices. He did lshraaq a/-
not l i ke those wrong b e l i e fs Ma' aanee, Vol. XIV, p. 1 5 1 )
and p ractices but could not fi nd a clear and ' Did He not find you needy a nd
rig ht way out. Almighty Allah, however, enriched you?' (Verse 8) This is p roba bly
g u ided h i m th roug h the revelations and a n a l l u sion to the fact that the Prophet ;i
laid down for him the stra ight way of l ife. He beca m e Khadeeja h's trade partner a nd
g u ided h i m to the landmarks of the Divine earned rich p rofits. Then she ma rried h i m
Law or Sharee'ah and its path through the and placed a l l her wea lth a t his d isposa l. This
Qu r'a n wh ich He revea l ed to him and ta u g ht points to his apparent plentifu l ness. As for
h i m that which he did not know before. his i n ne r and spiritua l richness, Allah alone
The Qu r'a n uses the term Q_aallan in knows it best. The Prophet � once said,
Verse ?. It comes from the root Q_ 1 1, wh ich
- - 'Wea lth is not determi ned by abu nda nce
means 'deviation, loss, deviation from of possessions, but wea lth is the rich ness
the right way or cou rse, losing the way, of the sou l : (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree a nd
missing something, being unable to locate M us l i m)

o/}5 1 63 �
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
After ela borating on the favou rs of Allah,
the soorah now moves on to giving th ree
com mands to the Prophet :i and a l l M uslims:
Command 1
'So do not oppress the orphan: (Verse
9) The Arabic verb qahara used in this verse
means 'to subj ugate, to com pel, to subdue
and to treat people who a re less powerfu l
i n a n u nfai r and cruel way: As a result, Alla h's
Messenger � e m phasized that the orphan
be treated ki ndly and gently. He forbade a ny
attitude towards them which is bound to h u rt
their feel ings. The Prophet :i said,
The best home among the Muslims is the one that
treats an orphan well. The worst home among the
Muslims is the one that treats an orphan poorly. I
and the one who cares for a n orphan will be like
these two in Paradise. The Prophet � indicated his
two fingers. (AI-Adab a/-Mufrad, b_adeeth no. 1 37;it
is also reported by Muslim)
The Prophet � poi nted with his two
fingers, which a re close to each other, meaning
that the person who brings u p a n orphan will
be with him i n Pa radise.
Command 2
'And as for the beggar, do not repel him:
(Verse 1 0) The term saa'il l itera l ly denotes
'som eone who asks: which signifies not only
a 'beggar' but a lso anyone who asks for help
in a difficult situation, be it physical or moral,
or even for intellectual enlighten ment. The
orig inal term saa'il can a lso be translated as
'seeker of knowledge: The Prophet :i has
� 1 64
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
forbidden repulsing either of them. The
best cou rse of action is to give the begga r
something. I f one is u n a b l e t o g ive a beggar
a nything, one should at least a polog ize to
them politely so as not to g ive them further
grief. Li kewise, one should not respond harshly
and u n kindly to someone who is searching
for knowledge and asks q uestions. The word
tanhar is derived from the verb nahara, which
means 'to repulse, rebu ke, chase away or d rive
awaY:
Command 3
'And as for you r Lord's blessing, declare it:
(Verse 1 1 ) Declaring or speaking a bout divine
blessings to people is one way of thanking
Allah �. If a person has done something
good to another, they should be thanked. The
Prophet � once said,
He who does not thank people does not thank
Allah: (Reported by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhee)
It is obligatory to offer g ratitude to Allah
on every favou r He has bestowed u pon us. The
way of offering tha n kfu lness, however, may
be different. If Allah gra nts a person wea lth,
a part of that wea lth may be spent with
sincerity in Alla h's way. If Allah gra nts a person
knowledge, they should i m part it to others!
These instructions reflect the need of the
day, in that greedy and materialistic society in
which the weak who cou ld not defend their
own rig hts were not catered for. Islam ca m e
t o reform that society with Alla h's laws which
esta blish equ ity, j ustice and good will.
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section �

Soorat ai-Qadr, which consists of 5 verses, undoubtedly

belongs to a very early part of the Ma kkan period. It is soorah 97
according to the a rra ngement of the G l orious Qu r'a n. Its subject
is the revelation of the Qu r'an on the N i g ht of Decree (Lay/at ai­
Qadr) . lt displays the g reat statu s this n i g ht has in the sight of Allah
and states that it is better than a thousand months.
Allah begins this soorah with the roya i 'We: which He alone is
worthy of using. He states: 'We sent the Qu r'a n down [to Prophet
M uha m mad :i] on the N ig ht of Decree (ai-Qadr): According to the
sound opi n ion i n this respect, it occ u rs in the last ten odd n i g hts of
the month of RamaQ.aan. After this nig ht, the Qu r'a n conti n ued to
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
be sent down for a period of rou g h ly twenty­
three yea rs, accord ing to the cou rse of events.
The soorah then asks the Prophet :i,
as well as every l istener or reader: What will
explain to you what the N ig ht of Decree is? I n
other words, u n l ess Allah i nforms you a bout
it, you will not know its g reat status. Then
Allah � i nforms us a bo ut its status: 'The N ig ht
of decree is better tha n a thousand months:
That is, this night is more meritorious and
great in blessi ngs, and worsh ipping Allah i n
t h i s n i g ht is better than worshipping H i m
for a thousand months, (i.e. 8 3 yea rs a n d 4
months); for it was d u ring this n i g ht that the
revelation of the Qur'a n began. What wou l d
t h e va l u e of t h e existence o f t h i s Qu r'an b e
were i t not sent down?
Part of the g reatness of Lay/at a/-Qadr
is that the a n g e l s d escend d u ring this nig ht,
from the beg i n n i n g of the n ig ht u ntil its
�;3 1 66
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
end, l ed by the Angel J i b reel (Ga briel) -
and he is the one this verse refers to a s
t h e Spirit: ar-Roofl (Ve rse 4) . They com e
down i n g ro u ps, fi l l i ng t h e space betwee n
the heavens a n d the earth, covering the
horizons beca use of their g reat n u m bers
which a re know n to A l l a h a l one. They com e
down with every good a n d blessed matter
u pon every believer who is engaged in the
re m e m b ra n ce of Allah, whether sta n d i n g
or sitti ng, wors h i pping A l l a h a n d s h owing
g ratitude fo r His g reatest bless i n g : the
Qu r'a n, the com m i ssion of the Messenger
:i and being g u ided to fa ith (eemaan) . The
n ig ht is noth i n g but peace (salaam) from
A l l a h to the people who obey H i m, a n d
peace fro m the a ngels u p o n the believers
who p ray, recite the Qu r'a n, rem e m ber A l l a h
and s e e k H i s forg iven ess. Th is conti n ues
u ntil the a p peara n ce of dawn.
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
The Qu r'a n cla rifies that this n i g ht fa l l s i n
t h e m onth of RamaQ.aan (Soorat ai-Baqarah,
2:1 85). It is stated fu rther in a uthentic traditions
of the Prophet :I that this night should be sought
out in the last ten odd nig hts of the month of
RamaQ.aan.
The great m erit of this night is m entioned
i n the soorah itself, that is, the acts of wors h i p
performed i n this s i n g l e night is better than
wors h i p done i n one thousand months, which
amou nts to eig hty-three yea rs and fou r months.
The fi g u re here and e lsewhere in the Qu r'a n does
not signify its precise n u m ber but sim ply denotes
a very large n u m ber. One of the m ea n ings of the
word 'qadr' is g reatness, honour and divinity.
Th u s, the night is called as such beca use it is a
night of honour, g reatness, majesty and dign ity.
0(8 1 6 7 �
Section �
AI-Bukhaaree and M u s l i m reported on
the a uthority of Abu H u rayrah � that the
Messenger of Allah :1 said,
Whoever stands [in prayer] during the N ight of
ai-Qadr with faith and expecting a reward [from
Allah] will be forgiven for his previous sins.
On accou nt of geogra p hical positions,
the time will obviously va ry from place to
place. As a result, the N ig ht of Decree wi l l
not occur i n a l l the regions of the world
si m u ltaneously. Th is is not a p roblem
beca u se people of each location should
calcu late a nd consecrate the n i g ht and
receive its blessings according to thei r
geogra phical locations. Some Qu r'a n
com me ntators state that we know that
when it is n i g ht in one p lace of the g lobe it
is day in a nother place. In fact, it cou l d wel l
b e i n Allah's scheme that were t h i s blessed
n ig ht to be in a particular a rea of the g lobe,
He wou ld give fu l l rewards to those that
m ig ht happen to be l ivi ng i n the day-zone
and m a king their own efforts towa rds
seeking it. lmaam a r-Raazee (d.604 AH 1 207
CE) has a few i nteresting points to offer:
Allah � concealed this night like He has done
with many things: He has concealed His pleasure
with acts of obedience so one will strive towards
them all; He has concealed the answer to
supplications so one will work towards making
every supplication matter; He has hidden His
greatest name so people will magnify all of
H is names; He has hidden His acceptance of
repentance so one will repent for every sin; He
has concealed the time of one's death so one will
use his entire life for worship and He has hidden
this night so people will worship Him every
night [from the last 1 0 nights of RamaQ.aan]. (at­
Tafseer a/-Kabeer)
o<Sfj Section The Glorious Qur'a n (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

1. The m utual riva l ry [for piling u p of worldly things] diverts you,

2. U ntil you visit the graves (i.e. till you d ie).
3. Nay! You shall come to know!
4. Again nay! You shall come to know!
5. Nay! if you knew with a sure knowledge [the end result of piling up,
you wou ld not have been occu pied you rselves i n worldly thing s] .
6. Veri ly, you shall see t h e blazi ng Fire [Hell]!
7. And again, you shall it with certa inty of sig ht!
8. Then on that Day you shall be asked a bo ut the worldy delights [in
wh ich you indulged]
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section 'Wo
Soorat at-Takaathur is a Makkan soorah deprive them of a l l spi ritual i nsight and bar
which con sists of eight verses. It is soorah them from the accepta nce of a ny restrictions
1 02 according to the a rra ngement of the and self-conscious ness based on p u rely mora l
Gl orious Qur'a n. The soorah is one of the va l ues. T h e result is that not only individ ua l s
most powerfu l passages of the Qu r'a n and b u t whole societies gra d u a l ly lose a l l i n n e r
i l l u m i nates people's u n bound g reed for more stability a nd thus a l l chances of happi ness.
and more i n general, and more specifical ly, The centra l theme of this soorah is the
the tendencies which have come to domi nate resu rrection. Th u s, the soorah is addressed
a l l h u ma n societies in our tech nolog ica l age. to everyone charm ed by the worldly goods
The soorah is a warning to those who a re and pays no attention at a l l to the l ife of the
occu pied i n this l ife with m u lti plyi ng wealth hereafter. These people a re d riven by g reed
so much so that worldly pu rsu its deprive and l ive for the moment. They devote a l l
them of thinking of the hereafter a nd doing their energies a nd resources to m aterial
good d eeds. comfort a nd enjoyment, and their enti re life
The word at-takaathur (Verse 1 ) bears is a struggle for accu m u l ation of wea lth u ntil
the mea n i ng of 'g reed ily strivi ng for an they a re laid to rest i n their g raves (Verse 2).
increase'; that is to say, i n benefits, be they The Qu r'a n warns that th rough u nending
ta ngible or i nta ngi ble, rea l or i l l usory. I t acc u m u lation a nd com petition, human
d enotes t h e act o f seeki ng t o increase beings attem pt to ignore their morta lity
to obtai n more and vyi ng to gather and the reason behind which they
more. 'The d rive to accu m u late a re in this world, namely to
[worldly riches] conti nues to worship Allah. These people
distract you' (Verse 1 ) . 'You a re in for a rude shock:
a re obsessed by g reed for Nay! You shall come to know! Again,
more a nd more' : it denotes nay! You shall come to know! Nay!
people's obsessive strivi ng If you knew with a sure knowledge!
more and more comforts, Surely, you shall see the Blazing
more m aterial g oods, greater fi re (ai-Jab.eem)! And again, you
power over other people or shall see it with certainty of sight!
over natu re, and u nending Then, on that day you will most
tech nolog ical p rog ress. surely be asked about the
An eager pursuit delight [in which
of such you indulged
e n d eavou rs, in this
to the worldly life):
excl usion of (Verses 3-8)
everyt h i n g
e lse, is People ta ke
bound to i n d u lge in

o/'j5 1 6 9
o<:§;8 Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

rival ry for wealth, children and the pleasure share? Now you think little of it. But beyond
of this life from wh ich they a re sure to depart! lie heavy responsibilities. The soorah sou nds
They a re unawa re of what is going to com e a wake-up ca l l and portrays the l ife of this
thereafter. With a deep and g rave rhythm, t h e world as bei ng a fleeting l ife. In a wink, this
soorah stri kes t h e hearts of s u c h people with l ife will be over. Its small leaf will be turned.
the terror awaiting them after they a re left A mom ent of reckoning wi l l come now! The
alone in their g raves. Nay! You sha l l come to goods one has g rasped wi ll be of no worth!
know! The Ara bic word an-na' eem (tra nslated
Then it repeats the same note and here as pleasure) means blessings or delights
employs the sa m e words and the same which include a l l that l ife affords of good
firm terrifyi ng note: 'If you knew with a sure things, such as good hea lth, secu rity and
knowledge: (Verse 5) Th is mea ns had they other comforts.
known what they ought to know for sure, It is i m portant to note that it was this
they wou ld not have indulged in such riva l ry very soorah which led M uha m mad Asad,
for petty gai ns. The soorah then u ncovers the the most fa mous twentieth centu ry scholar
fea rfu l fact which has been wit h held: 'Surely, of Islam, to embrace Islam. He has na rrated
you shall see the Blazi ng Fire: It then stresses this fa ith-deepening experience in his
the fact and raises its i m pact: Aga in, you wi l l autobiog ra ph ical work The Road to Mecca, pp.
most certa i n ly see i t with you r very eyes: 308- 1 0, 1 98 1 Edition)
(Verse 7) M uha m mad Asad was born on J u ly 2,
Final ly, it places the 1 900 i n Austria. He was formerly a
statement: 'Then on that day you Jew and was ca l led Leopold
will certainly be q uestioned Weiss. After his reversion to
a bo ut your delights a nd Islam in 1 926, he l ived i n
comforts (an-na'eem). Ara bia, I nd ia and later
You will be q uestioned Pa kistan, New York,
a bout all this: How did Sharjah and Spain.
you acq u ire it? How H e d ied i n Spain on
did you util ize it? Was February 20, 1 992.
it obta ined lawfu l ly or His other works
u n lawfu l ly? Or was it include Islam at the
grabbed unlawfu l ly Crossroad, S.afleefl
and used i n a sinfu l ai-Bukh aaree:
manner? You wi l l Early Years of Islam
be q uestioned! Did a nd The Message
you praise and offer of the Qur'an, a
gratitude to its Commentary on the
real G iver? Did you Glorious Qur'an.
give the poor their

o/;8 1 7 0 �
The Glorious Qur'an (Detai led Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section 'Wo

Soorat a/-Kaanroon is a Ma kka n soorah which consists of six

verses. It is Soorah 1 09 according to the a rra ngement of the Q u r'a n.
This soorah is a tota l rejection of polytheism and u n bel ief a nd a n
affi rmation of t h e sincere wors h i p o f t h e true O n e God-Allah.

"'1 " 0 _,. ,.....: " 0

__..::.j �-'� La J.....:&-I
�_,. .... J.J. �/ / J. / J. ,._,. -;_ ,-!
_,�'4-::J I lr: � J!
,/ / �� /

l.J \' :1 ' �

s_,�;.(c _:si �;0 t� � ;_� tl�; 0 �t 5_,:1;-'�

o�� �� �:3:J 0 �t
1. Say: 0 u n believers,
2. I do not wors h i p what you worship,
3. Nor do you wors h i p what I worship,
4. Nor a m I going to worship what you worsh i p,
5. Neither a re you going to worship what I wors h i p,
6. To you you r religion and to me my religion.

o/� 1 71
0<§8 Section The Glorious Qur'an
Accord i n g to most scholars, the second
and third verses are to be u nderstood i n
t h e past tense and the fou rth and the fifth
verses should be understood in the future
tense. Th is is the opin ion of ai-Bukhaaree.
But accord i n g to some, they have been
repeated for e m phasis. A third opinion is that
the second and the third verses express the
existing situation, while the fou rth and fifth
deny a ny future possi bil ity.
The Quraysh once proposed to the
Prophet � that h e should worship their idols
for a yea r, and i n return, they would wors h i p
his G o d for a yea r. He refused t h i s offer and
then this soorah was revealed, i n structi ng
h i m h ow to respond to them. The soorah
conta ins this response. The soorah expresses
one single them e, na mely that no one or
thing may be worshi pped besides Allah.
A Word
a bout
( U n belief)
The word kufr is a noun which is derived
from the root word k - f - r which means 'to
cover, to hide, to cover seed in the soil, to
plant seeds, to be ungratefu l, to hide Alla h's
existence, to deny Allah, among other
m e a n i n g s . ' Hence the term
'....
,,....,__ ",-!J
kaafir (p
(Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)
m eans one who is a n u n bel iever. It is i m portant
to note that the word kaafir or kuffaar is not a
derogatory expression. Rather, it is a name for
those who reject faith. Some com m entators
have m entioned that the l itera l meaning of
word kuffaar in Soorat a/-Hadeed (57:20) is
'til lers or fa rmers' becau se they sow the seed
and cover it u p with soil. The word kaffaarah
means pena nce or atonement, beca use it
concea ls and removes sins.
The root of kufr, as poi nted out a bove, is
k - f- r, which means'to cover or h ide'. Hence, it
also contains the denial of somethi ng, which
has the u nderlying meaning of u n bel ief that
is concea l i ng the truth or denyi ng it. Th u s,
kufr is u sed as the opposite of eemaan, which
means affirmation and belief. Hence, kufr
denotes u n belief and rejection. Kufr is a l so
used as the opposite of shukr (tha n kfu lness).
In this case, it signifi es ungratefu l ness or
tha n klessness.
Kufr
Various forms of Kufr
Kufr may ta ke different forms:
1 . One may com pl etely deny the
existence of Allah and reject that God
is the S u preme Being a nd the Lord
of the
atheism.
ol';8 1 7 2
The Glorious Qur'an (Detai led Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section 'Wo
2 . A person w h o does not believe
that Allah (or God) is the one
true deity (object of wors h i p)
and is to be wors h ipped
excl usively is a polytheist, or
mushrik.
3. One may believe in Allah but
refuse to accept H is g u ida nce
and laws and reject that these
a re the sou rces of knowledge
a nd g u ida nce.
4. One m ay accept that one
should fol low Alla h's g u ida nce
but refu se to bel ieve in His
Messengers.
5. A person, while believing in
some of the Messengers, m ay
m a ke a distinction between
them.
6. Despite bel ieving i n A l lah, His
Messengers and His Books, a
person may refuse to fol low
their teach ings.

All these represent d ifferent

forms of kufr. The soorah defines
the rig ht attitude to those who
reject fa ith; i n matters of truth we
can make no com promise, but
there is no n eed to persecute or
a buse anyone for his fa ith or
belief.

�'/)5 1 73 \.
o<:SfJ Section The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an)

elsewhe re in the Q u r'a n. Here we a re specially Eterna l: 'On e without a beg i n n i n g and
ta u g ht to avoid the pitfa l l s i nto which people without a n end: is a nother i nterpretation.
and nations have fa l len at va rious times i n Accord ing to some schola rs, the term a�­
tryi ng t o understa nd Allah �. S.amad has been actua l ly explai ned by
The fi rst thing we have to note is that what fol l ows: He does not beget, nor is He
His natu re is subli me, so fa r beyond our begotten. Litera l ly, a�-S.amad wou l d a l so
l i m ited conceptions that the best way i n i m ply One who sta nds i n no one's need, while
w h i c h w e can rea l ize H i m is t o feel that He everyone else sta nds in need of Him. In other
is a Personal ity: He is near to us. We owe our words, One before whom people put forwa rd
existen ce to Him a lone. He is the One their needs: the Everlasting Refuge.
and Only God-Al lah. He is the The word Ab_ad (Verse 1 )
Only One to whom worsh i p has the added meaning of
i s d u e. A l l other things o r a bsol ute and conti nuous
bei ngs that we c a n think oneness and a bsence of
of a re H is creatu res equa ls. A�-S.amad is the
and in no way Master whose control
comparable to H i m. is complete.
He is Eternal, without The soorah may
begi n ning or end. be rega rded as the
He is Absol ute, creed of Islam. It
not l i m ited by contains a negation
ti m e or place or of shirk (association
circu msta nce. He of other things or
does not have a son or bei ngs with Allah) i n
father. He is not l i ke any a l l its kinds.
other person or thing that The soorah is one of
we know or can i magi n e. H i s the most beloved portions
q u a l ities and natu re are u n i q u e. of the G l orious Q u r'a n. A
The word a�-S.amad is d ifficult n u m ber of p rophetic traditions
to translate by using one single word. tel l us that whoever loves this soorah, Allah
Litera l ly the word a�-S.amad is appl ied to one wou ld love them and wou l d admit them i nto
who has no stomach a nd therefore does not Pa rad ise. Once the Prophet � once a ppointed
eat or d ri n k. I n other words, He is one who a man in com mand of a brigade and this
is not dependent on anything or a nybody. man was leading his men i n prayer a nd he
The word al so denotes one whose attributes used to concl ude his prayers by reciti ng
have reached the highest point of their Soorat a/-/khlaa�. U pon their retu rn, the
development and perfection so that they so ldiers mentioned this fact to the prophet
ca n n ot be bettered. � and he said: 'Ask h i m why he did that:

� 1 74
The Glorious Qur'an (Detailed Study of Some Soorahs of the Qur'an) Section �

they asked the man and he repl ied, 'I do so

beca use it conta ins the attributes of the Most
Com passionate and so I love to recite it: The
prophet :i then said, 'Te l l h i m that Allah loves
h i m : (Reported by a i-Bu khaa ree and M u s l i m
on t h e authority of ' Aa'ishah �)
Abu H u rayra h � a lso na rrated that he
once went out with the Prophet :i and he
heard a man reciting Soorat al-/khlaa� and
the Prophet :i said, 'It has become confi rmed
[for h i m]: Abu H u rayra h � as ked h i m, 'What
has becom e confi rmed?"Pa radise; he repl ied.
(Reported by at-Ti rmidhee and classified as
�ab_eeb. by Shaykh a l-AI baa nee)
Anas ibn Maal i k � also narrated that
once a man said to the Proph et :i, 'I rea lly love
this soorah, Messenger of A l l a h : The Prophet
� sa id to h i m, 'Your love for it will admit you
i nto Pa rad ise: (Reported by at-Tirmid hee a nd
classified as �ab.eeb. by Shaykh a l-AI baa nee)

o(}5 1 75 �
o<§;fj Section The Glorious Qur'an (Its Authority a n d Place, a n d its Relationship with Other Sources o f Knowledge)

The Glorious Qur 'an

6. The Glorious Qur'an's Authority and Place in Islamic '
Beliefs, and its Relationship with Other Sources of
Knowledge

Qu r'a n is the
Sacred Scripture
of the rel igion
Islam. It is referred to
as the 'G lorious Qu r'an:
the 'Noble Q u r'an' a nd the
'I l l u strious Qu r'an: a mong other
names. It is in Ara bic, and it is the l itera l,
uncreated word of Allah. Since the Qu r'a n
i s t h e u ncreated word of Allah, a l l its words
without exception are necessarily Alla h's. Th e
Prophet � was only the mouthpiece, so that
it is Allah who is spea king i n the Q u r'a n fro m
beg i n n i ng to end.
The Qur'a n m ay be defi ned as 'the Book
conta i n i n g the Speech of Allah revea led
to the Prophet M uha m mad � in Ara bic
and tra nsm itted to us by the contin uous
t e s t i m o n y.'
It is the
clear proof of
Prophethood
of M uha m mad �, the
most authoritative g u ide for
Musli ms, and the fi rst sou rce of
the Sharee' ah, or the Isla mic Law.
M uslim scholars a re u na n i mous on this,
a nd some even hold that it is the only source
and that a l l other sources a re explanatory of
the Qur'a n.
The revel ation of the Qu r'a n began with
Soorat al-' a/aq (96: 1 -5), starti ng with the
words 'Read in the Name of you r Lord' and
ending with the aayah i n Soorat a/-Baqarah,
2:2 8 1 ) : 'And fea r the day when you will be
retu rned to Allah. Then everyone wi l l be paid
what they have ea rned, and they will not be

ry/')5 1 7 6 "
The Glorious Qur'an (Its Authority and Place, and its Relationship with Other Sources of Knowledge)
dealt with unjustly: AI-Bu khaaree reported on
the a uthority of ' Abd u l laah ibn ' Abbaas �
that this (i .e. 2:28 1 ) was the last verse revea led
to the Prophet ii. 'Abd u l laah i b n ' Ab baas �
added, 'The Prophet ii l ived nine n ig hts after
this verse was revea led, then he passed away:
There a re 1 1 4 soorahs (sing. soorah) and
6236 aayaat (sing. aayah) of u neq ual length
i n the Qur'a n . The shortest of these soorahs
Section �
consists of three verses a nd the longest one
consists of 286 verses. The longer soorahs
a ppear fi rst a nd the soorahs becom e s horter
as the text proceeds. Both the order of the
aayaat within each soorah a nd the seq uence
of the soorahs were fi na l ly d etermi n ed by
the Prophet ii h i m self. According to th is
arrangement, the Qur'a n begins with Soorat
ai-Faatiflah a nd ends with Soorat an-Naas.

6. 1 . A Word a bout Soorah a nd Aayall

The Qu r'a n is divided into suwar1 (sing. soorah), and the suwar i nto aayaat
(sing. aayah). They contain a s u m of 77,497 words or kalimaat (sing. kalimah).
The term soorah as a d ivision of the Qu r'a n is coined by the Qu r'an for itself. It is
someti m es tra nslated i nto English as Cha pter, though this is actually inaccurate.
The term soorah, according to word history (etymology), d enotes a ny
lofty position or high point. From this mea n i ng the Arabs have the phrase
soar ai-Madeenah or 'the city wa ll: The word a lso came to be used for a 'wa l l '
surrounding t h e house. It i s i n t h i s sense that t h e G racious Qu r'a n u ses t h e term
for itself, without l itera ry precedent in Ara bic, to indicate a Qu r'anic d ivision. It
contains with in its peri meter a set of wel l-defined 'signs' (l iterally aayaat), just
as a fence ma rks off and encircles disti nct properties. Sim ply stated, a soorah
is an i ndependent piece of d ivine revelation specific to the Qur'a n. It is made
up of signs (aayaat), which have a beg i n n ing and a n end. The term verse, for
the Arabic aayah, has ga i ned accepta nce though it does not convey the rea l
m eaning of t h e Qu r'a nic term a ayah.
The Ara bic term aayah (pl. aayaat) has many meanings, such as sign,
token, m ark, miracle, wonder, marvel, model, exa m ple and paragon. Its wide
usage in the Qur'a n can be eva l uated by the fact that aayah and its derivatives
occur 385 times in the Qur'a n. Each aayah is a sign from Allah that esta blishes
the Qu r'a nic divine origin. People are u rged to reflect on the Qu r'anic aayaat to
attai n insight.
The Qu r'an is the Book of Allah. It resembles no human l itera ry work, either
structura l ly or i n the matter of style. Its l iterary style is a rhymed prose. It is not
poetry, for it follows no metre; rather it is rhyth m ical and is in rhymed prose.

1 - Suwar is the actual plural form of the Arabic word soorah, which has been trans l iterated t hroughout

t h i s and other books in the series as soorahs, as t h i s form has been w i d e ly accepted.

o/}; 1 77 �
� Section The Glorious Qur'an
T h e
Qu r'a n is
the heart of
Isla m . It is the basis
of h u m a n understanding
of the u n iverse and people's place i n it.
It is Alla h's fi n a l m essage to m a n ki nd and is
exactly the sa m e i n its p resent version as it
was in the time of the Prophet �. The Qur'a n
is a book of hidaayah, g u id ance for man kind,
and as such its a uthority is final. It conta i n s
knowledge i m parted b y Allah � for the
g u ida nce for h u m a nkind.
The Glorious Qur'a n occu pies a place
of e m i n ence: the place so occupied has
not been atta i ned at a ny time by a ny book
a nywhe re. There a re cou ntless considerations
which e ntitle the Noble Qu r'an to a place of
e m i n ence to which no other book can aspire.
One of these considerations is that it throws
l i g ht on all the fu ndamenta l s of rel igion, a l l
Islamic beliefs, t h e existence a n d Oneness of
A l m i g hty Allah, H i s messengers and p rophets,
the angels, the revealed scriptu res, the reward
for good and pu nish m ent for evil, l ife after
<>(8 1 7 8 �
(Its Authority a n d Place, a n d its Relationship with Other Sources o f Knowledge)
death a nd
Paradise
and Hell, among
other issues.
In addition to explaining
the mysteries of the unseen, the Qu r'an offers
solutions to the most d ifficult problems of
this life, such as the distribution of wea lth,
m a rriage and divorce, the creation of
man kind, the creation of the sun and the
moon, and all other q uestions on which
people's happi ness and adva ncement
depend i n a ny d egree. The va l u e of these
ideas and beliefs is fu rther i ncreased when it
is seen that it does not confront people with
dog mas (bl i nd assertions of opin ions a nd
beliefs) but g ives reasons for every assertion
made, whether relati ng to the p hysical or the
spiritua l l ife. There a re h u n d reds of topics on
which the Qu r'a n has enriched the l iteratu re
of the world. Whether it is d iscussing
q uestions relati ng to spiritual existence or
to p hysical life on ea rth, the Qu r'a n fol l ows
an a rg u mentative cou rse and convinces by
a rg u ment and not by dog ma.
The GloriOUS Qur'an (Its Authority and Place, an d its Relationship with Other Sources of Knowledge)
However, the contents of the Q u r'an
a re not classified subject wise. The aayaat on
va rious topics a ppea r i n u nexpected places.
To give just a few exa m p l es, consider the
refe rence concerning the a ngels in the second
soorah in the m idst of other aayaat which
relate to the subject of creation of m a n kind
(ai-Baqarah, 2:30-34). Explaining the topic, D r.
M uha m mad Hashim Ka m a l i observes:
The Command concerning iOiaah appears in the
second soorah, in the midst of other aayaat which
relate to the subject of divorce (ai-Baqarah, 2:228-
237). 1 n the same soorah, we find rules which relate
to wine-drinking, a postasy and war, followed by
passages concerning the treatment of orphans
and marriage to unbelieving women (a/-Baqarah,
2: 21 6-22 1 ). Similarly, the aayaat relat'ng to the
pilgrimage or flajj occur both in Soorat ai-,Baqarah
(2:1 96-203) and Soorat of-Hajj (22:26-2�). Rules on
marriage, divorce and revocation (rij'ah) a re found
i n Soorat ai-Baqarah, Soorat at.-Ialaaq a nd Soorat
an-Nisaa'. From this a conclusion has been drawn
that the Qur'an is an indivisible whole and a guide
for belief and action, which must be acGepted
and followed in its entirety. Hence, a ny attempt
to follow some parts of the Qur'a n and a bandon
others will be totally i nvalid. (Principles of Islamic
Jurisprudence, p.1 5 )
The Qu r'an is n ot a legal or a
constitutional docu ment. Legal m aterial
occ u pies only a small portion of the b u l k
of its text. The Qu r'an ca l l s itself hudaa, or
0"';8 1 79
Section 'Wo
g u ida nce, not a code of l aw. Out of over
6200 aayaat, less than one-tenth relate to
law and j u risprudence, while the remainder
a re largely concerned with m atters of belief
and moral ity, the five pillars of the faith a nd a
variety of other subjects. Its idea of economic
and social justice, i ncluding the legal contents,
is on the whole su bsidia ry to its rel igious ca l l .
The legal or practical contents o f the
Qu r'a n constitute the basis of what is known
as fiqh ai-Qur'an, or the corpus juris of the
Qu r'a n. There a re close to 350 legal aataat
in the Qu r'an, most of which were revealed
i n response to problems that were actua l ly
encou ntered. There a re a n estirmated 1 40
aayaat i n the Q u r'a n on devotional m atter ,
sud1 as s_alaah (prayer), zakaat (the pu rifYi ng
ues), §.iyaam (fasti ng), b.ajj (pilg11image to
Ma kkah), <Lha rities, the ta king of oaths and
penances, among other thi ngs. D r. Ka mali,
however, wa rns:
It will be noted, however, that the fuqahaa'
(jurists) a re not in agreement over these figures, as
calculations of this nature tend to differ according
to one's understanding of, and approach to,
the contents of the Qur'an: (Principles of Islamic
Jurisprudence, pp. 1 9-20)
I n relation to other sou rces, the G lorious
Qu r'an is the fi rst and the most a uthoritative
source of the Sharee' a h. It is the standard to
which M uslims refer in eva l uatin g worldly
and otherworldly m atters.
o\§8 Section The Glorious Qur'an (Its Authority a n d Place, a n d its Relationship with Other Sources o f Knowledge)

For Further Reading and Research

1 . Tafseer Ibn Katheer English Tra nslation, 1 0 Vol u m es;
Da russa lam, Riyadh, 2000.
2. M ufti M uha m mad Shafi, Ma' riful Qur'an, (Engl ish), 8
Vol u m es, Darui-Uioom, Karachi, 1 995.
3 . Syed I q ba l Zaheer, Tafseer lshraq ai-Maa' anee, (Eng l ish),
l q ra Welfare Trust, Ba ngalore, I nd ia, 1 992.
4. Abd u l Majid Darya badi, Tafsirul Qur'an, Academy of
Islamic Research a nd Publications, Lucknow, I nd ia, 1 98 1 .
5. 'Abd u l l a h Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, English Translation
of the Meanings and Commentary, King Fa hd Holy Qur'a n
Pri nti ng Com plex, Madeenah, Sa udi Arabia.
6. H a n na E. Kassis, A Concordance of the Qur'an, U n iversity
of Cal ifornia Press, 1 983.
7. M. M. a l-A 'zmi, The History of the Qur'anic Text from
Revelation to Compilation, U K Islamic Academy: Leicester,
U K, 2003.
8. Elsaid M . Badawi a nd M uha m mad Abdel Ha l eem, Arabic ­

English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage, Bri l l, Leiden, 2008.

9. Abu ' Am mar Yasir Qadhi, An introduction to the Sciences
of the Qur'an, AI H idaaya h Publ ishers & Distri butors, U K,
1 999.
1 O.Mahmood ibn Ahmad ibn S_a a l i h ad-Dusa ree, The
Magnificence of the Qur'an, Darussa lam Publ ishers and
Distributors, Riyadh, Sa udi Ara bia, 2006.
1 1 .Jamaal ud-Deen Za ra bozo, How to Approach
Understand the Qur'an, AI-Basheer Publ ications
Tra nslations, Denver, USA, 1 999.
1 2. Ahmad Von Denffer, ' Uloom ai-Qur'aan,
Islamic Fou ndation, Leicester, U K, 2009.
1 3. Kh u rra m M u rad, Way to the Qur'an, the
Islamic Foundation, Leicester, U K, 1 992.
1 4. M usta n�i r M i r, Coherence in the Qur'an,
American Trust Publ ications, Plainfield,
I nd iana, 1 987.
The Glorious Qur'a n (Its Authority and Place, and its Relationship with Other Sources of Knowledge)
Cou rsework
1 . 'The com pilers of the Qu r'an fo l l owed a
very clear, systematic and ca refu l m ethod:
Give reasons to either agree or disagree
with this statement.
2. (a) What a re the main teachings of Surat
a/-Faatib.ah ?
( b ) How do these teachi ngs explain t h e
relationsh i p between human beings and
God?
3. In what different ways is Surat a/-Faatib.ah
u sed i n the religious l ife of Muslims?
4. (a) Describe the main teachings of the
Qu r'a n a bout the line of messengers sent
by God.
(b) Assess the va lue of the books revea led
to these m essengers.
5. Discuss the significance of the Qu r'a n in
the beliefs and practices of the M u s l i m
com m u nity today.
6. The Prophet � i s reported to have said that
Surat a/-/kh/aa� (Surah 1 1 2) is eq u iva lent
i n va l u e to one third of the whole Qu r'an.
Explain why this is so.
7. Explain Surat aQ.-Dub.aa with
reference to the life of the Prophet �.
8. Give an account of the p rocess by which it
is genera l ly believed that the Qu r'a n was
Section 'Wo
compi l ed in its present form, between the
time of the death of the Prophet � and
the end of the ca l i phate of ' Uthmaan �.
9. (a) Explain why the ea rly M uslims thought
it i m portant to coll ect the Qu r'a n in a
written form.
(b) Describe how this was done i n the
period of the early ca l i ph s.
1 O. {a) How did the Prophet � describe the
d ifferent ways i n which he received the
revelations?
{b) What do M uslims mean when they ca l l
the Qu r'a n Ka/am-u-1/aah?
1 1 . Present and explain the main them es of
Surat a/-Qadr.
1 2. With reference to parts of the Qur'a n you
have stud ied, expla i n why tawb.eed is
often thought to be the main theme of
the Q u r'a n.
1 3. Referring to the surahs (suwar) you have
especially stud i ed, outline and d iscuss the
special m a i n teachings of the Qu r'an a bout God.
1 4. Why, accord i n g to genera l belief, was the
Qu r'a n revea led to the Prophet � over a
period of time?
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla (T h e F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m )

7 . The Five Pillars of Islam

T h e five p i l l a rs of I s l a m c o n s i st of ( 1 ) ash -Sh ah aadataan

(t h e d e c l a ra t i o n of fa i t h ) , (2) t h e five o b l i g a t o ry p ra y e rs
(Ia laah ) , ( 3 ) t h e p u rify i n g d u e s (zaka a t) , (4) fa s t i n g (Ia wm )
i n t h e m o n t h o f Ramad_aan a n d ( 5 ) p i l g r i m a g e to M a kka h
( flajj ) .

o/;8 1 82
Beliefs and Practices of Islam ( T h e F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m ) Section 'Wo

Islam
The word I s l a m i s derived from t h e Ara bi c root s - I - m , which means
'safety, ca l m, bei ng safe, a nd sound, or to remain u n h a rm ed, bein g free
from o bstacles, to hand over, to s u b m it to, to surrender to� The word
salaam, which comes from the sa m e root, means 'peace� Th us, Islam means
a total willing s u b m ission (Soorat A a/-' lmraan, 3 : 1 9). Hence, Islam i s a n act
of a tota l wi l l ing su rrender to Alla h's wil l and fol lowing H i s commands. The
term Islam occu rs eight times in the Qu r'an.
The rel igion sent down by Allah and brought i nto the world by H i s
prophets h a s been ca lled Islam for t h e s i m p l e reason that, i n it, the servant
su rrenders com pletely to the power and control of the Lord and obeys H i m
whole-hearted ly. The Qu r'a n spea ks o f Aada m �� as t h e fi rst man a nd the
fi rst prophet. Prophethood began with Aadam �� and came to a close
with Prophet M uha m mad �. Prophet Aadam �� was the fi rst M uslim. The
rel igion of a l l the p rophets and messengers was Islam. This is the vita l point
which should be kept i n m i n d i n tryi ng to u ndersta nd Islam.

The Word Muslim

M uslim m ea n s one w h o submits t o Alla h , (2: 1 3 1 ) o n e w h o p rofesses
the faith of Islam, (Soorat of-Hajj, 2 2:78) hence, a 'su b m itter� The term i n
its singular form occurs twice i n t h e Qu r'a n (Soorat Aal-' lmraan, 3:67 and
Soorat Yoosuf, 1 2 : 1 0 1 ). Discussing the term M us l i m, Hasan Gai Eaton states,
The term 'Muslim' (with a capital letter) is properly applied only to those who follow
the Message of the Qur'an, but when it takes the lower case, it has a far more u niversal
meaning. In the first place, everyone and everythi ng is muslim, in the sense that all,
knowingly or u nknowingly, are subject to the Divine Will and cannot escape from
it. The rock that falls by the force of gravity is muslim, so are the birds and beasts of
the field, so too is the h umankind as a whole. All submit to the will of their Creator.
(Remembering God, p. 5)

Since everything i n this u niverse fu nctions i n accordance with its

ingra i n ed laws, they a utomatically o bey the com mand of Allah. The whole
u n iverse is, therefore, muslim, su rrendering to the wi l l of Allah. Man is the
only exception in this u n iversal law. Thi s is beca u se he is endowed with the
free choice of obeying or disobeying the com m a nds of Allah.
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla (The F i v e P i l l a rs of I s l a m )

Fi rst of a l l, they m ust pronou nce the two declarations of faith (ash­
Shahaadataan):

•
There is n o god but Allah Laa ilaaha illal/aah
•
M uha m mad is the Messenger of Allah Muflammad-ur-Rasoolul/aah .

They m ust fi rmly a n d sincerely bel ieve i n the Oneness of Allah. They m ust
be detached from every other relig ion, since rel igion in the sight of Allah is Islam
(Soorat Aal-'lmraan, 2 : 1 9). Th u s, by sim ply since rely reciti ng ash-shahaadataan
a non-Muslim enters the fold of Islam a n d joins the com m u n ity of M u sl i ms.

Islam as ad-Deen
The Ara bi c word deen is usua l ly
tra nslated as rel igion. B ut this does n ot
provi de its true mea n i ng. Deen, i n fact,
denotes a system of beliefs, a code of l ife.
It does not merely sign ify the spiritu a l
fu lfil ment o f the individ ual. It m e a n s a l l
matters perta i n i ng to a way o f life for it
encom passes rel igion, law, trade, commerce,
mora l ity, pol itics, justice, foods a n d d ri n ks,
cloth ing: in fact, a l l aspects of l ife relating to
people's thoug hts or actions. Th is is the most
fu ndamental point that should be g rasped i n
tryi ng to understa nd I s l a m , beca use, i n this
comprehen sive sense, rel igion is a M u sl i m's
l ife. A l l p rophets and m essengers b rought
the sa m e deen. Any othe r rel ig io n besides
Islam is u naccepta ble to Allah (Soorat Aal­
'lmraan, 3:85). Th us, it wou l d appear that it is
not possible to tra nsl ate the term i n a single
word i n a ny oth er lang uage.

�}5 1 84
Beliefs and Practices of ( T h e F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m ) Section �

5 The Five Pillars of Islam

T h e basic obligatory d uties of a M uslim towards

Allah a re known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The Prophet
:1 said,
Islam is built upon five pillars 1 : Testifying that there is no god but
Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing

the [obligatory] prayers, giving the zakaat, making the pilgrimage

to the [Sacred] House, and fasting in Ramad.aan . ' (Reported by

al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

I m portance of this Hadeeth

This b.adeeth is of g reat sign ifica nce. It lays down

the fu nda mental aspects of one's outwa rd surrender to
Allah. This self-su rrender is based on certa i n foundations,
i n a way similar to a building. If a person carries a l l these
aspects, he lays down a solid foundation for his religion
as a whol e. If a person lacks i n a ny of these pillars, then
the entire building will be exposed to danger. If any
of the pillars is m issing, the house will stand but it wi l l
have a d efi ciency. It is i m porta nt t o rea lize that t h e m a i n
pillar is t h e testi mony of fa ith. The fi rst p i l la r leads t o the
fu lfi l me nt of the remaining pilla rs. The firmer the fi rst
pillar, the stronger the remaining pillars!

1 - The word pil l ars does not appear i n Arabic, b u t it h a s b e e n su ppl i ed for

cl arity of m e a n i n g : A n - Nawawee's Forty !j_adeeth. Tr. Ezzedd i n Ibra h i m ­

Den ys Jo h n s o n Davies, p. 34. The test i m o n y of Faith is: I bear w itness

that there i s n o god but Allah and that Muham m ad i s His servant and

Messenger. By rec i t i n g t h i s two-fold test i m o n y of faith, one c o m e s i nto the

fold of I s l a m. Altho u g h this i s a verbal affirm ati o n , i t req u i res c o n v i ct i o n i n

o n e's heart a n d then its m a n ifestat i o n b y act i o n s.

o/;}5 1 85
� Section Beliefs and Practices of lslan ( T h e F i v e P i l l a rs of I s l a m )

����_iC. word shahida means 'to witness, to

personal ly, to be present� From this root
means testimony, evidence or witness.
a M uslim is outward ly established by one's
sayi ng the two statem ents of fa ith. One's subm ission is
perfected through performing the other obligatory d uties
mentioned i n the b.a deeth above. Neglecting them suggests
that one has d issolved or wea kened the terms of one's
obedience. The testi mony of faith is a state me nt or
n i n ety-nine na mes of Allah. These
kalimah. The Qu r'an ca lls it kalimatan-tayyibatan ­
a re col lectively known as a/-Asmaa' ai­
a g ood word (Soorat lbraaheem, 1 4:24), which is l i ke
Husnaa (th e most bea utifu l na mes),
a good tree fi r m ly rooted, its branches reaching o ut
and many of them a re mentioned i n
towa rds the sky. This testi mony is so i m porta nt and
t h e Qur'a n. However, t h e most repeated
significant that Allah H i mself, His a ngels and those
na m es of Allah a re ar-Rab.eem and ar­
endowed with knowledge bear witness and m a ke
Rab.maan, which express the i m mensity
this declaration. (Soorat Aal-' lmraan, 3 : 1 8)
of Divi ne Mercy for everything that is i n
There Is No god but Allah: · t h e u n iverse. They lead u s t o t h e proper
u n dersta nding of our relationship with
The Qur'anic Conception of the our Creator. (Abd u r Rashid Siddiqui,
Oneness of Allah - The Tawheed Qur'anic Keywords)

The word Allah is used with the hig hest

freq uency in the Qur'a n. It is the personal name
of the Creator of the u n iverse. The word Allah is
u n i q ue. I t can not be translated i nto a ny other
languag e. Th u s, there ca n n ot be a ny plura l of this
word i n the way 'God' becomes 'gods: nor has it a
fem i n i n e form as 'goddess or goddesses�
The Oneness of Allah (tawb.eed) is the centra l
theme of the Qur'a n. The name Allah is u sed
exclusively for the One who created the heavens
and the earth a nd everything i n the u n iverse.
According to a b.a deeth of the Prophet :i, there a re
ol)5 1 86 8:)0
Muhammad-ur-Rasool­
ullaah: M u ha mmad is the
Messenger of Allah
This is the second pa rt of the
Shahaadah or the testi mony of faith.
M uha m mad :i is the Messenger of Allah.
This means he was c hosen by Allah to
be His Messenger in order to convey H i s
m essage. He is t h e fi na l prophet sent by
Allah. He has been sent to a l l m a n kind
Beliefs and Practices Isla of (The F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m )
until the Day of Judg ment. The Q u r'a n says,
' He is Alla h's Messenger and the Seal of the
Prophets: (Soorat ai-Ab_zaab, 33 :40)
Alla h's Messenger ii is descri bed as the
Seal of the Prop hets - Khaatam an-Nabiyyeen
- in this verse. he was the last in the line of
prophets a nd m essengers, and there will be
no other prophet after h i m .
7 .2 . The Second Pillar:
Esta bl ishing the Prayers
(Sa/aah)
S_alaah is an Ara bic word which mea ns'to
turn towards someth ing or to pay attention,
to pray, to praise and to pay respect: It is a
Qur'a nic keyword. Esta blishing the prayers
means the prescri bed Islamic prayers: the
five daily prayers. (Soorat ai-Baqarah, 2 :238)
The structure and timings of �a/aah as wel l
as its contents a re a l l very wel l explai n ed i n
both t h e Qu r'a n and t h e Sunnah. I t is not
only for this nation (Ummah) that �a/aah was
made obligatory. The Qu r'a n declares that
Allah enjoi ned the performa nce of �alaah on
the com m u nities of all the earlier prophets.
However the form of �alaah prescri bed was
different from the one prescribed for this
com m u n ity. But qiyyaam, rukoo' and sujood
were always pa rts of �a/aah. The word �a/aah
occurs 78 ti mes i n the Q u r'a n.
Alla h's Messenger ii said, 'Pray i n
t h e m a nner that you have seen m e
praying: (Reported b y ai-Bu khaaree)
The objective of �a/aah is to
esta bl ish an i ntimate
relationship between
the serva nt and his Creator. This
Section '&;o
is renewed five times a day. It conti n u es
throug h out one's l ife u nti l d eath. S_alaah is
the most i m porta nt obligation for a Muslim.
After pronouncing the shahaadah by which
one enters the fold of Islam, the very fi rst
obligation testi ng one's sincerity of fa ith is
�a/aah.
It is i m porta nt to rea l ize that the
believers a re comma nded to esta blish the
five daily prayers. This means that these
prayers must be performed at their p roper
timings i n cong regation and in a mosq ue
accord ing to its rules and reg u lations ta ught
by the Messenger of Allah ti. The structure
and ti ming of each of the five prescribed
daily prayers is recorded and fu l ly explai ned
in the traditions of the Messenger of Allah ti.
It is i m portant to note that �a/aah will not be
va lid without preced ing it with wuQ.oo' (ritua l
ablution).
The five obligatory daily prayers a re:
•
S_alaat-ui-Fajr: the dawn prayer
•
S_alaat-udh- Dhuhr: the noon prayer
•
S_alaat-ui-'A�r: the mid-afternoon
prayer
•
S_alaat-ui-Maghrib: the sunset p rayer
•
S_alaat-ul-' lshaa': the
nig htfa l l prayer
)
r/)3 1 87 �
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla (The F i v e P i l l a r s of I s l a m )

The prayer times va ry a l ittl e each day with I ndeed, the prayer guards one against immorality
the season and the yea r, and from one town and evil. (Soorat ai-'Ankaboot, 29:45)
to a nother through the effects of latitude
Of all the possible restra i nts agai nst
and longitude. S_alaah can be performed
com m itting evi l, the prayer is the most
individ ually or i n congregation, but men
effective. What could be more effective than
must perform it i n a mosq ue i n congregation.
ca l l i ng people five ti m es a day to remember
Alla h's Messenger � said, 'The merit of the
Allah � and to refresh i n them the fact that
cong regation a l prayer (�alaat-u/-jamaa' ah)
they have no rig ht to act with u nfettered
su rpasses that of individual prayer by twenty­
freedom, for they are the servants of the
seven d egrees: (Reported by a i-Bu khaaree
All-Knowi ng Allah, One who is awa re of the
and Muslim)
desires and i ntentions that lie hidden in
The Prophet ·� also said, 'To perform the
their hearts, and the One
late evening prayer ( ' lshaa') in congregation
to whom they
is eq u iva lent to spending half the night in
will one day
prayer, while to perform the dawn prayer
have to
(Fajr) in congregation is l i ke prayi ng the
whole nig ht: (Reported by Muslim)
The Friday p rayer, which is performed
at Dhuhr ti m e, has special sign ificance as it
is preceded by a sermon (khutbah) del ivered
by the imaam. It has to be performed i n
con g regation and is obligatory on a l l adult
men.

The I n ner Di mensions of

Salaah (Prayer) :
S_alaah serves to bring the individ ual
closer to Allah and to bind the com m u n ity re n d e r
together. I n rea l ity, if the prayer (�a/aah) a n accou nt of
is performed a ppropriately, with true a l l their deeds. I n fact,
remembrance of Allah and turning to Him in the prayer practica l ly trains people
repenta nce, it will defin itely have an enduring not to disobey any of Alla h's com mands even
effect on us. We will be h opefu l as wel l as when no one is watching them.
fea rfu l. After that experience, we will not wa nt When someone offers the prayers
to c l i m b down from that sublime position a n five ti m es a day, d u ly observi ng a l l its
sink t o a level where we a re bound t o disobey req u i re ments, ra nging from ritua l clea n l i ness
Allah. Allah has u nderscored this aspect of of the body and clothing to recitations as
the prayer in the Noble Qur'a n:

o/;)5 1 88
Beliefs and Practices of Isla (The F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m )
laid down by d ivine Law, this act of worship
constantly breathes new l ife i nto their
conscience, awaken i n them a sense of
accountabil ity to Allah and tra nsforms them
into responsible, duty-conscious people.
Thereby, they a re tra ined to willingly a d here
to the commands of fa ith, both i n publ ic
and i n private, regardless of whether they
a re subjected to s u pervision by a ny external
a uthority and rega rd l ess of whether or not
others a re awa re of their deeds.
Seen in this l ig ht, one
reaches the inevita ble
conclusion
that the
prayer
does indeed
restra i n people from
com m itti ng acts of i ndecency
a nd evi l . In fact, there is no scheme of tra i n ing
ai med at d issuading people from evi l wh ich
is as effective as the prayer.
As for those who a re not ready to m end
their ways or who deliberately deprive
themselves of the benefits of the p rayer, it
is clear that no scheme of reform is going to
r/)5 1 89
Section Wo
help them.
The five daily prayers a re in fact a type
of pu rification for the true believers, as they
bring them closer to Allah � and afford them
the opportun ity to turn to their Lord five
times a day. lmaam Ahmad records, 'A man
ca me to the Prophet :i and said, 'So-a nd-so
prays at n ig ht, but when morning comes,
he steals: The Prophet :i said, 'What you a re
saying (i.e. �a/aah) will prevent h i m from
doing so. (Accord ing to M uslim scholars, this
fladeeth is sou nd). The effect of �a/aah on its
performers is a com monly noted fact. Even
non-M uslims have adm itted that they have
seen a g l ow on the faces of Muslims as they
emerge from the mosques. In the words of a
d isti nguished American psychologist:
A l l historians declare that the a mazing
success of Islam i n domi nating the
world lay i n the astounding coherence
or sense of u n ity i n the g roup, but they
do not explain how this m i racle was
worked. There can be l ittle doubt that
of the most effective means was prayer.
The five daily prayers, when a l l the
fa ithfu l wherever they were, a lone i n the
grim solitude of the desert or the vast
assembl ies in the crowded city, knelt and
prostrated themselves towa rds Ma kkah,
uttering the same words of adoration
for the One true God a nd of loya lty to
His Prophet, prod uce an overwhelming
effect u pon the spectator, and the
psychological effect of this fusing the
m i nds of the worshi ppers in a common
adoration and expression of loya lty is
certa i n ly stu pendous: (Abd u l Majeed
Darya badi, The Glorious Qur'an, the
Islamic Foundation, U K, p. 7 1 7)
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla (T h e F i v e P i l l a rs of I s l a m )

Significance and Benefits, London)

7 .3 . The Th ird Pil lar: G ivi ng Zakaat

l u r Rahman also writes: The Ara bic word zakaat is derived from the root z - k - y,
The prayer in which means 'to g row, to flourish, to reach, to pu rify, and to
congregation is tra i n i n g be purified: Zakaat is m eant to pu rify a person's capital and
i n brotherhood. All i ncome from the ta int of selfish ness, hence the name zakaat
M usli ms, irrespective - the pu rifying d ues. The term zakaat occu rs 32 times in the
of colour, race or Qu r'a n.2
national ity, sta nd in Zakaat is the third pillar of Isla m . It ra nks very close to
prayer before their �alaah, and they a re both often mentioned together in the
Lord as equals. This Qu r'a n - i n eig hty-two places, to be precise. See, for insta nce,
is an exa m ple of 73:20, 33:33 a nd 2:43 .
democracy such as no The payment of zakaat pu rifies believers and their
rel igion or social g roup wea lth. It p u rifies their soul by cleansing it of the d isease
other than Islam has of tig htfisted ness and miserli ness. In Sharee' ah, zakaat's
s uccessfully established t e c h n i c a l meaning i s in
i n this world. H u m a n r e fe r e n c e to a
distinctions a re l evel l ed
down i n p rayer and
the pride of the rich
i s cut down and the
l owness of the poor is
ra ised, so that all feel
eq ual and h u m ble
before their Lord. The
organ ization of p rayer
in rows destroys a l l class
disti nctions i n society
and a l l narrow class
feel i ngs of nation hood,
or tribe, or colo u r or
race: (Afza l u r Rahman,
London, Prayer - Its

2- For m o re deta i l s, see K a s s i s's A Concordance of the Our' an, pp. 132526-.

o/'jJ 1 9 0
Beliefs a n d Practices of Islam ( T h e F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m ) Section 'Wo
specific portion of one's d ifferent type of
wea lth that one m ust give every yea r to a
specific g roup of reci pients m ention ed i n the Zakaat Year
Qur'a n. See (Soorat at-Tawbah, 9:60)
Passage of one lunar yea r (accord i ng to
Zakaat is not a favou r to be g iven to the
the hegi ra (hijrah) calendar) is req u i red before
poor by the rich. Rather, it is the right of the
zakaat can be i m posed o n wea lth. Assets that
poor on the wea lth of the rich. (Soorat ai­
rem a i n with their owners for one ful l year a re ·
Ma' aarij, 70: 24-25) To with hold zakaat is to
zakaatable. Rich Muslims, therefore, m ust
deprive the poor of thei r rig htful share. Thus,
esta blish their zakaat yea r. Ma ny Muslims
one who gives zakaat actua l ly purifies one's
calculate zakaat d u ri ng RamaQ.aan for the
wea lth by separating from it the portion
added reward of wors h i pping d uri ng the
that belongs to the poor. One who incurs
blessed month. So, a n exa m ple of zakaat
zakaat and does not give it will have severe
yea r m ay be from 1 5th RamaQ.aan 1 43 0 AH to
punishment in the hereafter. Traditions of the
the 1 4th RamaQ.aan 1 43 1 A H (one ful l hijrah
Prophet :i describe i n detai l the p u n ish ment
lunar calendar year). Once the zakaat year is
that will be infl icted on those who do not give
set, the same date range should be used for
p roper zakaat on their wea lth.
future yea rs.
Zakaat is one of the pillars of Islam, and
The wea lth or p roperty s u bject to zakaat
if a M uslim den ies its obligation or says that
should be of a g rowing type. It should have
it is not a part of Islam, then such a person
the capa b i l ity for g rowth a nd d evelopment.
becom es a disbeliever, according to the
Zakaat is obl igatory on wealth rega rd l ess of
agreement of schola rs. Zakaat is not i m posed
whether the owner is a n a d u lt or a m i no r. It i s
un l ess the zakaata ble wea lth reaches a
d u e o n wea lth owned b y the i nsane a s wel l .
mini m u m level. This l evel is cal led the ni�aab3
Legal g ua rdia n s s h o u l d pay zakaat on behalf
or sca l e. Different types of properties have
of m i nors and the i n sa ne.
d ifferent ni�aabs.
Zakaat i s compu lsory o n merchandise or
The ni�aab on money is 85 gra ms of
trading goods. If a l u nar year passes and the
gold and so on. The ni�aab m ust be i n excess
merchandise or trading goods reach nisaab,
of the basic needs of the owner. Th ings used
which i s the va l u e of 85 gra m s of gold, zakaat
for satisfying basic n eeds a re not considered
becom es due. Zakaat is a lso d u e on them i s
zakaata ble. Basic necessities a re food, shelter,
2.5 o/o i f their va l u e reaches the ni�aab. Zakaat
clothes, household goods, utensils, fu rniture,
on l ivestock a nd their ni�aab is d ifferent.
money to pay back debts, basis transportation
Ag ricultura l produce, such as g ra i n s, i s
a nd books of knowledge, among other things.
zakaata b le. According to s o m e scholars,
3- Ni s a a b o n m o n ey i s 85 grams o f go ld and so o n . Nisaab however, zakaat need not be g iven on j ewels,
_
must be in excess of the basic needs of the o w n er. Thi n g s
pea rl s, diamonds, and p recious stones whic h
u s e d f o r satisfyi n g bas i c n eeds are n ot c o n s i d e red
a re used for wea ri ng. Ni�aab on jewe l lery i s
z akaata bl e. B a s i c necessities are food, s helte r, clothes,

ho usehold goods, ute n s i l s, furn itu re, m o n ey to pay back 8 5 g ra m s of g o l d or 5 9 5 g ra m s o f s i lver and
debts and books of k n o w l edge, a m o n g other t h i n gs.

o/2 1 9 1 '
o<E:fj Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( T h e Five P i l l a rs of I s l a m )

•!• It trains them to acq u i re divine

Who Are Entitled to
Receive Zakaat?
The Qur'a n states that there a re eight
categories of people who are entitled to
receive zakaat (Soorat at-Tawbah, 9:60) . They
are: 'the poor; the destitute and the needy;
workers in zakaat admin istration; those
whose hea rts need to be reconciled; freeing
from bondage; those i n debts; for the cause
of Allah a nd the travellers:
Zakaat: Its Function in the
life of Individuals a nd the
Com m u n ity
Like �alaah, zakaat has a very significant
ro le for society as a whole. Social justice
and com passion to fel l ow h u mans who a re
disadvantaged is one of the centra l themes
of Islam.
characteristics.
•!• It is an expression of thankfu l n ess to
Allah �.
•!• It is a cure for the love of worldly thi ngs.
•!• It sti mulates personal ity growth.
•!• It improves ties of mutual love and
pu rifies wea lth.
•!• It brings g rowth to wea lth. It may seem
to decrease wea lth, but in fact it brings
blessi ngs and prosperity to wea lth.
Allah � is the Giver of wea lth and He
can increase it for whomever He wants.
'Wealth never decreases due to cha rity:
(Musl i m) (Mushfi q u r Ra h man, Zakaat
Calculation)
Its Effects on the
Comm u n ity
Zakaat helps the poor of society as they
receive wea lth that they n eed. It helps to
stre ngth€n the ties of b rotherhood

Effects of Za
Purifying Dues)
I nd ividual
Zakaat benefits not only
those who receive it, but a lso
those who pay it. In short,
these effects a re:
•!• Zakaat is a reminder that
wea lth actually belongs
to Allah �.
•!• It purifies the soul from
m iserli ness. G reed is the
worst of moral attributes.
•!• It trains people to g ive.
� 1 92
Beliefs and Practices Isla
of ( T h e F i ve P i l l a r s of I s l a m ) Section �
a society. Zakaat is the most
effective measure to i m prove
the economic cond ition of the
have-nots. It is not a tax but
rather a lofty form of worship
where by people come close to
thei r Lord. The Muslims haveI
therefore, been enjoi ned to
pay zakaat with the same sense
of earnestness a nd devotion
i n which the seeker of the
Lord observes the prayer. The
pri m a ry motive of zakaat is
religious and spi ritual, while the
social and economic aspects
a re su bordi nate to it.
Its social sign ifica nce is
that it awakens in true believers
the sense of brotherhood with
less fortunate mem bers of
The next p i l l a r mentioned i n the b.adeeth a bove is the
society and stirs thei r mora l
pilgri mage to the H ouse - the b.a}j. Hajj is a n Arabic term
conscience t o make sacrifice for
whose primary meaning is 'to i ntend to visit someone
their sa ke. From the economic
or somewhere that is the object of reverence, respect,
point of view, it d iscou rages
veneration or honour: I n the terminology of the Islamic Law
hoarding and concentration
(Sharee' ah), it is the pilgrimage to the Ka ' bah in Ma kka h
of wea lth and helps its steady
d u ring the p rescribed period: d u ring certa i n specific days i n
a nd consta nt flow from the rich
t h e month of Ohui-Hijjah.
to the poor. It is i n fact a good
The b.ajj is an obl igation upon every a d u lt M u s l i m who
means of providing purchasing
is fi nancia l ly wel l off and physica l ly fit to underta ke the
power to the poor for enabling
journey, once i n a l ifetime. It is, h owever, m uch more than
them to sta nd on their own feet.
a n obl igation. I t is a p i l l a r of Islam itself.
It should a lso be remembered
that zakaat in Islam is not a
vol u ntary act of cha rity, which The I nstitution of Hajj a n d its Rites
a rich man gives to the poor out
In accorda nce with the com mand of Al lah, the ca l l for
of his own sweet will; rather,
b.ajj was fi rst g iven by Prophet l braaheem �1. Since then it
it is a n obligatory act which
has been ca rried on for the last fou r thousand years. M uslims
every rich Muslim is enjoined
from a l l over the world, using d ifferent m ea n s of tra nsport,
to perform if they a re si ncere in

o/)J 1 93 0
 � Section
come to Ma kka h to perform the b_ajj.
There a re va rious rites con nected with
the b_ajj, including wea ring a special garment
to enter the state of ib_raam (sacred pu rity)
and circling the Ka ' ba h seven ti m es (tawaaf).
The climax of the b_ajj is the standing on
' Arafa h, a plain and h i l l to the east of Makka h.
The time for this is from midday to su nset on
the ninth of the month of Ohui-Hijjah.
The rites of b_ajj sym bolically re-enact
many of the events i n the lives of Prophet
l braa h eem, his wife Haajar and their son
lsmaa ' eel. The b_ajj ceremon ies sta rt on
the 8th of Ohui-Hijjah with pilgrims doing
the tawaaf (ci rcling the Ka ' ba h in an anti­
clockwise fashion) seven ti mes. This is
fol l owed by performing sa'ee (a swift wa l k)
between the hillocks S.afaa a nd Marwa h,
which a re now incl uded i n the Masjid ai­
Haraam. Pilgrims then proceed to Minaa,
which is a bout 5 m iles from Makka h . After a n
overn ight stay there, they move to ' Arafah on
the 9th of Dhui-Hijjah and spend the whole
,_...·-·,-
day i n prayers a nd supplications.
They leave the plain of ' Arafa h
after the sunset for a stop-over
· -.;\ ,.,,.,
at M uzda l ifa h for the n i g ht and
..........--... ..."'... ... T,......
i ntends to perform), the shaving­
or clipping of the hair, the ston ing
Beliefs and Practices of Islam ( T h e F i v e P i l l a rs of I s l a m )
at the three pillars a nd the performa nce of
another tawaaf of the Ka ' bah. The b_ajj rites
fi n ish by the 1 2th or 1 3th of Dhu/-fj_ijjah.
The rituals performed d u ri ng the b_ajj
create bonds of brotherhood among M usli ms.
In fact, b_ajj man ifests the u n ity of the M u s l i m
com m u nity as one fa m i ly. I t a l s o removes
a l l d iffe rences of race, colour, lang uage,
nationality and social position.
The Effect of Hajj on
the I nd ividual and the
Comm u n ity
Abd ul Hamid Siddiqi descri bes the
signifi ca nce of b_ajj as fol l ows:
It is rightly said that it (the b.ajj) is the perfection of
faith, since it combines in itself all the distinctive
qualities of other obligatory acts. It represents
the quality of 5_alaah (prayer) since a pilgrim also
offers prayers in the Ka ' bah, the House of the
Lord. It encourages spending of material wealth
for the sake of the Lord, the chief characteristic
of zakaat. When a pilgrim sets out for b.ajj, he
dissociates himself from his hearth and home,
from his near and dear ones, to please his Lord.
He suffers privation and undertakes the hardship
of journey - the lessons we learn from fasting
m the rest of the rites, and i' tikaaf (seclusion in the mosque for personal
i ncluding the worship and devotion, usuall y observed at the
end of the month of Rama.Qaan). I n b.ajj, one is
trained to be completel y forgetful of the material
comforts and pomp and show of world ly life. He is
required to avoid the use of oil or scent or a ny
other perfume. He is not even allowed to get
his hair cut or trim his beard. In short, he is
commanded to abandon everything for the
sake of Allah and submit himself before his
Lord, the ultimate aim of the life of a Muslim
o($ 1 94 8)o
Beliefs and Practices of Islam ( T h e F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m ) Section Wo
(S.ab.eeb. Muslim, Vol. 2, p. 578) obl iged to make u p for the days missed.
7 .5 . The Fifth Pil lar:
Fasting i n Ramadaan Those who Have a Valid
Reason to Postpone Fasting
S.awm or �iyaam l itera l ly means'to refra i n
from something or t o leave somethi ng: I n the The fol lowing a re perm itted, i f they fi n d
Sharee' ah, it denotes refra i n i ng from food, i t necessa ry, to suspend fasting. However, they
d ri n k, a nd sexual i ntercou rse d u ring the days must fast a n eq ual n u m ber of days after the
of the month of RamaQ.aan. Fasti ng i n the end of RamaQ.aan, but not on the ' Eed days.
month of RamaQ.aan is a p i l l a r of Islam.
1 . The i l l if the fasti ng is l i kely to i ncrease
the i l l ness,
Who Must Fast in 2. The trave l l er,
Ramadaan? 3. A preg nant woman - if fasting is l i kely
to harm the health of the mother or
Fasti ng i n RamaQ.aan is obligatory for
the u n born baby or prevent her from
every M uslim (male or fema le), who has
having enough m i l k for her ba by.
reached puberty, is sa n e, is healthy, and
capa ble of beari ng the fast; a nd if
not i n the period Those who a re Excused
menstruation or from Fasting a ltogether
nata l bleeding
1 . The term i na l ly i l l - those who s uffer
(nifaas) though
from a term ina l, serious ill ness that is
they a re
bou nd to worsen if they fast,
2. The perma ne ntly insa ne,
3. The very old - those who are too old
and feeble to fast at a ny time of the yea r.

I n stead, the term inally i l l or old person

should feed one poor person for everyday
of fasti ng that they miss. If the i l l person or
trave l l er ta kes it u pon themselves to fast, it is
va lid.

The Pi llars of Fasting

1 . The niyyah (the i ntention)
2. lmsaak: a bsta i n i n g from eating,
d ri n king and sexual i ntercou rse d u ring
the dayl ight hours of fasting - from the

o/)5 1 95 K'x'
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla
coming of dawn, u nti l the setti ng of
the sun.
Fasting Shows One's
Sincerity to Allah
Fasting is a n act of worship that shows
one's sincerity to one's Lord. Only Allah is
awa re whether a person has tru ly fasted or
not. N o one can know if they secretly brea k
their fast. Therefore, Allah has a specia l reward
for those who fast. Allah's Messenger :1 said,
'Whoever fasts the month of RamaQ.aan with
eemaan and ib_tisaab, a l l their previous sins
a re forg iven: (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree and
Muslim)
Eemaan and ib_tisaab a re tech n ica l terms
which mean that all good deeds m ust be done
for the sa ke of Allah with the hope of receivi ng
reward from H i m . Th u s, there should not be
any other motive. Eemaan means faith, while
ib_tisaab means a ntici pati ng Alla h's reward for
one's good deeds.
Effe c t s of F a st i n g on
I nd ivid ual and the
Co m m u n i ty
Fasting in Islam is p r i m a rily an
i n stitution fo r a s pirit u a l d isci p l i n e a nd self­
control. It is, i n fact, a n exe rcise i n rel i g i o u s
d evotion i n the form o f c h eerfu l a nd wil l i n g
re n u n ci ati o n (aba ndonment) for a d efi n ite
period, of a l l the a ppetites of fl esh which
a re lawfu l i n themse lves; the u n lawfu l o n es
a re, of cou rse, ruled o ut. Fasti n g has been
o rd a i n ed as a rel igious d uty for the M u s l i m s
o/;8 1 96
(The F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m )
fo r s u bd u i n g t h e i r l u st a n d kee p i n g their
a ppetites we l l wit h i n reasonable bou nds so
that they may not beco me their slave and
lose co ntrol over themselves.
Fasti ng stre n gthens their mora l ity
and self-co ntrol and deepens in them the
co nsciousness of the Lord. I t should be
borne in m i nd that fasting does not a i m
a t i nfl icti ng p u n i s h ment u pon people o r
sa d d l i n g u pon t h e m u n beara b l e b u rdens.
The u n d e rlyi ng idea b e h i n d it is to teac h
moderation a n d spiritu a l d iscipli n e, so
that h u m a n tem ptati ons may not become
so wi l d and u n contro l l a b l e as to flo ut the
co m m a n d s of the G reat Master. Fasti n g
is i n d i s pensa b l e for moral a n d s p i ritua l
tra i n i ng.
Another d i sti n g u is h i n g featu re of
I s l a m i c fasti ng is that it does n ot tra i n
M u s l i m s fo r com plete ren u nciation, b u t
fo r perfect a n d c h eerfu l obed ience t o t h e
Lord . A l l those t h i n g s fro m w h i c h they a re
com ma nded to a bsta i n d u ri n g the fast, such
as eating, drinking and sexual i ntercou rse,
beco me permissible fo r them at the end
of the fa st. Th is s h ows that Islam does not
look down u pon the a p p etite of the flesh
as somet h i n g i g n ob l e a n d thus fit to be
exterm i nated root and b ra n c h fro m the
h u m a n soul.
That fa sti n g is a n i n stitution fo r mora l
elevation ca n be j u dged from the fact that
A l l a h � not o n ly i m poses check u pon eati ng,
d r i n k i n g and sexual i nte rcou rse from dawn
to s u n set, but a l so exhorts His servants to
refra i n fro m oth e r fou l acts, fo r exa m p l e,
Beliefs and Practices of Isla (The F i ve P i l l a rs of I s l a m ) Section Wo

bac kbiti n g, i n d u l g i n g i n fou l speech a n d te l l i n g l ies.

The Com m u nity Aspect of Fasting

The social aspect of fasting in RamaQ.aan is that the whole atmosphere

is permeated with religious piety a nd d evotion to Allah �. There is one extra
congregational prayer, taraaweeb_, d u ring the nig ht, in which the Qu r'a n is recited
and M uslims are rem i nded of the fact that it was in the month of RamaQ.aan that
the revelation of the Qu r'an com m enced. Th us the pu rpose of this month of fasting
is twofold: brotherhood a mongst people and individ ual self-d iscipli ne. When
one a bsta ins from food and d ri n k, one feels i n one's body what the poor and the
h u n g ry feel. Thus socia l responsibility is h a m mered i nto h u m a n consciousness as

o/;8 1 97 c
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla
The re a re two great festiva ls
I s l a m w h i c h have a religious sanction,
and in con nection with both of wh ich a
cong regational service of two rak' ahs is held,
fol l owed by a khutbah, or sermon. Both these
festiva ls go u nder the name of ' eed, which
means a recu rring happiness, being derived
from ' a - w - d, meaning to return.
r;/;55 1 9 8
( Festivals and Religious Observances)
The fi rst of these is cal led ' Eed-ui-Fitr.
The word fitr originally comes from the root
fatara, which m eans 'to spl it, to cleave, to
break a pa rt, to break the fast, to eat a nd drink
after a fast� ' Eed-ui-Fitr, therefore, denotes the
festival of brea king the fast. lftaar m eans the
brea king of the fast, as if the fasting person
has retu rned to a natu ra l cou rse or fu lfilled
the demand of natu re. ' Eed-ui-Fitr ta kes place
on the fi rst of Shawwaa/, the tenth month
of the Islamic ca lendar. The other is ' Eed-ui­
AQ.-b.aa, mea n i n g the Festiva l of Sacrifice. It
is thus evident that both these festiva ls a re
connected with the performa nce of some
duty. In the fi rst case the d uty of fasting, and
in the second the duty of sacrifice. A day of
happi ness fol lowi ng the performance of d uty
is i ntended to show that true happi ness lies in
the performance of one's duty.
One characteristic of the Isla m i c festiva ls,
therefore, is that they have, und erlying
them, a deep spi ritua l meaning. But they
have a nother tra it as wel l. I n the m om ent of
their g reatest joy, Muslims gather, i n as vast
a congregation as possi ble and fa l l before
in their Lord, g iving tha n ks to H i m that He has
enabled them to perform their d uty or to
make a sacrifice. The congregational prayer
is the chief featu re of the day of festiva l. The
prepa ration for ' eed is more or less similar to
the preparation for the Friday service. One is
recom m ended ta ke a bath, put on one's best
clothes, wea r perfu m e and do everything to
Beliefs and Practices of Islam ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
a ppea r neat and tidy. The gatheri ng i n the
' eed should prefe ra bly be i n an open place,
but, if necessary, a mosq ue may also be
used for hold ing the service. An open space
is preferable on account of the size of the
con g regation, which a mosq ue m i g ht not be
able to hold. N o adhaan is cal led out for the
' eed prayers, nor a n iqaamah (ca l l that the
prayer has com menced) for the a rra ngement
of the rows. The ' eed service consists of only
two rak'ahs i n congregation.
The ' eed sermon is del ivered after the
prayer is over. It was the Prophet's practice to
address the women sepa rately, who were a l l
req u i red t o b e p resent whethe r they joi ned i n
t h e service or not.
While celeb rating the g reat ' eed
festiva ls, a M us l i m remem bers not only Allah
� by attending the service but also his poor
and less fortu nate brothers and sisters i n
o/}5 1 99 8:)o
Section �
fa ith. The institution o f cha rity portion i s
associated with both ' eed. Islam wants to
insti l awareness in the hearts of its adherents
who a re supposed to rem a i n in constant
spi ritua l contact with their Lord a nd turn to
H i m in every situation of joy or sorrow. Every
moment there a re demands on them that
req u i re consta nt vigilance; demands of their
Lord, demands of the M u s l i m com m u n ity in
which they l ive a nd the demands of h u manity
at large.
Zakaat-ui-Fitr
On the occasion of ' Eed-ui-Fit.r, every
Muslim is req u i red to give zakaat-ul-f1t.r or'the
pu rifying dues of brea king the fast: It is also
ca l l ed �adaqat-ul-fit.r, which amounts to a l ittle
a bove two kilog ra ms (precisely 2 1 76 g ra ms)
of barley, rice or a ny other sta ple food of the
cou ntry per head of the fa m i ly, including the
old as wel l as the youngest mem bers, males
as wel l as females. It is permissible, h owever,
to pay zakaat-ul-f1t.r i n va l ue as wel l. It is easier,
especia l ly nowadays, to give money than
foodstuffs as this is more u sefu l to the poor
in most cou ntries. The payment is to be made
before the praye r is held and it is obligatory.
Like zakaat, the fit.r charity is a n ----
org a n ized institution as
expressly d etai led
traditions
� Section Beliefs and Practices
'Eed-u/-AQ_-flaa also provides an occasion
for the exercise of charity. The sacrifice of
an a n i m a l on that day makes the poorest
mem bers of the com m u n ity enjoy the festiva l
with a good feast of meat.
( Eed-ui-Ad-haa: the Feast
of the Sacrifice
' Eed-u/-AQ_-flaa or the Feast of the
Sacrifice is celebrated throug hout the M uslim
world at the end of the a n n u a l pilgrimage
(flajj) to Makka h . It is celebrated according
to the l u nar Islamic ca lendar, beginning on
the tenth day of the twelfth month (Dhu/­
jj_ijjah). On this day M uslims at M i naa, near
Ma kka h, and all a round the world sacrifice
u n blemished a n i mals in memory of the
ra m substituted by Allah when Prophet
l braa h eem (Abraham) �� was com manded
to sacrifice his son lsmaa ' eel (Ish mael) ��
as a test of fa ith (Soorat a�-S.aafaat, 37: 99-
1 1 3). The day of the sacrifice is the fi rst of
�.,.,.-
� 200
of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
the fou r days of festive celebration known
as ayyaam at-tashreeq. The word ayyaam is
the p l u ra l form of yawm, which means a day.
The word tashreeq com es from the root sh -
r - q. According to some schola rs, these days
are ca l l ed the days of tashreeq for the simple
reason that, on those days, they used to cut
the m eat of their sacrifi cia l a n imals into stri ps
and d ry them in the sun. Th us tashreeq means
'desiccation or d rying of m eat i n the s u n� The
animal is sacrificed after the ' eed prayer is
over. It may be sacrificed on the day of the
' eed or d u ring the two or three days that
fol l ow (the tashreeq days), the time d u ri ng
which pilgrims stop in M i naa.
The meat of the sacrificed a n i m a l is
divided into portions. The giving
of one-third, or more or less, to
the poor is sim ply optional.
No h a rd and fast rules have
been laid down. In addition
to this, i n p laces where the
n u m ber of sacrificed a n imals
is i n excess of the needs of the
popu lation, the surplus is sent to
other reg ions to be d istributed to the
poor and the needy. Due to the availability of
the most modern freezing techniq u es, it has
now beco me possible to preserve this meat
and s h i p it to the a reas of g reat poverty and
need i n the M u s l i m world.
A q uestion a rises here:
Ca n a M uslim, instead
of sacrificing an
a n i ma l, give away
its price as cha rity?
The answer to this
question, i n the l ig ht of
the Isla m ic Sharee' ah, is
Behefs and Practices ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
i n the negative. The sacrifice by the M uslims
througho ut the world on the ' eed day is
intended to m a ke M uslim hea rts, throug hout
the world, beat i n harmony with the hearts
of the u n riva l l ed m u ltitude at Makkah, the
centre of Islam. Hundreds of thousa nds of
people assemble there from a l l corners of the
world. They have sacrificed all comforts of
l ife for no object except to develop the idea
of sacrifice-a sacrifice selfless beyond a l l
measu re, beca use i t h a s no personal or even
nation a l end in view, a sacrifice for the sa ke of
Allah a l one.
However g rand this idea, it receives a
greater g randeur from the fact that people
who have not been able to m a ke that sacrifice
th is
institution should
a lso serve the
pu rpose of cha rity
is q u ite a d ifferent
thing. Islam does not
a l low its rich mem bers to forget
their poor brothers and sisters i n
faith in the hour o f t h e i r joy a t a time
of festiva l. But
cha rity is not the
idea underlying
the sacrifice on the
occasion of the ' eed or the
pilgrimage a nd, therefore,
mere cha rity or payment
of money can not ta ke the
place of sacrifi ce.
Section 'Wo
I n the sacrifice of a n i ma ls, the
Glorious Qu r'a n gives to its fol lowers
the lesson of layi ng down their l ives in
the cause of truth (Soorat a/-Hajj, 22:34-
36). It will thus be seen that Islam has
i nvested the principle of sacrifice with
a n ew mea n i ng. In Islam, it signifies the
sacrifice of the person who offers the
sacrifice themselves, and thus becom e the
outwa rd sym bol of their readi ness to lay
down their l ives and to sacrifice a l l thei r
interests and desires i n the cause of truth.
The a n i m a l that is sacrificed rea l ly sta nds
for the a nimal i n u s, so that the o utwa rd
sacrifice of the a n i m a l rem i nds u s of the
necessity for the sacrifice of the animal
within us. And one day and one particular
mom ent on that day is chosen so that all
Muslim hearts from one end of the world
to the other m ay throb with one idea at a
pa rticu lar moment, and thus l ead to the
development of the idea of self-sacrifice
in the com m u n ity as a whole.
Although the feast of the sacrifice
i m mortal izes the solemn occasion of Allah
� testing Proph et l braa heem's fa ith, the
a n n u a l celebration is festive and socia l.
Receivi ng and visiti ng membe rs of the
exten ded fa m i ly and friends of the fa m i ly
ma rks this three-day celebration. Non­
Muslim friends and neigh bours a re a lso
rem e m bered and involved to parta ke in
the food and festivities. G ifts a nd sweets
abound and people wea r their best
clothi ng.
� Section Beliefs and Practices Islaof ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

The Beauty of M u sl i m Marriage: The

Search for Love a n d Mercy

Everyone comes from a fa m i ly. Each of us is l i ke a small

p la nt cultivated by a strong l ove of a father and the tender
love of a mother. Ma rriage has a very high pu rpose i n Islam.
It ca n be defined as a bond u n ifying a man and a woman for
a lifetime for the pu rpose of l oving one a nother, helping one
a nother a nd of being Alla h's i nstruments i n the p rocreation
a nd rea ring of child ren.

o/;8 202
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
Natura l I nclination for
Marriage
With rare exceptions, one can say that
just a bo ut everyone has a natu ral i ncli nation
to marry. Married l ife, a mong a l l paths, is
the most com mon. Ma rriage is one of the
esta b l ished excel l ent pra ctices of Islam that
was encouraged by the Prophet �-
Anas ibn Maa l i k � narrated that a g roup
of three men cam e to the houses of the wives
of the Prophet ii to fi nd out a bout h i s wors h i p,
and when they were i nformed a bo ut that,
they considered their wors h i p i nsufficient
and said, 'Where a re we from [Muha m mad] as
his past and futu re sins have been forg iven?'
Then one of them said, ' I will offer the prayer
thro u g hout the night forever: The other
said, 'I will fast throug h out the yea r a nd wi l l
not b reak m y fast: The third said, ' I w i l l keep
away from women a nd will not ma rry forever:
Alla h's Messenger ii came to them a nd said,
'Are you the sa m e people who said such-and­
such? By A l lah, I am more submissive to Allah
and more afraid of H i m than you; yet I fast and
brea k my fast, I pray [at n ig ht] but I do sleep
and I also ma rry women. So whoever does
not fol low my tradition in rel ig ion is not one
of my fol lowers: (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree
and M us l i m)
Th u s, marriage is one of the confirmed
and emphasized practices of the Prophet ii
who once said,
Women and perfume have been made beloved to
me of this world of yours and my peace of mind is
in the prayer. (Reported by Ahmad and others and
is classified as �ab.eeb. by Shaykh a i-Aibaanee)
o/;8 203
Section Wo
Pri m a ry Aims of
Marriage
Marriage was instituted for three
reasons: ( 1 ) preservation of progeny,
(2) expulsion of the fl u id wh ich, if
restricted a nd reta i n ed, would harm
the e nti re body, (3) fu lfilme nt of
desire, atta i n m ent of pleasure a nd
e njoyment of Alla h's bou nty.
Marriage has a larg e n u m be r
of benefits i ncluding loweri ng t h e
gaze, self-restraint and t h e a b i l ity
to refra i n from what is forbidden.
Alla h's Messenger ii encouraged the
M uslims to ma rry. H e once said,
Young men, whoever of you is able to
marry must marry, for this is better for
lowering the gaze and gua rding chastity.
But whoever [of you] is not able to
marry should fast, as fasting would act
as a restraint for him. (Reported by ai­
Bukhaaree)
If the rei ns of piety a re not strong
enough to restra i n a man a nd he
fea rs i nvolve ment i n u n lawfu l sexual
activities while he has the a bi l ity to
marry, then it becom es obligatory
upon h i m to ma rry. Allah's Messenger
� said,
When a servant of Allah gets married,
he has a lready perfected one half of his
religion. Let him then be heedful of Allah
with regard to the other half. (Reported
by at-Tabaraanee and classified as b.asan
by Shaykh a i-Aibaanee)
� Section Beli fs and PractiCes of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

What Woman is best to Catch ing a G l i m pse of

Marry? One's Prospective Bride
It is befitti ng for the would-be h u sband
Alla h/s Messenger :1 said/
to m a ke an effort to catch a g l i m pse of his
A woman is taken in marriage for four reasons:
prospective bride/ without actually being
On account of her wealth, her noble descent,
with her in private before the ma rriage is
her beauty and her religion. So marry one who is
contracted. This wou ld help him make the
religious, and you will prosper. (Reported by ai­
rig ht decision and ensure
Bukhaaree)
that he is truly comforta ble
with her looks and wou l d
The world is but a passing delight, and the best
l i ke t o have her a s h i s
of its enjoyment is a righteous wife. (Reported by
wife. The basis for this
Muslim)
recom mended viewing
of the prospective
I n these trad itions/ the Prophet :1
bride is to be found
em phasizes the i m portance of choosing to
in the fol lowing
ma rry a woman with a rel igious disposition/
traditions:
for the simple reason that she will assist
If one feels in his
her h usband i n the cond uct of his daily l ife/
heart that he should
helping h i m keep safe from getting i nvolved
offer a marriage
in si nfu l activities a nd u nwholesome proposal to a certain
situations. The Messenger of Allah :1 was woman, let him take
once asked/ /Wh ich women a re best?' He a look at her, for this is
replied/ /One that gladdens his sight a nd more likely to promote
obeys his com mand and who does noth i ng deep intimacy between the couple. (Reported
by Ahmad and classified as �afleefl by Shaykh ai­
he disapproves of concerning herself or his
Aibaanee)
wea lth: (Reported by Ahmad)
It is not a good idea for a man to ma rry Jaabir ibn 'Abdu l la a h � narrated that he
/
a woman with a vicious tongue/ nor the type heard Allah s Messenger :1 say/
who will always wa nt a d ivorce for no good If it is possible for anyone amongst you, when he
reason/ nor the kind who loves to sti r u p proposes to a woman, to look and see for himself
tro u ble. whether he really finds her attractive enough to
want to marry her, he should certainly do so.

Jaabir ibn 'Abdu l laah � continued/

I had proposed to a young woman, so I took to hiding
myself and watching out for her, until I saw enough
of her to make me really interested in marrying
her. (Reported by Abu Daawood and Ahmad and
classified as flasan by Shaykh ai-Aibaanee)
o/;,8 204
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
What Man is best to
Marry?
The m a rriage g u a rd i a n has a d uty to
consider the q ua l ities of the pros pective
h usband. He should ta ke into account
the i nterest of h i s d a u g hter. H e should
not g ive her i n ma rriage to a m a n with
bad c h a racter or one who wi l l fa i l to give
h e r a l l her d ue. Any m a n who places h i s
p recious d a u g hter's hand i nto the hand
of a tyra nt, sco u n d rel, i rrel igious person
or wine-d ri n ke r act u a l l y com m its a n
offence a g a i n st h i s rel i g i o n . H e viol ates
the right of kinship a n d a bu ses his
autho rity.
Hence the g ua rd i a n of a woman
s h o u l d seek a rig hteous m a n to m a rry
her. Alla h's Messenger � once sa id,
If someone whose religion and character you
are pleased with comes to you to marry your
daughter or ward, then marry her off to him.
If you do not do so, there will be commotion
on the earth and widespread evil. (Reported
by at-Tirmidhee and classified as flasan by
Shaykh ai-Aibaanee)
A man once asked a i-Hasan a i­
Ba�ree, 'Severa l su itors have asked for
my daug hter. To whom should I g ive her
i n ma rriage?' He replied, 'To h i m who is
awa re of Allah; for if he loves her he will
respect her, a nd even if he comes to
dislike her, he will certa i n ly not be cruel
to her:
I s wea lth a n i m portant factor i n
m a rriage? T h e Qur'a n says:
And marry the unmarried among you and
the righteous among you r male slaves and
�/;55 20 5
Section '&;o
female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah
will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah
is all-Encompassing and Knowing. (Soorat
an-Noor, 24:32)
Th is, howeve r, does not mean
t hat Allah � n ecessa rily confers riches
on everyone who m a rries. I n stead,
the point which is being stressed here
is that when it comes to considering
ma rriage, people should not be fussy
about their fi n a n cial situation. The
a bove-mentioned verse offers very
usefu l g u ida nce to the g ua rdians of
u n m a rried g i rls. They a re virtua l ly being
told that if they receive a p ro posa l fro m
a person possessi ng a good cha racter,
they should not turn it down, s i m ply
beca use he is p resently n ot too wel l off.
Li kewise, the relatives of t he p ros pective
brideg room a re advised not to delay
m a rriage on the g rounds that he is not
ea rning m uch. The youth a re also being
told not to d e lay their ma rriage s i m p l y
beca use of fi na ncial consid erations.
Even if they have l ittl e i n come, they
should sti l l marry, placing their trust i n
Allah.
Q u ite often on e's m a rriage changes
con d itions for the better. With the h e l p
of on e's wife o n e is a b l e t o m a n age
one's expenses m o re wisely. Moreover,
no o n e can see the fut u re. Hards h i p
ca n suddenly cha nge i nto prosperity
and the other way rou n d . Hence, one
should not be excess ively calculating
while consideri n g the q uestion of one's
ma rriage.
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

The Marriage Proposa l when enough time has ela psed to give others
the i m p ression that h e no longer wa nts to

When a m a n finds the woman of his ma rry. I n the sa m e way, it is also permissible

choice, his next move is to make a proposal to ta ke the i n itiative and propose
of marriage to her or her fam i ly. The proposa l to a woman whom one
etiquette is well-known a mong people. . does not know whether
If both parties agree, it is simply a or n ot she is
prom ise to ma rry and noth ing engaged, or
else. Although a n agreed
upon
is not
bindi ng, it sti l l w h ether
forms a mutual the fi rst

pledge. To brea k p r o p o s a l
it without a va lid has openly been

reason wou l d be an accepted or not.

act of dishonesty. I n the case of a
If the woman is divorced woman who
a widow or divorcee, is not preg nant the
the proposa l should await the expiry of prescribed period of waiting
withdrawa l or waiting period ( ' iddah) . N o ( ' iddah) before the expiration of which she

proposa l s h o u l d b e made w h i l e that of may not contract a n ew marriage is th ree

a nother su itor is sti l l being considered,
beca u se proposal over proposal was
forbidden by the Messenger of Allah :1. The
Prophet :1 said,
A believer is a brother of another believer. It is
not permissible for a believer to negotiate a deal
that his brother is negotiating, nor is it permissible
to propose to a woman to whom his brother
is proposing unless he gives him permission.
(Muslim)
Li kewise, it is u n lawfu l to p ropose
ma rriage to a woman to whom a nother has
a l ready done so and the fi rst proposa l has
been openly accepted. There is no harm i n
doing s o if t h e fi rst su itor has shown h i mself
disi nterested, such as by havi ng g iven u p, or
menstrual cycles. I n the case of a woman
who is preg na nt, the d u ration of the ' iddah
is till the end of her preg n a ncy. I n the case of
a widow who is not pregnant, h owever, the
length of the ' iddah is fou r months and ten
days.
Seeki ng Advice
Whoever is asked a bout what kind of
person a prospective g room or bride may be
should truthfu l ly mention his or her fa ilings:
his or her defects and shortcomings to the
deg ree necessa ry. It is i m portant to note that
advice should be limited to matters releva nt
to the affa irs in q uestion. It should not exceed
to other a reas.

� 206 �
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances) Section Wo
I n addition to this, one should resort a n n u l led the marriage. Li kewise, ' Abd u l laah
to offering S.alaat-ul-lstikhaarah (prayer for ibn ' Ab ba as � narrated that a young virgin
asking Alla h's g u idance). I n fact, this was the ca me to the Prophet � a nd m entioned to him
practice of the Prophet � who encouraged that her father had ma rried her off while she
Muslims to offer such a p rayer in order to ask disliked it. Then the Prophet iJ% gave her the
A l m i g hty Allah for g u ida nce when faced with option to annul the ma rriage or to remain i n
i m porta nt decisions or perplexing situations. ma rriage. (Reported by I b n Maajah: b_adeeth
Th is can be done by offering a two-rak'ah no. 1 875 English Tra nslation, Vol. 3)
prayer along with a du' aa' in which one Another b_adeeth with similar wording
presents the m atter to Allah � a nd asks for adds: she said, 'I approve of what my father
g u ida nce. did but I wa nted women to know that their
fath ers have no right whatsoever to do that:
The Marriage Contract (Sunan ibn Maajah, Engl ish Tra nslation, Vol.
3, b_adeeth no. 1 874. Th is b_adeeth has been
The basic elements and conditions classified as s_ab_eeb_)
essential to a va l id and lawfu l marriage a re
fou r i n n u m ber: 3 . The p resence of two witnesses.
4. The offer a nd i m m ediate accepta nce (a!­
1 . Th e consent of the ma rriage guard ia n eejaab wa/-qaboon
(waliy).
2. The agreement of the woman: The
g u a rdian m ust obtain the woma n's
con sent before the m a rriage a nd is not
a l l owed to force her i nto marriage if she
is not pleased with it. If h e concludes
the marriage contract that she is not
pleased with, she has the right to a n n u l
it. The Prophet ·iJ% said,
The non-virgin is not to be married until she
requests it. And the virgin is not to be married
without her consent. They asked, 'How is her
consent to be known?' He said, 'If she remains
silent!'(Reported by ai-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

AI-Khansaa' bint Khidhaam ai-

An�aa riyya h � said that her father had
ma rried her off while she was a non-vi rgin
and she disapproved of her ma rriage. She
went to the Messenger of Allah iJ% and he

if'j5 20 7
� Section Behef nd Pract1 of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

The Bride's Ma rriage The mahr depends in rea lity

on the agreement of
Payment: Her Rig htfu l Bridal
the two parties and
Gift (Mahr) may consist of
anything,
The wife has specific rig hts upon her
even a
h usband that a re the resu lt of a sound
marriage contract. Some of the rig hts a re
non-material, while others a re materia l . We
will discuss these, by the help of Allah Most
High, i n the next chapter.
m e re
The mahr or the bride's rig htfu l p resent
token.
con stitutes one of the bride's material
According to severa l a uthentic trad itions
rig hts. It is a l so cal led nib_lah (g ift), fareeQ_ah
recorded i n most of the compilations, the
(obl igation), hibah (present), �adaqah (cha rity)
Prophet � made it clear that even a n i ron
and �adaaq (rig htfu l ma rriage present),
ring may be enough if the bride is willing to
a mong other names. The terms �adaaq a nd
accept it, or short of that, even the i m parting
�idq come from the same root which means
to you r bride a verse of the Qur'a n.
sincerity. It is ca l led �adaaq beca use one feels
It is perm issible to pay the entire mahr
the h usband's sincerity i n wa nting to ma rry
in adva nce or to delay a l l of its payment or
the woman. The Qu r'a n says,
to pay some in adva nce and to delay the
And give the women whom you marry their rightful
rest. It is a lso permissible for the man to
marriage present unconditionally. Yet, if they are
con sum mate the ma rriage without havi ng
pleased to give something of it to you, then enjoy it
given the woman a nything. It is obligatory
with pleasure and good cheer. (Sooratan-Nisaa', 4:4)
upon h i m to give her the mahr that is usua l ly
The exp ression nib_lah (marriage p resent) given to women similar to her if the two have
occurring in this verse signifi es the g iving of not agreed upon a particular amount for the
someth ing wi l l i ngly and of one's own accord, gift. If they have agreed on a specific a mou nt,
with out expecti ng a return for it. The bridal then h e m ust give it.
gift or mahr is the rig ht of the woman over
the man. She is the sole owner of it. N o one,
not even her father, may ta ke any of it u n less
she consents to this. The Islamic Law has
neither set a m i n i m u m nor a maxi m u m l i m it
for mahr. It has, h owever, encou raged people
to l i g hten this bu rden and to avoid excess so
that it will be easier for the marriage to ta ke
place and young men wou l d not be b u rdened
with h uge expen ses.

if� 208
Beliefs and Practices Isla of ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
The Wedding Feast
( Waleemah)
The holding of a wedding feast is a
strongly recom mended Sunnah. Th is is based
on the statem ent of the Prophet ;'i to ' Abd u r­
Rahm aan ibn ' Awf �
'
Offer a feast to celebrate the wedding, even if it
consists of no more than a sheep. (Reported by ai­
Bukhaaree and Muslim)
To conform to the p ractice sa nctioned
by the Sunnah, the banq uet should consist
of one whole s heep or g oat, at the very least,
a lthough it is permissible to offer a ny kind of
lawfu l food on this occasion.
The Tim ing of the Wedding
Feast
The time of wa/eemah stretches from
a nytime of the contract to the last days of
being newlywed. There a re a uthentic reports
on this m atter. Anas ibn Maalik � narrated
that Alla h's Messenger � once consummated
h is marriage with one of his wives, so he sent
for h i m and he i nvited some men for food.
(Reported by ai-Bu khaaree)
When the Prophet � ma rried Safiyya h,
he held the wedding feast for three days.
Section Wo
(Reported by Abu Ya ' laa a nd classified as
flasan by Shaykh a i-Ai baa nee)
Moreover, complete happi ness comes
after consu m mation. It is the practice in Islam
for the h usband to feed his fa m i ly, friends and
neig h bours d u ring the waleemah. He should
a lso set aside a portion for the poor and
the n eedy as a way of exp ressing tha n ks to
Allah and recognizing His bou nty u pon h i m .
The h usband m ust a lso do his best t o invite
the pious and g ood people. He should not
disti n g u ish between the rich and the poor.
Alla h's Messenger ;'i said,
The worst kind of food is the wedding feast
to which the rich are invited and the poor a re
ignored; and whoever does not respond to the
invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger
�- (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree)
The Obligation to Attend
the Wedding Feast
I t is obligatory for whoever is i nvited to
attend the wedding feast to attend it. The
Prophet ·� sa id,
If one of you is invited to the wedding feast, he
should go to it. (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree and
Muslim)
Even if a person is fasting, they should
sti l l respond to the i nvitation and put i n a n
a ppeara nce. He Prophet � said,
If one of you is invited to a meal, he should respond.
If he is not fasting, he should eat. If he is fasting,
he should supplicate [for the host]. (Reported by
Muslim)
� Section ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

The Custom of Scatterin g Sweetmeats,

Fruits a n d Money (an-Nithaar)
The custom of an-nithaar, which i nvolves throwing out
money, a l monds, d ry dates, sweetmeats, a mong other things, to
the g uests to pick up is often fou n d in some wedd i ng feasts. This
custom tends to i ncite feelings of pettiness, grasping and greed.
Dr. S.a alih ibn Ghaa n i m as-Sad laan says,
It is disliked to do this act during weddings or at other times, for it causes
people to jostle and swarm after these things, and for them to do such
a thing is truly demeaning and embarrassing. Furthermore, some people
wil l get those things and others will be left empty-handed. Therefore, it is
preferred not to perform this practice. (The Fiqh of Marriage in the Light of
the Qur'aan and the Sunnah, Translated by Jamaal ai-Din M. Zarabozo, p. 97)

Nevertheless, it is much better to distribute treats to the

g uests individual ly, since this is more adequate, less controversial
and more in keeping with the n eed of pious caution.

8.3 Funera l s
Death i s the one fact of life a bo ut which we a l most a l l prefer to remain ig nora nt. Most
men will not a l l ow themselves to dwell on the thought of death. Life is, in fact, a short trip.
Drug-users or better yet a busers ta l k a bout ta king a trip, but the tragedy is that they never
know where 'the trip' wi l l ta ke them; we do know, on the other hand, where l ife's trip wi l l
end. If we travel a s Allah � wa nts us to, i t w i l l e n d i n t h e sheer u n ending joy of Pa rad ise.
Everything passes as the day passes. The earthly l ife is short. Death is a rea l ity. Death
is 'a cup' from which everybody is bound to d ri n k, and it will inevita ble be passed to him.
 ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
Obligations upon the
Fam ily of the Deceased
When death has been esta blis hed with
a bsol ute certa inty, no time should be wasted
in perform ing the ritua l washing (ghusn of
the d eceased, which is to be fol l owed by
shroud ing (takfeen) and burial (dafn). Alla h's
Messenger � sa id,
Hasten to bury the deceased, for if it is a righteous
soul, then it is good that you advance it to its
destination; and if it is other than that, then you
are unburdening your necks of an evil thing:
(Reported by a i-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
It is incumbent upon the fa m i ly of the
deceased to be patient a nd to accept what
Allah has decreed. Anas ibn Maa l i k � narrated
that Alla h's Messenger � passed by a wom a n
w h o was cryi ng a t a g ravesite, a nd he said to
her, 'Fea r Allah and be patient: She said, 'Go
away from m e, for you have not been afflicted
as I have been: Anas ibn Maalik � said that
she did not know who he was. Then it was
said to her, 'He is Alla h's Messenger �: The
woman then beca m e l i ke someone stricken
with death. Later, she went to the Prophet :i
and sa id, 'I did not know you: He said, 'Indeed,
patience is req u i red at the fi rst moment when
calam ity stri kes: (Reported by a l-Bukhaaree
and Muslim)
The fol lowing a re forbidden to the fa mily
of the deceased:
1 . Wai l i ng,
2. Beating the cheeks and tea ring the
garments, and
3. Shavi ng the head.
S ection Wo
Perform i n g the
Ritual Washing ( Ghusl)
The best practice is to perform
the washing of the corpse with
water and g round lote-tree leaves
(sidr). Ca m phor should be added
i n the final wash i ng, a nd then the
corpse should be wi ped d ry and
wra p ped i n a shroud.
The corpse should be was hed
at least th ree ti mes. If three washings
a re not enough to m a ke it p roperly
clea n, it shou ld, therefore, be g iven
extra washing s. Whatever final tota l,
h owever, it m ust always be i n odd
n u m ber; in other words, three, five
or seven. Five pieces of cloth a re
u sed for the pu rpose of shrouding
(takfeen). The sheets for shrouding
pu rposes should be plain wh ite
sheets. If these a re not ava i la ble,
then three pieces wou l d be enoug h .
The Funera l Prayer
(Janaazah)
The fu neral p rayer (dalaat­
u/-janaazah) is a col lective d uty
(farQ_ kifaayah), or a com m u na l ly
obligatory act. This means if
some people perform it, then the
obligation has been fu lfi l led. If no
one performs it, then a l l a re g u i lty
of a serious sin for neg l ecti ng the
obligation.
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

narrated i n the Prophet's traditions. You may

Placing the Body for the
choose whichever you wa nt. One should
Funera l Prayer then pronou nce a single sa l utation (tasleem),
The deceased, enshrouded on a bier, while turning one's face to the rig ht. It is also
is placed in front of the imaam (the prayer permissible to p ronou nce two sa l utations,
leader) who should sta nd opposite the head one to the right and then one to the l eft.
of a male corpse, and opposite the middle of
a fema le. When he sta nds i n his p lace at the Vi rtues of Offerin g the
head of the congregation, he m ust turn a nd
Funeral Prayer
look to the rig ht and to the l eft, making sure
that the rows a re stra ig ht, just as he does in a l l Alla h's Messenger � said, 'Whoever
t h e other prayers (�a/awaat) . The worshippers fol l ows the fu n era l and offers the fu nera l
form themselves i nto rows according to the prayer for it w i l l get a reward eq ual to one
n u m ber of those who ta ke pa rt, facing the qeeraat, and whoever attends it ti l l b u rial will
qib/ah. The usual practice is to have three get a reward eq ual to two qeeraats. Someone
rows at least, but if the n u m ber of people asked, 'What a re two qeeraats?' He replied, 'It
is small, there is no harm if they form only a is eq ual to two huge mountai ns: (Reported
single row. Simila rly, if the n u m ber of people by ai-Bukhaaree a nd M uslim)
is g reat, there cou l d be more rows.
The service com mences with the takbeer A Large Cong regation
or the affi rmation of the s u preme g reatness of
A large gatheri ng o f people for the
Allah (AIIaahu Akbar). Fou r takbeeraat (plura l
fu nera l prayer is prefera ble, as is reported by
form of takbeerah) a re genera l ly pronounced.
' Aa'ishah � who said, 'The Prophet � said,
I m mediately after pronounci ng the fi rst of '
the fou r takbeeraat (AIIahu Akbar), the hands
a re raised and p laced i n the same position, as
in a ny other prayer (�a/aah) . One should then
recite Soorat a/-Faatiflah. It is recom mended
to recite the ta'awwudh and the basmalah
before it and aameen after it. All this is done
inaudi bly. However, one does not m a ke a ny
opening supplication (du ' aa' a/-istiftaafl) .
After the second takbeer, one should
i nvoke Alla h's blessi ngs on the Prophet
�' just as one i nvokes them i n tashahhud.
I m m ediately after the rest of the two
takbeeraat (or more), one should pray for
the deceased and for the Muslims i n general
(du 'aa') . Va rious kinds of suppl ications a re

o/55 21 2
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( Festivals and Religious Observances)
If a Muslim dies and his funeral prayer is attended
by a group of a hundred Muslims, and they all
sincerely pray for his forgiveness, he will be
forgiven. (Reported by M uslim)
'Abd u l laah i bn ' Abbaas � reported, 'I
heard the Prophet � saying,
If a Muslim dies and a group of forty people, who
do not associate a ny one with Allah in worship,
pray for him, their prayer will be accepted and he
will be forgiven. (Reported by Muslim)
Presenting Food to the
Fa m i ly of the Deceased
It is a Sunnah to p resent food to the
fa m i ly of the deceased. 'Abd u l laah ibn Ja 'fa r
narrated that Alla h's Messenger � said,
Prepare food for the family of Ja 'fa r, for a matter
(meaning death) has come to them which has
occupied them. (Reported by Abu Daawood and
Ibn Maajah)
Ja 'fa r ibn Abee Iaa l i b � was one of
the cousins of the Prophet � a nd the
'
na rrator of the fladeeth, 'Abd u l laah ibn
Ja'fa r, was h i s son.
o/)5 21 3
Section Wo
Patience in Affliction
Islam forbids indu lgence in i m moderate
grief for the d ead. It req u i res that hardships
and afflictions be borne patiently. Upon
hearing of the death of a relative or a friend
or of a ny other affliction, a M uslim is enjoined
to say: .
lnnaa li/laahi wa innaa i/aayhi raaji' oon
To Allah we belong, and to H i m we wi l l return.
These words a re a source of u n l i m ited
solace a nd comfort in bereavement. A l l of us
belong to Almig hty Allah and we m ust return
to H i m one day. Hence, it is forbidden to ra ise
a wail of despair, beat one's cheeks, tea r one's
clothes and i n d u lge i n constant m o u rn i ng.
Weepi ng
It is perm issible to weep q u ietly for the
dead p rovided that such weeping does not
rise to the level of wa i l i ng. ' Aa'ishah � reports,
The Prophet � entered to where the body of
' Uthmaan ibn Madh 'oon was. He uncovered
his face, kissed him, and cried until I saw [his]
tears running down his cheeks. (Reported by at­
Tirmidhee and classified as b.asan by Shaykh ai­
Aibaanee)
� Section Beh dP act1 ( Festivals and Religious Observances)

Mourning u p to Three Days

Except for her h usba nd, it is not perm issi ble for a woman to m o u rn
for more than th ree days over the death of a beloved one, such as her
father, mother, brother, chi ld, and so on. Alla h's Messenger � said,
It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn
over a dead person for more than three days except for her husband, i n which
case she mourns for four months and ten days. (Reported by ai-Bukhaaree)

The Ara bic word for mourning is b_idaad, which ca rries the
mea ning of a bsti nence. It usua l ly appl ies to a widow whose h usba nd's
death forces her to a bsta in from severa l things that were previously
perm issible for her. Hence, b_idaad signifies a widow's a bsti nence from
things which wou ld i nvite others to desire her and seek her in m a rriage,
such as wea ring attractive ga rments and jewellery, leaving her h ou se
without need, wea ring perfu me or m a ke-u p.
Thus mourn i ng or b_idaad is a widow's physical display of sadness
and g rief for the death of her h usband. The a bove-q u oted b_adeeth
recorded by al-Bukhaaree ind icates that a widow should mourn over
her h usband for the fu l l term of her ' iddah (wa iti ng period), which is
fou r months and ten days, as evidenced by the Qur'a n :
A n d those of you w h o d i e a nd leave wives beh ind them, they (i .e.
the wives) shall wait [as rega rds their ma rriage] for fou r months
and ten days. (Soorat ai-Baqarah, 2:234)

Mourni ng, however, should not be associated with conti n uous

g rievi ng over the dead.

-:/.,)5 21 4
 P
Be 1efs and a ( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h ) Section Wo
o. -R t f� � � �=E=E � t

\ Beliefs and Practices of Islam

9. Articles of Faith
I

Eemaan ( Fa ith)
Eemaan is a n Ara bic word which means fa ith. Hence, mu'min (femini ne form:
mu'minah) m eans one who believes; a n adherent to the true fa ith. The term eemaan
occu rs 45 times in the Q u r'a n.
The word eemaan is used for fa ith or belief as it gives a n individ ual peace of mind
and a lso creates a harmonious relationsh i p between a human bei ng and the rest of
the u n iverse.

Eemaan is a Statement a n d Action

Eemaan is a statement a nd action. I n other words, it has three essential elements:
sincere belief in the heart, profession by the tongue and performance of the deeds by
the physical pa rts of the body.
Eemaan resides in the heart. The heart is its locus, its fou ndation. Eemaan increases
by acts of obedience to Allah and decreases by acts of disobedience. If the heart is
fi l l ed with eemaan - with love of Allah and H is Messenger � hope in Alla h's mercy and
'
fea ring His punishment, it wi l l certainly d rive one to perform acts of obedience to Allah.
o/}5 21 5
� Section Beliefs and Pract1ce lsi o ( A rt i c l e s of F a i t h )

The Articles of Faith Th us, t h e essential elements of eemaan,

accord i n g to the b.adeeth, a re as fo l l ows:
When Alla h's Messenger tj was asked by 1 . To believe in Allah,
Angel Jibreel �\, 'What is eemaan (fa ith)?' He 2. His Angels,
repl ied, 'It is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His 3. His Books,
Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to 4. His Messengers,
bel i eve i n the Divi ne Decree (al-qadar), both 5. The Last Day, and
the good of it and the bad of it: (Reported by 6. To believe i n divine d esti ny: the good
Muslim) of it and the bad of it.

9. 1 . Bel ief i n Allah

Belief in Allah is the cornerstone of eemaan. All the other beliefs i n
I s l a m revolve rou nd belief i n Allah.

Oneness of Allah (Tawheed): the I m porta nce

of Correct Bel ief i n Allah

Tawb.eed is a n Ara bic word which means 'making someth ing one'
or 'asserting oneself: Most of the Qu r'an, rather a l m ost a l l of it, refers to
tawb.eed. I n fact, the entire Qu r'a n is the exposition of the Na m es and
Attri b utes of Allah.

� 21 6
Behefs and Pr ct ( A rt i c l e s of Fa i t h )
The Oneness of Allah: H is
Attrib utes
Fa ith in the O neness of Allah means to
believe that Allah is the sole Creator and the
Lord of everything that exists i n this u n iverse.
Allah as one's Lord and Master req u i res
vol u ntary submission to His Comma nds.
The meaning of faith i n A l l a h is that
one should believe firmly i n one's heart, be
convinced of, and confidently affi rm that
Allah is the true God who bro u g ht into
existence a l l created things and that He is
free from a l l defects and inabilities.
Allah Alone is the Susta i ner - the Lord
(ar-Rabb) . He is the One without a ny partners
whatsoever in His Kingdom. He is the only
Creator and the true Owner of the creation.
He is the only one who nou rishes, sustai ns
and maintai ns H i s creation. Everything
that ha ppens i n this creation happens by
His perm ission and will. Sustenance and
provisions a re from Allah. Life and death
are in the Hands of Allah. Al l bou nties come
from H i m alone.
A l l a h com mands and forbids. H e
elevates a n d a bases. H e changes day i nto
nig ht. He a lternates the days of people
and nations, replacing one with a n other.
Thi ng s occur according to His will. Whatever
He wills comes i nto being in the time and
man ner He wills it. His ord ers a nd decrees
are fu lfi l led in the heavens, in the fa rthest
reaches of the earth, a nd beneath it, in the
seas, the skies and every other part of the
un iverse. He enco m passes all thi ngs. With
His knowledge, He keeps count of every
single thing.
--/)? 2 1 7
Section Wo
His hearing encom passes a l l voices, yet
they do not blend into each other. Rather,
He hears the clamour of a l l the va rious
ton g ues, i n all cou ntless languages, disti nct
i n their countless suppl ications. His Sight
envelopes a l l thi ngs. H e sees the smal lest
black a nt u pon a piece of coal in a moonless
dark n i g ht. The hidden for H i m is visi ble and
the secret is publ ic.
I n His Hand is a l l good and to H i m
return a l l affairs. H i s power e ncom passes a l l
things. All depend u pon H i m for their safety
and sustenance. He forgives sins, rel ieves
hardships and removes woes. He m a kes
the bro ken whole, enriches the poor, feeds
the h u n g ry, clothes the n a ked and h ea ls
the sick. To H i m do the deeds of the night
ascend before those of the day, and the
deeds of the day before those of the n ig ht.
There is no one to with hold what He g ives
and no one to give what He withholds. He
is the Supreme Lord without a ny partners
whatsoever. He is u n i q u e without equal.
He has no sons or daug hters. He is the
one without com parison or kind. There is
nothing similar to H i m . He is the Al l-Hearing,
the All-Seeing.
Hence, every rite of worship, be it prayer,
fasting, pilgrimage, sacrificing anima ls, and
so forth, must be done for the sake of Allah
on ly. All supplications a nd prayers m u st be
directed to H i m a lone. lfsomeone does a ny of
these acts for someone other than Allah, he is
negati ng his tawfleed. These i nclude putti ng
one's trust in Allah, havi ng fea r and devotion
only for H is sake, and so on. Submission to
H i m alone encom passes worshipping H i m
a l o n e a nd obeyi ng H i m a lone.
� Section
9.2 .
Belief in Allah's
Angels
One of the unseen worlds of which Islam
tells us is the world of a ngels. The angels a re
descri bed i n the Qur'a n and b.adeeth i n great
detail. Bel ief in the angels is another essentia l
bel ief that forms the cornerstone of eemaan
(faith). When Alla h's Messenger :i was asked
by Angel Jibreel �1, 'What is faith?' he repl ied,
'It is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books,
His Messengers, the Last Day, and to bel ieve i n
the Divine Decree (al-qadar), both t h e good of
it and the bad of it: (Reported by M u sl i m) Th us,
bel ief i n the angels is the second a rticle of faith.
The Ara bic word for angel is malak,
of which the pl u ra l form is malaa'ikah. The
angels belong to the unseen world (' aalam
a/-ghayb). They a re created from l ig ht and a re,
therefore, invisi ble to h u m a n beings. Yet, they
do not have forms and bod ies. The Glorious
Qu r'a n speaks of thei r havi ng a set of wings.
(Soorat Faat.ir, 35: 1 )
From the moment a n individ ual is
co nceived in his m other's wom b, u ntil
o/}5 2 1 8
( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )
h i s d eath a n d beyond, t h e a ngels play a
very significant role i n human l ife. Alla h's
Messenger � said, 'When forty nig hts have
passed for the sperm d rop (the nut.fah), Allah
sends a n angel to it, and gives it its shape
and creates its hea ring, sig ht, skin, flesh and
bones. Then h e says, " 0 Lord, male or fema le?"
You r Lord decrees whatever He wi l l s, a nd the
angel writes it down. Then he says, "0 Lord, h i s
lifespan?" You r Lord says whatever He wil ls,
and the angel writes it down. Then he says,
"0 Lord, his provision?" You r Lord decrees
whatever He wi l ls, and the angel writes it
down. Then the angel departs with the scroll
in his hand, a nd he adds nothing to the
decree, nor does he subtract anything from it:
(Reported by M uslim, b.adeeth no. 6726)
Another b.adeeth, na rrated by both ai­
Bukhaaree a nd M uslim, states that a n angel
fol l ows the sperm d rop (nut.fah: sexual fl u id:
gamete is the precise word for it) from the
time it enters the wom b until it is com p l eted or
aborted (Quoted by Dr. M oha m med Ali Albar
in his work entitled Human Development, p.
74).
 (A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )
Angels accom pa ny h u m a n beings.
They protect them by Alla h's leave and
record all their deeds. They extract the
sou l of the person when the mom ent of
the i r death a rrives. The common p h rase 'a n
unti mely death' seems close to blasphemy
(rude or disrespectfu l thing for Allah): every
death is right on ti me. Moreover, to ask'why'
when someone d i es young is a bsurd. O u r
strictly l i m ited m i nds can not grasp t h e tota l
scheme of things wil led by Allah.
The angels form a world e nti rely
different from the world of mankind. It is a
noble world, com pletely p u re. They a re i n
tota l subm ission t o A l l a h . They a re inca pable
of com m itti ng a ny sin and a re constantly
engaged in Alla h's praise. Each one of them
is assigned a specific tas k i n the governance
of the u n iverse. The n u m ber of a ngels is
known only to Allah. Angels a re made of
lig ht, a nd Allah has not g iven o u r eyes the
abil ity to see them.
The angels have wings: two, th ree, or
fou r. Angel Jib reel �� has six h u n d red wings.
(a i-Bukhaaree) Allah has created the a ngels
in noble and bea utifu l forms. They a re not a l l
t h e sa m e in their physical shape a nd status.
They va ry in their statu s before their Lord.
They a re neither male nor fema le. They do
not eat or d ri n k or get ma rried l i ke h u mans
do. They have names, but the Qu r'a n and
the b_adeeth mention o n ly a few of them.
They a re as follows:
Fi rst and foremost is Angel J i b reel ��
(also cal led ar-Roob_ ai-Ameen). He performed
the most i m porta nt tas k of bringing the
message of Allah to His Prophets. He no
longer performs this d uty as the i nstitution
of Prophethood came to a n end with
Section Wo
Prophet M uha m mad :1. The second angel is
lsraafeel, who by Alla h's com mand will blow
the Tru m pet on the Day of Resu rrection and
bring the present system and order of the
world to a n end. The third angel is M i kaa'eel,
whose d uty is to a rrange for ra i nfa l l and
su pply of provisions to the creation of Allah
by His command. And fi na l ly, there is the
angel of death who has been a ppoi nted to
take people's souls. It is worth m ention i ng
here, h owever, that h i s name is not
mentioned i n the Qur'a n or in a ny sound
b..adeeth. Therefore, the name 'Azraa'eel (or
' lzraa'eel) must not be attributed to h i m, as
some people m ista ken ly do, for there is no
evidence whatsoever to this effect.
Other angels m entioned in the Qu r'a n
a re Kiraaman Kaatibeen two honoura bl e
-
and k i n d scri bes, and Haa root and Maaroot.
The former a re attached to every h u ma n
being, and as t h e i r names suggest, they
.
record g ood and bad deeds. The latter were
sent to the people of Babylon as a test.
Among the angels is Maalik, the keeper of
Hell (Soorat az-Zukhruf, 43:77). Among the
angels a re M u n ka r and N akeer, mentioned
i n the b_adeeth. These two angels q u estion
the dead in their graves a nd put them
thro u g h a n exam i nation on the s u bject of
thei r religious beliefs.
Allah has g iven the a ngels the ability
to take u p forms different from their own.
The speed of a ngels is fa r g reater than that
of l ig ht and can not be m easu red by h u m a n
sta ndards. But they a re t h e servants of Allah
and they do not have a ny aspect of d ivi n ity
in them whatsoever. They s u bmit to Alla h's
com mands com pletely and n ever stray
away from obeying H is orders.
� Section Behefs and Practices of Isla ( A rt i c l e s of Fa i t h )

The Great Size of One of
the Angels of Allah
Jaabir i b n ' Abd u l laah � narrated that
the Messenger of Allah � sa id, 'I have been
given permission to spea k of one of the angels
of Al lah, one of the bearers of the Throne. The
dista nce between his earlobe and his shoulder
is l i ke the dista nce of seven h u n d red yea rs'
travel: (Reported by Abu Daawood, b_adeeth
no. 4727, and g raded �ab_eeb_ 'a uthentic')
Belief in Alla h's a ngels is one of the
essential a rticles of fa ith. For a d eta i l ed a nd
interesting d iscussion concern ing the a ngels,
see U m a r S. ai-Ashqa r's book entitled The
World of the Noble Angels.

9.3 . Belief i n Allah's Books

Bel ief i n Alla h's Books is the third a rticle of eemaan. This refers to
the revelations Allah sent down to H is messengers. These revelations
were a mercy and guida nce from Allah. Allah sent down m any scri ptu res
for the g u ida nce of m a n kind and to instruct h u m a n beings how to l ead
their l ife i n the right way.

The Scriptures Mentioned i n the Qur'a n

1 . The Tawraah revea led to the Prophet Moosaa �1.
2. The Zaboor revealed to the Prophet Daawood �1.

3. The lnjeel revealed to the Prop het ' Eesaa �1.

4. There is a l so reference i n the Qur'a n to the S.ub.uf, scrolls, or leaves,
revealed to l braa h eem a nd Moosaa.
5 . The G l o rious Q u r'a n, the fi n a l Book g iven to P ro p h et
M u ha m m a d �.

� 220 ,
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )
All of the previous revelations have been
cancel led and a bol ished by the final revelation
- the Glorious Qu r'an. The Qur'a n is the 'ru ler'
over all the previous revelations. It is the
determinant factor in judging what is genu ine
and what is fa lse i n the earlier scri ptu res.
Allah sent specific and d ifferent
reve lations accord ing to the needs and
conditions of different people over time.
Th is mercy of Allah i n the form of revelations
conti n ued until the Qu r'a n was revealed. The
Qur'a n contains a l l the g u ida nce that people
need u nti l the Last Day. The Qu r'a n is m eant
to be g u ida nce for a l l times u ntil the Day of
Resu rrection. This is the reason why Allah has
protected the Qu r'a n from a ny ta m peri ng,
errors or distortions.
The Qur'an is the uncreated word of
Section Wo
Allah. It is the fi n a l message to mankind. It is
exactly the sa m e i n its present form as it was
at the time of the Prophet :1. The Qu r'a n has
come down to us com plete. No additions
have ever been made to it. No pa rt, not even
a tiny syl lable of it, is forgotten or has gone
u n recorded. The Qu r'a n is protected by Allah
Hi mself from all corru ptions and distortions.
The previous revelations or the Revea led
Books that were sent down before Prophet
M uha m mad :1 a re not the same as what
people today possess, such as the Tora h and
the Gospel.
Belief in Alla h's Books req uires that one
m ust bel ieve that these books were reveal ed
from Allah �. H owever, one m ust act i n
accorda nce with t h e teachings of t h e Qu r'a n
- which is the fi n a l revelation.

9 .4. Belief in Alla h's Messengers

The next a rticle m entioned by the Proph et � in the fladeeth is the
bel ief i n Alla h's Messengers. The meaning of fa ith i n Alla h's Messengers
is that one should fi rm ly bel ieve and confidently affirm that Allah sent
them to m a n ki nd to g u ide them to the way of the truth. They were
truthfu l and fa ithfu l, and they a l l del ivered the message of Allah in fu l l.

� 221
� Section
Bel ief i n prophets and messengers is
a n essential doctrine i n Islam. Prophethood
is a favour and bounty from Allah. The terms
prophets and m essengers are com monly used
i nterchangeably. However, there is a slight
difference between a prophet (nabiyy) and a
m essenger (rasoon. A m essenger is a prophet
who was given divine guida nce i n the form of
scriptures, while a prophet came in the periods
between messengers and followed the divine
scri ptu re, or Book, of the preceding messenger.
Th us, a messenger is a rasool and nabiyy, but a
prophet is not a rasool (messenger). The term
nabiyy literally m eans 'a g iver of news: the one
who gives news from Allah:
All messengers and prophets have
preached essentia lly the sa me message that
there is One God, Allah, to whom worship and
service are d ue. All others are His creation.
Th is is the Qur'a nic tawb_eed - the Oneness of
Allah. Islam is u nthinka ble without tawb_eed.
All messengers and prophets brought the
sa me deen (religion, way of l ife) for mankind.
Their fundamental teachings were the same.
They cal led u pon their people, saying, 'I am a
m essenger worthy of all trust. So be conscious
of Allah and obey me: (Soorat ash-Shu' araa',
26: 1 61 -3) Of cou rse the Sharee'ah (Islamic
Law) differed from one m essenger to the next
due to change i n conditions. As prophets and
messengers were models for h u manity, they
were a l l human beings. They did not have
any d ivine status. Their loftiest attri bute was
that of being servants of Allah. Such is Alla h's
description of them in the Qu r'an.
It is worth mentioning here, however,
that each prophet or messenger was sent to
his own people, but Prophet M uham mad �
was sent to a l l mankind. Islam is, therefore, a
universal rel igion, u n l i ke the previous ones
o/;8 222 ,
( A rt i c l e s of Fa i t h )
which were rather local.
Aadam �� was the fi rst prophet. After
Aadam �� a succession of messengers and
prophets ca me to renew the g u ida nce of
Allah, which was either lost or had become
poll uted or m ixed with human i nterference.
The last messenger was M uhammad ii, who
completed the chain of prophets and sealed
the succession. Thus, the golden chain of
prophets, which began with Aadam �\, ended
with Prophet M uha m mad �. The Holy Qur'a n
and the Prophet's teachi ngs a re preserved for
h u manity till the end of time.
The stories of the prophets form a
significant portion of the Qu r'an. The Qur'an,
however, tells the stories of some of the
prophets and m essengers but does not tel l
the stories of a large number of them. Among
those mentioned i n the Qu r'a n are: Aadam,
ldrees, Nooh, Hood, .S.aa l ih, lbraaheem,
lsmaa'eel, ls-haaq, Ya 'qoob, Loot Yoosuf,
Shu'ayb, Ayyoob, Dhui-Kifl, Moosaa, Haaroon,
ai-Yasa ', llyaas, Daawood, Su laymaan, ' Uzayr,
Zaka riyyaa, Yahya, ' Eesaa and M uha mmad
- Peace be u pon them all. It is i m portant to
rea lize that all over the world, Allah's prophets
and messengers were sent, whether named or
not i n the Qur'an.
A Muslim, therefore, is req uired to believe
in all the m essengers and prophets m entioned
in the Qu r'a n and the Sunnah. As for those not
mentioned in the Qu r'an, one must believe in
them i n general. One must bel ieve that there
is not a single com munity to whom a warner
was not sent.
If a person denies a ny single prophet
or messenger confi rmed i n the Qur'a n and
Sunnah, then they a re in fact denying a l l of
them. Denial of one amounts to denyi ng all of
them.
Beliefs and Pract1ces ( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )
Sig n ifica n ce of Prophet
Muhammad �: Fina l ity of his
Prophethood and as a Model
of Behaviour
The G lorious Qur'a n mentions Prophet
M uha m mad � as the last of Alla h's Prophets:
Muhammad is not the father of any of your men,
but the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the
Prophets (khaatam-un-nabiyyeen). (Soorat ai­
Ab.zaab, 33:40)
'The Sea l of the Prophets' or the Last of the
Prophets, j ust as a sea l (khaatam) ma rks the
end of a docu ment. Apart from this, the word
khaatam is also synonymous with khitaam,
'the end or conclusion' of something, from
which it follows that the m essage revea led
through M uha m mad � - the Qur'a n - must
be regarded as the culmi nation a nd the end
of a l l prophetic revelations. The doctri ne of
the fi n a l ity of Prophethood of M uha mmad
:1, therefore, rests on the clear words of the
� 22 3
Section '&;o
Noble Qur'a n. The badeeth is even clearer
on this poi nt. The mea n i ng of khaatam-un­
nabiyyeen was thus explai ned by the Prophet
� h imself:
My example and that of the prophets before me
is the example of a man who built a house and
he made it very good and very beautiful with
the exception of a stone in the corner, so people
began to go round it and to wonder at it and
to say, 'Why has this stone not been placed?' I
am this stone and I am the last of the Prophets:
(Reported by ai-Bukhaaree)
The advent of Prophet M uha m mad �
u n iversal ized the institution of Prophethood
in a rea l sense. The day of the national
prophets was over, and one prophet was
ra ised fo r the whole world, for a l l nations
and for a l l ages (Soorat a/-Furqaan, 25:1 ) .
The world-Prophet, therefore, took the place
of the national prophets and the grand
idea of u n ifyi ng the whole human race and
gatheri ng it together u nder one banner was
thus brought to perfection.
� Section B he
The Prophet Muhammad
� as a Model of Behaviou r
The Gl orious Qu r'a n says:
There surely is for you in the Messenger of Allah an
excellent model for those who hope for Allah and
the Last Day and remembers Allah much. (Soorat
ai-Ab.zaab, 33: 2 1 -22)
The Prophet :i sta nds out as a role
model i n the b roadest possible sense of the
term . Muslims m ust e m u late his exa m ple and
mould their l ives on h i s exemplary pattern.
But for those who a re u n m i ndfu l of Allah,
the Prophet 3% is obviously not a n exa m ple
or a role model. His exa m ple is e m u lated,
however, by a l l those who reme m be r Allah
m uch. The true believers would do their best
to e m u late the Prophet :i in a l l matters of h i s
l ife as sa nctioned by t h e Sharee' ah.
There is a nother i m porta nt fact
that defi nitely n eeds to be emphasized
concerning belief in the Prophet :i. He is not
just a n exa m ple, but rather the exa m ple. As
a matter of fact, there is no manner of l ivi ng
and belief system that is superior to that of
Prophet M uha m mad 3%. Moreover, there is no
individual who was closer and more beloved
to Allah than Prophet M uha m mad 3%. He once
said,
Allah took me as His most intimate friend (kha/een
as He had earlier taken l braaheem (Abraham) as
His most intimate friend. (Reported by Muslim)
It is i m porta nt to note that the primary
rol e of the Prophet :i was to pu rify m a n kind.
He is the one who demonstrated the proper
method of p u rification. He a l so once said,
None of you becomes a true believer u ntil I am
more beloved to him than his father, his children
and all of mankind. (Reported by ai-Bukhaa ree and
Muslim)
� 22 4 ,
( A rt i c l e s of F a i t h )
The Prophet's rol e i s si m ple.
He i s the h u m a n example that
every Muslim m ust aspi re to
as his way was based on true
g uidance from Allah �. He is
the ideal model for M u s l i m
l ife, p roviding the pattern that
a l l bel ievers a re to e m u l ate.
H e is i n fact the 'l ivi ng Qur'a n:
the witness whose words a nd
actions reveal Al la h's will. His l ife
a nd conduct shows a l l Musl i ms
the p roper way to purify their
sou l s. Th us, Musl i m s look t o the
Prophet's exam ple for g uida n ce
i n a l l aspects of l ife. This i s true
whether one i s spea king a bo ut
h ow to p ray, fast, perform flajj,
g ive zakaat, how to treat friends
as wel l as enemies, what to eat
a nd d ri n k, e njoin good a nd forbi d
evi l, ea rn Allah's pleasure, how
to dea l with fam i ly mem bers,
what to wear and what not to
wea r, h ow to treat the orphans,
the widows and even a n i m a ls,
a nd so forth. Traditions of the
Prophet � provide g u ida nce
for personal hygiene, d ress,
eati ng, and marriage, treatment
of wives, wa r a nd peace a nd
p ractica lly every aspect of l ife,
d eath a nd religion.
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( A rt i c l e s of Fa i t h )
Jihaad: Struggle or Strivi ng
The importance of jihaad i n I slam is
very clea rly establ ished in the Qu r'an and the
Sunnah. The Prophet :i sa id:
The peak of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer,
and its topmost part is jihaad. (Reported by at­
Tirmidhee)
It must, however, be sa id at once that the
Prophet � did not mention jihaad in the b.adeeth
discussed above, mentioning the pillars of
Isla m. The Prophet � did not mention jihaad
as one of the pillars of Islam, sim ply because, in
general, it is a com munally obligatory act (farQ_
kifaayah) and not a n i ndivid ual obligation (farQ_
'ayn) . Jihaad thus is the summit of Islam, but is
not a foundation or pillar.
A very great misconception preva ils with
rega rd to the d uty of jihaad in Islam, na mely
the association of the word jihaad with wa r. I n
fact, jihaad i s the most defa med word i n the
Islamic voca bulary. It is com monly inaccurately
translated as holy war.
But this is simply not accu rate. The term
jihaad is derived from the verb jaahada, which
/;8 22 5 <:
Section Wo
means'to strive or exert oneself: namely against
a nyth ing that i mplies evil. The Prophet �, for
exam ple, described man's struggle against his
own passions and wea knesses Uihaad an-nafs)
as the 'm ig htiest form ofjihaad'(Reported by ai­
Bayhaqee). Th us jaahada m eans to endeavour,
strive and strugg l e. The noun juhd m eans
'maki ng one's utmost effort and struggle
to achieve one's object: Appl ied to wa rfare,
the term jihaad has been used in the Qur'an
excl usively to denote a wa r of defence, defence
of one's freedom of religion, of one's country
and of the liberty of one's com m u nity: (Soorat
a/-fj_ajj, 22:39-40)
The struggle made to attain nea rness to
Allah and to subdue one's passions, and the
struggle made to win over the un bel ievers, not
with the sword, but with the Qur'an is, therefore,
a jihaad in the termi nology of the Qur'an.
Since this topic is limited to a consideration
of the five pil lars of Islam and when jihaad does
not form a part of these five pillars, we have not
dealt with this topic in greater detail. We have
discussed it in G rade Eleven of this series (See
The Question ofJihaad in Chapter 5)
� Section Behefs
The Com mand t o Enjoin
Good a n d Forbid Evi l
Th is i s one of the most i m porta nt
i nj unctions i m posed o n an individual
Muslim as wel l as the Muslim com m u n ity
as a whole. Its i m porta nce can be
eval uated by the fact that enjoining good
a n d forbidding evil (al-amru bil ma' roof
wan-nahyu ' an-il-munkar) is repeated at
least n i n e times i n the Qur'a n . The Ara bic
term ma'roof denotes something that
is wel l-known, u n iversal ly recog nized
a n d genera l ly accepted. I n Q u r'a n i c
term inology, i t means a l l good deeds that
h u m a n bei ngs recognize as wholesome
and desira ble; for exa m ple, helping the
poor and the destitute, the widows and
the orpha n s, the sick and the infirm,
or esta blishing peace and h a rmony in
society. M uslims a re ordered that they
should actively get i nvolved in the social
betterment of the society in which they
l ive.
Munkar is the opposite of ma' roof.
It l iteral ly means 'to deny, n ot to know,
to h ave n o knowledge: Hence, munkar
means 'th e d isag reea bl e, objectionable
a n d detesta ble acts which h u m a n bei ngs
a b hor: Such acts incl ude, a mong other
things, abusing others, wrongfu l acts,
misappropriation, pride, miserl i n ess
and shamefu l acts. These acts should
be checked and stop ped. If one is not in
a position to stop such acts physica l ly,
then one should verba l ly condemn them;
o/'}5 226
Pract ( A r t i c l e s of F a i t h )
and if even this is not possible, then one
should at l east feel stron g h atred in one's
hea rt. The last optio n is, accord ing to a
b_adeeth, the lowest deg ree of eemaan
(faith) (Abdur Rashid Siddiqui, Qur'anic
Keywords)
Abu Sa'eed ai-Kh u d ree � narrated
that he heard Alla h's Messenger � say,
Whoever of you sees a n evil action, let h i m
change it with his h a n d ; and i f he is not
able to do so, then with h is ton g ue; a n d if
h e is not a ble to do so, then with his hea rt;
a n d that is the weakest of fa ith. (Reported
by Muslim)
Enjoi n i n g good and forbid d i ng evi l
is a wide-ra ng i n g assig n ment entrusted
especia l ly to the Muslim com m u n ity
(Soorat Aal-' lmraan, 3 : 1 1 0). At the core of
enjoining good is the concern to protect
mankind from Hellfire. The pu rpose of
creation is to g a i n knowledge of Allah,
especia l ly His excellent attrib utes. The
M u s l i m com m u n ity is obl iged to ca rry
forwa rd the orig inal assign ment g iven to
Prophet M uha m mad � and is responsible
for spreading true fa ith.
Today m a n kind is o n the verge of
col l a pse and ruin. Th is begs the q uestion
as to who will rescue our a i l i n g h u m a n ity.
All sections of society a re equally affected.
So is the state of people's beliefs, mora ls,
socia l l ife, spiritual hea lth and faith. The
d uty of enjoi n i n g good a n d forbidding
evi l is a privilege, a trust passed on to
Muslims from Alla h's Messengers. Its
objective is not o n ly to reform others but
a l so to mend o ne's ways.
Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )
9.5 . Belief in the Last Day
Bel ief in the Last Day is one of the
essential a rticles of fa ith. I t is called the Last
Day beca u se no new day will come after that
day. The word generally used in the Qu r'a n
to ind icate life a fte r death is al-aakhirah. The
La st Day is also ca l l ed the Day of Resu rrection,
the Day of Rising, the Day of J udgment, the
other l ife (as opposed to the near one ad­
dunyaa), the Last Abode, the Hereafter, and
so on. The word al-aakhirah occurs 1 1 5 times
in the G lorious Qu r'a n, not counting the other
words d erived from its root.
Bel ief in the Last Day consists of bel ief
i n everything that the Glorious Qur'a n or the
Messenger of Allah ;I has stated a bout the
events of that day and the events that wi l l
ta ke p lace thereafter. There a re many aspects
of the Day, l i ke Resu rrection, J udgment,
Rewa rd, Pa rad ise a nd Hell, among other
things, that every M u s l i m is req u i red to
believe i n with certa inty. The Qur'a n and the
Prophet � have fu rnished gra phic deta ils of
this overwhelming day.
� 22 7 '-
Section Wo
Proof of the Hereafter
The Qu r'a n often uses the com pa rison
of the ra i n to explain how it is possible to
resu rrect the dead. Just as after a shower
of ra in, dead earth becomes covered with
g reenery, so can Allah resu rrect the dead.
See, for instance, Soorat Qaaf, 50:1 1 ; Soorat
ai-'Ankaboot, 29:20; Soorat of-Hajj, 22:5-6)
The Qu r'a n a lso a rg ues that if Allah is
able to create not o n ly h u m a n beings but the
whole u n iverse i n the fi rst place why should
it be h a rd for Him to recreate them? See, for
instance, Soorat Yaaseen, 36:79 and Soorat a/­
Ab_q aaf,_ 46:33).
Some of the p rophets, including Prophet
l braa h eem�l were shown how Allah broug ht
the dead to l ife (Soorat a/-Baqarah, 2: 259-
260). Li kewise, the story of the Com panions
of the Cave (Asb_aab ai-Kahf) related in
Soorat a/-Kahf (soorah no. 1 8 of the Qu r'a n)
is p resented as historical proof to prove that
people can be raised again after sleeping for
a bout th ree h u n d red yea rs.
� Section Beliefs and PractiCes Isla of ( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )

The N ecessity o f J udg ment of J udg ment will be the ones who
a re conscious i n this l ife. They will act
We see cou ntless i njustices a nd wrongs according to the d ictates of the Islamic
being done all a round u s. Perpetrators of such Law (Sharee'ah) and lead a l ife of piety
.
crimes a re not always ca ught nor are they and rig hteousness. Th u s, this belief has
sufficiently pun ished i n proportion to the cri m e a sweeping effect on people's l ives. The
they have com m itted. Then consider those pious
believers who selflessly d evote their • \/ j
only thing which can prevent the wicked

( ,
� from p u rsuing the l ife of wicked ness and

��/:\
whole l ives to doing g o o d evi l is the bel ief i n the Last Day.

j�
deeds. They a re not �
If a person were to ponder over
always rewa rded for h ow they themselves were created,

\' \
thei r good actions.
/
they wou l d see that l ife sta rted as a ti ny
This is not fa ir at all. d rop of semen that g rew i n the wom b.
1\
C'
Therefore, if there is "J oft \.�
� .J

�;
no l ife after death, f 5
The One who gave life fi rst can give l ife
\\.
/If:\\
,.. i )·

again. This is not difficult to u ndersta nd

\ at a l l . Belief i n the Last Day consists
!
where people /� �·
\ �
will be punis hed f � \ of belief i n the Resu rrection, bel i ef
1'
� \, L
i

\
L

I '\ in the
L

and rewa rded, 'L

· t
·' l

reckoning of the

i
{
11 � r
: e i � �:
i '-- deeds and bel ief i n
I _:

�J'1 11
� \, ) Paradise a nd H e l l .

jlL
become \1

F )I
Belief i n t h e Last
meaning less. ' Day a l so incl udes
Without this belief, l ife on belief in
this earth ma kes no sense at all. everyt h i n g
Li kewise, if a =- �
_ �
-

t h a t
person happens to a person after death and
does not bel ieve i n the Day of Rising and does before the Day of Rising. This consists
not consider that they a re accounta ble for thei r of the tria ls in the grave and the joy or
actions, then they can pursue a life of pleas u re pun ish m ent in the g rave. The g rave is
and wicked ness. the fi rst of the phases of al-aakhirah.
The re will be no motivation or l u re for those The aakhirah with Tawb_eed (On eness of
to fol low the code of l ife provided by Allah and Allah) and bel ief in Alla h's m essengers
His M essenger �. Why should they g o through and prophets a re the three main
tests and tri bulations and suffer h a rdships? On elements of fa ith (eemaan).
the other hand, those who believe i n the Day

o/;8 228
Beliefs and Practices of lslar ( A rt i c l e s of Fa i t h )
96
. . Belief i n the Divine
Decree (al-Qadar): The Good
of it a nd the bad of it
It is an essential pa rt of eemaan to
believe in a!-qadar.
The Term ai-Qadar
Al-qadar is an Ara bic word whose
lingu istic mea n i ng is 'a specified m easure or
a mount whether of quantities or q u a l ities: It
a l so means, a mong other thi ngs, 'to m easu re,
to decide, to estimate the q u a l ity, q u a ntity, or
position, etc. of something before one actua l ly
makes it'. Al-qadar a lso means 'decree, fate or
destiny:
Al-eemaan bi/-qadar denotes belief i n
t h e d ivine decree. This m e a n s that whatever
happens comes from Allah. This bel ief makes
one d ependent on Alla h's will. Allah alone
controls all affa i rs, and nothing happens i n
t h i s u n iverse that is not i n His prior knowledge.
(Soorat ai-An ' aam, 6:59)
r/}5 22 9
Section '&;o
There a re, i n fact fou r aspects of belief
i n al-qadar. The fi rst of these is to bel ieve
that Allah has knowledge of everything that
exists i n the u n iverse, as we have poi nted out
a bove. He has knowledge of everythi ng, big
and s m a l l, before it comes i nto existence.
The second aspect of bel ief in al-qadar
is that Allah not only knew and kn ows what
will ha ppen but a lso has recorded this
knowledge or i nfo rmation in m i n ute details in
the Preserved Ta blet (ai-Lawb. a/-Mab.foodh).
All this is easy for Allah, and it is a mista ke to
judge A l la h's knowledge by our rather l i m ited
knowledge.
The third aspect of belief i n a!-qadar is to
bel ieve in Alla h's decreeing everything that
exists; if He does not will somethi ng, it can
never come i nto existence. In other words,
this means that a person m ay intend or try,
for instance, to shoot someone to death, but
such a thing can only ha p pen if Allah decrees
it. The shooter m ay ta ke a l l the n ecessa ry
precautions, but if Allah does not will it to
occur, it wi l l not occu r!
� Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( A rt i c l e s of F a i t h )

The fou rth aspect of belief i n a/-qadar i s to believe i n Al la h's ability

to create everything and bring everything i nto existence. He has created
everything a nd measu red it exactly accordi n g to its d u e measurement.
Thus, to q u a l ify as a believer, a person must believe in both the
good side of desti ny (al-qadar) and its bad side, i n both the sweetness
of fate and its bitterness. They m u st believe that everything that has
ever ha ppened in former eras and ages and whatever will happen i n the
futu re, until the Day of Resu rrection, is in acco rdance with the decree of
Allah a nd H i s foreordai n ed desti ny.
This is not difficult to understa nd. If one ponders over one's life,
looks deeply into onse lf or into the fu nctioning of one's body, one wi l l
soon discover that there a re severa l things beyond one's freedom to
choose. The rea lity is that most of one's l ife is not s u bject to one's own
choice.
Th i n k a bout the fi rst moments when one arrives, in the form of a
ba by, i n this world, when the fi rst breath enters i nto one's lungs at the
moment of one's birth. Does one choose the place of one's birth? Does
one choose the hour, the day of o ne's birth? None of us chooses the
moment of their arriva l i nto this world. In other words, we all come into
this l ife by the will of Allah. lmaam Ahmad was once asked a bout al­
qadar, and he said, 'AI-qadar is the power of Allah:
A person who believes in al-qadar affirms that this u n iverse and
everything i n it was created by Allah. When a person believes that
everything that happens is decreed, and that provisions and one's
l ifespan a re i n the hands of Allah, then they can face d ifficu lties and
trials with a strong heart with their head held high. This bel ief is one
of the g reatest resou rces of strength for the rig hteous i n confronting
evildoers and tyra nts.

� 230 ,
Bel iefs and Pr ct ( A r t i c l e s of F a i t h ) Section '&;o

For Further
Reading and Research
for Section C
1. As-Sayyid Sa biq, Fiqh-us-Sunnah,
Tra nslated by M u h a m mad Sa ' eed
Dabas a nd Jamal a i-Deen M. Zarabozo,
American Trust Publ ications, Plainfi eld,
I ndia na, 2003.

� 2. Jamal ad-Deen Zara bozo, Commentary

on the Forty Hadeeth ofan-Nawawee, Vol u m e
j
( ;:.:;:�r::::o��i':���::��::�:�: :�:
3.
Islam, Tra nslated by M uha m mad Asif Kidwai,
i ,a ,

3rd
r Haji Arfeen Academy, Ka rac h i, Pa kista n,
Edition, 1 988.
4. M uha m m ad M ustafa a i-J ibaly, Closer than a
Garment: Marital Intimacy according to the Pure
Sunnah, a i-Kitaab and as-Sunnah Publishi ng,
Arl i ngton, Texas, 2000.
5. M uha m mad M ustafa ai-J i ba ly, The Fragile Vessels:
Rights & Obligations between the Spouses in Islam, AI­
Kitaa b and as-Sunnah Publ ishi ng, Arl ington, Texas, 2005.
6. Dr. �aa l ih ibn Ghaanim a i-Sadlaan, The Fiqh of

---...
Marriage in the Light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah,
Tra nslated by Jamaal a i-Deen Zarabozo, AI-Basheer
Publ ications and Translations, Denver, USA, 1 999.
�
7. M uhammad M ustafa a i-J i baly , The Inevitable Journey
- Part 3-Funerals: Regulations and Exhortations, AI-Kitaab
and as-Sunnah Pub lishing, Arli ngton, Texas, 1 998.
I r

� 23 1
o<&:fj Section Beliefs and Practices of Isla ( A r t i c l e s of Fa i t h )

Cou rsework
1. (a} Outl ine the Islamic teach i ngs 8. Explain the main teachings of Islam
a bout zakaat. a bout:
(b) H ow does zakaat d iffer from (a} Persona l struggle Uihaad)
�adaqah? (b) The command to enjoi n good and
proh ibit evi l (al-amru bil ma'roof wan­
2. (a} G ive an account of the main
nahyu ' an-il-munkar)
features of the M uslim observa nce of
(c) Fasting o utside RamaQ.aan (�awm)
Ra ma.Qaan.
(d) Resu rrection a nd the Day of J u dgment
(b) Explain why this observance is
(Yawm a/-Qiyaamah) .
i m porta nt to the individ ual and the
com m u n ity as a whole.
9. Discuss th ree ways in which,
3. Explain h ow belief i n the hereafter according to Islam ic, teachings Allah
infl uences the behaviour of a Muslim f..� com m u n i cates knowledge and
i n this life. awa reness of H i mself to h u man
4. Discuss the historical, social and beings.
rel igious signifi ca nce of the a n n u a l
pilgrimage (flajj) . 1 0. What featu res d isti n g u ish the five daily
5. Explain the main teach ings of Islam prayers from the Jumu' ah (Friday)
a bout: prayer?
(a) God's predesti nation of a l l events
(b) The Angels 1 1 . (a} How do Muslims in you r cou ntry
(c) Revea led books other than the Qur'a n celebrate ' Eed-ui-AQ.-flaa?
(d) The Prophet � as a model of behavio u r. (b) How does this d iffer from the way

6. Explain how the fol lowing p i l l a rs of

Islam p romote communal solida rity
a mongst M uslims:
(a} Ash-Shahaadataan
(b) S.alaah
(c) Zakaat
(d) S.awm
7. Discuss the historical, socia l and
rel igious significa nce of ' Eed ai-AQ.­
flaa.

� 232
The Bases of Islamic L (The Qur'an as the Main Source of all Islamic Teachings) Section �

The Bases of Islamic Law

- -- - -

10. The Qur'an as the Main Source

of all Islamic Teachings

1 0. 1 .
The Qur'an
and its Method of I nterpreting its Teach i ngs { Tafseer)

The fi rst and foremost source of a l l teac h i ng s i n Islam or of Islamic Law

/ /
is the Glorious Q u r a n . The Qur a n is the Book of Allah sent down to Prophet
M uha m mad �� the last of the prophets. It conta ins knowledge imparted by
Allah � for the g u ida nce of h u ma n kind and provides a code of cond uct for every

r/}5 2 33
o<§;fJ Section The Bases of Islamic
believer. It is a com m a n d m e nt a n d a uthority
for the bel i evers, provi ding sol utions to
eve ry situation that they may encounter
u ntil the Day of J u d g me nt. It is the 'ro pe'
of A l l a h thro ug h which i n d ivid u a l s
and nations can achieve
su ccess if they hold on to it. I t
is the rem edy fo r a l l the h u m a n
spiritual a i l m ents a n d a cts a s the
criterion to ch oose between truth
and fa lsehood. Its inj u nctions a re
clear, s u b l i m e and blessed.
The Co m pa n ions of the
Prophet � saw the Qu r'an as a rich
source of g u ida nce and d ivine
wisd om a n d spent their l ives
in sea rch of the treasu res lying
bu ried i n it. The wo rd tafseer is
d erived fro m the Ara bic word
fassara, which means 'to m a ke
clear: 'to show the o bj ective' or
'to l ift the c u rta i n'.
I
L (The Qur'an as the Main Source of all Islamic Teachings)
Tafseer (co m m o n l y tra n s lated as
exegesis or commenta ry), therefore, wo u l d
sign ify t h e science thro u g h w h i c h the Book
of A l l a h ca n be understood. I t means the
science which clarifies the meaning of the
Q u r'a n i c i nj u n ctions and causes of their
reve lation.
The Qur'an Explains itself,
Being its own Tafseer
The fi rst a nd foremost tafseer or
com menta ry on the Qu r'a n is the Qu r'a n
itself. The Qu r'a n repeated ly says that Allah
� has explai ned His verses and messages
of wisdom i n d iverse forms and manners.
To describe the featu re, the Qu r'a n uses the
term tas_reef, which means 'moving a round:
Th u s the Qu r'a n makes its verses distinct in
their mean ing by repeating them.
On studying the Qu r'an, one fi nds the
sa m e subject repeated in va riou s soorahs. A
novice mista kes this as a m ere repetition of
the same subject. But those who have studied
the Qu r'an closely and critica l ly know that
it is free from such superfl uous repetition.
Sometimes a n aspect wh ich
may be obscure i n one
The Bases of Islamic La (The Qur'an as the Main Source of a l l Islamic Teachings) Section �
place becomes q u ite clear in a nother context, or
the th rust of the text which is not obvious in one
place is q u ite appa re nt i n a n other, when put i n a
different context. To i l l ustrate, Allah says:
Lawful for you as food are grazing animals, except that
which is now recited to you. (Soorat a/-Maa'idah, 5:1 )

Th e pu rpose of this statement becomes

comprehensible in the l i g ht of a nother verse of
the sa me chapter:
Prohibited to you a re dead a nimals, blood, the flesh
of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other
than Allah, and [those animals] killed by strangling
or by a violent blow or by a head-long fal l or by the
goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal
has eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter
[before its death], and those which a re sacrificed on
stone altars, and [prohibited is] that you seek decision
through divining a rrows. That is grave disobedience.
This day those who disbelieve have despaired of
[defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear
Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and
completed My favour upon you and have approved
for you Islam as your religion. But whoever is forced by
severe hunger with no inclination to sin, then indeed
Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Soorat ai-Maa'idah, 5:3)

Therefore, when com mentators explain

some verse, they fi rst check to see if an
expla nation of this verse is a l ready there
elsewhere in the Qu r'a n itself. If it is there, they
adopt it as their fi rst choice. Sometimes the
significa nce of a word is vag u e in one verse but
q u ite clea r i n a nother verse placed i n a different
setti ng. An arg u ment which is u n clea r in one
place is l ucidly clear i n a nother place. Obviou sly
the wisdom behind this Q u r'a n i c styl e is to make
its message accessible to a l l seekers of truth. I n
fact, the Qur'a n · is one entire whole with pa rts
of it explaining its other pa rts. What is stated
genera l ly in one place in the Q u r'a n is explained
i n another, and what is briefly mentioned in one
place is presented i n deta i l i n another.

7'';)5 2 35
oW Section The Bases of Islamic La ( The Qur'an a s t h e Main Source o f all Islamic Teachin g s)

r/}5 2 3 6
The Bases of Islamic La ( The Qur'an as the Main Source of all Islamic Teachings)
1 0.3 . The I m portance
of the Sharee�ah in the Life of
the Muslim Com m u nity and
Ind ividuals
What is Sharee� ah?
Sharee' ah is a n Arabic word which
means /the road to be fol l owed'. Litera l ly it
mea ns /the way to a watering place: It is the
path not o n ly leading to Allah but a lso one
shown by Allah Himself/ the creator/ through
His Messenger/ Prophet M uha mmad �- Allah
a lone is the Sovereign and it is He a lone who
has the rig ht to orda in a law that l i berates
people from servitude to other than Allah.
Th is is the o n ly reason why M uslims are
obl iged to strive for the i m plementation of
this law/ and no other law whatsoever.
Th us the genera l term for law i n Islam is
Sharee' ahl which can be rou g h ly translated
as the path in which Allah wishes people
� 23 7
Sectio n �
to wa l k/ a nd every human deed without
exception fa lls u nder the perspective of the
law. There has been a bsol utely no more fa r­
reaching effort to lay out a complete pattern
of h u ma n behavio ur than the Islamic Law
(Sharee' ah). The genera l belief u nderlying
the Sharee'ah is that people a re incapable
of disti nguishing between rig ht and wrong
without assista nce from their Lord. It is for
this reason that g u ida nce was sent to them
thro u g h the prophets and messengers. Allah/
who is All-Powerfu l/ revea led a path/ or law/
for people based on H is u n bou nded su preme
will. His will is not to be j udged by h u ma n
reason i ng a n d m ust b e completely obeyed
and witho ut q uestion.
For a Muslim/ the Sharee' ah represents
d ivi ne a nd eternal law a nd is con seq uently
com pl etely trustworthy. It is the basic
institution of Islamic civil ization. Sharee'ah
is/ therefo re, l i n ked in the M uslim mind with
a comprehensive set of ru les for l ife which/ if
/
oW Section The Bases of Islamic Law (The Qur'an a s the Main Source o f all Islamic Teachin gs)

followed, please Allah i n this world and earn sa lvation for those who fol low them
in the next. Islamic law is binding primari ly upon individuals who sta nd directly
in relationship with Allah. It is not enforced by the state. Islamic Law moulds a nd

Function
ljm aa � ( Co n se n s u s ) :
U n a n i mous Decision
of the Com m u n ity
The word ijmaa ' is derived fro m jam ' which means 'col lecti ng or gathering
tog ether� Hence, ijmaa' carries the two-fo ld significa nce of com posing and
settling someth ing which has been u nsettled. In the term inology of M uslim ju rists,
ijmaa' means the consensus of the Prophet's Com pa n ions and the unani mous
agreeme nt reached on the decisions ta ken by subseq uent l ea rned ju rists a nd
qualified legal scholars on va rious m atters. This, then, is the third textual source of
Sharee' ah.
The va lid ity of ijmaa' as a source of law is based on the Qur'a n a nd the Sunnah.
ljmaa ' owes its origin to the fol l owing Qur'a nic verse:
And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other
than the way of the believers-We w i l l give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and
evil it is as a destination. (Soorat an-Nisaa' , 4: 1 1 5)

The Prophet � al so said,

My Ummah (followers) will never all agree upon error: (Reported by at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah)
An exa m pl e oft his is the ijmaa' oft he Co m panions on the ca lip hate (khi/aafah)
of Abu Bakr a�-.S.iddeeq � then the ca l i phate of ' U mar �. However, no m atter
'
how high the ra n k of the l ea rned scholars a nd h ow thorough their ponderings, no
amount of ijmaa' can a n n u l or cancel a text, that is to say, a provision l a id down
in the Qur'a n a nd the Sunnah of the Prophet �. Com mon agreement is worth
nothing if it is u nfounded.

� 238
The Bases of I sla m ic La ( The Qur'an as the Main Source of all Islamic Teachings)
Qiyaas: Reasoning by
Analogy or Ana logical
Deduction
T h e word qiyaas l itera l ly mea ns
'measuri ng by or comparing with, or
judging by comparing with, a thing:
Briefly, it may be described as reason i ng
based on ana logy. A case comes u p for
decision which is not expressly p rovided
for either in the Qur'a n or the fladeeth.
J u rists look for a case rese m b l ing it in the
Noble Qur'a n or i n the fladeeth, and by
reasoning on the basis of analogy, a rrive
at a decision. Th u s, it is an extension of
the law as m et with i n the Qu r'a n and
fladeeth, but it is not of equal authority
with them. Th is is beca use no j u rist has
ever clai med flawlessness.
It should be noted, however, that
the qiyaas of one generation m ay be
rejected by a fol lowi ng generation.
In fact, this reason ing su pposes the
existence of a model case to which one
com pa res the new case, but the model
or type-case m ust a l ready be mentioned
elsewhe re - i n the Qu r'a n, the fladeeth
or the ijmaa' . Hence, it can be ded uced
that accord i n g to the lea rned scholars,
there is noth ing wrong i n using qiyaas i n
deriving a logical concl usion i n Islamic
Law as long as that conclusion does not
go agai nst the i nj u nctions of the Q u r'a n
or the Sunnah of the Prophet �.
�/}5 23 9
Section �
lj tih a a d : Perso n a l
R e a so n i n g
The Arabic word for ijtihaad
l itera lly means 'a n effort or exercise of
independent judgement i n deriving
rules of conduct from the sou rces of
ju risprudence: Hence, a mujtahid is one
who exercises ijtihaad and works out
independently the rules of conduct
from the orig i n a l sources of Isla m i c Law.
I n its widest sense, it means the u se of
h u m a n reason ing i n the explanation and
interpretation oft he Sharee' ah.Therefore,
before one can be a mujtahid, one has
to be knowledgea ble a bout the rel igion
of Islam, the Sunnah, J u risprudence a nd
pri nciples of Islamic Law.
Being a derivation from the root
word j- h - d, ijtihaad l itera l ly m eans
'strivi ng or self-exertion i n any activity,
which enta i l s a measure of h a rdship:
ljtihaad is sanctioned by the Qu r'a n, the
Sunnah and the d ictates of reaso n i ng.
Accord ing to one fladeeth, when a
judge exercises ijtihaad a nd g ives a right
judgment, he wi l l have two rewa rds, but
if he errs in his judgment, he will sti l l
have earned one rewa rd. The fu l l version
of this fladeeth is as follows:
'Amr i b n al-' Aa� � na rrated that the
Messenger of Allah � said,
If a judge passes a judgment, having
struggled to arrive at what is correct, and
he gets it right, he will have two rewards. If
he passes a judgment, having struggled to
a rrive at what is correct, but gets it wrong, he
will have one reward. (Sunan Abu Daawood,
English translation, Darussalam, Riyadh, Vol.
4, fladeeth no. 3574,)
oW Section The Bases of Islamic La ( The Qur'an as the Main Source of all Islamic Teachings)

For Further Reading and Research

1 M uha m mad Hashim Ka mali, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, 3rd

edition, The Islamic Texts Society, U K, 2005.

2 ' Abd a r-Rahma n Doi, Sharee 'ah: Islamic Law, Revised and
Expa nded by Abdassamad Clarke, Ta Ha Publ ishers Ltd., London,
U K, 2008.

Cou rsework
1 . What traditiona l m ethods a re used to relate the Qur'a n to the
changing conditions in society?
2. G iving three exa m p l es, d iscuss how legal experts have actua l ly
done the above i n practice.
3. How wou l d you tel l someone a bout the signifi cance of the Qur'an
in a M usli m's l ife?
4. How ca n the teachings of Islam be made releva nt i n new situations?
G ive exa m ples to i l l u strate you r a nswer.
5. 'The Sunnah of the Prophet � is a h u ma n im plementation of the
revea led word of God:To what extent is this claim accu rate?
6. H ow relevant is the Sharee'ah to Muslim individ uals and
com m u n ities in the modern world?
7. Discuss the relationship between the fou r bases of the Sharee'ah.
8. Defi n e and explain the place of
(a} Sunnah, and
(b) ljtihaad, i n Islamic legal method.
9. Defi ne and d iscuss the i m porta nce of the Sunnah, explaining how
it differs from the Qu r'an.
1 0. With specific exa m p les, d iscuss how the l egal sou rces of consensus
(ijmaa ' ) and ana logy (qiyaas) a re employed in Islamic legal th i n king.
1 1 .To what extent does a Muslim wedding cere mony i n any cou ntry
you know conform to the teachings of the Qur'a n and b.adeeth?
1 2. Exp lain why the majority of M uslims believe that the Qu r'a n ca nnot
be understood properly without the help of the Sunnah.

� 2 4 0 '-