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Revision Notes Islamiat (2058)

Last updated: 2/10/2021

Contents
Passages from the Quran .......................................................................................................................... - 3 -
Passages from the Hadith ....................................................................................................................... - 13 -
Sources of Islamic Law ............................................................................................................................ - 27 -
Quran .................................................................................................................................................. - 27 -
Sunnah ................................................................................................................................................ - 36 -
Qiyas.................................................................................................................................................... - 47 -
Ijma ..................................................................................................................................................... - 48 -
Life of Prophet (s).................................................................................................................................... - 51 -
Situation of Arabia before Islam ......................................................................................................... - 51 -
From Birth to Prophethood ................................................................................................................ - 52 -
Makkan Period as Prophet of Allah .................................................................................................... - 54 -
Madinan Period................................................................................................................................... - 62 -
Wives of the prophet .............................................................................................................................. - 81 -
Khadija ................................................................................................................................................ - 81 -
Sawdah bint zama ............................................................................................................................... - 82 -
Aisha bint abi bakr .............................................................................................................................. - 82 -
Hafsah bint Umar ................................................................................................................................ - 84 -
Zainab bint Khuzaimah........................................................................................................................ - 84 -
Umm Salamah ..................................................................................................................................... - 85 -
Zainab bint Jahsh ................................................................................................................................ - 86 -
Jawairiyah ........................................................................................................................................... - 86 -
Umm Habibah ..................................................................................................................................... - 87 -
Safiyyah bint Huayy............................................................................................................................. - 88 -
Maymunah bint Al-Harith ................................................................................................................... - 89 -
Mariya Qibtia ...................................................................................................................................... - 90 -
Raihana bint Zayd................................................................................................................................ - 90 -
Ten blessed companions ......................................................................................................................... - 91 -
Abu Bakr (r) ..................................................................................................................................... - 91 -
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Usman bin Affan (r) ......................................................................................................................... - 92 -

Zubair bin Al awwam (r) .................................................................................................................. - 93 -
Abu Ubaidah Bin Jarrah (r) .............................................................................................................. - 94 -
Saad bin Abi Waqas (r) .................................................................................................................... - 94 -
Abdur Rehman Bin Auf (r) ............................................................................................................... - 94 -
Saeed Bin Zaid (r) ............................................................................................................................ - 95 -
Scribes (Role, importance, function, names and 3 famous ones) .......................................................... - 96 -
Descendants of the prophet ................................................................................................................... - 97 -
Hassan and Hussain .......................................................................................................................... - 100 -
Shia beliefs regarding Imamat .......................................................................................................... - 101 -
Other personailities .............................................................................................................................. - 103 -
Bilal bin Rabah (r) .............................................................................................................................. - 103 -
Zaid bin Haritha (r) ............................................................................................................................ - 103 -
Khalid bin Walid (r) ........................................................................................................................... - 104 -
Abu Sufyan (r) ................................................................................................................................... - 104 -
Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib (r) ........................................................................................................... - 105 -
Role of Emigrants and Helpers.......................................................................................................... - 106 -
Caliphates.............................................................................................................................................. - 109 -
Abu Bakr Siddeeq .............................................................................................................................. - 109 -
Umar bin Al Khattab.......................................................................................................................... - 110 -
Uthman bin Affan.............................................................................................................................. - 112 -
Ali bin Abi Talib ................................................................................................................................. - 115 -
Articles of Faith ..................................................................................................................................... - 118 -
Allah .................................................................................................................................................. - 118 -
Allah’s Messengers ........................................................................................................................... - 120 -
Revealed Books ................................................................................................................................. - 121 -
Angels ................................................................................................................................................ - 122 -
Day of Judgment ............................................................................................................................... - 123 -
Qadar (Predestination/Divine Decree/Taqdeer) .............................................................................. - 126 -
Pillars of islam ....................................................................................................................................... - 128 -
Shahadah .......................................................................................................................................... - 128 -
Salaah ................................................................................................................................................ - 129 -
Fasting ............................................................................................................................................... - 139 -
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Zakat.................................................................................................................................................. - 141 -
Hajj .................................................................................................................................................... - 144 -
Jihad ...................................................................................................................................................... - 149 -
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Passages from the Quran

Al-Baqarah 2:255

Main Theme
This verse is also known as Ayat-ul-Kursi. The central theme of this verse revolves round the
Tawheed or unity of Allah Almighty, Especially in terms of His divine attributes. Allah is
unique in all his attributes and therefore he is comparable to none and beyond human
weaknesses. He alone, without sharing his authority, controls and possesses all that is
physical and spiritual. He has the knowledge of each and everything whether it is Al-Gaib
(Hidden) or Al-Shahadah (Apparent). His knowledge is infinite whereas that of the creation is
finite. He possesses immeasurable power and authority and through these attributes nothing
is beyond His control.

Importance
This passage emphasizes on the unity of Allah as far as his attributes are concerned and this is
the central message of Islam. Ayatul Kursi prevents us from attributing partners with Allah as
none can be compared to Him. Only He, who has these perfect attributes should we
worshipped and no one else. His creation is restricted by physical constraints like sleep,
slumber, fatigues, rest, death and birth but Allah is above all weaknesses. So the creation
needs Allah and should only ask Allah for help and protection. This is why this verse is used
for protection. Prophet (s) said that reciting Ayatul Kursi after each prayer protects the
person till the next prayer. The creator is not in need of its creation so no matter how much
good or bad we do, we can neither benefit Him nor Harm Him. His knowledge, authority and
power encompass all and thus, we should trust Allah and accept whatever He decrees.

Surah Al-Anaam 6:101-103

Main Theme
The central theme of this verse revolves round the matchless existence of Allah Almighty. He
alone created everything from nothing i.e. when nothing existed but Him. So how can anyone
else be worthy of worship. He is free from all physical/human needs and thus has neither
partner nor a child. Surah Ikhlas says “He beget not, nor is He begotten”. A natural outcome
of this Uniqueness of Allah, makes Him only worthy of worship. Through his infinite knowledge
He encompasses all and everything but His Attributes are infinite and thus human mind is too
limited to absorb fully the reality of Allah’s existence.

Importance
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The word “badeeh” refers to creating something out of nothing and hence this is a unique
attribute of Allah. Allah says “and it is He who created the heavens and the earth is six days”
[11:7]. These verses reject the claims of those who attribute children to God. Attributes of
the creator are completely different from that of His creation and any attempt to associate
partners with Allah with regards to his attributes would be misguidance and shirk. Quran tells
us that shirk is “unforgivable sin” and thus, should be avoided completely. Thus man must
contemplate over these attributes of Allah, be grateful for what Allah has given and as a
result, only worship Allah.

Surah Fussilat 41:37

Main Theme
Some signs of tawhid are made prominent by these verses where creation points out to the
Mightiness and Absolute power of Allah. The night, day, sun and the moon are creation of
Allah and thus not deserving of worship which is due to Allah alone. They are just creation of
Allah as Prophet (s) pointed out once saying that “the sun and the moon are signs of Allah
from among His many signs”. Worship of Allah is only valid when no other object is
worshipped along with Him. One way to worship is through prostration and this prostration is
forbidden if done for anyone except Allah, no matter how big that creation maybe.

Importance
The verse makes it very clear that prostration is the right of Allah alone and of no one else
whether it is out of worship or respect. Allah is reminding us through this verse that Allah has
created many signs for us through which we need to recognize the creator and then worship
Him only. Quran repeatedly asks use to ponder and reflect over the creation to realize the
truth. The creation itself is dependent on Allah like the sun, moon and the stars. So they
don’t deserve our worship. Any form of worship for anything other than Allah is deemed shirk,
which is worst of the seven major sins told by prophet (s).

Surah Ash-Shura 42:4-5

Main Theme
These verses glorify Allah who possesses the entire universe whether physical or spiritual. The
sun, moon, stars, forest, humans etc are all his creation. Although the signs of His existence
are many yet some people do not take heed and accept this creator as their lord. But Angels
do not fail to do so. They praise him day and night and they are huge in number. It is said
that there is no space even the size of four fingers where an angel is not in prostration, thus
the universe is creaking with their burden. These angels pray for those who live on earth and
are in continuous submission to Allah, unlike man.
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Importance
Allah reminds his slaves of His ownership and Him being the Creator again and again in the
Quran. The emphasis seeks to encourage man to ponder over the purpose of his life. Allah
does not need our worship; rather we need Allah because there are many to worship Allah i.e.
the angels. They do not fail His command nor disobey Him. Man was chosen for a specific test
and mission. The short lived materialistic pleasures which man ambitiously pursues make him
ignorant of the divine creator. Man should realize His need for Allah and accept that Allah is
free from all needs.

Surah Al Ikhlas 112

Main Theme
The central theme of this verse revolves round the Tawheed of Allah Almighty. This surah is a
concise answer to the questions raised by the Makkan polytheists regarding Allah. Allah is one
and unique in all His attributes. He is all powerful and maintains an independent existence
yet everything is dependent on him to be sustained. He is free from all human attributes like
birth, death and possession of children or parents. Thus, he is different from his creation in
His Person and in His Attributes.Thus, this verse rejects all possibilities of shirk.

Importance
This surah conveys the very core principle of Tawheed in precise and accurate manner. It
answers man’s questions pertaining to the creator of the creations. Since Human mind is
limited, thus it is impossible to comprehend a being with unimaginable attributes. Thus surah
ikhlas makes it easy for us to know the creator since He is describing Himself here. The
purpose of this being that man should not confuse between the creator and the creation.
Keeping in mind its importance, Prophet (s) told us that surah Ikhlas is one-third Quran. And
in another narration he said for a companion, “the love of Surah Ikhlas will take him into
paradise”.

Surah Fatiha

Main Theme
This surah is one of the earliest revelations and is also called Umm-ul-Kitab or Surat-ul-Salat.
The verse beautifully outlines the relation between Allah and Mankind. His attributes make
him worthy of praise and glory. For it is He who will be the Judge on the day of accountability
and the only authority that people will look up to. Thus, we should not associate partners
with Allah nor ask anyone else for help. And if we fulfill this, then Allah is the one who will
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keep us guided on the path of the righteousness, without falling into either of the two
extremes. This path is certainly the path shown by Quran and Sunnah.

Importance
This surah is part of a muslims everyday prayers and reminds us that Allah is free from any
fault and thus praiseworthy. His mercy encompasses all in this life and in the hereafter he will
judge according to the deeds of people on the day of accountability and He is the best of
Judges. This life, regarding which we will be accountable, is a test for us. So the criteria for
success is to follow Sirat-e-Mustaqim (the straight path) shown to us by Allah and His
messenger (s) and not to go astray. Similarly Prophet (s) pointed out to us on Hajjat-ul-wada
that we will never be misguided as long as we hold fast to Quran and the Sunnah. This surah is
also a dua, which we make numerous times in a day as we continuously need His help to stay
on the right path.

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:21:22

Main Theme
These verses proceed in a powerfully logical and effective manner to implant, in even the
simplest of minds, the reality that Allah alone deserves to be worshipped. Addressing the
humanity, and not only Muslims, Allah demands mankind to worship him alone after
presenting them with logical proofs of Him being the Rabb i.e. the independent creator and
sustainer of all things. Thus he demands that only He be worshipped alone for He is not only
the creator of this earth and the sky but is also sustaining all the things that are present in it
like humans, plants and animals. As a result, no partner should be attributed to Him. Surah
Fatiha begins with “All praise be to the sustainer or the worlds”

Importance
These verse point out to the Tawhid al Ibaadah of Allah whereas humankind, after
acknowledging that Allah is the Rabb, must submit to only Him. Mere verbal declaration of
faith is not enough rather all false gods must be rejected along with acceptance of Allah as
the only true god worthy of worship. Man must turn towards its creator and the creator of this
universe. It takes a wise and an observant man to acknowledge this fact when he ponders
over the creator of this universe and how this universe and everything in it is running under a
single command. Failing to do so is ungratefulness and results in humans following the way of
Shaytan who was also ungrateful and arrogant.

Surah Al Alaq 96:1-5

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Main Theme
These 5 verses were the very first revelation sent to Muhammad (s). It is a reminder to
mankind to turn back to Allah. This message was revealed when world was covered in
darkness of ignorance. Thus, these verses are beginning of the final message of Quran which
was revealed to illuminate minds and erase ignorance. Allah is the creator of everything who
nurtures and nourishes his creation and thus finds no difficulty in imparting knowledge to a
man who cannot read and write. The surah further talks about the process whereby man is
given a physical form from a mere clot of blood. Allah is the source of all knowledgeand thus
made it possible for a person who could not read and write to be fit for the great mission.

Importance
This surah explores the greatness of Allah that makes it possible to do anything. He created
everything including man comprising of blood, flesh and bones from a clot of blood. Then he
nurtures him and develops him into an intellectual and reasonable being. Thus Allah’s
nourishment of man is not limited to the physical well-being but also its spiritual and
intellectual well-being by sending knowledge in the form of revelation. The first and foremost
source of knowledge is Allah who taught Adam (as) the names of all things. Then finally in His
last message to humanity, Allah has set an example that his giving of knowledge to man is not
dependent on reading or writing as an unlettered prophet was raised among men and granted
revelation. It has a message for muslims that we should be an ummah that reads and writes.

Surah Zilzaal 99

Main Theme
This Surah talks about the horrors of the last day followed by a clear verdict which explains to
man that he will eventually bear the yield of his deeds. It describes the terrors of the
earthquake preceding the Day of Judgment which will destroy everything in existence and
cause the earth to spill out all its contents. Man will be traumatized to see the earth being
shaken and Allah will give this earth the power to speak and give an account of all that man
did on earth. That day when everyone would be assembled in front of the Lord, they will be
shown all their deeds. Allah thus confirms that even a grain of virtue that man did or even a
grain of evil that man did will not be left unaccounted for. This shows that man cannot afford
to dwell a life in ignorance as this life is temporary and the life to come is permenant.

Importance
This surah triggers man’s sleeping senses of realization that this life has an end and a day
must come when every man is given according to what he earned as deeds. It is in some ways
similar to Surah Qariah since both provide some account of the massive destruction on the
last day. This earth will spill out buried men and treasures that these men use to accumulate
and fight for. For the real wealth on that day would be deeds. Deeds would be weighed on
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that day and results announced. Any virtuous deed no matter how small it may be done in the
state of faith will carry benefit. Any evil deed no matter how small it may be will carry the
consequences. Thus prophet (s) instructed us not to leave even the smallest of good deeds
even if it is like giving a single date as charity.

Surah An Naas (114)

Main Theme
This surah was revealed along with surah falak as a cure and were revealed when a magician
cast magic on prophet (s). The main theme of this surah is based on Allah’s control through
which Allah is capable of providing refuge to man against all evils. It explains that Allah is
alone the cherisher and sustainer of mankind. Thus He is the one to whom everything belongs
and in whose hands rest all affairs. Refuge is sought in Him against all evils especially those
that are thoughts and ideas injected in the minds and hearts of people by the devil himself or
by wicked people with evil inclinations or by evil jinns. Humans are in a continuous struggle
against evil and their only support is the the one who controls everything, Allah.

Importance
This surah emphasizes upon the power and unfailing strength of Allah to provide refuge to
Man against all evil forces. So mankind should seek refuge only in Him. In Surah An-Naas Allah
reminds us about himself that how he is the sustainer of all creations including Jinns and
devils, can easily protect us from the evil of their whispers. Satan has been our enemy since
long and is continuously working to destroy our life of this world and the hereafter. We should
realize this and take him as enemy as Quran says “Indeed satan is your enemy so take him as
your enemy” Khanaas means a whisperer who whispers evil thoughts in one’s mind and then
runs away. Thus for this invisible enemy, our only guard and only hope should be Allah.

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30-37

Main Theme
These verses cast light on the creation of first man and the first prophet i.e. Adam (as) from
whom the human race descends. These verses talk about the superiority of man as compared
to Angels and Jinns and this superiority is based on knowledge given to man by Allah. Allah
reminds this in the beginning of his final message in Surah alaq which says “He taught man
what he knew not”. However, this knowledge did not benefit Adam and Eve when they fell
into the deception of Satan and ate from the forbidden tree. This resulted in their fall to this
earth and this life began as a test. Allah concludes this, by telling us a way out, which is the
guidance that Allah sends through his prophet. This is the only way back to the paradise.
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Importance
Adam was endowed with blessing of knowledge and respect and we as his descendant should
feel honored yet humble. Angels never thought that there was any creation better than them
since they do not have the ability to disobey. Angels though did not know that superiority is
based on possessing free-will and then obeying Allah which is what man is expected to do in
this life. This nature of man makes him fit for governance on earth since he can understand
the nature and characteristics of Creation. These verses also show us the grave sin of
arrogance and a person having even a grain of arrogance in his heart will not enter paradise.
Both Adam and Satan disobeyed Allah but we should be like Adam who repented and not like
Satan who was arrogant.

Surah Al-Anaam 6:75-79

Main Theme
Prophet Ibrahim was amongst those blessed servants of Allah who were enlightened with true
guidance when everyone else was sunk in the darkness of ignorance. These verses point out to
us the true essence of finding our creator through the many signs he has shown to us. His
declaring the star, moon and sun as his creator in an audible voice such that he was well-
heard by his people was a wise strategy adapted by him to guide his people to the uselessness
of worshiping anyone except Allah. He then declared to his people that these things that you
worship are themselves created and dependent. Allah is the one whom who is free from all
weakness and the only one who should be worshipped.

Importance
These verses are highly significant in the way they convey the message of Tawheed. The
Creator and His attributes are completely different from that of the creation, no matter how
big the creation is. Ibrahim (as) conveys to us how rational understanding can lead us to the
reality. Creation that is subject to disappearance or that is dependent on various factors can
never be fit for worship. Since these celestial bodies that were worshipped at the time of
Ibrahim (as) operate in a fixed cycle and are dependent upon night or day to be visible can
never be the creator. Rather the creator of these celestial bodies, heavens, earth, day and
night is the one worthy of worship. In numerous places in Quran, Allah uses them as “signs”
for the ones who take heed.

Surah Maidah 5:110

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Main Theme
This verse sketches an elaborate picture of the Day of Judgment when Allah will recount his
favors on Jesus and his mother. Isa (as) was granted with many favors in the form of miracles.
He could communicate with his people from the cradle when they expressed astonishment on
his birth to Mary. He would breath life into birds made of clay, give life to the dead, cure
those who suffered from the ailment of leprosy etc. His speaking to people in his maturity
points to another miracle that Jesus will come back before the Day of Judgment. These
miracles point to his prophethood and not his divinity, since the miracles were done by Allah
through him.

Importance
This verse affirms that muslims also believe in Jesus and a muslim cannot be a muslim until
he believes in him. But unlike Christians, we believe he was a prophet of God and not the son
of God. Every Prophet was granted miracles according to the nature of circumstances in the
time period he was sent. Similarly, Jesus was given the miracles too. The purpose of miracles
is to validate the message of the prophets and to strengthen our faith in the power of Allah to
do all things. This verse tells us about the Allah’s help to his messengers specifically and to
other muslims who strive in His path. In this verse there are two examples for us. Allah saved
Isa (as) from the plots of Jews and saved maryam from the blame that was put on her.

Surah Al-Duha 93

Main Theme
The Suspension of revelation to Prophet (s) for some time during the early years of prophet
hood worried him greatly. Thus Allah revealed these verses as consolation of His prophet (s)
that he has not been forsaken by his lord nor has the process of sending guidance stopped.
The surah begins with talking about the future of prophet Muhammad that he was given the
glad tidings that the years to come would be better than these years of hardship. Then it
reminds him of the past favors that he received when he was an orphan, when he was
financially weak and when he was in search of guidance. So at the present, as a token of
thanks to Allah, he should do the same for an orphan, for someone who needs financial
support or someone who needs guidance. This surah identifies the beautiful relationship
shared by Allah and His messenger (s).

Importance
In this surah, Allah took oath of the day and the night as an assurance of His help, since in the
past other prophets were helped similarly. The entire surah is a reflection of Allah’s love for
his prophet which is manifested in different ways throughout the surah. We should believe in
this special place that prophet Muhammad (s) has with Allah and thus he has been granted
“Kauthar” and “Maqam Mahmood”. The surah is a consolation for all muslims who strive in
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the path of God, that Allah’s help comes, sooner or later. It is just that we should be patient
and remind ourselves of the blessings we already have, rather than complaining or losing
hope. Reminding ourselves of the blessings will make us more grateful and thus we will act
upon islam like prayer, fasting, and sacrifice as mentioned here in this surah.

Surah Al-Kausar 108

Main Theme
The central idea of this surah is based on the relationship between Allah and his Messenger
(s). Allah wonderfully consoles his prophet when he was grieved by continuous mockery by the
pagans when his sons passed away one after the other. Allah’s love for his prophet is also
reflected in the open condemnation of his enemies. Thus Allah favors his beloved with favors
and in turn demands gratitude in the form of prayers and sacrifices. This favour, “Kauthar” is
a river in paradise granted to Prophet Muhammad and also, the abundance of followers,
which his enemies do not have.

Importance
Surah Al-Kausar is evident of the abundant blessings that Allah bestowed upon his Messenger
like a huge Muslim Ummah, a river in paradise by the name of Kausar, the revelation, prophet
hood etc. These favors were granted as consolation to Prophet (s) and are also consolation for
us today. In powerful words, Allah proclaims that the enemies of Islam whether today or 1400
years ago, would be the ones who will be unknown. Thus we know today that prophet’s name
has been preserved and Muslims and non-Muslims mention him with praises whereas his
enemies are today unknown to history in a praised manner. So we should feel honoured to be
muslims and show gratitude to Allah for this blessing through bodily worship or otherwise.

Quran’s reflection on Nature

The Quran is a book that constantly calls us to reflect on God’s creation especially nature. We are
surrounded by signs of God’s existence and greatness. The purpose of these signs is that humans ponder
over them. If this universe is so complex, there must be a creator to it. Just as Ibrahim (as) looked at the
star and the moon and the sun and came to the conclusion that there must be a creator to this and we
should worship only that creator. This is mentioned in Surah Anaam verse 75 to 79.

Similarly, humans should realize that all these things in nature, whether it be cattles, or the sun or the
earth or the moon or the day or the night are all created for humans to benefit from. In Surah al-
Baqarah Allah says:
“He has made Earth your couch, heavens your canopy. He sent down rain from heavens; and by it
brought forth fruit for your sustenance”.

These signs in nature force man to reflect and find out the purpose of this life. All of this was not
created for fun or games, rather Allah says: “And how many a sign within the heavens and earth do
they pass by, yet they turn away from it.” (Surah Yusuf: 105)
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Allah also says: “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night
and the day are signs for those of understanding... (Surah Ale Imran: 190)

We can reflect while driving to work, walking to school, and even when lying in bed. It is such a constant
part of a Muslims life that without it, humans are equated with animals who don't hear, nor see, nor
understand. Surah fussilat also talks about the same signs of nature and warns us to not worship these
signs like celestial bodies and worship the one who created them as mentioned in surah Fussilat “Among
His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Adore not the sun and the moon, but adore
Allah, who created them, if it is Him you wish to serve.”

Relation with the created world

The entire theme of the Quran revolves around humans, their responsibility, their belief and their
guidance. Allah has created the man but has given it more status than other creations, despite sharing
the same origin. Allah has provided man with many blessings like free will, knowledge, the earth, the
heavens and everything that he can benefit from. He passed knowledge to the man and told the
significance of transmitting and receiving knowledge. Surah al Alaq says:
“your Lord is highly bounteous; He taught the use of pen, taught man what he knew not”

Allah is our teacher and the humans must acknowledge Him as their Creator and Sustainer. There are
four basic bounties, which Allah has gifted to humans living in this universe. He has created Earth and
Heavens for us. He made a source of rain for our survival and the growth of vegetation. Surah al-
Baqarah says:
“He has made Earth your couch, heavens your canopy. He sent down rain from heavens; and by it
brought forth fruit for your sustenance”.

Allah is not only our teacher but also the protector of humanity too. He is the most powerful and we
must only seek His guidance. He is there to protect the humans from Satan and lead them to the
righteous path. Surah al-Nas says:
“I seek refuge of the Lord, the Cherisher of mankind… from the mischief whisperer who withdraws”

Holy Quran also mentions about the ending of this world, one day. The time when world would be
brought to end with disaster, the earth would shake and all landmarks would be destroyed and there
would be a mayhem. There would not be any injustice and Allah would reward humans according to
their deeds and sins.

Quran also mentions the attributes of Allah as Rabb, cherisher and sustainer. It means that He brings
someone from the lower stages to the higher stages until completeness is reached. It also tells us about
Allah being Rahman and Rahim, which means that Allah passes over the grace, love, compassion and
tolerance from Him to his creations so that they can stay away from the evil intentions of the Satan and
lead a better life. Hence, get the fruit of it in Hereafter. This is the reason why surah fatiha, the most
recited surah of the Quran summarizes this relationship by telling us that God is with his infinite
attributes guides us to the right path as long as we fulfill our commitment to worship only God and not
do shirk.
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Passages from the Hadith

Please note that these are just suggested answers. It is advised that the student
adds examples from today’s life of muslims in part b answers.

‘Religion is sincerity.’ We said: ‘To whom?’ The Prophet said: ‘To Allah, his Book, his Messenger, the
leaders of the Muslims and to their common people.’

Teachings:

This Hadith teaches us that Islam is a complete way of life and a Muslim should be completely dedicated
to Islam. Allah says in the Quran, “Enter into submission completely”. Thus Prophet (s) elaborated upon
this by mentioning rights of Allah (Huqooqullah) and the fellow humans(Huqooq-ul-ibaad) simultaneously.
This gives us comprehensive teachings on how to live this life. This Hadith teaches a Muslim to not
associate any partners with Allah and believe in the messengers and books sent by this one God for the
guidance of Humanity. Obeying Quran and Sunnah is a religious duty. As for the leaders of the Muslims,
they must be obeyed at all times as long as they don’t act or order against the Quran and Sunnah. A similar
statement was said by Abu Bakr when he became the Caliph. As for the common people, islam requires
muslims to be concerned for the wellbeing of the people around him.

Actions:

Whatever a Muslim does, he should do it with full sincerity. Muslims should believe in Allah with all his
attributes, his names, that he is the king, the creator and sustainer of Universe. And not only believe in
this, but also act accordingly by not worshipping anything or being other than Allah. The word of the
Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet (s), are the two primary sources of law. All actions should be
within the sphere of these two if a Muslim wants to stay on the straight path i.e. be guided. No harm
should be done to anyone in the society like neighbors, friends, relatives, and all such people who may
be affected by our actions. Not to throw trash on the ground, following the traffic signal, good
treatment of the less priviledged etc are all examples of it. Also the leaders of the Muslims should be
obeyed at all times except when they call us towards disobedience of Allah and his messenger. Prophet
(s) reminded us “there is no obedience of creation if the creator is being disobeyed”.

No one eats better food than that which he eats out of the work of his hand.

Teachings:

This Hadith stresses upon importance that Islam gives to Halal earning and especially that which is
earned through physical Labor. Islam discourages being dependent on others and Encourages people to
work for their and their family’s living. Beggary and dependence on others is discouraged and in some
 - 14 -

cases forbidden. Islam teaches that a person’s earning money and spending it on the family is also
charity and worship. Once the prophet (s) asked the companions about a man who would be in the
masjid most of the time, he asked “Who takes care of his family’s living?” the companions replied, “his
brother”. The prophet said “His brother is better than him”. There is great reward in Islam for those who
earn their livelihood through halal means and honesty and they are refered in Hadith as “Friends of
Allah”

Actions:

Muslims today should only look for halal ways to earning money and should not stay back from physical
labor. In today’s time, not only do we prefer work which requires less labour, rather many don’t even
care whether they earn halal or not. Prophet (s) told us that a time will come when people will not care
how they earn, rather how much they earn. For example, in today’s world where Riba (interest) is
widespread, we should stay away from it as much as we can. Also, those who earn their livelihood
through physical work like maids at home and construction workers, we should never think of them as
inferior, because according to this hadith, it is very likely that they are earning a better income than
most of the people in the society. Even prophet (s) would never hold himself back from physical labor,
whether it be helping his wives in household chores, or tending sheep as he did as an early profession.

Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, and let him who
believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour, and let him who believes in Allah and
the Last Day be generous to his guest.

Teachings:

This Hadith specifically talks about the rights of fellow humans. Also to note is the importance given to
these rights as they are compared to two articles of faith “Allah” and “the day of Judgment”. Tongue is a
very crucial organ. It can bring a person closer to Allah if it is used positively or it can take a person away
from Allah by using it negatively. Similarly with fellow humans. Thus a Muslim here is being told that either
one should positively use this organ or stay silent as this is the best alternative. Thus prophet (s) said “I
guarantee paradise to a person who can guarantee the right use of tongue”. Rights of neighbors in Islam
carry huge weight and their good treatment is a sign of faith. Prophet (s) told that Jibrael (as) use to so
frequently advice prophet (s) regarding the neighbors that Prophet (s) thought that neighbors will be given
share in inheritance too. Guests in Islam are a blessing rather than a burden and hospitality towards others
is a distinguishing attribute of a believer. The reason why these three things are combined together are
because they deal with general welfare in the society.

Actions:
 - 15 -

According to this Hadith a person should use his tongue wisely. Thus Muslims should stay away from
back-biting, accusing other, complaining and gossiping unnecessarily. At the same time this tongue
should be used positively for preaching the people about the true teachings of Islam and giving other
Muslims sincere advices. Neighbors should be treated with respect and care should be taken in order to
not harm them through words or actions. Prophet (s) told us that a person cannot be a true believer if
he eats his full and his neighbor sleeps hungry. Thus a Muslim should not disturb them, visit them
frequently, and help them in all matters. Muslims should welcome guests, provide for them, treat them
gently and ensure their comfort. It is said that it is obligatory to provide for at least one day’s care to the
guests. We also have the example of Ibrahim (as) who took good care of the guests who arrived at his
house by slaughtering a calf and serving the guests, not knowing that they were angels and wouldn’t
eat.

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace): Do you think that if I
perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadan, treat as lawful that which is lawful and treat as
forbidden that which is forbidden, and do nothing further, I shall enter paradise? He said: Yes.

Teachings:

These teachings assure a Muslim that performance of obligatory acts like fasting in Ramadan and five
daily prayers and living ones life abiding by the lawful and staying away from the unlawful will result in
the success of both the worlds. Islam is a simple religion and does not burden Muslims. Thus, this hadith
summarizes a simple criteria to achieve success. Hajj and Zakat are not mentioned here as they are
specifically for those who possess wealth. Other than these matters of worship, Muslims have not been
given a green signal to do whatever they want. They need to stay within the bound of Shariah i.e. the
laws set by Allah. Thus this life for a Muslim is like a prison since he is to abide by the principles of
Haraam and Halaal unlike a non-Muslim. Prophet (s) said “Dunya is a prison for a believer”

Actions:

A Muslim is expected to pray five times a day as this is what distinguishes him from a Non-Muslim.
Prophet (s) said “the difference between belief and disbelief is Salah”. Also, he should fast for the month
of Ramadan.. These two act will help a Muslim from staying away from Haraam and turning towards
Halaal. Like Quran tells us “Indeed Prayer stops a person from immodesty and sin”. So a Muslim will stay
away from sins and do good deeds. We should not take Islam as a burden, rather the criteria of success
is simple, as summarized in Surah Asr that “Indeed mankind is in loss except for those who believe, do
good deeds and exhort one another to truth and patience”

Every person’s every joint must perform a charity every day the sun comes up: to act justly between
two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings
onto it is a charity; every step you take to prayers is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the
road is a charity.
 - 16 -

Teachings:

Muslims believe that this life and all that accompanies it, is a blessing from Allah and we need to thank
Allah for these blessings and the best way to do it is through charity. The concept of charity is very diverse
in Islam and it encompasses using a blessing that Allah has given us for the welfare of others, our families
and in some cases, even ourselves. Whether this blessing is money, health, hands or even speech. This
charity should be a part of a Muslims everyday life. Muslims through this Hadith are encouraged to accept
their responsibility towards the society. Thus a Muslims entire life can become a charity whether he is rich
or poor. This Hadith inculcates a sense of thankfulness to Allah by serving others.

Actions:

Muslims should use the blessings that Allah has given for the good of the society. Ears, eyes, hands, feet,
tongue and all the 360 joints in ones body must work for a good cause i.e. for the betterment of the
society. A Muslim must help the society in every way possible like doing good through our joints like
hands to help someone, or legs to walk to a patient and ask his health, to walk to prayer, speech to
advice a Muslim, speech to bring an agreement between two fighting Muslims, hands to remove any
harm from the society and of course money to help finance any good activity. We should serve the
community with whatever is possible whether it is physical help, financial help or moral help. So every
muslim before going to bed should ask themselves, “how did I benefit others today?”. Prophet (s) said,
that angels pray for the forgiveness of a person during the time he is busy in helping others.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘Whom do you count to be a
martyr among you?’ They said: O Messenger of Allah, whoever is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr.
He said: ‘In that case the martyrs of my community will be very few! He who is killed in the way of
Allah is a martyr, he who dies a natural death in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies in the
plague in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies of cholera in the way of Allah is a martyr.’

Teachings:

The Hadith Emphasizes on the concept of Shahadat (Martyrdom) in Islam and its meaning is broader
than what is generally understood. Physical jihad has more rewards and the one who dies during it, is a
shaheed. However, islam does not restrict shahadat to warfare. This Hadith gives glad tiding to those
who do not die in the battle field but can still die as a shaheed. The most important point here is that it
is more important to be on the path of Allah, so no matter how we die, we still have the chance to be a
martyr. This is a mercy from Allah to his servants. So this hadith lists down natural deaths as a way of
attaining this status. Similarly, prophet (s) said about the person who dies guarding his property and
wealth that he is also counted as shaheed.
 - 17 -

Actions:

Muslims must stick to the straight path since the most important aspect in this Hadith is not how you
die, but whether you are on the straight path or not. Muslims must have this desire in them to attain
martyrdom and thus they should do all that they can in order to stick to the path of Allah. Muslims must
bear witness that the religion of Islam is the true path to success. Also Muslims should be ready to do
jihad in all spheres and in all walks of life. Thus the entire life of a Muslim should become a battle field
where he fights evil throughout and keeps doing good. Thus in the end, this Muslim wins the battle from
evil when he dies in a state of Eemaan (faith) and then meets his lord as a mujahid who has, throughout
his life, stayed on the straight path mentioned in Surah Fatiha as “sirat mustaqeem”

‘I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this.’ And he pointed with his two
fingers, the index finger and the middle finger.

Teachings:

Islam recommends caring for other humans and fulfilling their rights. A society has many people who are
in need of help from fellow humans. Thus according to this hadith anyone who takes care of an orphan
and brings him up has been given the glad tidings of paradise and also the companionship of Prophet (s).
This also shows how important it is for Muslims to help the ones who are distressed. In Surah Duha,
Allah reminded Prophet (s) to be kind to orphans just as Allah was kind to him when prophet (s) himself
was an orphan. Islam takes great care in helping the less priviledged whether it be orphans, the poor,
widowed and others. Prophet (s) said that “the best house is the one in which an orphan is well treated
and the worst house is the one where an orphan is ill treated”.

Actions:

Muslims must be helpful to the community where they live and take care of the distressed among them.
Muslims should manage the affairs of an orphan. Managing the wealth of the orphan, providing them
with basic necessities, giving them financial help if they are poor and giving them moral support is what
is required of a good Muslim and this is what will grant him companionship of prophet (s) in paradise.
We should spend our wealth for the welfare of these people. Also we see through out our country that
there are orphanages specialized to take care of these people. We should not only contribute financially
to these institutions but also give our time to these people. Schools should also encourage there
students to visit these places. Also fund-raising activities could be carried out to help such orphanages.
This is on an institutional level, but a Muslim should always be ready in his personal capacity to help
these orphans when they need us. On the other hand, ill treatment of orphans should be avoided.
Prophet (s) told us that eating the property of an orphan is one of the 7 deadly sins.
 - 18 -

Whosoever of you sees an evil action let him change it with his hand, and if he is not able to do so
then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do so then with his heart, and that is the weakest of
faith.

Teachings:

This Hadith tells us about the three levels of Faith (emaan) and the importance of Nahi Anil Munkar. In
the Quran, Allah tells us that this Ummah is the best ummah because it enjoins good and forbids evil.
Thus a good Muslim is not indifferent to whatever happens around him. Otherwise it would lead to evil
becoming widespread in the society. Evil in the society should be stopped through every possible way.
The first level of forbidding evil is to use ones hand i.e. forces. This can only be done if the person has
authority to do so. The second level is to use ones voice and pen to stop evil. This is to voice out ones
concern about something wrong happening. The third and the weakest level of Eemaan is when a
Muslim is too weak to voice out his objection. Thus he would limit himself to thinking that the action
done is wrong. But a person must not stick to this level of eemaan but jump to a higher level. Not
forbidding evil is not only sin, but can also make us part of the crime which we silently allow.

Actions:

Muslims must not be indifferent to what’s happening around them otherwise the society will get
corrupt. Muslim should try their best to stop or object to evil in the society. Thus following this hadith, a
Muslim leader, since he has the authority, should stop by force the use of drugs in a society for example.
A common man who does not have authority, should inform police or relevant authorities when he sees
someone stealing. This is to inform using your voice to the relevant authorities rather than taking steps
yourself. And the last level would be of a person who feels that something bad is happening and does
not ignore it. But not even feeling this, is a dangerous sign. Prophet (s) told us of a person from bani
Israel who was punished for this, despite the fact that he himself was pious, but he was indifferent to
whatever happened in the society.

It was said: O Messenger of Allah, who is the most excellent of men? The Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘The believer who strives hard in the way of Allah with his
person and his property.’

Teachings:

This hadith encourages Muslims to struggle in the cause of Allah i.e. to establish his religion, to stop evil,
to end oppression and injustice or to fight ones own desires, with ones own self. This hadith tells us the
importance of jihad and jihad has been called by the prophet as the peak of Eemaan (faith). Jihad has
diverse meanings from Jihad of Nafs to Jihad with voice to Jihad with sword i.e. Qitaal. Jihad or this
struggle can be done physically or financially or both. In this particular hadith, the person who fights the
enemies risking his life and spending his wealth has been called the most excellent of men. This person,
 - 19 -

who struggles, may attain martyrdom which is a noble status and he will be raised up on the Day of
Judgment in the same manner that he died.

Actions:

Muslims can do jihad in so many ways since the scope of jihad is very broad. This is an opportunity for
Muslims that acting on this hadith they can receive high rewards in this world and the hereafter.
Muslims in an individual capacity should train themselves and have in themselves the spirit to give us
their life, wealth and all that they have for the sake of Allah. This fight could be physical like Qitaal in
the way of Allah. Or it could be a fight on an intellectual level. For example, Muslims can finance a TV
channel that would remove misconceptions of Islam (like Islam is a terrorist religion etc). All of these
activities and more can be done by Muslims in order to bring a change in the society they are living in

One who manages the affairs of the widow and the poor man is like the one who exerts himself in the
way of Allah, or the one who stands for prayer in the night or fasts in the day.

Teachings:

This hadith highlights the importance of looking after the needs of the less privileged in the society.
Islam promotes social and economic welfare of all members of the society. Taking care of each other is
such a virtuous deed that in this hadith, taking care of a widow is compared to the highest forms of
worship like fasting, prayer and jihad. The unimaginable pain that people go through can only be
reduced by sharing their problems and trying to solve them through all possible means. Thus financially
supporting a widow, marrying a widow to support her or even helping her in works that she is not able
to do, all come under this hadith of managing the affairs of a widow.

Actions:

Muslims should be active members of the society by helping others who are in need. And this is only
possible if they keep in touch with others. Only then they will get to know who is suffering from
problem. In case of widows, there are projects launched that take care of widow. Thus, we should help
these projects by giving them financial support and by giving them time and moral support. Also the
practice that is there in our society that no body marries a widow is something wrong. Men should be
encouraged to marry widows in order to provide them with all the support. We also need to eradicate
from our society the dislike towards marriage with widows. The example of Prophet (s) is there in front
of us. Most of his marriages were with widows in order to help them.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) sent Abu Musa and Mu‘adh ibn
Jabal to Yaman, and he sent each of them to govern a part. Then he said: ‘Be gentle and do not be
hard, and cause rejoicing and do not alienate.’
 - 20 -

Teachings:

Islam obliges a Muslim leader to be kind and gentle towards those whom he governs. In another hadith
prophet (s) said that each one of us is a shepherd and thus we will be accountable for our herd. Thus in
Islam, all those who have been given authority by Allah should be soft on people and should facilitate
things for them rather than making them difficult. Once Muadh bin Jabal was an imam of a group of
people praying. This group later complained to prophet (s) that Muadh reads long surah. To which
prophet (s) responded by telling Muadh to recite small surahs and not to put people in a trial. A true
Leader is open to its people and always there to solve their problems. They should comfort the people
they have authority over. Thus in this Hadith prophet (s) is giving tips to these two companions as to
how to be a good leader.

Actions:

Muslims in general and leaders in specific should make things simpler for people rather than
complicating them. In order to be good leaders Muslims should understand the problems of the people
and use all means to remove them. For Example, VIP protocols given to leaders in Pakistan cause a lot of
problem for the general public by causing traffic jams and other problem. This is the exact opposite of
what the hadith teaches us. Like we see the example of prophet (s) at madina that he was an exemplary
leader. He was kind, gentle and comforting to the Sahabah. Similar should be the attitude of the
Muslims. We must all make things easier for people in order to free our society from feeling burdened.
Similarly, Taxation of poor, injustice and delayed justice in courts should be removed.

He who studies the Qur’an is like the owner of tethered camels. If he attends to them he will keep
hold of them, but if he lets them loose they will go away.

Teachings:

This Hadith teaches us the importance of constantly being in touch with the Kalaam of Allah. It is Allah’s
mercy and favor that he has made memorization and understanding of Quran easy. Quran says that
“indeed we have made the Quran easy to understand and learn”. However, if a person is neglectful after
he has memorized it then he is bound to forget it. Similar is the case with acting upon what Quran says
because only if we act upon it, only then our memorization and learning would be fruitful. Going back to
the Quran and referring to it again and again binds it to the memory. Thus a similarity has been drawn in
this hadith to the camels because if a person is not in continuous check over the camels or if not aware
of them, then the camels are bound to run away. Also to note is that the camels are the most difficult
ones to control as compared to goats and sheep.

Actions:
 - 21 -

Muslims are encouraged to memorize if not whole then some part of the Quran. Thus when they
memorize, they are to pay special attention to retaining it in the memory. They also need to recite them
in their prayers. Muslims in general should regularly recite the Quran because according to a hadith,
every alphabet that we recite, we get 10 good deeds for it. Also many memorizers (Huffaz) may revise
and recite the entire Quran in the month of Ramadan during Tarawih prayers. Quran is a complete
guidance and thus Muslims should not only recite and revise but also act upon it. They should ponder
over the meaning of the verses and reflect upon it. Molding our lives according to Quran is more
important than reciting it and memorizing it.

May God show mercy to a man who is kindly when he sells, when he buys, and when he demands his
money back.

Teachings:

Islam lays down principles in all social interactions including trade. When in a transaction with other
fellow humans, messenger of Allah is suggesting that it is highly recommended that a person shows
flexibility while he is in business and not be rigid. Another hadith says that Allah shows mercy to those
who show mercy to others. This is in all aspects of life. Also, Islam recognizes that the financial situation
of people may vary from one another, thus it is important to understand the situation of others and give
them relaxations. Also Surah Baqarah teaches us that all transaction should be written in order to avoid
any dispute. Yet due to changing times, some people might not be able to fulfill their commitments. In
such cases, we should be lenient. Money is the root cause of many problems in the society, thus
teaching the people to be lenient with regards to money will surely bring good to the society by avoiding
conflicts.

Actions:

Muslims must show leniency to other when they are in transaction and they show should not be
indifferent to the situation of others. Buyers must show mercy to those whom they are buying from by
not exploiting them or taking extra advantage of their necessity. For example if a seller has some trouble
and urgently wants to sell his goods, we should not take advantage of this situation by buying it for less.
Once a companion was selling his horse for less, because he needed money. The other companions
bought it for the actual price saying “we buy goods and not take advantage of others”. Similarly a seller
should show mercy to the buyer by giving him relaxation in payment. Similarly a Muslim who is
demanding back his money should show leniency and give them more time to repay, rather than
charging interest or penalties.

God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others.
 - 22 -

Teachings:

Islam promotes mercy towards fellow creation whether it be humans, animals or even the environment.
Prophet (s) is giving a warning to those who ill treat others. In Islam, if a person wants to be eligible for
the mercy of Allah on the Day of Judgment when he needs it most then he should be merciful to people
on earth. Prophet (s) told us that this world is a cultivating ground for the hereafter. Allah is Ar-Rahim
i.e. most merciful and he likes mercy among humans. Thus humans who are mortals, weak, have limited
power and capability should not be harsh to others since it is only Allah who has all the powers yet He is
merciful to his creation. Another hadith specifically talks about showing mercy in trade i.e. while selling,
buying or demanding money. Mercy is one of the distinguishing factor in Islam as evident from
Prophet’s life.

Actions:

This Hadith is general in its meaning and thus Muslims must be kind towards all. This includes neighbors,
relatives, parents, children, widows, orphans, trade partners, non-Muslims, and even animals. We have
the example of Prophet (s) that during the conquest of Makkah and after the journey of Taif, prophet (s)
was merciful to even his worst of enemies. This is an example for us. Thus if for example we are hurt by
someone at school or even on a road, we should show mercy by forgiving that person rather than
abusing or fighting. And while doing so, we should expect that Allah will repay us for this by showing
mercy to us on the day of judgement, and it is through this mercy that we can attain paradise.

The believers are like a single man; if his eye is affected he is affected, and if his head is affected he is
all affected.

Teachings:

Here, prophet (s) is telling us about an ideal Muslim society where Muslims not only care for others but
also feel the pain that they are suffering from. A very good example of a single body has been given to
depict the Muslim Ummah. This Muslim Ummah feels the pain when any part of the community is in
trouble. Thus not only are these parts of the body connected to each other but they also compliment
each other. Muslims are not to be indifferent towards fellow believers and the problems they go
through. Quran says “indeed believers are but brothers”. A similar message was given by prophet (s) in
the farewell pilgrimage that Muslims are one despite the difference in their caste, color, creed or tribe.
Hajj is the best example that teaches us this lesson practically.

Actions:

Muslims, no matter where they live and what they do, should act as members of this Muslim Ummah.
Muslims today need to develop these feelings for all the Muslims who are oppressed and troubled like
Muslims in Palestine, Kashmir and the generally distressed community. Muslims must develop this bond
among each other and the best way to do is to help fellow muslims in all possible ways. For example, we
 - 23 -

know the problems in Syria due to war. We should help Syrians financially, accommodate the refugees,
spread awareness regarding their problems and support them in this troubled times. The least we can
do is pray for them. Muslims should play their part in the community and only if they do this, they will
be one single Ummah. Not only on an international level, but the muslims in our very community should
not feel ignored and stranded.

None of you believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself.

Teachings:

This Hadith is an incredible example of how Muslims must think of their brothers in the same way as
they think of themselves. Here, prophet (s) is telling us about a level of Emaan(faith) where a Muslim not
only shares his wealth and other resources but he treats him as he would himself want to be treated. If
this principle in kept in mind then there will be no jealousy, hatred, greed and corruption in the society.
Society gets corrupt where each person thinks for himself and ignores the rights and treatment of
others. Thus this is a permanent solution given by prophet (s) to eradicate the ill feelings that develop in
one faction of the society towards other. Such a society was established by prophet (s) at Madina. Quran
says “indeed believers are but brothers”. Muslims are all brothers to each other and they do not
differentiate themselves from other Muslim brothers.

Actions:

Muslims, no matter where they live and what they do, should act as members of this Muslim Ummah.
Muslims today need to develop these feelings of brotherhood and equality for all the Muslims. We
should not think of anyone as inferior to us rather we all are equal. Thus if Allah has given someone
more wealth or blessings, then I need to share it with my Muslim brother. The things that we eat, drink,
wear or possess, I should share the same with my brothers. Muslims must develop this bond among
each other. Muslims should also follow the teachings of the prophet (s) that he use to eat what
Sahaabah use to eat and an outsider would not be able to distinguish who the prophet was when he
would be with his companions. We Muslims need to learn to share with our Muslim brother what we
love and like and not the things that we don’t like and we give it to our Muslim brother because
otherwise it will go waste.

Modesty produces nothing but good.

Teachings:

Modesty plays an important role in character building of individuals. It stops a person from behaving in
an undesirable manner and acts as a shield against immorality. Immorality is the complete opposite of
 - 24 -

modesty. Modesty will reward a person in all walks of life. One prophet (s) said that “a person who
doesn’t have shame, may do anything he likes”. This hadith has a stern warning in it that if a person is
not modest then doing anything is possible for him because modesty stops a person from indecent acts.
Prophet (s) also said that faith has more than 70 branches and modesty is a branch of faith. Modesty is a
sign of faith and this faith stops a person from dirty talk, vulgarity, dressing in an indecent manner and
all sorts of immoral acts.

Actions:

Muslims must implement this hadith by acting modestly in all walks of life. We should not only be
modest in our actions but also modest in our thoughts. Being modest in action means to stay away from
vulgarity, not to abuse anyone, not to get involved in dirty talk, Observing Hijab, restricting interaction
with opposite gender to what is necessary and not view anything forbidden in Islam. We should be pure
in our heart and this is only possible if we keep ourselves away from vulgarity and indecency. For
Example if a Muslim constantly sees movies that propagate indecent clothing or vulgarity then he is
likely to develop a thought that these things are moral and hence he will adopt it. Whereas the Quran
instructs the believing men and believing women to “lower their gaze”.

He who has in his heart as much faith as a grain of mustard seed will not enter hell, and he who has in
his heart as much pride as a grain of mustard seed will not enter paradise.

Teachings:

This Hadith tells us the criteria of entering Heaven and warns us against arrogance which leads to
hellfire. A person having slightest of faith in Allah, His messengers, books, angels etc will ultimately enter
paradise regardless of his sins. As it is likely that he might enter hellfire, and then be taken out based on
faith. On the other hand, a person having slightest of pride will not enter paradise rather Hell. Prophet
(s) explained pride as rejection of truth and to think of others as inferior. Only Allah reserves the right to
be proud as Allah is “Al-Mutakabir” (the proud one). Rejection of truth is opposite to belief and thus,
both of these have the exact opposite fates.

Actions:

Muslims are here advised by Prophet (s) to not be arrogant and not follow the footsteps of Satan who
disobeyed Allah thinking of himself to be superior to Adam (as). Thus to not be arrogant would mean
that whenever truth comes to someone, he should readily accept it. We muslims should not be proud,
rather a person should be humble in actions, speech and in dealings with others. Treating others as
inferior based on wealth, race, position or even gender is forbidden in Islam. A believer should have
faith and it is this faith that will take him to paradise. Prophet (s) in one of the hadith told us about the
man who would be the last to leave hell and he will be taken to heaven, only because of his faith.
 - 25 -

The world is the believer’s prison and the unbeliever’s paradise.

Teachings:

This Hadith differentiates the life of a believer and a disbeliever by comparing their lives in this world. A
Muslim who truly believes in the last day and Allah will spend his life according to the will of his Lord. He
will not go towards Haraam and fulfill all his obligations. Life of a Muslim has been compared to a prison
since he has limitations placed on him by his lord. The reason why he obeys all these limitations is
because he wants a peaceful life in the hereafter. A similar example was stated by prophet (s) when he
compared himself to a traveler who has been sent to this world on a temporary stay. On the other hand,
a disbeliever has no limitations regarding Haraam and Halaal. He does what he thinks is right regardless
of what Allah demands from him. Since paradise will have no restrictions, thus his life has been
compared to a paradise in this temporary world. But in the hereafter this disbeliever will be imprisoned
in hell for his actions in this world. This life according to islam is not for materialistic fulfillments, rather
it is a cultivating ground for the hereafter.

Actions:

Muslims today should happily accept the restrictions placed on them by Allah and his messenger as it is
for their own good. Unlike the disbelievers who do whatever they want without restrictions. Muslims
should not be materialistic and should not think that this world is everything. Rather Muslims should be
prepared for the next world which is everlasting life. And the only key to success in the hereafter is to
believe in Allah and do whatever is obligatory on us and stay away from all that is forbidden. Example, a
person who stops himself from drinking alcohol thinking that this is the limitation placed by Allah, will
surely be rewarded for it because he treated this life as a prison by obeying the restriction placed on
him. So he will get “rivers of wine” in Paradise as mentioned in the Quran, only if he restricts himself
here.

God does not look at your forms and your possessions, but he looks at your hearts and your deeds.

Teachings:

This Hadith stresses upon the fact that spiritual state of a person is more important to Allah than the
physical appearance. Allah stressed at numerous places in the Quran that Allah looks at your piety. Like
in the case of Sacrifice, Allah said that the blood or meat of the sacrifice animal does not reach him but it
is the purity of intention and taqwa that reaches him. The essence of good deeds is that they should be
done full heartedly and it is the deeds and intentions that count. Both compliment each other. Prophet
 - 26 -

(s) said “actions are judged by intentions”. Appearance can be deceiving at times and thus are not the
criteria in front of Allah, who himself has created people the way they are. Similarly, possession will not
benefit a person in front of Allah, because Allah himself is the one who granted these possessions. Thus
Islam focuses on good deeds and not appearance and wealth.

Actions:

Muslims today should focus on their hearts and actions more than their appearances and possessions.
Rather than concentrating on the outer appearance of themselves and their lives, they should
concentrate more on the deeds. Like when a person dies, nothing goes with him to the grave except for
his deeds. Even his body will decay with time. It is the deeds which will count and the intention with
which they were done. Prophet (s) told us about a person who will come to Allah on the Day of
Judgment as a person who use to spend a lot of money for the sake of Islam. But Allah will throw him in
hell because he used to do it not for the sake of Allah but to show off and become popular. This is how
important intentions are, even in case of good deeds. Our entire focus should be on going good deeds
with right intentions and according to the Sunnah of the prophet (s). Take the example of Bilal (r) who
was an abysinnian slave yet beloved to Allah, but at the same time Firawn, who had power and wealth
and all material resources, was punished.
 - 27 -

Sources of Islamic Law

Sources of
Islamic Law

Primary Secondary

Quran Sunnah Ijma Qiyas

Quran
Importance of the Quran (summarized)
• Quran gives us Islamic laws, rules and regulations in our individual and communal lives eg.
• It gives individuals and communities a system of worship which cannot be attained through any
other source eg. Salaah, Zakaat, Hajj etc
• It is a source of benefit for humans in all grounds and aspects of life, whether it is science,
philosophy, spirituality etc.
• It is also a source of virtue whereas Muslims when they read Quran and follow it..
• Quran is a source of healing for those who are spiritually, mentally and even physically sick.
• It is the last and final message of God for the guidance of Mankind
• Quran is the literal word of God i.e. Kalaamullah
• Quran is the center of a muslim’s life.
• Quran also related to us the information of the past and the future.
• Quran is also an authentic source of history, especially that of the prophets.
• Quran is the only way we can achieve paradise and success in the next life.

Themes in the Quran

The Entire Quran can be divided into three themes:

God in Himself: This refers to the knowledge with regards to God’s being i.e. His divine attributes and
actions. There are 5 Passages regarding this theme, namely:
Ayat Al Kursi; 2:255
 - 28 -

Surah Al Anaam; 6: 101-103

Surah Fussilat; 41:37
Surah Ash Shura; 42: 4-5
Surah Al-Ikhlas; 112:1-4

Messengers of God: This refers to the name, status and stories of the prophets mentioned in the Quran and
their relation to God. The passages which are included in this theme are:
Al Baqara (2:30-37)
Al Anaam (6:75-79)
Al Maidah (5:110)
Al Duha (93)
Al Kauthar (108)

God and His creation: This refers to all such relation that God has with his creation. This creation refers to
all, and not just men. Like Heavens and the Earth, The Angels and man himself. In this theme, the
following 5 passages are included:
Al Fateha (1)
Al Baqara (2:21-22)
Al Alaq (96:1-5)
Al Zilzaal (99)
Al Naas (114)

Features of the Quran (Add examples from the Quran to supplement each heading)
 - 29 -

Literal word of
Allah i.e.
Kalaam-ullah
Miracle in itself A confirmation
i.e best piece of what was
of literature revealed
ever before

Narrates
Completely
moralistic
preserved
stories

Features
of the
Quran
Complete code
Unveils
of life i.e
scientific facts
covering all
and laws
aspects of life

Free from
Discusses
conflicts and
unseen things
contradictions
Universal
guidance for all
times
 - 30 -

Compilation of Quran
The Qur'an is the word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s) over a period of 23 years through
the angel Jibreel. The Qur'an is still in its original form as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, though
the compilation of Quran took place in 3 stages.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad (s)

During the time of Prophet Muhammad (s) the Qur'an was mainly preserved through memorization.
Hundreds of Companions of the Prophet, were huffaz, or memorizers of the whole Qur'an and had
memorized the Qur'an without any mistakes. But the Qur'an was also preserved through writing.
Prophet Muhammad made special arrangements to have it written down. When Prophet Muhammad
used to receive a revelation, he dictated it to his companions who could write (scribes), who wrote it
down on anything that was available: leather, stones, camel bones, etc. The companion then read, what
he had written, to the Prophet. If there were any mistakes, Prophet Muhammad would correct it and
then let it be brought before everyone. Prophet Muhammad also told the order of the verses and they
were written accordingly. So, in the days of the Prophet Quran was not in book form but in different
parchments. Other Companions also had collections of the Qur'an for their personal record but no
standard copy of the Qur'an in book form existed. For memorization, many companions had memorized
it and use to recite it regularly and sometimes in front of prophet himself like Ubay bin Kaab, Abdullah
ibn Masood and others. Prophet (s) himself memorized it and would recite it to Jibrael. It is narrated
that in the last year of his life, he recited the Quran in front of Jibrael twice. Some of the companions
who wrote the Quran were Ali bin Abi Talib, Muawiyyah bin Abu Sufyan, Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah ibn
Masood and others.

Compilation in the Khilafah of Abu Bakr

After Prophet Muhammad (s) died in 632 CE, Abu Bakr, became the Khalifah (caliph). The need of the
compilation of the whole Qur’an in the form of a Book was seen. In the battle of Yamamah and other
battles, many huffaz were martyred, numbering 360. Umar noticed this and went to the Khalifah, and
told him about this matter. At first Abu Bakr hesitated in doing something that the Prophet Muhammad
hadn’t done but then, seeing the importance of this, he agreed. Then Zayd bin Thabit was called. Zayd
bin Thabit used to write the Qur'an for the Prophet during his time. At first, Zayd refused to do so but
then, he, too, agreed. He said that it would have been easier to move a mountain than to take up this
responsibility. The compilation of the Qur'an started, with Zayd bin Thabit, in-charge. Lots of
companions, including him had memorized the whole Qur'an and so the Qur'an could have easily been
written down from memory. There were also complete collections of the verses of the Holy Qur'an
available with many companions. But Zayd bin Thabit knew he had to be careful. He used both methods
by collecting verses that were written during the time of Prophet Muhammad (s) and also using
memory. He followed four steps.

First he verified the verse with memory. Then, before the verse could be accepted, two reliable
witnesses had to testify that it was written in the presence of Prophet Muhammad (s). After that,
written verses were collated with the collections of different Companions. The purpose of this method
 - 31 -

was so that the utmost care is taken in the transcription of the Qur’an, rather than relying on memory
entirely. It was this way that the Qur'an was compiled in a book form. The transcripts stayed with Abu
Bakr. After his death in 634 CE they were passed on to the second Khalifah Umar. And after Umar, they
were given to his daughter Hafsah. Thus it was called mushaf-e-hafsa.

Compilation in the Khilafah of Uthman

When Uthman became Khalifah in 644 CE, Islam had spread to far areas such as Iran and Byzantine.
People who accepted Islam learned how to read the Qur'an from Muslim soldiers, traders and other
Muslims. However, they being non-arabs mostly, were unable to recite keeping in mind the different
dialects in which Quran was read and written. People thought that only their way of reciting was correct
and started disputing with others. Uthman, on getting the news of such disagreements from Huzaifah
ibn al Yaman, decided to standardize the Quran in one dialect.

First, Uthman borrowed the first copy of the Holy Qur'an from Hafsah. He then formed a group of four
companions, Zayd bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Zubayr, Saeed ibn al Aas, and Abdur Rahman bin Harith. The
group had the task of making transcripts of the original copy in one dialect only, which is the Quraishi
dialect. After having these standard transcripts prepared, all other manuscripts were burnt after the
consensus of the companions, so that all copies of the Qur'an become uniform in script and the
sequence of Surahs, leaving no room for differences. These copies were sent to different provinces and
further copies made for use. The copy produced by Uthman was refered to as “Mushaf Uthmani”. All
copies of the Qur'an available today in the world are exactly identical to the Uthmani script, which was
completed in less than twenty years after the death of Prophet Muhammad.

Later change (this is not part of compilation)

Later some additions were made in the Arabic script, like the adding of dots and diacritical marks
(Airaab), to make it easier for non-Arabs to read, but of course, the text of the Qur'an has remained, and
will remain the same forever.

Revelation from 610 to 632 CE.

Before we answer this question, it is important to note that revelation came done in three steps. First
was when Allah ordered the Quran to be written down in the preserved tablet (loh mahfooz) as
mentioned in the Quran. Second step was when this Quran was revealed in a single go from the
preserved tablet to bait ul izza. And third, from bait ul izza, angel Jibrael brought down revelation from
time to time by the order of Allah to Prophet Muhammad (s) in a time span of 23 years. 6 months before
the first revelation was sent down, prophet (s) use to see dreams and these dreams use to come true.
And after that the first incident occurred at cave Hira when prophet (s) was visited by the angel Jibrael.
He asked Muhammad (s) to read but prophet (s) responded by saying he could not read. This happened
3 times after which prophet (s) was given the first six verses of surah Alaq as first revelation.
 - 32 -

After this, for 23 years, revelation continued. Sometimes revelation was received as a solution to a
problem, sometimes as a reply to someone’s question, sometimes to motivate the Muslims or
sometimes to give Muslims information regarding any matter. Thus the verses revealed in Makkah are
very different from the verses revealed in Madina. For example, Surah muzzammil and surah muddassir
were revealed to give prophet (s) orders to warn the people. Later, stories of the prophets were
revealed to motivate the Muslims and prophet (s) himself. Then when the incident of Isra and mairaj
took place, Allah revealed the verses of Surah Isra. In Madina, verses came down with the orders of
Haram and halaal when the Islamic community was established. Surah Anfaal for example was revealed
that talks about the battle of Badr and Uhad. Thus in 23 years, Quran was completely revealed when the
last verses were given to prophet (s) at Arafat. These last verses were from surah maidah and talk about
the completion of Deen “Islam”.

Throughout these 23 years, revelation came down and was preserved through two ways. Whenever any
revelation would come down, prophet (s) and his companions would memorize it and sometimes record
it on camel bones, leather sheets or slates.

This revelation use to come to prophet (s) in different ways.

1. Sometimes an angel use to come down in human form and deliver the word of Allah. This was
the most common way in which angel Jibraeel use to bring revelation, like he did in the case of
first revelation of surah Alaq verse 1-5
2. Sometimes it would come to prophet (s) as dreams and the dreams of prophets are always true
and revelation. In this way, surah Falak and Surah Naas were revealed for example as a cure to
the magic done by Labeed on prophet (s)
3. Sometimes prophet (s) use to hear a bell-like sound and revelation was transferred. This method
was the toughest. During this method, prophet (s) would feel immense weight on himself and
then he would hear bell-like sound, and when this was over, the revelation would be there in his
memory. For this reason, Aisha (r) explains that when revelation would come like this, prophet
(s) was seen sweating on a cold night and his body would become very heavy. Similarly, once
prophet was riding a camel and revelation came. The camel sat down just by the burden of it.
This is the reason why Allah says in the Quran “If we would have revealed the Quran over a
mountain, it would have crumbled…”
4. Sometimes the revelation was given directly to prophet Muhammad directly and this happened
at the incident of Mairaj where prophet Muhammad talked to God directly without any
intermediary. Through this, the prayer was made obligatory and the last two verses of Surah
Baqarah were revealed.

Makki and Madani Verses

Makki and Madani Surahs are different from each other in terms of its contents and style of verses and
length of verses.
 - 33 -

Makki Surah are all those surah which were revealed prior to the migration of the prophet like Surah
Alaq, Surah Yunus, Surah Taha, Surah Maryam etc. Following are its characteristics:
1. Makki surahs have command to prostrate.
2. The verses are usually addressed to all of mankind
3. Makki surahs usually contain stories of previous prophets.
4. Short verses, and strong rhetorical style and rythmic sound.
5. Repeated use of emphasis, exhortation, analogies and oath.
6. Emphasis on the beleif in Allah, the Day of Judgement and description of Hell and Heaven
7. Call for adherence to good moral and universal characters like truthfullness, kindness to relatives,
old and neighbour, etc.
8. Argument with the polytheists and refutation of their associating partners with Allah.
9. Warning the polytheists through stories of previous messengers when punishment came to thier
people when they rejected their message.

Madani Chapters are all those surahs revealed after the migration to Madinah like surah Nisa, Surah
Muhammad, Surah Ahzab, Surah Hujarat etc. Following are some of the characteristics of Madani suras:
1. Mention of 'Jihad' and detailing on its rulings.
2. Details of Islamic jurispudence and legal system as well as laws governing family, money
transaction, international law and acts of worship
3. Mention of 'hypocrisy' and dealing with hypocrites.
4. Verses are usually addressed towards believers “O you who believe…”
5. Long verses
6. Easy vocabulary
7. Arguments with the 'people of the Book' i.e., Jews and Christians.

Teachings of the Quran

Teaching contained in the Quran cover all aspects of life and all fields of research. So this Quran is a
guide and has a superior status among all books.
 - 34 -

Social
Teachings

Moral Political
Teachings Teachings

Teachings
of the Holy
Quran

Religious Legal/Judicial
Teachings Teachings

Economic
Teachings

Q. What are the teachings of the Quran for

A) Muslim Individuals

B) Communal life [10]

Answer: A) Quran gives individuals teachings related to their personal life and how the individuals can
play their role in the community. Quran tells individuals that the first right that they have over Allah is to
worship none but him. Quran says " And your Lord is One God except whom there is none". These
individuals are then asked to believe in all the Prophets, Angels, Books and The Day Of Judgement. Allah
says in the Quran "We Believe in the Messengers and that which was reveal previously and we believe
in Allah the Angels, The Books And the Prophets and we do no discriminate between them".

Apart from the beliefs, Muslims are to abide by the laws revealed by Allah. These laws are individual’s
personal worship and he himself would be accountable for them. Quran says "No bearer of burden will
bear the burden of others".

Quran gives us the laws related to worship like prayer, fasting, charity, Hajj and others. Quran says "And
establish prayer and pay zakat and bow down with the ones who bow down". All these individual acts
may have communal benefits but these are individual obligations. Quran also gives us
 - 35 -

individual teachings related to our social conduct, dealings, manners and all other aspects of personal
life. Quran tells individuals of their social rights related to marriage, inheritance, and dietary laws and
abstaining from social ills like gambling and drinking. Quran says "Oh you who believe, indeed drinking
and gambling….. are from the handiworks of Shaitaan" (Surah Maidah). Quran also forbids us to marry
idol worshipper women by saying "And do not marry Mushrik Women no matter how pleasing she
may seem" (Surah Baqarah). Quran also says "Allah decreases Riba and increases charity" (Surah
Baqarah) telling muslims to abstain from riba and encouraging muslims to give charity. These and other
laws pertain to individuals actions.

B) Quran reforms the society through its communal laws. However in the community each individual is
supposed to act himself which constitutes the overall society. Quran gives us political laws where the
Quran highlights responsibilities of an Islamic state by saying "And when we give them authority on
Earth, they establish prayer, collect zakat, Forbid evil and enjoin good". The role of Islamic government
and the community as a whole is Amal-bil-Maruf and Nahi-Anil-Munkar. (enjoining good and forbidding
evil) Quran says "you are the best of nations, driven for people because you forbid evil and enjoin
good".

On a communal level Quran also gives us laws pertaining to Jihad and conduct with non muslims. Quran
tells the Muslims "Fight with those who fight with you but do not transgress" (Surah Baqarah Verse
191). Quran also talks about community’s role in case of Civil War. Quran says in Surah Hujrat "When a
group of believers fights another group then make peace between them".

Quran teaches manners to the society like seeking permission before entering the house of someone
else, not finding faults in others, not making fun of a group of people, not backbiting and so on. Quran
says "Do you like to eat the flesh of your dead brother?" (This refers to Backbiting)

Q How is Quran used in Islamic law making?

The Holy Quran, last revealed book by God on Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and is the foundation of our
religion. It is a complete book for the guidance of mankind. It is addressed to the entire humanity
without any limitation of race, religion or time. It guides the man in all spheres of life-spiritual, temporal,
individual and collective. It is the first source of Islamic law. Quran says, “O you who believe, Obey Allah
And obey the Messenger And those charged with authority among you …… (Al -Nisa 4.59) This verse
confirms the validity of Quran as a first source of Islamic Law.

The Quran gives the basic principles and fundamental rules of Islamic beliefs and practices. It commands
to establish worship (prayer) and to pay the poor due after faith in one God. The Quran frequently says:
“And establish prayer and pay Zakat”. Other commandments about the fasting and pilgrimage are also
prescribed in the holy Quran”. It is said, “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you” (2:183) and
“Complete Hajj and Umrah for the sake of Allah” (2:196)
 - 36 -

Ahadith provide further detail of these practices. The Quran becomes basis of Ijma and Qiyas. According
to Qiyas based on Quran, all intoxicants are haram (forbidden) as Quran has declared Wine as haram. It
is said. “O you who believe, intoxicants and gambling, sacrificing to stones and arrows are an
abomination of Satan’s handiwork…” (Al Maida 5.90)
The Quran makes distinction between Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful) by providing clear and
unambiguous instructions. It says: “O you people! Eat of what is on earth lawful and good; and do not
follow the footsteps of Satan for he is your avowed enemy” (2:168). In the same context, Quran forbids
meat of pigs, blood and those on which Allah’s name is not taken. Quran says “Forbidden to you is the
blood, the meat of pig, and on which Allah’s name is not taken ….”.

Quran also prescribes punishments for serious and major crimes like theft (cutting off hand) It is said “As
for the thief, male or female, cutting their hand” (5:38) For punishment of Zina or fornication (100
lashes) It is said, “The woman and man guilty of adultery or fornication, flog each of them with a
hundred stripes”.( 24:2) For the heinous crime of murder it recommends the simple rule of an eye for
an eye; by saying: “O you who believe! The law of equality is prescribed to you in case of murder: the
free for free, the slave for slave, the women for women.”

The Quran’s superiority in deciding the matters of daily life including the judicial issues is an established
fact because the Quran says: “We have sent down to you the Book in truth so that you may judge
between men as guided by God” (4:105) For example, for division of inheritance, the Quran says, “Allah
directs you concerning your children: for males a portion equal to that of two females”.( Al Nisa
4.11) Similarly Quran gives us laws in matters of Marriage, Divorce and matters pertaining to family life.

Sunnah
Importance of Sunnah
Sunnah stands for “the way”. Thus in Islamic literature Sunnah means the way, and practice of the Last
Prophet Muhammad (s). Sunnah can be of three categories.

Sunnah Qauli: This Sunnah is the speech of Prophet (s) and includes those actions that prophet(s)
forbade, ordered or recommended through his verbal Ahadith

Sunnah Faili: This Sunnah is the action of Prophet (s) and includes all actions that he did.

Sunnah Taqreeri: This Sunnah is that when someone used to do an action in front of prophet (s), and
prophet (s) was silent on that action, this tells us that there was nothing wrong in that action. If it would
have been something bad, prophet(s) would have stopped his companion.

Teachings of the Sunnah

Teachings contained in the Sunnah are similar in nature to the teachings contained in the Quran, except
that they are more detailed. Sunnah is the practical approach towards Quran as Hazrat Aisha use to say
that the life of the Prophet (s) can be summarized into one word i.e. Quran. So Sunnah is important in
understanding the Quran. Teachings found in the Sunnah are the following:
 - 37 -

• It tells us how to perform the rituals in detail like Salaah, Zakaat, Hajj, Sawm etc.
• It also tells us about the asbab un nuzool of many verses.
• It allows us to explain a verse in its appropriate context, Tafseer by Sunnah
• It tells us the life of the person on whom the Quran was revealed.
• Teaching of the Sunnah, just like that of the Quran, encompasses all aspects of life.

The word “Sunnah” and “Hadith” are used inter-

changeably. Hadith means a narration whereas
Sunnah means a way. Thus Hadith is a narration
from which the way of the prophet is extracted. So
both these words can be used to denote the way of
the prophet (s).
 - 38 -

Compilation of Hadith

The process of compilation of Hadith can easily be broken down into 4 stages

Stage 1 (before 11 AH)

Hadiths were compiled and written down since the time of Prophet Muhammad, sahaba had their own
scrolls or books, with the help of these scrolls and books other hadith books were compiled later
onwards. At first the Prophet stopped his companions from writing down hadiths, but later permitted
them. Prophet of Allah said to Abdullah bin Amr: Write hadiths, I swear by Him who holds my life in His
hand, from this mouth nothing but the truth comes out. Prominent sahaba like Abu hurairah, Anus bin
malik, Aisha (RA) and others were involved in memorization of Ahadith of Prophet (s). At this stage what
ever problem sahaba had, they use to directly ask the prophet (s).Some books compiled by sahaba were
Sahifa sadiqa of ibn umar, Collections of Aisha (ra), book of Jabir bin Abdullah, Collection of Abdullah ibn
abbas and letters & treaties dictated by Prophet (s) himself.

Stage 2 (11AH to 100 AH)

During this stage sahaba who had heard the Ahadith from prophet (s) and memorized them, taught
them to their students. These students were called tabaee. During this stage people use to travel long
distances just to gather a few or even a single Hadith. During this stage many books were compiled.
Even by the end of this stage, Caliph Umar bin abdul aziz ordered a book of Hadith to be compiled by the
governor of Madina. Some Hadith scholars of this stage were Abu Bakr Al-hazim, Hassan al Basri and
Shihab az zuhri. This stage was a very initial stage of the Hadith sciences.

Stage 3 (101 AH to 200 AH)

During this stage the tabaee taught Hadith to their students who were taba tabaee. During this stage
hadith sciences emerged to be popular among masses. And centres of Hadith learning were being
established throughout the Islamic empire. Terminologies were in the development process and legal
thinking was being developed using the Ahadith of the prophet along with the Quran. Hadith criticism
was also developed in this stage with scholars like Abdullah ibn Mubarak, Sufyan bin Uyaina, Imam
Makhul etc. Some Hadith Books of Second Century Hijrah were Muatta of Imam Maalik, Jami of Sufiyan
Thouri, Kitab-u-Zuhd of Abdullah bin Mubarak, Jami of Sufiyan bin Uyainiya,. Kitab-ul-Aather of Imam
Abu Hanifah, Musannaf of Abdul Razzaq, Musnad of Ahmad bin Hambal and others.

Stage 4 (201 AH to 300 AH)

During this stage, taba tabaeen taught the Hadith to their students. This age was the golden age for
Hadith science. Terminologies of Hadith sciences were developed and centres for Hadith learning were
established through out the Islamic empire. People use to travel to attend classes of the great Hadith
scholars like Imam Bukhari in Damascus. This stage saw Hadith criticism, Hadith literature and most
 - 39 -

important, the six most authentic books (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan abu Dawood, Sunan ibn
Majah, Jami Tirmidhi, Sunan Nisai)

Features of Hadith books and brief biographical account of their compilers

Imam Bukhari and Sahih Bukhari

Muhammad Ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, popularly known as Al-Bukhari (810-870), was a famous Sunni
Islamic scholar of Persian ancestry. He was, perhaps, best known for authoring the hadith collection
named Sahih Bukhari, a collection which Sunni Muslims regard as the most authentic of all hadith
compilations and the most authoritative book after the Qur'an. His book is highly regarded among
Sunni Muslims, and considered the most authentic collection of hadith. Al-Bukhari traveled widely for
sixteen years, collecting those traditions he thought trustworthy. It is said that al-Bukhari collected over
300,000 hadith and included only 2,602 (7275 if we include the repetitions) traditions in his Sahih. His
purpose was to have a completely authentic collection of Ahadith.
Imam Muslim and Sahih Muslim
Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Nishapuri (821-875 CE), Muslim Author of the second most widely recognized
collection of Hadith, Sahih Muslim. He was born in the town of Nishapur located in present day Iran.
After many studies throughout the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iraq and Syria, he settled down in his
hometown of Nishapur. He died in 875 CE in Nishapur, where he was also buried.
Sahih Muslim is one of the Six major collections of the hadith. It is the second most authentic hadith
collection. There are a total of 2200 hadiths (without repetition) in Sahih Muslim. Imam Muslim’s
conditions of checking the authenticity are almost same as that of al Bukhari. All the narrations in his
Sahih are authentic.
Imam Tirmidhi and Jami Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn Īsā at-Tirmidhī (824-892) was an Arab collector of hadith. He wrote the Jami al-
Tirmidhi, one of the six popular hadith compilations. Starting at the age of twenty, he travelled widely,
to Kufa, Basra and the Hijaz, seeking out knowledge.
Jāmi` al-Tirmidhi is the best of books, having the most benefit, the best organization, with the least
repetition. It contain what others do not; like mention of the different views, angles of argument, and
clarifying the circumstances of the hadith as being sahih or da'if,, as well as discussing narrators

Imam Abu Dawood and Sunan Abu Dawood

Abu Dawood al-Sijistani born in Sijistan, Afghanistan, in 817, and died in 888. Widely travelled
among scholars of ahadith, he went to Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Khurasan, Nishapur, and Marv
among other places in order to collect hadith. He was primarily interested in jurisprudence, and as a
result the collection by him focuses largely on legal hadith.
Abu Dawood declared some of Hadiths in his book, Sunan Abu Dawood, to be unauthentic, which
makes his book different from Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Author collected 50,000 hadith, but
included only 4,800 in this collection.

Imam Nisai and Sunan Nisai

 - 40 -

Aḥmad ibn Shu`ayb al-Nasā'ī, was born in Nasā about 829 (214 AH), and traveled extensively in order
to hear traditions. He resided in Egypt for a while, and then in Damascus. He died in 915 (303 AH).
Sunan Nisai has about 5270 hadith, including repeated narrations, which the author selected from his
larger work, As-Sunan al-Kubra.

Imam Ibn Majah and Sunan ibn Majah

Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah was born in Qazwin, in 824 CE. He left his hometown to travel the
Islamic world visiting Iraq, Makkah, the Levant and Egypt. Ibn Mājah died in 887 CE. Sunan Ibn
Majah contains over 4,000 hadith in 32 books divided into 1,500 chapters. Allah these chapters cover
Ahadith related to islamic laws.

Q. What were the rules used by Muhaditheen to ensure the authenticity of a Hadith?

The Muhaditheen especially the compilers of the six authentic books ensured that the hadith that
reaches the people goes through strict criteria of authenticity for this they checked the mataan (text of
the hadith) and the sannad (chain of narrations). This was done because prophet(s) said, ”the one who
attributes anything false to me should reserve his place in hell fire”.

To check the sanaad the scholars made sure that there is no stoppage or breaks within the sanaad itself,
whether this break be at the end of the sanaad, the middle of it or at its beginning. Any hadith whose
narrators did not meet one another or are not of the same generation was labeled as a weak narration.

The narration with the continuous chain is again checked with regards to each and every narrator (ravi)
whether the person is reliable or not. Quran says in surah Hujraat,’’when a sinful man comes to you
with any news then authenticate………….’’. For this the scholars look into the lives of these narrators to
check whether they are pious Muslims, truthful people, not propagators of false belief and with a good
memory. Those narrators which fulfill the above criteria are deemed reliable. As for the sahaba
themselves, the scholars are agreed that they are all reliable.

With regards to the memory of the narrator, it should either be exemplary or that he should have
written it somewhere and preserved it from corruption. If the memory of the narrator guarantees
preservation of Hadith then this is acceptable.

The narrator should also not contradict the narration which is already established through better
narrators. In case if he does then the narration would be labeled as ‘odd’ (shazz). This Hadith is then
rejected.
 - 41 -

If the Hadith clears all the above four criteria then a scholar specialized in Hadith can check the hadith
for some hidden defects which regulars scholars could have overlooked. For example, a person could
have written the name Nuaim as Naeem which is only different in pronunciation and not spelling in
arabic. Such hidden mistake can affect the hadith’s authenticity.

When all these are verified, the scholars check the Matan of the hadith. With regards to the mataan the
hadith is checked to have the Arabic dialect of the 7th century. The mataan is also checked where the
text should not be against any sahabi, the wives of the prophet (S), the family of the prophet(s) and
towards any other important personality. The hadith should also not be against reason and intellect and
should not propagate vulgarity. The mataan should not go against any established historical fact or
directly contradict the Quran.

Through this checking of sanaad and mataan strictly, the Muhaditheen ensured that the words and
teachings that reached the people could be truly attributed to the prophet(s).

Forms of compilation of Hadith books

Musnad

A musnad compilation of hadith is arranged according to the name of the companion narrating each
hadith. For example, a musnad might begin by listing a number of the hadith, complete with their
respective sanads, of Abu Bakr, and then listing a number of hadith from Umar, and then Uthman ibn
Affan and so on. An example of this type of book is the Musnad of Ahmad.

Mussanaf

Musannaf hadith collections are defined by their arrangement of content according to topic and
constitute a major category within the class of all such works. Thus you will find mussannaf compilations
organized according to the topics (and further into sub topics) like purifications, salah, sawm, hajj, trade
etc. Numerous hadīth collections are of the musannaf variety, including the six popular books.

Comparison of both

A musnad compilation, is comparatively difficult to handle and is not very handy as far as islamic legal
thinking is concerned. Musannaf compilation on the other hand is very useful since it arranges the book
according to topics which helps the reader find a particular solution/hadith regarding a matter. This is
the reason why Musannaf compilations are popular and more in number as compared to Musnad.
 - 42 -

Classification of Hadith according to number of narrators

Mutawatir

The first category is mutawatir, or a 'successive' narration. A successive narration is one conveyed by
narrators so numerous that it is not conceivable that they have agreed upon a falsehood. Thus being
accepted as unquestionable in its veracity. Hadith is said to be mutawatir if it was reported by a
significant, though unspecified, number of narrators at each level in the chain of narration, thus
reaching the succeeding generation through multiple chains of narration leading back to its source. An
example of Mutawatir hadith is the saying of the prophet “whoever attributes a lie to me should
reserve his place in hellfire”.

Ahaad

The second category, ahaad, or singular narration, refers to any hadith not classified as mutawatir. In
hadith terminology, it refers to a Hadith not fulfilling all of the conditions necessary to be deemed
mutawatir. Hadith ahad consists of three sub-classifications also relating to the number of narrators in
the chain or chains of narration,

Mashhur

The first category is mashhur and refers to a hadith conveyed by minimum three or more
narrators in each generation but is not considered mutawatir.

Aziz

Aziz is any hadith conveyed by minimum two narrators in each generation of a hadith's isnād.

Gharib

A gharib hadith is one that is conveyed by minimum one narrator in each generation. An
example of such a hadith is the famous saying of the prophet “Actions are judged by intention”

Classification of Hadith by authenticity/reliability

Sahih

Sahih, best translated as authentic, is a singular narration conveyed by a trustworthy, completely

competent person, either in his ability to memorize or to preserve what he wrote, with a connected
chain of narration that contains neither a serious concealed flaw nor irregularity. Sahih Hadith is used as
evidence in religious matters and amounts to a narration which one can be sure that it is from the
prophet (s).

Hasan

Ḥasan linguistically means good and expresses the categorization of a hadith's authenticity as
acceptable for use as a religious evidence, however, not established to the extent of Sahih. Hasan Hadith
 - 43 -

has the same definition as Sahih except that the competence of one of its narrators is less than
complete.

Daeef

Ḍaeef is the categorization of a hadith as weak. The reason why hadith(narration) is classified as weak is
either due to discontinuity in the chain of narrators or due to some fault in any one of its narrators. This
discontinuity refers to the omission of a narrator occurring at different positions within the isnād or an
anonymous narrator being there.

Mawdoo

A hadith that is mawdoo is one determined to be fabricated and cannot be attributed to its origin.
Mawdoo is a narration where one of its reporters include a confirmed liar.

Classification of Hadith according to attribution

Hadith Nabwi is the most common type of hadith. This is the hadith where the teaching of prophet (s)
conveyed through the words of the prophet. Like prophet (s) said “Modesty is a branch of faith”. In this
hadith the words are that of the prophet and so is the teaching from the prophet himself.

Hadith Qudsi is rarely found in hadith literature. This is the hadith where the teaching from Allah is
conveyed to us through the words of the prophet. Like prophet (s) said that “Allah says ‘My mercy takes
precedence over my wrath’”. In this hadith, the words are that of Allah conveyed to us by prophet (s)
through his own speech. This is different from the Quran because Quran is the direct speech of Allah
and is recited in the Prayer. Whereas Hadith Qudsi has the message of Allah conveyed through the
words of the prophet.

What is the structure of a Hadith?

Any Hadith will always have two parts. First is the Matn and second is the sanad. Matn is the text being
narrated by the narrators. And sanad(also called isnad) is the chain of narrators through which the
narration has passed to the later generations. Each narrator that makes up the sanad is called a ravee or
the narrator. Each sanad ends on a Sahabi who narrated the hadith. Below is an example of a Hadith
which has been labeled for your convenience.
 - 44 -

SANAD RAVEE

Yahya narrated from Maalik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar
that the Messenger (s) of Allah said “That who misses the Asr
prayer is like that who loses his family and property”
RAVEE
MATN IN BOLD
Muatta Imam Maalik. Hadith # 21
HADITH REFERENCE

Communal teachings in Ahadith:

The Ahadith of the Holy Prophet guide Muslims for individual as well as communal conduct and matters
of the Muslims. Islam declares the entire Muslim community a single body or family where each and
every member is ready to share joys as well as sorrows in the light of this Hadith:
“The believers are like a single man’ if his eye is affected, he is affected; and if his head is affected, he
is all affected.”
This is the most fundamental and important aspect of the Muslim community and has been the subject
matter of several Ahadith of the Holy Prophet. For example, the Holy Prophet, in another Hadith, has
linked true faith with the care and consideration observed by a true believer towards his neighbour
“He is not a true believer who eats to his fill but his neighbour sleeps hungry.”
Importance of being kind and polite towards fellow beings has been highlighted in number of the
sayings of the Holy Prophet, and he himself demonstrated it on a number of occasions. In fact, he was
an emblem of mercy, forgiveness and compassion and taught the same to his followers. He declared in
this regard

“Every kind word is a charity and removing a harmful thing from the road is also a charity.”
Similarly, the Messenger of God always wished to create and develop a society where every member
would emerge as a strong support for those in need. Through his teachings, instructions and actions he
emphasized the importance of taking care of the less privileged people, like the orphan, widows and the
poor. He remembered God’s special favour on him all through his childhood. The favour is mentioned in
the Quran as:
‘’Did He not find you an orphan and gave you shelter and care’? (al-Duha).
He, therefore, always encouraged an attitude of kindness towards such people and hinted towards the
importance of this by saying:
“I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in Paradise like this: and he pointed with his-two
fingers, the index finger and the middle finger.”
The Holy Prophet was mindful of other important aspects of the communal conduct. He was aware of
the human weakness of falling victim to the devices and strategies of Satan whose mission is to entice
humans towards disobedience of Divine commands and to commit sins and spread evils and indecency.
 - 45 -

So, he alerted his followers to be ready to take timely and appropriate action in that regard. He drew the
attention of his followers by this Hadith:
“Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand, and if he is not able to do so,
then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of
faith.”
He also warned about the possibility of an unjust and impious ruler ruling the Muslim community and, in
that case, he elaborated the importance of raising a voice of protest against such a ruler. He said:
“The most excellent Jehad is uttering the truth in the presence of an unjust ruler”.
Not only through words, but Prophet (s) also permitted and emphasized on the need to physically fight
the oppressors when and where the situation permits and such men are classed as the most excellent of
men who sacrifice their lives for the sake of Allah and for the betterment of the society.

Finally, the Holy Prophet trains the Muslims community about a fair treatment of the non-Muslims living
in a Muslim community. In this regard, many instances are quoted in the Hadith books. For example, the
following incident provides sufficient guidance:
“A burial bier passed by us (the companions) and the Holy Prophet PBUH stood up for it, and we stood
up. Then we said: O Messenger of God! It is the bier of a Jew’. He said, ‘when you see a bier stand up”.
Thus, it can be seen that the Hadith of the Prophet provides complete guidance regarding the communal
conduct of Muslims.

Individual teachings of the Ahadith

The Ahadith effectively highlight the responsibilities of Muslims and what is expected from them in
Islam. Sincerity—naseehah—forms the backbone of a Muslim’s conduct. A Believer must fulfill his social
and religious obligations whole-heartedly to be a true Muslim. His heart must be free from doubts about
Allah SWT, His Book or His Messenger PBUH, i.e., Articles of Faith, and must obey their Commands.
Moreover, Prophet PBUH also commands us to be cooperative with the leaders of Muslims, and have
impeccable social relationships with common people. These impeccable social relations can be achieved
only if a Believer practices fraternity and brotherhood, and also equality. Prophet PBUH said,

“None of you believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself.”

If a Believer is to achieve perfection of faith, he must be genuinely interested in well-being of his

brothers by desiring for them what he desires for himself. Absence of such a strong bond indicates
weakness of Faith.

Muslims must display prudence while using their power of speech: the tongue shall be used for
propagation of good & not for indecent, hurtful or idle talk. Another cardinal discipline for a true
Believer is generosity, especially towards neighbours and guests. If these principles are ignored, a
person’s claim to believe in Allah SWT and the Last Day is just lip service. According to the Hadith:
 - 46 -

“Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, and let him who
believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour, and let him who believes in Allah and
the Last Day be generous to his guest.”

In another Hadith, the pre-condition to enter Paradise is also specified. A person must abide by the
injunctions of Shariah, i.e., take lawful as lawful, and unlawful as unlawful, and perform obligatory
prayers and fast in Ramadan as Prophet pbuh said:

“A man asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace): Do you think that if I
perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadan, treat as lawful that which is lawful and treat as
forbidden that which is forbidden, and do nothing further, I shall enter paradise? He said: Yes.”

These help train a Muslim for all spheres of life, making him eligible to enter Paradise. However, the
circle of virtuous deeds is not so confined. Helping others, like acting as a fair judge between two
parties, or even lifting someone onto his conveyance also yields great rewards, equal to that of charity.
A Muslim must try to facilitate others, as the Prophet PBUH said:

“removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity”.

A Muslim shall also struggle in the way of Allah SWT—Jihad. One form, as per a Hadith, is to do physical
or verbal efforts to suppress evil. Another form is to utilize one’s body, i.e., fight infidels in Allah’s SWT
Way.

“Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand, and if he is not able to do so
then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do so then with his heart, and that is the weakest of
faith.”

A Muslim is enjoined to aid the weak and destitute in the society, and be kind. A Hadith says:

“God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others”.

Prophet PBUH would even command his governors to be gentle to their people and would ask them to
avoid alienation or hardness. A link in the chain is aiding the widows, poor and orphans. The rewards for
these are kinship of Prophet PBUH in Paradise, and equal to exerting oneself in Allah’s SWT Way, or
standing for prayer in night and fasting in the daytime.

“One who manages the affairs of the widow and the poor man is like the one who exerts himself in
the way of Allah, or the one who stands for prayer in the night or fasts in the day.”

The Ahadith also stress upon fair dealings and lawful earnings. Though the ‘Rizq’ of the people has been
destined beforehand, the test lies in whether it is earned through lawful or unlawful means. Laborious
efforts by oneself to earn a living are encouraged; Prophet PBUH says,
 - 47 -

“No one eats better food than that which he eats out of the work of his own hand. Likewise shall one
be kind when he sells or buys, or demands his money back, as according to a Hadith, it earns Allah’s SWT
Mercy.

“May God show mercy to a man who is kindly when he sells, when he buys, and when he demands his
money back.”

A Hadith also encourages a Believer to renew and refresh his knowledge of the Holy Quran repeatedly.
Comparing a person to an owner of tethered camels, Prophet PBUH tells us that “if he lets them loose
they will go away”. However, this acquiring of knowledge (or any other good deed) must be done to
please Allah SWT alone, as Allah SWT regards our hearts and actions. Therefore, a Muslim shall practice
all forms of modesty and avoid pride. A Hadith says,

“He who has in his pride as much pride as a grain of mustard will not enter Paradise.”

A Believer earnestly follows these teachings, as his goal is Paradise and earth for him is a prison from
which he urges to escape. Hence prophet (s) compared the life of a believer in this world as a prison.

Qiyas
What is Qiyas?

Qiyas means to draw an analogy. Qiyas means to come to a new ruling based on comparing the new
problem with a ruling which is already mentioned in the first two sources of law (Quran and Hadith). In
other words, a ruling on a new problem (Hukm) is attained when the new situation at hand (Fur) is
compared to the ruling existing in the Quran and Sunnah (Asl) by drawing the similarities (illa) between
the existing and the new ruling.

Example 1

New problem at hand (Fur): Are drugs Haraam?

Existing ruling in Quran and Sunnah (Asl): Alcohol is Haraam.

Similarity between the existing and new problem (illa): Both are intoxicants.

New ruling drawn by comparing the two (Hukm): Drugs are also Haraam

Example 2

New problem at hand (Fur): Can we accept Christmas gifts?

Existing ruling in Quran and Sunnah (Asl): Sahaba accepted gifts on Nowroz

Similarity between the existing and new problem (illa): Both are gifts on non muslim occasions
 - 48 -

New ruling drawn by comparing the two (Hukm): Gift can be accepted

When is Qiyas applied?

Qiyas by definition is applied when no ruling is found in the first two sources of Islamic law i.e. Quran
and Hadith. Also, Qiyas should be used when there is a necessity for it.

Acceptance of Qiyas as a source of Law

Qiyas is acceptable as a third source of Islamic law to Majority of the Scholars. Some scholars do reject
the use of Qiyas on the basis of four reasons.

1. Qiyas involves human reasoning and intellect and thus there is a chance of it being wrong.
2. Quran and Sunnah are the only two sources and no third source is valid as law
3. It can never be as good as revelation since it is not from Allah rather it is a human’s work
4. There has been a history of misuse of this source for personal biases and gains.
Most sunni scholars accept Qiyas as a legitimate source. Only differing in the details. However, some
sunni scholars, particularly the Zahiri Madhab rejects Qiyas. Ibn Hazm being one of the scholars among
them. Shia scholars also reject Qiyas on the basis of the above reasons and thus, with them the right to
do Qiyas belongs to the Imams only or they replace this source with Aqal.

Ijma
What is Ijma?

The word Ijma stands for consensus. Thus Ijma means that a consensus or similarity of ruling among the
people eligible to hold an opinion. Some people say that consensus must be among all the Muslims,
some say only the companions, some say it should be among the prominent scholars and some say that
the leaders of the Muslims should also be included in it. Thus in principle, everyone agrees that Ijma
means when a group comes to a common ruling but at the same time they disagree as to who is part of
that group and who is not.

Types of Ijma:

General Ijma is the consensus of all the Muslims on basic beliefs in Islam. These are such basic beliefs
that all Muslims agree to them like Quran is the book of Allah, Prophet (s) is the last prophet etc. This
type of Ijma is not the third source of Islamic law.

Specific Ijma is the third source of Islamic law and is the consensus of scholars on a specific issue not
mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.

Example

Companions agreed on the compilation of the Quran on the basis of Ijma.

 - 49 -

Q. How are Ijma and Qiyas used as sources of Islamic law?

There are four sources of Islamic law among which two are Asal (Primary) and two are secondary sources.
Ijma and qiyas derive their validity from the Quran and Sunnah itself. In the hadith of Muaaz Bin Jabal,
Prophet (s) asked him regarding the sources of islamic law to which he responded in the order of Quran,
Sunnah, Ijma and Ijtahad.

Ijma refers to the agreement of the entire group of people on a specific ruling which is not present in the
Quran or Sunnah. However, there is a disagreement as to who this group of people is. Imam Malik
considers the consensus among the companions and the people of Madinah as Ijma. Imam Abu Hanifa
and Imam Ahmed Bin Hambal considered the consensus of the sahaba only as valid Ijma. Imam Shafai
considers the consensus of everyone from the Ummah as valid Ijma. Whereas some scholars considered
consensus of the scholars as Ijma. Apart from this, scholars like Imam Showkani reject the validity of Ijma
itelf.

An example of Ijma amongst the Sahaaba is the compilation of the Quran during the caliphate of Abu
Bakr(r.a) and the burning of Quran during the caliphate of Usman (r.a). The proof of Ijma is found in the
Quran as well as Sunnah. In the Quran Allah warns those who leave the path of Quran, Sunnah and Sabeel-
ul-Muhmineen (The path of the believers) In the Hadith of Prophet(s), he said “ My ummah will not agree
on falsehood” telling us that the general public will never accept anything wrong which is to be attributed
to Islam.

Once the Ijma is agreed upon, then it stands as valid Islamic law and cannot be changed.

Qiyas literally means analogy or measurement. Qiyas refers to solving a new problem by comparing the
new problem to a similar problem which exists in the Quran and the Sunnah. The new problem is called
“fara” and the old problem is called “Asal”. The similarity between the two is called “Illa” and based on
this commonality, the new verdict is given (called Hukm). For e.g a new problem is “Is wudhu valid with
nail polish on?” to give a new ruling (Hukm), we will compare this issue to the hadith of Ayesha(r.a) where
Prophet(s) told her to remove the dried flour from her nails prior to wudhu. The ‘Illah’ (Commonality)
between the two is that water is being prevented from reaching the nails. Thus, the same ruling applies
to nail polish. Similar Qiyas can be done by comparing modern day drugs to alcohol as both cause
intoxication.

Qiyas is accepted by most of the scholars as valid source of Islamic law. However, some scholars reject
the validity of Qiyas like Imam Ibn Hazm and Dawd Az-Zahiri. They claim that Quran and Sunnah are
 - 50 -

sufficient to solve modern day issues and we do not need any other source. Similarly the Shia sect reject
Qiyas and replace it with “Aqal”.

Examples of Qiyas can be found in the Quran and Sunnah. In the Quran Allah repeatedly gives the example
of plant growth and compares it to the day of resurrection where humans will be brought to life by the
power of Allah just like plants. In the Sunnah Prophet(s) drew numerous analogies to answer the questions
raised by Sahabaa. Qiyas gives us the flexibility to apply Quran and Sunnah to modern day problems.
Without Qiyas, we would be left without solutions to new problems which arise within muslim societies.
 - 51 -

Life of Prophet (s)

Situation of Arabia before Islam

Religion: Social:

1. Idol worship was common 1. There was no respect for women

(idols like Hubal, Manaat, Laat,
Al Uzza)
2. Superstitious beliefs
3. Sacrifices for Idols
4. 360 idols in the Kaabah
5. Religion of Ibrahim lost
6. Christianity and Judaism
changed
7. Sorcery and Magic commonly
practiced
8. They did not believe in
Hereafter and resurrection.
(buried alive, divorced and not
given any right)
2. Social ills like drinking, gambling
and Zina were common.
3. Poor were oppressed and not
given due rights.
4. System of slaves was common and
slaves were ill-treated
5. They also had some good qualities
like bravery, hospitality, poetry,
and good memory.

Situation
of Arabia
before
Islam

Economic: Political:

1. Quraish’s two main incomes 1. Two great empires existed at

were: trade with Syria and
Yemen and Hajj
2. Interest (usury was common)
3. Unequal distribution of wealth
4. Allah Reminds Quraish of His
favours in Surah Quraish
that time. Romans and
Persians
2. Arabia was the un-ruled belt
3. No political leadership existed.
Tribal politics was common,
headed by the tribal chiefs
4. Wars were common among
tribes

This situation of Arabia was the reason why Allah sent his messenger,
Muhammad (s) to liberate humanity from falsehood.
 - 52 -

From Birth to Prophethood

Birth:

• He was born in the Banu Hashim Family of Quraish that is from the Lineage of Ibrahim, through
Ismael.
• He was born to Abdullah and Aminah.
• His grand father was Abdul Muttalib, famous for finding the lost well of Zamzam.
• He was named Muhammad by his grandfather and Ahmed by his mother
• He was born in the year of Elephants, the same year in which Abraha attacked Makkah.
• He was born on Monday, 9th Rabi ul Awwal, the year of the elephants (571 CE)

Early Years:

• He was born an orphan and initially nursed by his mother and the slave woman, Umm Ayman.
• As was the tradition, Muhammad was given to a Bedouin lady, Bibi Halima so that he would be
brought up strong and with a good command on Arabic.
• With Bibi Halima, Muhammad brought in many blessings and for that reason Halima extended
the time to keep Muhammad
• Halima brought him back at the age of 5 or 6
• Unfortunately, Aminah died on her journey back to Makkah from Yathrib
• Till the age of 8, he was taken care by Abdul Muttalib
• On the death of Abdul Muttalib, he was handed over to Abu Talib, his uncle
• Abu Talib made Muhammad learn many things and he accompanied his uncle at almost all
places. Abu talib dearly loved him.
• Allah reminded prophet Muhammad of this favor later in Surah Duha “Did He not find you an
orphan and gave you a refuge?”

Journey to Syria:

• Trade journey with Abu Talib at the age of 12

• Monk named Buhaira recognizes Muhammad as the prophet of Allah from the swollen flesh on
the back of Muhammad which was a seal of Prophethood and advises Abu talib to send him
back, fearing that Jews might hurt him.He is sent back to Makkah

Harb ul Fijar and Hilf ul Fazul:

• Between 580 and 590 AD, a war broke out between the arab tribes during the “akaz fair”
between Quraish and Hawazin Tribe
• Muhammad participated in the war, not fighting rather helping his uncles.
• He also participated in the truce
• Hilf ul fazul was signed to maintain security and to help the oppressed and not side with the
oppressor.
• Hilf ul fazul was named after the signing heads who were referred as “Fazul”, meaning
“honoured”.
 - 53 -

• Later on in his life, prophet Muhammad said that if such a truce was to be proposed again, islam
would support it.

Marriage to Khadija bint Khuwailad:

• Khadija was a rich lady. She was a businesswoman. She use to hire men on partnership basis to
carry out business trip on her behalf to different places
• Since in his youth Muhammad was known as Al-Sadiq and Al-Amin, he was chosen by Khadija to
take her merchandise to Syria.
• To keep an eye on Muhammad, she sent a slave Maisarah with him.
• On the return, Khadija was delighted by the profit and by the honesty of Muhammad as told to
her by the slave.
• This made Khadija propose Muhammad through her cousin, Nafisa
• Muhammad accepted it and their nikah was carried out by Abu Talib
• At that time, Muhammad was 25 and Khadija was 40

Fixing of Hajar ul aswad

• Structure of Kabah got weak due to flood and it was decided that Kabah be rebuilt
• Kabah was demolished and then rebuilt by the help of representatives of all the tribes.
• Problem arose when the construction was complete and the placement of black stone was to be
done. Every tribe wanted to do this job. Bloodshed was almost about to begin when someone
suggested that the first one to enter the Haram would decide on the matter.
• Muhammad entered and everyone was happy to see him since he was Al-Sadiq and Al Amin
• A cloth was brought in and each tribe held the cloth and lifted the black stone. Then it was
placed by Muhammad himself
• This shows how Muhammad was a true problem solver, a fair minded person and he was
trusted among people.
 - 54 -

Makkan Period as Prophet of Allah

First Revelation

• He use to retrieve to cave hira to ponder about the corrupt makkan society and solution to
these problems.
• Strange events took place prior to this like His dreams use to come true.
• First revelation was in the month of Ramadan, possibly 27th. Allah tells us in Surah Qadar
“Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'ân) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree)”
• Six months before the first revelation, he use to see dreams and they use to come true in the
morning
• He was at the age of forty and in the cave of Hira, Jibrael appeared in human form before
Rasulullah and asked him to read. Rasulullah replied that he could not read. After this the angel
hugged him really tight. This happened thrice, after which the first 5 verses of Surah Alaq were
revealed.
1. Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created,
2. Has created man from a clot
3. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous
4. Who has taught by the pen
5. Has taught man that which he knew not.
• While Rasulullah was descending cave hira and rushing home, he again saw Jibraeel in his true
form with wings covering the horizon. He said “I am Jibraeel and you are the messenger of
Allah”
• This incident worried Rasulullah and he went straight to Khadija and asked her to cover him.
• Khadija comforted him and told him “Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep
good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests
generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.”
• Khadija then took him to Waraqa bin Naufal who was an old man learned in previous scripture.
After listening to the story, he confirmed the following.
o He was a prophet of Allah
o The person who came to him was Jibrael, the same angel who came to Musa with
revelation
o He would be driven out by the people as was the case with all other prophets

Importance of first revelation:

• It marks the beginning of Revelation

• Revelation of Quran began, which marked the beginning of the final message that would
enlighten mankind by its teachings
• This revelation was needed, as the message of the previous prophets had gotten corrupted.
• It was his first meeting with Jibrael
• Following the revelation, world experienced a fight between virtue and evil which carries on till
today.

Early Preaching:
 - 55 -

• The revelation stopped for a while which really worried Rasulullah.

• Meanwhile, he privately preached the message of Allah to his family and friends.
• Early converts were mostly slaves. But a few prominent people like Abu Bakr, uthman bin Affan
and Zubair bin Al-awan accepted Islam.
• Ali and Khadija also accepted Islam.
• Command for public preaching came “ warn your nearest kinsfolk” (26:214)
• Thus on the mount Safa, Rasulullah called various tribes on urgent basis and asked them what
they think about his honesty and truthfulness. To which they replied that in an affirmative. He
then warned them against the punishment if they don’t change their ways. He told them “Say
that there is no God except Allah, and you will be successful”
• Thus when Rasulullah gave them the message of Tauheed, they rejected it and got angry.
• One such person who got angry was Abu Lahab, the uncle of the prophet. He cursed the
prophet. In retaliation to his words, Allah revealed an entire chapter “Surah Lahab”,
condemning his words and his disbelief and that of his wife who was also a staunch enemy of
the prophet.

Opposition and Persecution

• The new faith and the increasing number of Muslims infuriated the Quraish.
• They tried all means to crush this new religion and its followers.
• The slaves who accepted Islam were subjected to most torture.
• People like Bilal, Sumayya, Abu Ammar, Khabaab and others were subjected to severe tortue.
• Summaya became the first martyr in Islam. She was killed by Abu Jahl
• Among the torturers were Abu Jahl, Umayya bin Khalaf, Utba bin Rabeah, Umar bin Al-Khattab,
Abu Lahab and his wife and others
• Opposition and persecution was done through all means possible. This including propaganda of
the Quraish against Rasulullah and Muslims. Torture of slaves and even rich muslims like
Uthman bin Affan. The also tried to offer a heavy price to Rasulullah to stop preaching Islam.
• Social boycott of Banu Hashim was done as well
• But all of this persecution made Muslims stronger in their faith

Reasons for opposition of Islam by Quraish.

• Islam came to revolutionize the society and this was only possible if the existing system is
uprooted. Thus Quraish were rigid to change.
• Islam preached the message of equality and justice. This was not acceptable to Quraish who
wanted their superiority to be maintained
• The basic of this new faith was tauheed, which demanded from each individual to surrender to
Allah and not to associate partners with Him. Quraish could not give up their ancestral practices
to which they were closely attached.
• They could not accept Muhammad as the messenger of Allah since he was a human like them.
They had the idea that if God were to send a messenger, it would have been an angel or
accompanied by an angel.
• Rivalry between Ummayad and Hashimites was so strong rooted that this enmity stopped the
Umayyad Clan from accepting Islam because Muhammad was an Hashmite
• They could not leave the social evils they were indulged in.
 - 56 -

• Open condemnation of the existing system, made them hostile and not accept Islam.
• Quraish were politically threatened by the new faith since they thought there political
superiority would vanish if Islam prevails. It was also a threat to the tribal system as it preached
brotherhood.
• Islam was also a threat to their economic profits

Migration to Abyssinia:

• When the persecutions inflicted by the infidels became intolerable, Prophet (s) advised the
Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia.
• This event took place in the fifth year of prophet hood and a group of 15 Muhajirin (11 men and
4 women)
• Negus (Najashi) ruled Abyssinia and was a just ruler. He practiced Christian faith.
• Muhajirins also included Uthman and his wife ruqayya (daughter of Prophet).
• These people emigrated secretly but when Quraish got to know this, they sent a delegation,
headed by Suhail, with gifts to the Negus and requested him to hand over the emigrants.
• Negus declined to do so after listening to an impressive speech of Jaffar bin Abi Talib. His
speech:

O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols, committing
all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly,
and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a
Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were
well-known to us. He called us to worship Allah alone, and to renounce the stones and the idols
which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah. He commanded us to speak the
truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease
all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and false witness, and not to
appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women. Thereupon, O King, our people
attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us, to make us renounce our religion and take
us back to the old immorality and the worship of idols. They oppressed us, made life intolerable
for us, and obstructed us from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you
before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in Justice and in peace in your
midst.

• Quraish came to Negus again this time claiming that Muslims are blasphemous towards Esa (as).
Negus called the muslims again and this time Jafar bin Abi Talib recited some of the verses from
Surah Maryam.
• Reacting to this, tears rolled down the cheeks of Negus and he said “This Quran and what Jesus
brought came from the same niche” and then he allowed the Muslims to live freely in his land
and the Quraish returned disappointed.
• The second migration to Abyssinia took place in the sixth year of prophethood after muslims
heard a rumor that Quraish had accepted islam. The rumor being false, more muslims migrated
to Abyssinia. This time 101 people, among which 83 men and 18 women.

Boycott of banu hashim

• When Islam began to spread the Makkans asked Abu Talib to hand prophet Muhammad over to
them for execution but he steadfastly refused. Abu Talib acted fast and called on the members
 - 57 -

of Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib to meet at the Ka’bah and convinced them to pledge that
they would protect their clansman, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Abu
Lahab, another of the Prophet’s uncles and self-proclaimed sworn enemy, refused to take the
pledge and declared he was on the side of the Quraysh.
• The Quraysh held a meeting and decided to outcast the Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib clan
by placing them under a total social/economic boycott. The other clans from the Quraysh would
not marry their daughters, transact business with them, keep company with them, nor would
they accept any peace overtures from these two clans until they handed over the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Once all the people present had agreed with the points
mentioned above it was hung on the Kaabah. This was done on the 1st Muharram, 7th year of
prophethood.
• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), along with Abu Talib and clan members of
Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib were forced to withdraw from Makkah and live in She’eb Abi
Talib, a valley owned by Abu Talib
• The boycott was devastating and for many months they lived in misery. It was so rigorously
applied and food was so scarce that they had to eat the leaves of trees. The women, and more
specially the children and suckling babies would cry with hunger which could be heard all over
the valley. The Quraysh told the merchants not to sell any goods to them. Prices were increased
to prevent them from buying even essentials. They remained in that state for three years. Apart
from some kind Qurayshi people who secretly sent food to them, they were totally abandoned.
• A group of fair-minded Quraysh, led by Hisham ibn ‘Amr, worked to end the boycott and
decided to end the boycott. At the same time, Abu Talib told the Quraish that Allah had revealed
to the Prophet (s) that termites had eaten the parchment inside the Ka’bah. The only thing that
remained was the words “In Your Name, O Allah.” This was true and a miracle. Their only option
to Quraish was to end the boycott. The Prophet (s) and his Companions came out of the
mountain pass and were allowed to live in Makkah once again.

Year of Sorrow

This year i.e. the 10th year of Prophethood is also called Aam-ul-Hazn (year of Sorrow) since in this year
Khadija (r) and Abu Talib passed away. Both were very supportive to the prophet in his mission and in
his personal life.

Journey to Taif

• In the 10th year of Prophethood following the demise of Abu Talib, Prophet departed to Taif in
search for a place where Muslims could establish an Islamic community and more over practice
Islam safely.
• Prophet visited Taif along with Zaid bin Haritha, some 40 km from Makkah, but there he faced a
really bad treatment from its people. The three leaders of Taif rejected the message of Prophet
(s) and disrespected him. He was showered with abuses and stones. He was soaked in blood and
was in pain. He had blood filled in his shoes. Zaid bin haritha tried to protect him and was
himself injured.
• He took refuge in the orchid of the two sons of Rabeah. There they were served by their slave,
Ad-Daas. Prophet (s) preached islam to him and he accepted islam. Prophet then left taif for
Makkah. However, when two angels came to him asking from him permission to crush the
people of Taif between the two mountains for their treatment of prophet, Prophet declined.
 - 58 -

Saying that the the people of taif may accept islam later on. This shows the mercy of Prophet
towards his Ummah.
• On his way to Makkah, prophet (s) rested beneath a tree and was reciting Quran when a group
of Jinns accepted Islam after listening to the recitation.
• On his way back to Makkah prophet (s) sought the protection of Mutim bin Adi as he feared that
after the death of Abu Talib, Makkans might kill him.
• Later on Prophet (s) described the day of Taif as the “worst day of his life”.

Isra Wal Mairaj

Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj are among the many miracles of Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H.) that took place on
27th of Rajab 1 year prior to migration.
Allah has said:
“Glorified be Allah Who took His slave (Muhammad ) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram
to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem)...”

Before the Prophet took this night journey, the ceiling of the house in which he was staying was opened,
and Jibril descended. He cut open the chest of Prophet Muhammad and washed that open area with
Zamzam water. Then he emptied something from a container into the chest of the Prophet to increase
his wisdom as well as the strength of his belief.

Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Al-Buraq was brought to me, and it was a white animal bigger than a donkey and smaller than a mule.
One leap of this creature covered a distance as far as it could see. I rode on it and it took me to Bayt Al-
Maqdis (Jerusalem)… Then I entered and prayed two Rak’ahs there, and came out.

Jibril brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk, and I chose the milk. “Jibril said: ‘You have chosen
the Fitrah (natural instinct).’

Then I was taken up to the first heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are you?’
He said, ‘Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his Mission
started?’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw Adam.

Then I was taken up to the second heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are
you?’ He said, ‘Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his
Mission started?’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw the two
maternal cousins, Yahya and ‘Isa.

Then I was taken up to the third heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are you?’
He said, ‘Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his Mission
started?’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw Yusuf, who had
been given half beauty of the world.

Then I was taken up to the fourth heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are you?’
He said, ‘Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his Mission
started?’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw Idris.
 - 59 -

Then I was taken up to the fifth heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are you?’
He said, ‘Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his Mission
started’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw Harun.

Then I was taken up to the sixth heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are you?’
He said, ‘Jibril’. It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his Mission
started?’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw Musa.

Then I was taken up to the seventh heaven and Jibril asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who are
you?’ He said, ‘Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has his
Mission started?’ He said, ‘His Mission has started.’ So it was opened for us, and there I saw Ibrahim,
who was leaning back against Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur. Every day seventy thousand angels enter it, then they
never come back to it again.
Then I was taken to Sidrat Al-Muntaha (the Lote tree beyond which none may pass), and its leaves were
like the ears of elephants and its fruits were like jugs, and when it was veiled with whatever it was veiled
with by the command of Allah, it changed, and none of the creatures of Allah can describe it because it
is so beautiful.
Then Allah revealed that which He revealed to me. He enjoined on me fifty prayers every day and night.
I came down until I reached Musa, and he said, ‘What did your Lord enjoin on your Ummah’ I said, ‘Fifty
prayers every day and night.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce (the burden) for your
Ummah, (which was reduced to 5)

Some other events during the journey

• He passed by people who had nails of copper with which they were scratching their faces and
chests. He asked, ‘Who are these, O Jibril’ He said, ‘These are those who ate the flesh of the
people [i.e., backbiting] and slandered their honor’.”
• Allah enabled the Prophet (P.. B. U. H.) to see the world (dunya) like an old woman.
• Last two verses of Surah baqarah were given directly to Prophet by Allah
• Prophet (s) did not see Allah and later explained “How can I see Him, for he is Noor (light)”
• Prophet saw some people drowning in a lake of blood. These were the people who took Riba
• Prophet also saw punishments of fornicators, the ones who breakfast early, and the ones who
learnt the Quran and then forgot it and did not practice according to it.

When prophet came back, he related his experience to disbelievers and when the disbelievers made fun
of him and asked him questions, the prophet got nervous. But Allah helped him and he was able to
answer all their questions.

Some disbelievers went straight to Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s closest friend, to tell him and to find out
what his reaction would be. Abu Bakr’s answer was: “If he has actually said this, he is telling the truth.”
When they expressed their amazement that he would believe such a story, Abu Bakr said: “What is so
surprising? I believe him when he says something even more incomprehensible. He says he receives
revelations from God and I believe him.” Abu Bakr then asked the Prophet whether he made the
statement that he went to Jerusalem and came back on the same night. When he heard the Prophet’s
affirmative reply, Abu Bakr said: “I believe you; you always tell the truth.” The Prophet was so pleased
with Abu Bakr that he gave him the title As-Siddiq, which denotes ‘the testifier”.
 - 60 -

Pledges of Aqaba

• In the 10th year of Prophethood, during the annual Hajj, prophet conducted many meetings with
various tribes to earn support for him and his followers.
• Many tribes rejected. A couple of them were inclined towards Islam and Muslims but they
exerted upon certain conditions for helping the prophet. But then a tribe from Yathrib met the
prophet and accepted Islam unconditionally. 6 people accepted Islam.
• In the 11th year of Prophethood, 12 men came and made another pledge with prophet to
o Stop idol-worship and associating partners with Allah
o Stop Adultery, fornication, killing their children etc.
• This is referred to as the First Pledge of Aqaba. The first pledge of Aqaba was called the “pledge
of women” (bayt un nisa) as it had no condition of fighting.
• Then upon their request, Prophet sent Musab bin Umair to preach them Islam. Through the
preaching of Musab bin umair many people in yathrib accepted islam, including the head of Aus
tribe, Saad bin muadh. Musab bin Umair’s mission was also to live in madinah and report back
to prophet, whether migration to madinah is possible or not.
• Next year (12th year of prophethood) 73 new muslims came from Yathrib. This is called the
second pledge of Aqaba. This time the pledge was called “pledge of war” (bayt ul harb). Pledge
included:
o To spend money in charity
o Accept the verdicts of Rasulullah
o Fear none, but Allah
o Protect Rasulullah

Why did the people of Yathrib accept Islam and Rasulullah unconditionally?

• The conversations with the Jews had already made them aware that a prophet was about to
appear in Arabia. The Jews knew this through the prophecies of Rasulullah in the Toraat. Surah
baqarah tells us about the jews that they use to pray to Allah for the coming of the prophet,
with whom they could fight the polytheists.
• People of Yathrib needed a leader and especially a neutral leader since the two tribes in Yathrib
(Aus and Khazraj) had lost their leadership in a war between themselves. So Prophet (s) could
prove a uniting element among Aus and Khazraj.
• People of Yathrib, by their acceptance of Islam, wanted to extend a helping hand to the people
of Early Muslims in Makkah who were being tortured.

Migration to Madina

Reasons for Hijrat (Migration from Makkah to Madina)

• Growth and Expansion of Islam was not possible in Makkah which was hostile to muslims and
Islam.
• Torture in Makkah became severe and thus to end all these sufferings, Muslims and Prophet
migrated to Madina.
• Allah had granted permission to migrate to the muslims and then finally to prophet Muhammad.
 - 61 -

• To establish an Islamic society headed by the prophet himself.

• Prophets life in Makkah was in danger especially after the death of Abu Talib.

Events of Hijrat:

• Migration took place in the 13th year of Prophethood. Prophet (s) left Madinah on 18th Safar
• Followers were first instructed to migrated to Madinah following the pledges of Aqabah.
Prophet (s) himself waited for the order from Allah to migrate. He also asked Abu Bakr to stay
back.
• At noon that day, prophet went to abu bakr’s house The Prophet said, “Allah gave me the
permission to leave Makkah and to migrate to Madinah.”. Abu Bakr asked excitedly,
“Will I be honored to accompany you, O Messenger of Allah?”. The Prophet said
“Yes...”
• Quraish planned to kill Rasulullah at Dar un Nadwa. They planned that 1 person from each tribe
would participate in the assassination. This will not put the blame on any one tribe and Banu
Hashim would not be able to avenge his death.
• They surrounded Prophet’s house but Prophet escaped from his house unnoticed. Prophet (s)
threw dust on them while reciting the verses of Surah Yasin verse 9. “And We have put a
barrier before them, and a barrier behind them, and We have covered them up, so that they
cannot see”
• Makkans on realizing that he had escaped, then placed a reward for the one who finds
Muhammad.
• Ali slept on Prophet’s bed and was given the responsibility to give the belongings of the makkans
back.
• Prophet left Makkah but went in the opposite direction of Madina to trick the makkans who
were finding him.
• In the cave of saur, Prophet spent another three days and three nights after which he preceded
to madinah in an non-traditional, zigzag route to avoid being caught.
• During his stay at cave saur, he was really close to getting caught by the Makkans but they were
saved by Allah through miracles. A spider made a web, and a dove laid eggs which made
makkans think that no one is there. When they were at the cave and Abu Bakr was worried, he
told abu Bakr “Do not fear, for Allah is the third one with us”. This was later on also revealed in
the Quran.
• During his stay Asma bint Abu Bakr use to secretly bring food for them and Abdullah bin Abu
Bakr use to bring in news from the Makkans. And the slave of Abu Bakr, Amir bin Fuhaira use to
bring his flock of sheep there to remove any footprints that led to the cave.
• During his Journey to Madinah, they were caught by a rider, Suraqah bin Malik, who stumbled
on his ride before getting to the prophet. He then accepted islam, rather than fulfilling his
intention.
• During the journey, they also stopped at the tent of Umm Mabad, where they got milk, and
refreshed. Umm Mabad later on described the prophet’s appearance to her husband who
confirmed that it was the same person whom the makkans were looking for.
• Prophet then arrived at Quba, where he built the first mosque in Islam. This mosque is
significant in a way that it has been mentioned in Surah Taubah as “the mosque built on the
foundations of Taqwa” Ali (r) met the prophet at Quba.
• On the way to Madina from Quba, prophet reached the Quarters of Banu Sulaim. There he
prayed the first Friday prayers and also gave the first Friday sermon.
 - 62 -

• When he entered Madinah, they were warmly welcomed. Everyone wanted him to live in their
house but Prophet decided that wherever his she-camel would shop, that place would be his
house. The she-camel stopped in from of the land of two orphans, sahal and sohail. Prophet
purchased this land and here, Masjid-e-Nabwi was built and along with it the Apartments of
Rasulullah as well.

Importance of Hijrat:

• Hijrat marks the beginning of the Muslim era i.e. Muslim calendar
• A Muslim community was established and organized by the help of Hijrat.
• Establishment of an exemplary Islamic State
• All other faiths were overshadowed by the victory and establishment of Islam.
• It marked the beginning of fulfillment of Allah’s promise of victory
• Development of Muslim Culture and Civilization began
• The task of Preaching now became easier and so was the implementation of Islamic laws.
• The position of Muslims strengthened as they had a state of their own.
• Hijrat was an exhibition of devotion and sacrifice and thus through this, the faith of the Muslims
increased
• Islam grew and expanded through this first step.
• Lastly, Hijrat becomes obligatory when one cannot practice their faith in a particular land. Allah
says in the Quran that Angels will say to the wrong doers who will make excuse of oppression
saying “"Was God's earth not spacious, so that you should have migrated in it?" (4:97)

Madinan Period

Initial Problems after migration

# Problem Solution

1 Muslims needed an Islamic
centre that would be center
of all the activities related
to the new state that was
established. This was
supposed to cater to all the
political, economic, military,
social and educational
needs of the new state.
This problem was solved by the prophet by building the Masjid-e-
Nabwi as soon as he came to Madinah. This Islamic centre was
used for all such activities. It was used as a place from which
Khutbahs (lectures) were given. Also next to this masjid was a
small university called suffah. This university gave free education
to more than 70 people in Madina plus it had the capacity to
accommodate them and feed them as well. The same Masjid-e-
Nabwi was used to recruit mujahideen and also it was the head-
quarter from where expeditions were sent. Zakaat was also

2 Jews lived in Madina along
with Aus and Khazraj tribe.
There were three tribes of
Jews, Banu Quraish, Banu
Qainuqa, and Banu Nadir.
These tribes did not accept
Islam Although they knew
that Muhammad was the
messenger of Allah. These
Jews were living in Madina
and had a close contact
with the Quraish thus they
were a threat to the Islamic
State.
3 Muhajirins who had come
from Makkah living behind
all their properties and
wealth were now a
problem. They had no
accommodation, no wealth
and no means to start a
new life. The newly formed
state was in no position to
bear the expenses of all
these families.
- 63 -
collected in the same place and judicial orders were also given in
this same masjid. Apart from all this, this masjid was a centre for
social activities of Muslims where Muslims use to pray five times
a day and gather to understand each other and interact with each
other.
Prophet wanted good relation with these Jews as they were part
of the society of Madina. Thus prophet extended an alliance to
the Jews as was his policy with all others. Prophet signed an
alliance with these Jewish tribes in the form of Charter of
Madina. The features of this alliance were:
1. Jews will be granted full religious freedom and there shall be
no interference in religion
2. Jews and Muslims will live with each other on friendly terms
3. If any of the two communities were under attack, both the
communities will fight the enemy together.
4. If there is any attack on Madina, both the communities will
defend the city.
5. Neither party will provide any security to Quraish
6. If any party made peace with the enemy, the other must also
do so, except in the case of a religious war.
7. Prophet would be accepted as the head of the state.
This charter was a great help in settling the political situation in
Madina. Though later on Jews broke this treaty, it was still helpful
in developing a case against the Jews.
This similar charter of Madinah was also offered to other small
tribes in and around madinah.
To solve this problem of the Muhajirins, Prophet established a
brotherhood between the Muhajirins and Ansaars. Ansaars were
the ones who helped the Muhajirins and they were the original
habitants of Madina. This Establishment of Brotherhood was
unique and history has no such example of love and sacrifice. This
brotherhood is called mawakhaat. Muhajirins wanted to work
and be self sufficient but the problem was that Muhajirins who
had come from Makkah were actually traders and the main
business in Madina was agriculture. Thus Muhajirins did not
know farming and there was no other way to solve the problem
but to bond Muhajirins and ansaars in a brotherhood. Through
this process, 45 to 50 ansaars were made brothers of Muhajirins
and thus 45-50 families were supported. Ansaars gave half of
their property, their wealth and their income to their brother and
were treated like blood brothers. This is where the ansaars
earned the name “ansaars” which means helpers. Later on when
the situation of the Muhajirins was better, this Mawakhaat was
 - 64 -

dissolved and a general brotherhood was established between all

the Muslims till today. Quran says “Indeed believers are
brothers”

4 When Muslims migrated to Prophet (s) made Dua to Allah to bless Madinah, in the same way
Madinah, they fell severely as Makkah is blessed and expel all illnesses from Madinah.
ill because of the different Sahaba who were having this illness, like Bilal and Abu Bakr, were
climate there. immediately cured.

5 Hypocrites were also a
problem for Rasulullah since
these were individuals who
outwardly claimed to be
Muslims but inwardly were
planning to destroy Islam.
The number of hypocrites
though was less but they
had connections with the
Jews as well as with the
Quraish. They were also a
threat to the newly
established state. Their
head Abdullah bin Ubayy
was jealous of Rasulullah
and this made him an
enemy of Islam from within.
Prophet left the hypocrite alone since the Islamic state was newly
formed. Since these hypocrites were from the tribe of Aus and
Khazraj, any action against the hypocrite could have started a civil
war within the state and Quraish could have taken advantage of
it to destroy Islam. Thus these hypocrites were left to be handled
later on when the ansaars would themselves know that this
group is working against Islam. To leave this problem
unattended, proved fruitful later on when the reality of the
hypocrites became clear to the people of Madina. That’s why
once when Omar (r) seeing the hypocrisy of these people, asked
the prophet to fight them, prophet (s) told umar that he will not
fight the hypocrites, otherwise people will say that Muhammad
(s) is fighting his own people (because the hypocrisy of the
hypocrites was not apparent.

Battle of Badr (2 AH)

Causes:

• Quraish were displeased at the people of Madina

• They saw the new faith and the new system as a challenge to their existing system
• Prophet ordered some Muslims to patrol the outskirts of Madina to keep an eye on the enemy
since Quraish were involved in small raids on Madina. During one of the encounters, a Quraishi
man by the name of Amr bin Al Hadrami, died. This also made the Quraish angry.
• Quraish’s trade route to Syria had became unsafe and thus Muslims posed an economic threat
to the Quraish
Events:

• Abu Sufyan’s Caravan was heading towards Syria when Prophet tried to attack the caravan and
tried to capture it, but Abu Sufyan escaped.
• On his way back to Makkah from Syria, Abu sufyan feared that the Muslims will attack the
caravan again. So he asked Abu Jahl to help him and protect his caravan.
• Abu Jahl, thinking of it as an opportunity, prepared an army of 1000 fully armed men. Later, Abu
Sufyan’s caravan managed to escape the Muslims and thus was safe. To this, Abu sufyan sent a
 - 65 -

message for Abu Jahl that the army is not required anymore, since they are safe now. Abu Jahl
took this opportunity and thought that if they had come so far, they should end the Muslims
once and for all.
• When Rasulullah got to know about this, he consulted with the Sahaabah as to what the plan
should be now. Sahaabah suggested that we fight them.
• Rasulullah prepared for the battle but left with 313 ill-armoured men. He camped at a favorable
place at Badr. Occupied the wells at Badr and left the enemies without water.
• Night before the Battle Rasulullah cried and prayed to Allah. Allah assured him of his help. Even
Sahaabah had a very good sleep and were fresh for the battle.
• Muslims saw the Quraish army as less as told by Allah in the Quran 3:13. There has already
been a sign for you in the two armies that met. One was fighting in the Cause of Allâh, and the
other were disbelievers. They (the believers) saw them (the disbelievers) with their own eyes
twice their number.
• Next morning on the 17th of Ramadan 2 A.H, the start of the battle saw three duals between
Quraish and Muhajirins. All the three Quraishi men were killed. Hamza, Ali and Abu Ubaidah
killed Utba, Shaiba and waleed.
• General battle then began and one after the other, enemies of Allah were killed.
• Allah helped the Muslims with favourable rain which made the muslim ground firm and
Quraish’s ground slippery. Also, muslims were helped by 1000 angels. Later the number of
angels was increased to 3000 and then 5000.
• Allah tells us about Badr in the Quran, 3:123. And Allâh has already made you victorious at
Badr, when you were a weak little force. So fear Allâh much that you may be grateful.

Results:

• Muslims were victorious and only 14 Muslims were martyred.

• 70 Chiefs of idol-worshippers were killed and 70 were captured. Among the ones killed were
Abu Jahl, Utba, Shaiba, Waleed, Ummayah bin Khalaf etc
• The prestige of Quraish was shattered.
• Ransom was taken from the prisoners of war even though some companions suggested that
prisoners be killed. Those who could not pay ransom, were asked to teach muslims how to read
and write. Among the prisoners were also Abbas, the uncle of the prophet and Abul Aas, the son
in law of the prophet.
Importance:

• Faith of the Muslims strengthened that Allah will help them.

• The battle gave encouragement to the Muslims that they are no
• Adjoining tribes recognized the force the Muslims had now become
• It paved the way for Muslim domination in the area as this was the first clash between muslims
and idol worshippers.
• Treatment of the prisoners of war gave a very positive signal to everyone regarding the conduct
of the Muslims.
• Muslims earned a good booty of war

Battle of Uhad (3 AH)

Causes:
 - 66 -

• Quraish wanted to take revenge from the Muslims. People like Hind and others wanted to take
revenge. Abu Sufyan took an oath to avenge.
• The money from the profit of caravan at badar was dedicated to take revenge.
• Islam was now a bigger threat to the Makkans, especially after the muslim victory
• Hostility between the Muslims and the Quraish increased
Events:

• Quraish’s army took off for revenge with the Muslims with 3000 fully armoured men.
• Prophet consulted with the Sahaabah and accepted the view of fighting the Makkans outside
Madina.
• Prophet left Madina with 1000 men out of which Abdullah bin Ubayy took with him 300 and
deserted the Muslims on the pretext that the prophet did not listen to his advice. So prophet
was left with only 700 men.
• Prophet reached Uhad before the Makkans and took control of the position of Strength. This
position of strength was the small hill at Uhad on which 50 archers were placed under the
command of Abdullah bin Jubair.
• This hill prevented the Makkans from attacking the Muslims from behind. Prophet also gave
clear instructions not to leave the hill “even if the archers see the vultures eating the Muslims”
• Muslim women also participated in this battle and they use to provide water and medical
services to the army.
• After a duel again like at Badar, initial fighting started and Muslims defeated the Quraish. When
the archers saw that the Muslims had won the battle, they left their positions to collect the
booty of war.
• Khalid bin Walid, who was at that time a non-Muslim, took this opportunity to attack the
Muslims from behind. This gave encouragement to the Quraish and they attacked the Muslims
from the front. This sandwiched the Muslims between two quraishite armies. Muslims started
running on top of Uhad mountain to save their lives
• Thus because of the greed for booty and disobedience of the prophet, victory turned into
defeat.
• Meanwhile, a rumor spread that prophet had died and thus Muslims lost hope and gave up. But
when they got to know that prophet was alive, Muslims got their spirits back and they fought
bravely.
• During this battle, Prophet received many wounds and was very injured. His helmet penetrated
his cheek and his teeth were broken.
• In the end the battle was over with heavy losses on both sides of the army. Muslims suffering
the greater loss.
• Makkans in the end promised to meet the Muslims in a final battle next year.
• Allah said regarding Uhad in 3:152 “Allah did fulfill His promise to you: in the initial stage of the
battle, it was you who were killing them by Allah’s leave until you lost heart and disputed
about your duty and disobeyed your leader……”
Results:

• Muslims were victorious but they suffered immense loss like that of Hamza bin Abdul Mutalib,
Musab bin Umair, and Hanzala.
• Hind got Hamza killed through as assassin, Wahshi. Then she later mutilated the body and tried
to chew his liver but couldn’t.
• Prestige of the Muslims was low but Allah morally supported them through verses of the Quran.
 - 67 -

• A lot of lessons were learnt by the Muslims because of this battle.

Importance:

• Muslims learnt a great lesson from the battle and this is how important it is to obey the leader
and not be greedy.
• Many muslims embraced martyrdom through this battle.
• This also exposed the Jews and hypocrites who left muslims when they needed help.
• At the end of the battle, Allah forgave all those who fled in Uhad. This lead to forgiveness of
many.

Battle of Trench (5 AH)

Causes:

• After battle of Uhad, Abu Sufyan promised that he would come next year as well. Though
Rasulullah was waiting for him, he did no turn up until the 5th year of hijrat.
• Muslims were still a challenge for them as their motive of crushing the Muslims was still not
complete
• Jewish tribes were planning this attack to revenge the two Jewish tribes that were expelled from
Madina.
• In their plan, Jews invited the Ghatafan tribe as well as Quraish to form a confederate (alliance)
to crush muslims.
• This is why the battle of Trench is also called battle of Ahzab i.e. confederates
Events:

• Confedrates marched towards madinah with an army of 10000 men, comprising of people from
Quraish, banu Ghatafan and banu Asad tribe.
• When prophet got to know about this, he consulted with the Sahaabah. On this, one of the
Sahabi, Salman al-Farsi, suggested that a trench be dug on the side that was open for attack.
This used to be done in Persia.
• Madina is surrounded from the two sides with rocky volcanic tracks and from one side with
dense trees. Thus only one side was feasible for the enemy to attack.
• A trench was dug on this side and during this all the sahaba participated day and night and even
Rasulullah joined in. The situation got worse since it was cold and there was a shortage of food
as well.
• The trench was 5 km long, 16 ft deep and 13 feet wide.
• When the Trench was dug and the enemy arrived, they were shocked to see it since they had
not seen anything like it ever. The enemy tried to cross the trench but they were unable to do it.
Some who did were killed by the Muslims who were guarding the trench. This was a great trial
for the muslims, who had to patiently bear the cold and the hunger and defend the city. Allah
said in the Quran 33:10-11 “When they came upon you from above you and from below you,
and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats, and you were harbouring
doubts about Allâh. There, the believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking”
• This situation became very unfavorable for the confederates. Since they had only brought in
food sufficient for a few days and their stocks was ending.
• Further more, the three parties involved against the enemy were Jews who were within the city
and the other two Ghatafan and Quraish were outside the city protected by the trench.
Rasulullah was worried that if Banu Quraiza attacks from within, it will turn into a very difficult
 - 68 -

situation for the Muslims as they would be attacked from inside and that would leave the trench
undefended.
• Jews did not attack the muslims. Rather a jew who was spying against the muslims was killed by
Safiyah, the aunt of Prophet (s). A person named Nuaim from the tribe of Ghatafan then came
to Prophet and accepted Islam. This person was popular among all the three groups of enemy.
• Nuaim after accepting Islam worked to sow disunity and distrust among the three groups and
was successful in doing so, as instructed by the prophet.
• After this distrust when everything was working against the enemies, a strong wind blew that
took away the tents of the enemies and they had no other option but to leave empty handed
and unsuccessful. Allah reminds the muslims about this help in the Quran 33:9. O you who
believe! Remember Allâh's Favour to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent
against them a wind and forces that you saw not
Results/Importance

• Quraish failed due to the strategy of the Muslims and through Allah’s help.
• The position that was lost during the Battle of Uhad was regained by the Muslims
• Small tribes now joined the Prophet and Muslims were recognized as a force throughout Arabia
• Some of the Bedouin tribes who helped Quraish, were also made accountable.
• Banu Quraiza was also taken to account for its open support of Quraish.
• Quraish were unable to launch any attack on muslims after this defeat.

Treaty of Hudaibiyah (6 AH)

Causes:

• Prophet saw a dream that he is heading for an Umra to which he consulted the sahabah, who
were also eager to perform umrah.
• To fulfil this dream, Prophet left Madina with 1400 men for the purpose of performing the
minor pilgrimage.
• Quraish’s forces saw this as a threat and thus sent expeditions to stop the Muslims. Two
expeditions of Quraish stopped them, one was lead by Khalid bin Walid and the other by Ikrimah
bin Abi Jahl.
• Muslims did not want bloodshed so they stopped at a place called Hudaibiyah and sent a
message to the Makkans that the intention of the Muslims was only to perform Umra
peacefully.
• The messenger was detained by the Quraish so Prophet sent another messenger. This time,
Uthman bin Affan.
• He was also detained but a rumor spread that Uthman has been killed.
• This infuriated the Muslims and thus they pledged to Rasulullah that they would avenge the
death of Uthman. This Pledge is called bait-ul-ridwan (pledge of pleasure). Since Allah revealed
in the Quran that Allah is pleased with all those who were part of this pledge. Allah said in
48:18. Indeed, Allâh was pleased with the believers when they gave their Bai'â (pledge) to you
under the tree…
• Thus when Quraish got to know this, they send their envoy, Sohail, to the prophet to negotiate.
Prophet got ready to sign a treaty with the Quraish. Hence a treaty was formulated and signed
at Hudaibiyah. The treaty was written by Ali bin Abi Talib.
Features:
 - 69 -

• Muslims will perform Umra next year and during that Umra, Muslims will come unarmed (with
swords only in their sheaths) and will not stay in Makkah for more than 3 days
• Arab tribes were free to join any of the two parties
• If any person goes from Makkah to Madina, Muslims will return that person back to Makkans
• If any person goes from Madina to Makkah, Quraish will not return that person back to Muslims
• There will be no war for 10 years between the two parties
Importance

• This treaty, even though it had points which were unfair to muslims, enabled Muslims to
concentrate on spreading the message of Islam
• Politically Muslims were now recognized by almost all the forces in Arabia including Makkans
because muslims were now negotiating with the Quraish.
• From a strategic point Muslims could now freely move and conduct their activities since Quraish
were now neutral
• Islam grew faster than ever since the tribes were given the liberty to join anyone they wish to.
This is the reason, why number of muslims almost tripled in the next two years.
• Score with the Jews could now be settled
• Because of this treaty’s benefits for the Muslims, Allah revealed the verses of Surah fath, whose
first verse says “Indeed we have grated to you a manifest victory”

Letters to the Kings

In the 6th year of Hijra, prophet sent letters to various kings with the proposal to accept Islam

# Letter to: Result:

1 King of Rome – Heraclius
Heraclius received the letter through Dihya Al Kalbi. The king
investigated regarding this matter and called Abu Sufyan and
asked him about Muhammad. Abu Sufyan gave an honest reply
to the questions raised by Heraclius. This satisfied the king and
Although he acknowledged that Islam was the true religion and
Muhammad was the messenger of Allah, he did not accept Islam
due to the pressure of his people and his fear that he would lose
his kingdom. He did send some gifts for the Messenger.

2 King of Egypt - Maquaqis The king welcomed the messenger and treated him well. He
accepted Islam and sent gifts for the Prophet including a slave
girl

3 King of Persia – Khusro The king ill-treated the messenger, tore the letter and used bad
Parvez words for the Messenger. He also dispatched an army towards
madina. But this reaction of his led to his death. His kingdom fell
apart.

4 King of Abyssinia The king welcomed the messenger and treated him well. He
accepted Islam and sent gifts for the Prophet
Negus
 - 70 -

5 Governor of Syria Shurabil al Ghassani, tore the letter of the prophet and killed the
muslim ambassador, Harith bin Umair
Shurabil al Ghassani

6 Leader of Yamamah The leader of Yamamah rejected the letter of the prophet and
was furious
Howdah bin Ali

7 King of Bahrain Mundhir bin Sawa accepted islam and sent gifts to the prophet

Mundhir bin Sawa

8 King of Oman The king welcomed the messenger and treated him well. He
accepted Islam and sent gifts for the Prophet
Jafar

Battle of Muttah (629 AD)

The Muslim envoy to Basra, Harith bin Umair was killed by an arab chief called Shurabil al Ghassani at
muttah. Shurabil and Syria came under the roman empire. Prophet decided to punish the murderer and
an army of three thousand Muslims was set under the command of Zaid bin Harith. Ghassani army was
that of 200,000 men. Prophet (s) told the muslims as to who would be the leader in the absence of who.
During the Battle, Zaid bin Harith, Jafar bin abi Talib and Abdullah ibn Rawaha were martyred one after
the other. People were in the state of confusion as to who to make the leader. Then Khalid bin Walid
who was now a Muslim, led the Muslims back to Madinah safely. Khalid bin Walid got the title of Saif-
ullah meaning “Sword of Allah” after this battle. Prophet (s) could see this battle from where he was in
Madinah.

Conquest of Makkah (8 AH)

Causes:

• After the treaty of Hudaibiyah, tribes were free to join anyone they wished. So Banu Bakr joined
the Makkans and Banu Khuza joined the Muslims.
• One night, Banu Bakr who were enemies of Banu Khuza, attacked Banu Khuza and killed 20
people. They were also helped by people of Quraish.
• Banu Khuza complained about this to the Prophet who took an immediate action. Prophet gave
Quraish three options
o Banu Bakr should pay blood money to Banu Khuza
o The alliance between Quraish and Banu Bakr be broken so that Muslims could settle the
score with Banu Bakr
o The treaty of Hudaibiyah be dissolved
• Quraish opted for the Third option but they wanted to take back their decision but Rasulullah
refused
Events:

• Prophet prepared a small army and sent them north to deceive the makkans who were thinking
that they would be attacked.
• Then Prophet (s) prepared an army of 10000 men to attack Makkah
 - 71 -

• Prophet stayed at Mar-ul-Zahra and there he divided the army into four divisions.
• Each division was responsible for a particular area in Makkah
• Each man was asked to light up one fire to deceive the makkan’s regarding the numbers.
• The army was ordered to minimize any loss or damage keeping in mind the sanctity of Makkah
• Abu Sufyan was spying in the muslims camp when he was caught and presented to the prophet.
He met the prophet at Mar ul Zahra and accepted Islam there.
• Prophet before the attack announced that anyone who enters his own house or the house of
Abu Sufyan or goes to Al kaabah or throws the weapon will be safe.
• Thus Makkah was conquered peacefully on the 10th of Ramadan in the 8th year of Hijrat. Only
one division of the Muslim army under the command of Khalid bin Walid encountered minor
fights, rest all surrendered.
• Prophet Muhammad (s) entered Makkah prostrating on his ride, wearing a black turban.
• General amnesty was given except to nine of the worst enemies of the Prophet
• He forgave all that happened to him and this shows how merciful the prophet was.
• Truth was separated from falsehood that day and Kaabah was purified from all the idols.
Prophet (s) was reciting the verse of the Quran “and say truth has come and falsehood has
perished, indeed, falsehood is bound to perish”
• Bilal gave azan from on top of the roof of Al-Kaabah
• Prophet gave a sermon after which a general pledge was taken and many Quraish accepted
Islam. The sermon reminded the Quraish about their duty towards Allah.
• Prophet (s) asked Quraish that what kind of treatment they expected from him. They responded
by saying “you are noble brother and the son of a noble brother”. To this, the prophet said, I will
say to you today what Yusuf said to his brothers “There is no revenge from you today” and he
forgave them, including Hind.
• Prophet returned to Madina later after appointing a governor in Makkah.
Importance:

• Faith of the Muslims became stronger as the promise of Allah was fulfilled
• Many enemies accepted Islam and became allies of muslims
• The center of Arabia was now under Muslim control
• Politically, Muslims were now the biggest force in Arabia
• Spread of Islam became faster and delegations started to pour in to accept the new faith. This
was foretold by Allah in Surah Nasr verse 1-2 “When comes the Help of Allâh, And you see that
the people enter Allâh's religion in groups…”
• The peaceful conquest of Makkah left a favourable impression on all and a lesson for mankind.

Battle of Hunain

Causes:

• Hawazin and thaqif tribes were two Bedouin – nomadic tribes

• They opposed the Muslims and were a threat since they were proud warriors and thought that
they could win against the Muslims
• Hawazin also had enmity with Quraish and thought this as a good opportunity to prepare
against Makkah, which was now under muslims.
 - 72 -

Events:

• Prophet marched with an army of 12000 men out of which 10000 were the same as the ones at
conquest of Makkah and 2000 more joined from Makkah after the conquest.
• Prophet led the Muslims during this battle against Hawazin and Thaqif who were preparing to
fight the muslims.
• Muslims became proud that they were huge in number and thought that loosing today was
impossible.
• Thus Allah wanted to teach the Muslims a lesson.
• Enemy was waiting for Muslims at the valley of Hunain and when the Muslims reached there,
they were ambushed.
• Muslims army suffered confusion and some men ran away, but prophet and other companions
including Abu Sufyan, called them back to fight.
• Thus on this, the Muslims reunited and now that they had learnt their lesson, Allah granted
them victory over their enemies. Allah says in the Quran 9:25. Truly Allâh has given you victory
on many battle fields, and on the Day of Hunain when you rejoiced at your great number but
it availed you not and the earth, vast as it is, was constricted for you, then you turned back in
flight.
Results:

Since the bedoiun tribes use to travel with all their wealth, this battle gave Muslims a very huge booty.
Muslims earned 24000 camels, 40000 goats, 4000 ounces of silver and 6000 prisoners of war. Thaqif
tribe then ran to the fortresses in Taif. And after a siege of 20 days, Prophet left Taif. Later the tribe of
Thaqif accepted Islam

Expedition to Tabuk

Causes:

• The relation between the Muslims and the Roman Empire were strained after the battle of
Muttah.
• When prophet had eliminated all enemies within Arabia, his focus turned to external threats.
• The strength and influence of Islam was increasing which worried the Romans.
• Arab Christians wrote to Hercules saying that prophet had died and thus Heraclius thought that
this was a great opportunity to end the Muslims
Events:

• Climate at the time in Madina and Arabia was hot. So this Jihad was really a test for the Muslims
• Mass scale Battle preparations were done by Rasulullah and contributions were coming in from
all fractions of the society. Abu Bakr donated all of what he had and Umar, half of what he had.
Uthman made the largest contribution in terms of dinar and camels. Women also contributed
with jewelry.
• An army was prepared to fight the Super-power of the time – the Romans. An army of 30000
men was prepared but was ill-equiped.
• Prophet camped at Thaniat al wada from where Abdullah ibn Ubayy took his men back after
making excuses that the city was unsafe. All other hypocrites were also making excuses. They
 - 73 -

were cowards and did not want to fight. Allah revealed the Quran regarding them saying “They
say ‘do not go forth in this head’. O Muhammad tell them, the fire of hell fire is much hotter”
• Matter of the hypocrites here became clear.
• 3 sahaba did not join as well who were later faced with social boycott and then forgiven by
Allah. Unlike hypocrites, they did not make excuse. They accepted their mistake and confessed
it.
• When Prophet reached Tabuk but Romans did not turn up. Prophet camped there for three days
to wait for the enemy, but romans did not show up.
• No battle took place but Muslim morale was strengthened and their prestige increased.
• On his return, Prophet gave the proposal of Islam to the adjoining tribes which accepted. Thus
Muslim empire expanded.

Farewell Pilgrimage (10 AH)

This sermon was delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul-Hijjah, 10 A.H. (632 CE) in the 'Uranah valley of
Mount Arafat in Makkah. It was the occasion of the annual rites of Hajj (the pilgrimage). It is also known
as the Farewell Pilgrimage as it was done just months before prophet’s death

After praising, and thanking Allah the Prophet began with the words:

"O People! lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year I shall ever be amongst you
again. Therefore, listen carefully to what I am saying and Take These Words to Those Who Could Not Be
Present Here Today.

“O People! just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of
every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one
so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that he will indeed
reckon your deeds.

“Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be
waived. Your capital is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has Judged
that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (Prophet's
uncle) be waived.

“Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that
I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabiah ibn al-Harithiah.

“O Men! the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calender in order to make permissible that which
Allah forbade, and to prohibit which Allah has made permissible. With Allah the months are twelve in
number. Four of them are holy, three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months
of Jumada and Shaban.

“Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope of that he will be able to lead
you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

“O People! it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights
over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His
 - 74 -

permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness.
Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And
it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never
to be unchaste.

“O People! listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during month of
Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat (obligatory charity). Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has
any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority
over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and
that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to
a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly.

“Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your
deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

“O People! No Prophet or Apostle Will Come after Me and No New Faith Will Be Born. Reason well,
therefore, O People! and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things,
the QUR’AN and my SUNNAH (i.e., sayings, deeds, and approvals) and if you follow these you will never
go astray.

“All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the
last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.

“Be my witness O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people."

As part of this sermon, the Prophet recited them a Revelation from Allah which he had just received and
which completed the Qur’an, for it was the last passage to be revealed:

This day the disbelievers despair of prevailing against your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me
(Allah)! This day have I perfected for you your religion and fulfilled My favor unto you, and it hath
been My good pleasure to choose Islam for you as your religion (Surah 5, Ayah 3).

Toward the end of his sermon, the Prophet asked “O people, have I faithfully delivered unto you my
message?" The people said “Yes”. The Prophet raised his forefinger and said: “Be my witness O Allah,
that I have conveyed your message to your people."

Features of the Islamic Society at Madina

• Belief in Allah and the Last Day

• Protection of Life and Property of its citizens
• Religious Freedom to all, including non muslims
• Basic needs of all fulfilled
• Brotherhood
• Piety and Righteousness
• Free from social ills
• Justice
 - 75 -

• Equality
• Respect for Women

Relation with non-muslim during the life of Prophet (Add examples and references)

• Relation with the Makkans (Treaty of Hudaibiyah)

• Treaties Honoured by Rasulullah
• Defensive battles fought against non muslims
• Letters to the rulers, Inviting them
• Alliances honoured
• General amnesty
• Rules of War stated for the first time
• Protection of Non-Muslims
• Justice to non muslims

Muhammad as the seal of the Prophet: (points)

• Previous messengers had limited scope of preaching; whereas the message of prophet (s) is
applicable for all times to come.
• System and message brought by Rasulullah is perfect and does not require any addition or
subtraction. Thus no other prophet is needed.
• There will be no prophet after him as prophet (s) said “If there were a prophet after me, it
would be umar, but there is no prophet after me”
• He was Khatam un Nabiyeen, meaning the “seal of prophets”, just like an envelop that is sealed.
Nothing can be added or subtracted.
• The message of Rasulullah was guarded from deviations as Quran says “Indeed we have
revealed the remembrance and indeed we will guard it”. The message of previous prophets
became corrupt.
• Life and sayings of Rasulullah are preserved in the form of Sunnah, making him the role model
for all those who come after him.
• Allah said in 33:40 “Muhammad is not the father of any one of you from among men, rather he
is the messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets”
• Prophet (s) gave the example of a castle to that of the line of prophets, saying that there is a
beautiful castle which is complete except that there is one brick which is missing. He said, “I am
that brick”
• Many false prophets rose during the life of prophet and after the life of prophet, and continue
to do so today. Such people have been fought and rejected by the muslim Ummah.

Seal of the prophet (in continuous prose)

Prophet (s) was the last and final messenger of Allah and is called the seal of the prophets (Khatam un
Nabiyeen). Previous messengers had limited scope of preaching and message. System brought by
Rasulullah is perfect and complete. There will be no prophet after him and he was Khatam un Nabiyeen.
The word Khatam means seal or the end of something. Regarding him being khatam un nabiyeen, it is
mentioned in 33:40 “and Muhammad is not the father of any one of you among men, but he is the
messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets”. The message of Rasulullah is guarded from
deviations because no other prophet will come to rectify it. Even the life and sayings of Rasulullah are
 - 76 -

preserved. The last and final message of Allah is applicable in all times and places till the Day of
Judgment. Hence no improvement or change or addition or subtraction is needed in islam. The final
message is perfect, hence no need for a prophet. Quran says “Today we have perfected for you your
religion and completed my favour upon you and chosen for you islam as your religion” His message is
universal.
Also Allah's Apostle said, "My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me, is that of a
man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of "ONE"brick in a corner. The
people go about it and wonder at its beauty, but say: 'Would that this brick be put in its place!' So I
am that brick, and I am the last of the Prophets."
Prophet (s) was not only the last prophet but also the last messenger, because if no other prophet
would come then how can a messenger come? Since every messenger is a prophet.
Prophet also said that the last day would not establish, till 30 false prophets rise in this ummah. We
have seen in the distant past and near past where many people claimed to be prophets like Musailmah,
Aswad al anasi, Tulaiha, Sajjah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadiyani, Rashad Khalifa, Yusuf Kazaab and many
others.
It is by Ijma of the scholars that anyone who believes in any other prophet after prophet Muhammad is
a disbeliever (no more in the fold of islam)

Relationship between Muslims and Jews

Banu Qainuqa

An incident happened prior to the Battle of Uhad when a Jewish man humiliated a Muslim woman in the
market place. This infuriated a Muslim man who was witnessing this event and thus he killed that Jew. In
return, other Jews killed that Sahabi.

When the news reached prophet (s), he demanded blood money as compensation for that Sahabi. Jews
refused and thus Prophet besieged Banu Qainuqa in their fortresses. One more reason was the
consolation of Quraish done by the jews on their loss at badr. The siege lasted for 15 days, after which
they surrendered on the insistence that Abdullah ibn Ubayy will judge. He judged that they will be exiled
from Madina. These Jews settled in Khyber and Syria.

Banu Nadir

In 626 AD, Banu Nadir, another tribe of Jews, also broke the treaty and planned against the Muslims and
Islam. They made numerous attempts to kill the prophet and also were involved in planning against the
Muslims with Quraish. Kaab bin Ashraf, was a Jew, who was actively involved in the propaganda against
the Prophet. When these activities of Banu Nadir became unbearable, Prophet moved his men to siege
the fortresses of Banu Nadir after giving them a notification to leave Madina which they refused. The
siege went on for 20 days after which they surrendered with the same intervention made by Abdullah
ibn Ubayy. This time, they were only allowed to take with them things which they can carry on their
rides. They were exiled and left for Khyber and Syria.

Banu Quraiza

Since Banu Quraiza helped the Enemy against the Muslims in the battle of trench, Rasulullah moved to
punish the last Jewish tribe. They broke the treaty and were convicted with treason. After a 25 day siege
 - 77 -

of their fortresses, they finally gave up on the condition that Saad bin Muadh, their former ally would
decide the matter and decide it according to the Torah. Their punishment was decided by Saad bin
Muadh according to the Old Testament as was their wish. Their men were executed and women
children and elderly people were taken as captives. As a result 700 to 900 adults were executed. This
decision was approved by the Prophet.

Expedition to Khyber

Causes:

• Jews had started to conspire against the Muslim again from their base at Khyber to regain
Madinah.
• Jews contacted banu Ghatafan to attack muslims
• They were angry at the exile of Nadir and Qainuqa and the killing of Quraiza.
Events:

• Prophet marched to Khyber with a force of 1600 men before the Jews could manage anything to
attack the Muslims. Khyber was a stronghold and the biggest community of Jews in Arabia.
• Prophet laid siege to their fortresses. One after the other each fortress was being conquered.
There were a total of 17 fortresses.
• After 20 days, all the fortresses surrendered including the biggest one by the name of Qamous.
• Qamous was conquered with difficulty but through the bravery of Ali, it was possible.
Results:

• Muslims received a huge booty through this expedition

• Jews were forgiven but Jizya was placed that was each year they would give half of the produce
of Khyber to the Muslims.
• Jews were also warned to not conspire against the muslims and when the muslims want, they
would ask the jews to leave Khyber, and the jews will.

Prophet as a perfect model for Humanity

 - 78 -

Simplicity
in Living
Patient in
Mercy for
times of
all
Problems

Justice and
equality Forgiveness

Prophet as a
role model for
humanity Far-sighted
Hospitality and good
planning

Leadership Courage
of the and
community Bravery

Honouring
commitment Truthfulness
and alliances and Honesty

Prophet as a model of excellence

Prophet (S.A.W) is an excellent example for mankind to follow in their daily lives to become a virtuous
person. He is the closest connecting link between Allah and man, and his teachings provide guidance in
all walks of life. When someone inquired about his character from Ayesha (R.A), she replied:
“His morals are the Quran” (Sahih Bukhari)

Allah has also testified the character of Holy Prophet (S.A.W)

“And you (stand) on an exalted standard of character.” (68:4).

The Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.W) manners were ideal, he said “Allah sent me to complete the
excellent virtues and to perfect the good manners”

Since his characters were based upon the Holy Quran which deals with all walks of life, so the activities
of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) were multi dimensional that is they covered different aspects of human
life. His character was completely flawless, a pure reflection of human perfection, since the roots of his
character lay in the perfect divine guidance – The Holy Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran

“You have indeed in the messenger of Allah a beautiful example” (33:21).
 - 79 -

Prophet (S.A.W) not only preached the divine guidance, but also practiced what he preached to
demonstrate in real the implementation of Islamic principles. This practice was greatly helpful in the
removing the sense of impossibility of performing certain actions. It insured that people did not consider
the divine laws impractical when their practical implementation was shown by man himself. E.g. the
Holy Quran commands us to perform Sala’ah. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) demonstrated in practical
how Sala’ah should be performed. The different roles which Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) took up in his
life gave him a wide range of experiences of different lifestyles. He applied Islam in various aspects of
these roles and then practically carried out the commandments of Allah pertaining to these roles. For
instance, he played the role of the head of the Islamic state of Madinah. As a head, he devised different
laws for his state in accordance to Islamic principles and successfully ran the machinery of Madinah
under the new Islamic system. As a husband, he treated all his wives fairly and granted them all those
liberties which Islam has given to women. As a commander of the Muslim army, he laid down the
directions of fighting with respected fundamental, human rights even during warfare. In connection with
his piety and devotion are some of his marked qualities of which the most striking was his trust in Allah.
“It is part of the mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them.” (3:159)

Relation with other states

Holy Prophet (PBUH) settled in the city of Medina in 622 A.D. and soon the city developed into a Muslim
state. The system of administration devised by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) remained the basis of Muslim
state for a number of years.
In 6A.H, Holy Prophet (PBUH) signed a treaty with the people of Makkah. This treaty was known as
Treaty of Hudaybiah. He was not allowed to enter the Makkah and thus no pilgrimage but still was
willing to accept the terms of the treaty that Quraishites presented. The treaty stated that Muslims shall
return this year and come back next year. They shall not stay in Makkah for more than 3 days and must
be unarmed. They can only bring swords, which must be sheathed. War activities shall not take place for
a decade during which both parties would not enter into a dispute with each other. Whosoever wishes
to join Quraish from Medina, he/she must be allowed. Furthermore, if anyone from the Quraish goes to
Muhammad (PBUH), he shall be returned but if any of Muhammad’s (PBUH) follower goes to Quraish ,
he/she shall not be returned.
A number of companions including Hazrat Umar (R.A) were not happy with the terms of treaty but for
the sake of establishment of peace, Holy Prophet (PBUH) accepted the terms. Holy Prophet (PBUH)
revolutionized the system of War and restricted the state policy of unprovoked aggression and territorial
expansion.
In the 7th year after Hijrat, Holy Prophet (PBUH) decided to send letters to Kings and Emperors. Instead
of fighting and capturing the neighboring countries for the growth of Islamic empire, he adopted a
peaceful method of calling the rulers of countries to enter the fold of Islam. For every king, a special
letter was written and one separate messenger was sent.
The letters sent by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were both accepted and rejected with disgrace. The Roman
emperor Hercules and the emperor of Egypt did not accept Islam but they treated the messenger
politely and sent presents for Holy Prophet (PBUH). The emperor of Egypt sent two maids from noble
(Optic families), some clothing and animals to ride on the journey back. The Roman emperor told the
messenger:” If I were with him, I would have washed his feet”. The emperor of Abyssinia (Negus),
Bahrain (Mandhir) and Oman (Jaffar) accepted Islam. One letter was sent to Persian King, Khusro Pervaiz
who tore the letter into pieces and humiliated the messenger. On the contrary Holy Prophet(PBUH) ,
without any bloodshed was able to bring 3 large empires to Islam.
However the relations with other states were not always good. The prophet fought many battles,
totaling 27 during the madinan period of his life. (give a summary of battles here from his life)
 - 80 -

For revision:

http://prophetictimeline.com/Prophet/Timeline.php
 - 81 -

Wives of the prophet

'The Mother of the Believers' - a title of respect that was given to all of the wives of the
Prophet, (may Allah be pleased with them), which confirmed what the Quran clearly states that
no man could marry any of them after they had been married to the Prophet:
"The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves, and his wives are as their
mothers."[33:6]

Khadija
Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, came from a noble family. Her father’s name was
Khuwaylid. Her husband had also died, leaving her a very wealthy woman. She had two children
from this marriage, Hala and Hind. When Muhammad (peace be upon him) was still a young
man, she entrusted him with some of her wealth, asking him to trade with it in Syria on her
behalf. He was already well known for his honesty, truthfulness and trustworthiness. He
returned from Syria after having made a large profit for Khadijah.
After hearing his account of the journey, she decided that he would make the best of the
husbands, even though many of the most important nobles of the Quraish had already
proposed to her and had been refused, and in due course she proposed to him. After the
Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib, approved, Muhammad (s) and Khadijah were married. At the time
of the marriage, the Prophet was twenty-five years old, while Khadijah was forty years old.
For the next fifteen years they lived happily together, and Khadijah bore several children. Their
first child, a son whom they named Qasim, died when he was only two years old. However,
Muhammad and Khadijah also had four daughters who survived: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm
Kulthum and Fatimah.
It became Muhammad's (s) custom to spend time in seclusion and reflection in a cave on the
mountain of Hira. Khadijah would always make sure that he was provided with food and drink
during his retreat. One day prophet (s) came home saying, "Cover me up, cover me up!" and
explained to Khadija what had happened. She wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and
comforted him by saying "Do not worry," she said, "for by Him who has dominion over
Khadijah's soul, I hope that you are the Prophet of this nation. Allah would never humiliate
you, for you are good to your relatives, you are true to your word, you help those who are in
need, you support the weak, you feed the guest and you answer the call of those who are in
distress." Then Khadijah took him to see her cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfal, who confirmed his
prophethood. Khadija became the first person to accept Islam.
She stood by him in difficult years in which the leaders of the Quraish did everything in their
power to stop the Prophet spreading his message, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her)
was a constant source of help and comfort to Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the
difficulties which he had to face. All her wealth was spent in the way of Allah, helping to spread
 - 82 -

the message of her husband, helping to free slaves who had embraced Islam, and helping to
feed and shelter the community of Muslims that slowly but surely began to grow in numbers
and strength.
Eventually there came a time when Muhammad and his followers -along with all the members
of his tribe, the Banu Hashim were driven out of the city of Mecca and forced to camp out in a
small ravine in the mountains nearby. For three years the small Muslim community lived a life
of hardship and deprivation, and Khadija was part of it. Later, during the month of Ramadan,
Khadijah also died, at the age of sixty-five in the 10th year of prophethood which was declared
as the year of grief by the prophet.
Once Aisha asked him if Khadijah had been the only woman worthy of his love. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: "She believed in me when no one else did;
she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there
was no one else to lend me a helping hand." On one occasion, when Khadijah was still alive,
Jibril came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger
of Allah, Khadijah is just coming with a bowl of soup (or food or drink) for you. When she
comes to you, give her greetings of peace from her Lord and from me, and give her the good
news of a palace of jewels in the Garden, where there will be neither any noise nor any
tiredness."

Sawdah bint zama

Sawdah bint Zam'a had been the first woman to immigrate to Abyssinia in the way of Allah. Her
husband had died and she was now living with her aged father. She was middle-aged with a
jolly, kindly disposition, and just the right person to take care of the Prophet's household and
family. So Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent her a marriage proposal
which she accepted, feeling it was a great honor. Sawdah went to live in Muhammad's house
and immediately took over the care of his daughters and household.
There was great surprise in Mecca that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
would choose to marry a widow when quraish were trying to bribe him with young, beautiful
women. The Prophet, however, remembered the trials she had undergone when she had
immigrated to Abyssinia, leaving her house and property, and crossed the desert and then the
sea for an unknown land out of the desire to preserve her religion.
When she was older, the prophet was worried that Sawdah might be upset about having to
compete with so many younger wives, and offered to divorce her. She gave up some of her
rights to avoid divorce because she only wanted to be his wife on the Day of Rising. She lived on
until the end of the time of Umar ibn al Khattab. She and Aisha (r) always remained very close.

Aisha bint abi bakr

Aisha (r) was born in the muslim family of the great friend of prophet (s), Abu bakr. 'A'isha later
reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had told her
 - 83 -

that Jibril came to him and showed him a picture of her on a piece of green silk and said, "She is
your wife in this world and in the next world." Based on this dream, Prophet (s) sent a
proposal to her father and she moved to his house at a very early age of nine. This union took
place shortly after migration to madinah.
Her marriage to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not change 'A'isha's
playful ways, and her young friends continued to regularly come to visit her in her own room. "I
would be playing with my dolls," she once said, "with the girls who were my friends, and the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would come in and they would slip out of
the house and he would go out after them and bring them back, for he was pleased for my
sake to have them there. Sometimes he would say, 'Stay, where you are,' before they had
time to leave, and would also join in their games. One day," 'A'isha said, "ihe Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) came in when I was playing with my dolls and said,
'A'isha, whatever game is this?' 'It is Solomon's horses,' I replied, and he laughed."
Once Prophet asked 'A'isha whether she would like to watch the Abyssinians who were giving a
fighting display with their weapons in the mosque and she said yes. "By Allah," said 'A'isha, "I
remember the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) standing at the
door of my room, screening me with his cloak, so that I could see the sport of the Abyssinians
as they played with their spears in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him). He kept standing for my sake until I had enough."
A'isha was a very intelligent and observant young girl with a very good memory. 'A'isha (may
Allah be pleased with her) spent the next nine years of her life with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) and became one of the top scholars among companions. She
narrated around 2200 Ahadith and was considered an authority on family life of the prophet. A
companion once said, "I have not seen anyone more eloquent than 'A'isha." Abu Musa once
said, "Whenever a report appeared doubtful to us, the Companions of the Prophet, and we
asked 'A'isha about it, we always learned something from her about it."
An important incident that took place during her life was the accusation made by some people
including hypocrites on her chastity which she was unaware of. To such an extent that matters
became so complex that her relation with the prophet (s) was also affected until Allah revealed
verses in the Quran to prove her innocence.
"Surely those who fabricate the lie are a group from among you…." [Quran 24:11]
Prophet (s) loved Aisha the most from among his wives and companions. Once when a person
asked prophet (s) whom he loved the most, he replied “Aisha”.
As the day of prophet’s death approached, it is clear that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) wished to die in the company of A'isha, so he asked his wives ' permission to
remain in A'isha 's room during his illness, and his other wives, (may Allah be pleased with them
all), agreed to forego their turns. For much of the time during his last few days on earth the
 - 84 -

Prophet lay on a couch with his head resting on A'isha's lap. She was the one who took a
toothstick from her brother chewed it soften it and then gave it to the Prophet.
At the time of his death, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
was sixty three years old, and A'isha was eighteen and prophet was buried in Aisha’s quarter.
A'isha Siddiqa (which was her title) lived on for another fifty years after him after the Prophet's
death, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dying at the age of sixty eight, in 58 AH (may
Allah be pleased with her). She was buried in Baqi. During the caliphates, she was also active in
political affairs till the battle of camels after which she was most inactive politically.

Hafsah bint Umar

Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her, was the daughter of Umar ibn al Khattab. She had been
married to someone else, but was widowed when she was still very young, only eighteen. Umar
asked both Abu Bakr and Uthman ibn Affan, one after another, if they would like to marry her,
but they both declined because they knew that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) had expressed an interest in marrying her. When Umar (may Allah be pleased with
him) went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to complain about their
behavior, the Prophet smiled, and said, "Hafsah will marry one better than Uthman and
Uthman will marry one better than Hafsah."
Umar was startled and then realized that it was the Prophet was asking for her hand in
marriage. He was overcome with delight. They were married just after the battle of Badr, when
Hafsah was about twenty years old and the Prophet as fifty-six. By this marriage, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) strengthened the ties between him and Umar.
Hafsah, like A'isha with whom she became close friends, and was not hesitant to ask intriguing
questions to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who allowed her to say
what she thought. She narrated many Ahadith from the prophet.
Hafsah memorized the entire Qur'an by heart. The written copy of the Qur'an which was
recorded by Zayd ibn Thabit on Abu Bakr's instructions, and which was then given to Umar for
safekeeping, was then given by Umar to Hafsah to look after.
Hafsah lived with the Prophet in Medina for eight years, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace and lived on for another thirty four years after his death, witnessing with joy the victories
and expansion of Islam under her father's guidance, and with sorrow the troubles that beset
the Muslim community after the murder of Uthman. She died in 47 AH at the age of sixty-three.

Zainab bint Khuzaimah

Zainab was the daughter of Khuzaimah ibn Abdullah. As she was very generous and charitable
and fed the poor and the needy with generosity, she came to be called Umm al-Masakin
(Mother of the needy).
 - 85 -

She was first married to Abdullah ibn Jahsh who was martyred in the Battle of Uhud. She was
married to the Prophet in the same year but died after a few months. She was the only wife of
the Prophet, after Khadijah, who died in his lifetime. The Prophet offered her funeral prayer
himself and buried her in al-Baqi'. She was thirty years old when she died.

Umm Salamah
She was Hind bint Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira and her Kunyah was Umm Salamah because of
her son Salamah from her first husband Abdullah ibn Asad. She embraced Islam with her
husband and is considered to have been one of the earliest Muslims. She first migrated to
Abyssinia with her husband and from there she came to Makkah.
Some time later, She and her husband wanted to migrate to Madina but her family intervened
and she was separated from her child as well as her husband. A kind man helped her unite with
her child and her husband. She lived with her husband Abu Salamah in Quba', till, in the Battle
of Uhud, he was mortally wounded. This was a great blow! Now she was left alone, with two
children, Salamah and Zainab.
After the completion of the waiting period, when the Prophet proposed to her, she offered
three excuses, "I am a very jealous (gayur) woman (for she deeply loved her husband Abu
Salamah); I have children; and I am old." The Prophet said that his age was more than hers;
Allah and His Messenger would look after her children and, as for her jealousy, he would pray
to Allah to remove that from her. She was married in the year 4 A.H. and her dowry was some
goods worth ten dirhams.
On her marriage with the Prophet, she was to stay in the house of Zainab bint Khuzaimah.
There she found a jar full of barley, a hand-mill, some macaroni, and a pot containing a little
butter. She milled some barley and prepared a meal for the Prophet and herself. That was all
they took as a wedding-feast.
Prophet (s) would seek her advice in important matters and she would give her mature and
valuable advice like her advice to the prophet to slaughter his camel at hudaibiyah so that
companions could follow his example.
Mahmud ibn Labid said, "The wives of the Prophet were treasuries of hadith but A'isha and
Umm Salamah had no equal." She could read the Qur'an in the style of the Prophet. Once
someone asked, "How did the Prophet read the Qur'an?" She said, "He read each verse
separately from the other," and then showed how by reading the Qur'an herself. She narrated
378 hadith. She was very simple and lived a very pious life.
She was the last of the wives of the Prophet to die. She died at the age of eighty four in the year
63 A.H., after the martyrdom of Husain. Abu Hurairah offered her funeral prayer and she was
buried in the Jannat al-Baqi.
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Zainab bint Jahsh

Zainab bint Jahash was the Prophet Muhammad's cousin, her mother Umayma being the
daughter of Abdul Muttalib, Thus Zainab bint Jahash came from one of the noblest families of
the Quraish, and everyone expected her to eventually marry a man with the same high social
status. But she married Zaid bin haritha, a freed slave, who was from a very different
background on the proposal of prophet Muhammad. The marriage, however, was not a
success. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then was ordered by Allah to
marry Zainab bint Jahash, while he did in 5 AH, when he was fifty-eight years old, and she was
thirty-five years old. In doing so, he demonstrated beyond doubt that in Islam an adopted son is
not regarded in the same light as a natural son, and that although a father may never marry a
woman whom his natural son has married and then divorced, the father of an adopted son is
permitted to marry a woman who was once, but is no longer, married to that adopted son.
Furthermore, by marrying Zainab, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also
confirmed that it is permissible for cousins to marry.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) received the command to
marry Zainab and the verses were then related to her. Afterwards, she was fond of pointing out
that her marriage had been arranged by Allah himself. It was at this point that the Prophet
changed her name from Barra to Zainab.
Zainab was a woman who was constantly immersed in the worship of Allah. It is related by Anas
ibn Malik that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered the
mosque and found a rope hanging down between two of the pillars, and so he said, "What is
this?" He was told, "It is for Zainab. She prays, and when she loses concentration or feels
tired, she holds onto it." At this time the Prophet said, "Untie it. Pray as long as you feel fresh,
but when you lose concentration or become tired, you should stop."
Zainab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) for six years, and lived for another nine years after his death, dying at the
age of fifty, in 20 AH. Prophet said, when speaking of Zainab to his other wives, "She is the
most generous among you."

Jawairiyah
Juwairiyah bint Harith, may Allah be pleased with her, married the Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) in 5 AH, when the Prophet was fifty-eight years old and she
was twenty, not long after his marriage to Zainab bint Jahash, and as a result of the Muslims '
successful campaign against the Banu Mustaliq who were swiftly defeated after the Prophet's
surprise attack. Among the captives taken in this campaign was Juwairiyah, the daughter of al-
Harith, who was the chief of the Banu Mustaliq.
She demanded to see the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
hoping that he would help to prevent what she feared regarding her fate. After she had finished
speaking, the Prophet said, "Shall I tell you what would be better than this?" He then asked
 - 87 -

her to marry him, and she immediately accepted. Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) was thinking of how to save her and all her tribe from an ill fate. By marrying
Juwairiyah, the Banu Mustaliq would be able to enter Islam with honor, and be saved from the
humiliation of their recent defeat. As soon as the marriage was announced, all the booty that
had been taken from the Banu Mustaliq was returned, and all the captives were set free, for
they were now the in laws of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him). Thus A'isha once said of Juwairiyah, "I know of no woman who was more of a blessing to
her people than Juwairiyah bint al-Harith."After they were married, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) changed her name from Barra to Juwairiyah.
It has been related by Juwairiyah that early one morning the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) left her room while she was doing the dawn prayer. He returned later that
morning and she was still sitting in the same place. She was known to be a persistent
worshipper.
Juwairiyah was married to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for six years,
and lived for another thirty-nine years after his death, dying in 50 AH at the age of sixty-five,
may Allah be pleased with her.

Umm Habibah
Umm Habibah Ramla bint Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with her, in fact married the
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in 1 AH, although she did not
actually come to live with him in Medina until 7 AH, when the Prophet was sixty years old and
she was thirty-five. Umm Habibah was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, who for some of his life was
one of the most resolute enemies of the Prophet
Umm Habibah and her first husband, who was called Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, the brother of
Zainab bint Jahsh, were among the first people to embrace Islam in Mecca, and they were
among those early Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia in order to be safe. Once in Abyssinia,
however, Ubaydullah abandoned Islam and became a Christian. He tried to make her become
Christian, but she stood fast. She remained with her daughter in Abyssinia, living a very simple
life in isolation, waiting to see what Allah would decree for her.
In Abyssinia, Negus sent a message to her that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) had asked for her hand in marriage. Umm Habibah was overjoyed and
accepted immediately.
Soon after this, all the Muslims who had sought refuge in Abyssinia were summoned to the
palace of the Negus to witness the simple marriage ceremony in which Negus solemnized the
marriage and said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) requested me to
conclude the marriage contract between him and Umm Habibah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan.
 - 88 -

I agreed to do what he requested, and on his behalf I give her a dowry of four hundred gold
dinars."
Umm Habibah could not travel to Arabia straight away so she stayed there till 7 AH. Negus also
served food to the guests who had attended the marriage ceremony. When the emigrant
Muslims in Abyssinia were finally able to return to Arabia, Umm Habibah came to Medina and
there the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who had just
returned victorious from Khaybar, warmly welcomed her.
When Abu Sufyan, came to Medina after the Quraish had broken the treaty of Hudaybiyya, in
order to try and re-negotiate a fresh settlement with the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims.
He first went to Umm Habibah's room and was about to sit down on the blanket on which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) slept when Umm Habibah, who had not
seen her father for over six years, asked him not to sit on it and quickly folded it up and put it
away. "Am I too good for the bed, or it is the bed too good for me?" he asked. "how can the
enemy of Islam sit on the bed of the Holy Prophet?" she replied.
Later, when she got the news that her father and brother had become Muslims after the
conquest, she fell down in prostration to Allah out of thankfulness. Umm Habibah spent four
years of her life with the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and
lived for another thirty-three years after he had died, dying at the age of seventy-two in 44 AH,
may Allah be pleased with her.
Umm Habibah spent much of her time remembering Allah and worshipping Him. She has
related that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to her, "A house
will be built in the Garden for anyone who, in the space of a day and a night, prays twelve
voluntary rak'ats;" and she added, "I have never stopped doing this since I heard it from the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him)."

Safiyyah bint Huayy

Safiyyah bint Huyayy, (may Allah be pleased with her) married the Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) in 7 AH, when the Prophet was sixty years old and she was
seventeen years old. This marriage occurred after the expedition to Khaybar.
After the battle of Khaybar in which the Muslims defeated the Jews, two women were brought
before the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). One of them was
Safiyyah, the daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of the Banu Nadir who had all been
expelled from Medina in 4 AH after plotting to kill the Messenger of Allah. Safiyyah could trace
her lineage directly back to Harun (AS), the brother of the Prophet Moosa (peace be upon
them). The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) treated her with
great honour. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) invited
Safiyyah to embrace Islam, which she did, and having given her, her freedom, he then married
her. Her acceptance of Islam was no shock because she felt that her father and husband had
 - 89 -

done wrong to oppose the prophet when they themselves believed that he was the last
prophet that Jews were waiting for. Thus as soon as the opportunity arose, not only to follow
the last Prophet, but also to be married to him, she took it.
Once when someone taunted Safiyyah as “the daughter of a jew”, The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) consoled her by saying, "You are certainly the daughter of a
Prophet (Harun), and certainly your uncle was a Prophet (Moses), and you are certainly the
wife of a Prophet (Muhammad), so what is there in that to be scornful towards you?"
Some three years later, when Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was in his
final illness, Safiyyah felt for him deeply and sincerely. "O Messenger of Allah," she said, "I
wish it was I who was suffering instead of you."
Safiyyah was with the Prophet for nearly four years, She was only twenty-one when the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died, and lived as a widow for the next
thirty-nine years, dying in 50 AH, at the age of sixty (may Allah be pleased with her).

Maymunah bint Al-Harith

Maymunah bint al-Harith, (may Allah be pleased with her), married the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in 7 AH, when the Prophet was sixty years old and
she was thirty six years old. Maymunah's sister, Umm al-Fadl Lubaba, was the mother of
Abdullah ibn Abbas, the son of one of the uncles of the Prophet.
Maymunah wanted to marry the Prophet. She went to her sister, Umm al Fadl to talk to her
about that and she, in turn, spoke to her husband, al-Abbas. Al-Abbas immediately went to the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with Maymunah's offer of marriage to
him and her proposal was accepted. They were married in the month of Shawwal in 7 AH just
after the Muslims of Medina were permitted to visit Mecca under the terms of the treaty of
Hudaybiyya to perform umra. Allah Almighty sent the following ayat about this:
"Any believing woman who dedicates herself to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed
her, that is only for you and not for the believers." [Quran 33:50]
The Prophet gave her the name, Maymunah, meaning "blessed". Her previous name was Barra.
and Maymunah lived with the Prophet for just over three years, until his death. She was
obviously very good natured and got on well with everyone, and no quarrel or disagreement
with any of the Prophet's other wives has been related about her. 'A'isha said about
her, "Among us, she had the most fear of Allah and did the most to maintain ties of kinship.
After the Prophet's death, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Maymunah continued to
live in Medina for another forty years, dying at the age of eighty, in 51 AH, (may Allah be
pleased with her), being the last of the Prophet's wives to die. She asked to be buried where
she had married the Prophet at Saraf and her request was carried out.
 - 90 -

Mariya Qibtia
Mariyyah Al-Qibtiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) is said to have married the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and certainly everyone gave her the same title of
respect as the Prophet's wives, 'Umm al Muminin' 'Mother of the Believers'. However, most
scholar consider her to be one of prophet’s slave woman. Mariyyah was born in upper Egypt of
a Coptic father and Greek mother and moved to the court of the Muqawqis when she was still
very young. She arrived in Medina to join the Prophet's household just after the Prophet
returned from the treaty with Quraish which was contracted at al-Hudaybiyya.
Mariyyah gave birth to a healthy son in 9 AH and the Prophet named his new son Ibrahim.
Unfortunately, when he was only eighteen months old, Ibrahim became seriously ill and died.
Mariyyah was honored and respected by the Prophet and his family and Companions. She
spent three years of her life with the Prophet, until his death, and died five years later in 16 AH,
(may Allah be pleased with her) For the last five years of her life, she remained mostly in
solitude. After her death, Umar ibn al Khattab led her funeral prayer and she was buried in al
Baqi.

Raihana bint Zayd

Rayhana bint Zayd was originally a member of the Banu Nadir tribe who married a man from
the Banu Qurayza. After the Banu Qurayza were defeated by the armies of Muhammad in the
Siege of the Banu Qurayza neighborhood, Rayhana was among those enslaved, while the men
were executed. Prophet (s) took her as a slave, then freed her and then proposed to her for
marriage. She agreed and prophet (s) gave her a dowry. She died 11 years after Muhammad
(s)’s death and she was buried in al-Baqi cemetery.
 - 91 -

Ten blessed companions

Abu Bakr (r)

His original name was Abdullah bin Abi Qahafah from the tribe of Tamim. He was a friend of the
Prophet since childhood. He was the first adult free male to convert to Islam, since he was
familiar with the prophet and the extraordinary traits that he had. He suffered persecution at the
hands of Quraish numerous times like he was beaten once while defending the Prophet and tied
with another companion and left outside Makkah. He was very sympathetic towards other
muslims and freed many slaves who were persecuted such as Bilal bin Rabah (r). His preaching
also led to many people accepting Islam like Abdur Rahman bin Auf.

He got the title of Siddeeq when he believed without any reluctance the truth of incident of
Mairaj. Quran affirms his truthfulness by saying “the one who was brought with the truth (i.e.
prophet Muhammad) and the one who testified (i.e. Abu Bakr)”. He accompanied the prophet
during the secret journey of migration and his family helped in the process. Prophet (s) consoled
him while the two were in the cave of Saur and he was worried that they would be caught.
Prophet (s) married his daughter, Aisha (r).

Abu Bakr (r) participated in all the battles with the prophet and at Badr, he shared a camel with
the prophet. He was part of the defensive ring around Prophet at Battle of Uhad and gave all
that he had at the Tabuk expedition. In the 9th year of migration he was appointed Ameer-e-Hajj.
He led the prayers during Prophet’s illness. When prophet (s) passed away, Abu Bakr kissed
the forehead of the prophet and united the mourning community after Prophet’s death. He was
appointed as the first Caliph and proved to be a savior of Islam. He passed away in 634 CE and
was buried in Madinah next to the prophet (s).

Prophet (s) said “All those who did favors to me, I have repaid them except for Abu Bakr”

Prophet (s) also said “All 8 doors of Heaven would call on abu bakr to enter paradise
through them”

Umar bin Al Khattab (r)

Umar bin Al Khattab was known to be a strong warrior and was one of the staunchest enemy of
Islam. Prophet (s) once prayed to Allah for his conversion to Islam by saying “O Allah,
strengthen islam by Umar bin Al Khattab”. Following this, one day Omar (r) left his house to
assassinate the prophet but was diverted by a muslim to the house of his sister. There, his
anger took over him and he hit his sister for hiding what she was reciting. However, when the
anger subsided, he showed interest in reading what they had and recited some of the verses of
the Surah Taha. Later on he also admitted listening to the recitation of prophet (s) secretly. He
was then taken to the prophet at Dar e Arqam, where he accepted islam and muslims rejoiced
his conversion. His conversion boosted the morale of Muslims and muslims for the first time
prayed at the Kaaba in open.

He migrated to Medina openly and took farming as a profession there. He gave his daughter,
Hafsah (r), in marriage to the Prophet (s). He participated in all the battles and was one of those
who formed a defensive ring around the Prophet at Uhad. He also helped in the digging of
trench at the Battle of Trench. He was one of those who objected to the terms of the treaty of
Hudaybia as it was unfair to the muslims but later accepted it as the final decision of the
 - 92 -

prophet. At Tabuk, he offered financial support by donating half of his wealth. He loved the
prophet so much that at the time of prophet’s death, he threatened to kill anyone who said that
prophet had died and it was only after Abu Bakr’s clarification that he realized what was right.
He was selected as the second caliph by Abu Bakr himself. This decision proved to be fantastic
and Umar’s caliphate was known as the golden era of Islam. Umar (r) passed away in 644 CE
after he was assassinated by a Persian slave, Abu Lulu. He was buried next to the prophet in
Madinah. Prophet (s) said regarding Umar “Shaytan does not tread the path on which Umar
walks”

Usman bin Affan (r)

Uthman bin Affan was one of the early converts to islam who accepted Islam at the preaching of
Hazrat Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr then took him to Prophet (s) where prophet (s) told him that Allah
has revealed Islam for him and that he should be a muslim. At this uthman accepted islam at
the hands of prophet (s). He was one of those who suffered persecution at the hands of non
muslims despite the fact that he belonged to a noble quraish family from Banu Ummayad. His
uncle would wrap him up in a carpet and then try to suffocate him. He was married to Prophet’s
daughter, Ruqqaya. When the persecutions in Makkah became unbearable, he along with his
wife migrated to Abyssinia where they lived in peace till they migrated to Medina. He donated
generously for the construction of Masjid Nabwi. He was not able to take part in Badr because
his wife was sick. Prophet (s) asked him to stay back and for his obedience to prophet’s orders,
he was also given the share of war spoils from badr. After the death of his wife, he married
another daughter of the Prophet, Umm Kulthoom. Prophet (s) said in praise of Uthman, that “if I
had 40 daughters, I would have given them to Uthman one after the other”. It is for this
reason that he is called Zun nurain – possessor of two lights. He participated in Battle of uhad
and Trench. In the 6th year after Hijra, he was chosen as a messengers of Muslims to Quraish.
Later, a rumor spread that Uthman has been killed. It was to avenge the blood of Uthman that
the pledge of Ridwan was taken, which shows his status and significance among muslims. This
pledge later led to the treaty at Hudaybia. During the conquest of Makkah he rode next to the
prophet and during the farewell pilgrimage he escorted Prophet’s wives. He greatly supported
the tabuk expedition financially and it was because of this contribution that prophet (s) said that
“Nothing can Harm Uthman from this day onwards”. He also bought and donated a well
from a jewish man in madinah and dedicated it to the muslims during severe shortage of water.
It is for this reason that Uthman is known as Ghani – generous. Prophet (s) also said regarding
the modesty of Uthman that even the angels are shy of him. He served as an advisor during the
caliphates of Abu bakr and Umar and then was chosen as the 3rd Caliph of Islam. He ruled for
12 years and was later assassinated by the rebels in 656 CE. His grave lies today at the
graveyard of Baqi.

Ali bin Abi Talib (r)

Ali bin Abi Talib was the son of Abu Talib, Prophet’s uncle and thus prophet (s)’s first cousin.
Prophet brought him to his place to relieve burden on his uncle. He was one of the early
converts and accepted Islam at 10 years of age. Prophet (s) asked him sleep in Prophet’s bed
at the time of migration and he returned valuables which people had left with the Prophet. He
migrated to Madinah after the prophet and met him at Quba. Later, he was married to Prophet’s
daughter, Fatima. Through them, Allah blessed prophet (s) with two grandsons, Hassan and
Hussain. He shared a camel with Prophet at Badr. He was one of the three muhajireen who
stepped forward for single combatant at Badr and he was victorious. He carried Muslim banner
at Badr and at Uhad at Uhad after original bearer was killed. He formed defensive ring at Uhad
 - 93 -

to protect the prophet. He was one of those who were at the forefront to fight those who crossed
the trench. He was given the leadership of the army after Muslims were unable to conquer the
fortress at Qamus and it was through him the muslims were grated victory. He defended the
Prophet at Hunain when the enemy ambushed the muslims. He carried the Muslim banner at
Conquest of Makkah and was the scribe who wrote the treaty of Hudaybia. He was nominated
to announce the ultimatum to polytheists during the Hajj in 9 AH. At the time of prophet’s death,
he washed the body of Prophet (s). He was later nominated as the 4th Caliph of Islam. He was
later assassinated by Abdur Rahman ibn Muljim in 39 AH.

Talha bin Ubaidullah (r)

• He was an early convert to islam and accepted Islam at the hands of Hazrat Abu Bakr
• He accompanied Sawdah, Fatima and Umme Kulsoom (r) on the migration to Medina
• Prophet sent him to check the whereabouts of Makkan caravan at Badr, which is the
reason why he could not participate in the battle of Badr but he was given a share from
the spoils of war at Badr
• He deflected and shielded many arrows aimed at the Prophet with his own hands and
body and was severely wounded at the battle of uhad. Due to the severity of wounds
and the loss of fingers at Uhad, he was known as a living martyr. Prophet (s) said “the
one who wishes to see a martyr walking on earth should see Talha”
• He was Present at the treaty of Hudaybia and witnessed the pledge of Ridwan
• His bravery led to the victory at Battle of Hunain
• He was known as Fayyaz for his generosity as he donated wealth to the poor and led a
simple life
• He was a member of Shura during the 1st and 2nd caliphates and was amongst the 6
nominees chosen by Umar as his successor to caliphate
• He Fought the battle of Camel against Ali and died in 35 AH
• Prophet (s) also said “Talha and Zubair are my neighbors in paradise”

Zubair bin Al awwam (r)

• He was the cousin of the Prophet and the nephew of Khadija

• He was also one of the early converts to islam
• He accepted Islam at the age of 15
• He migrated to Abyssinia and then later to Madinah
• He fought at the Battle of Badr and Uhad and at Badr, his attack on the enemies was so
ferocious that the edge of his sword was bent.
• He was the leader of one of the four squadrons responsible for entry to Makkah
• He was Married to Abu Bakr’s daughter, Asma and was the father of the first child born
in madina, Abdullah ibn Zubair
• He was amongst the 6 nominees chosen by Umar as his successor to caliphate
• He fought the battle of Camel against Ali and died in 35 AH
• Prophet (s) said “There was a helper for every prophet and my helper is Zubair”
• Prophet (s) also said “Talha and Zubair are my neighbors in paradise”
 - 94 -

Abu Ubaidah Bin Jarrah (r)

• He was also an early convert to islam and accepted Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr
• His full name was Amir ibn Abdullah bin Al Jarrah
• He suffered persecutions at the hands of the makkans and migrated to Abyssinia
• He was one of the three muhajireen who stepped forward for single combatant at Badr.
He killed his own father at the Battle of Badr proving that for him, Islam was more
important than any other bond.
• He used his teeth to extract the metal links of the helmet straps from Prophet’s cheek at
Uhad
• He was selected as a representative of the Prophet for a Najran delegation and it was at
this time that prophet (s) said “For every people there is a man of trust and the man
of trust for us is Abu Ubaidah”. It was for this reason that he was known as “Ameen
ul Ummah”
• He was the leader of one of the four squadrons responsible for entry to Makkah
• He led many other expeditions independently
• He was the one nominated as 1st Caliph but refused to take caliphate in the presence of
Abu Bakr.
• He went on to Syria and continued to show his military expertise and it was under him
that Damascus was conquered.
• He died during the caliphate of Umar in a plague in Syria and was buried there.

Saad bin Abi Waqas (r)

• He was the maternal uncle of the Prophet and one of the early converts to islam
• He accepted Islam on the invitation of Abu Bakr
• Despite his influence and lineage, he was still persecuted by the Quraish. At one such
instance, he retaliated and shot an arrow. This made him the first one to have shed
blood for Islam
• He was once tied up with Abu bakr and left in the valley away from Makkah
• He participated at Badr and showed great marksmanship at Uhad. Prophet handed him
arrows to shoot at Uhad and he shot them. Prophet (s) was also heard praying for saad
“O Allah, direct his shooting and respond to his prayer”
• He was present at the treaty of hudaybia and witnessed the pledge of Ridwan
• He took part in conquest of Makkah
• He was amongst the 6 nominees chosen by Umar as his successor to caliphate
• He was the leader of the muslims at the battle of Qadisiyah and conquered many areas
for islam. He died at the age of 80 and is buried in China.
• He was shrouded in the same clothes that he wore on the day of Badr.

Abdur Rehman Bin Auf (r)

• He was an early convert to Islam and accepted Islam on Hazrat Abu Bakr’s invitation
• He suffered persecution despite being a wealthy man
 - 95 -

• He was related to Prophets through a common ancestor

• He migrated to Abyssinia and then to Madinah
• He was paired with an Ansari Sahabi, Saad Bin Al-Rabi but refused to take help and
said “show me the market place” and earned his living through trade. He soon
became wealthy again and married in Madinah.
• He shared his camel with Abu Bakr and Umar at the Battle of Badr.
• He was severely wounded and got 21 wounds at Uhad
• He has the honor that prophet said a prayer behind him at a journey.
• He was appointed Ameer-e-Hajj during Abu Bakr’s caliphate
• He was amongst the 6 nominees chosen by Umar as his successor to caliphate
• He passed away in 33 AH during the reign of Uthman and left behind much wealth as
inheritance.

Saeed Bin Zaid (r)

• He was the son of Zaid who had given up idol worship even before the prophethood of
prophet (s)
• He was an early convert to Islam as he saw Islam fulfilling what his father believed in.
• His wife was Umar’s sister
• He was one of the few people in Makkah who could read and write
• He was sent as a scout to spy on the Makkan caravan at Badr and for this reason, he
was also given the share in the war spoils at Badr
• He was the commander of the army that conquered Syria in the 2nd caliphate
• He was made governor of Damascus but declined so that he could continue to wage
Jihad
• He died in 51 AH
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Scribes (Role, importance, function, names and 3 famous ones)

Scribes were those people who preserved the Quran and also the Ahadith in writing and in memory. It is
because of their efforts that we find islam preserved till today in great detail. The scribes were close
companions of the Prophet who always stayed close to him in journey as well as in Madinah. Whenever
the Prophet received a revelation, he immediately dictated it to them, as he himself was unlettered.
When the scribes wrote them, the prophet would ask them to read and if they made a mistake, he
would correct them. After which prophet (s) would order them to place the specific verses in the specific
order in the surahs. The scribes would write it on pieces of wood, animal skins, tablets etc. Apart from
writing, they would also learn the revelations by heart which further strengthened the preservation of
the Quran. If they had not written the revelations, the word of Allah might have perished forever. This
shows that their work played an important role in preserving Quran for future generations. Apart from
the revelation, the scribes also wrote letters and treaties on behalf of the prophet. For example, Zaid bin
thabit who would read and write letters when prophet (s) interacted with the jews. Also, like Ali bin Abi
Talib who wrote the treaty of hudaibiyah on behalf of the prophet. Scholars have gathered the list of
names of many of the scribes which numbers more than 70. Among them some famous scribes of the
prophet were Abu Bakar, Umar, Usman, Ali, Zaid bin Sabit, Abdullah bin Masood, Muawiya and ubayy
bin Kaab (May Allah be pleased with them all).

Zaid Bin Thabit is considered the chief scribe of the prophet. He belonged to the Khazraj tribe in
Madinah. He accepted Islam before Prophet’s migration at the age of 11. He wanted to participate in
badr but Prophet did not allow him due to his young age. But his enthusiasm to serve islam made him
serve islam through his language skills. He took part in Trench and Tabuk expedition. Once prophet (s)
expressed his concern regarding his interaction with the Jews. Hearing this, Zaid learnt the Syriac and
Hebrew language in just 15 days. It was through him that prophet (s) interacted with the jews. He was
blessed with a very good memory. He was a memorizer of the Quran. He compiled Quran during 1st and
3rd caliphate (For his role in compilation, see the notes on compilation of Quran). When zaid passed
away, Abu Hurairah (r) said about him “today, the scholar of this ummah has died”

Abdullah Bin Masood was an early convert to islam and suffered persecution at the hands of
makkans. He was the first muslim to recite quran openly in Makkah. He also migrated to Abyssinia and
then later to Makkah. He was close the the prophet and attended to the needs of the Prophet. This gave
him the opportunity to learn the Quran directly from the prophet. He said about himself “there is no
verse of the Quran whose context is unknown to me.He participated in Badr and Killed Abu Jahl in the
battle. He was a narrated 800 ahadith. He taught many students in his later life and is well known even
till today in academic circles. Prophet asked companions to learn recitation from him. Prophet (s) said,
“whoever wishes to learn the Quran as fresh as it was revealed, should learn it from Abdullah ibn
Masood”. Once when companions laughted at the thin legs of Abdullah ibn Masud, prophet (s)
responded by saying “these legs would weigh heavy in the meezan”.

Ubbay Bin Kaab belonged to the Khazraj tribe in Madinah. He was among those who took the
pledges of Aqabah. He wrote letters on behalf of the Prophet. He has the privilege of writing the last
verse of Quran. He was a memorizer of the Quran and had a beautiful recitation. Once prophet (s) asked
Ubayy bin Kaab to recite for him and his recitation made the prophet weep.
 - 97 -

Descendants of the prophet

In the order of birth from left to right

Descendants of
the prophet

Umm
Qasim Zaynab Ruqayyah Fatima Abdullah Ibrahim
Kulthum

Qasim
The first son of Allah’s Messenger was Qasim from whom he took his title Abu al-Qasim (the
Father of Qasim). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) liked being called Abu al-Qasim, and his
Companions would often call him by this name. Qasim passed away at very young age in Mecca.
He died in 605 CE, even before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s Prophethood.

Abdullah
After the birth of Fatima (RA), Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s second son, Abdullah was
born. Abdullah was also known as al-Tahir and al-Tayyib. He too passed away at a very young age
in the year 615 CE.

Ibrahim
The last child of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Ibrahim, was born in 8 AH. Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) had named him after Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). As per Arabic tradition of the time,
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) appointed Umm Saif (RA) as the wet nurse of infant Ibrahim.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would often visit their house to see Ibrahim. When the Prophet
(PBUH) heard that his son became seriously ill, he went to him with Abd ar-Rahman bin Auf (RA)
to meet him. It was at this time that Ibrahim passed away while in the hands of the prophet at
the age of nearly 16 or 18 months in the year 632 CE. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) led the
funeral prayer of his son. He was buried in al-Baqi.

When Ibrahim passed away, the sun was eclipsed. The word went out saying that the solar
eclipse had occurred as a result of the sadness over the death of Ibrahim. Upon hearing this,
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) denied such rumors, saying: “The sun and the moon are two signs
amongst the Signs of Allah; they do not eclipse because of the death of someone”

Zaynab
Zainab bint Muhammad (RA) was the eldest daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
Khadijah (RA). She was married to Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi. They were blessed with two children, Ali
and Umaymah. When prophet (s) announced his prophethood, she was quick to testify her faith
in Islam. Zainab’s husband, however, refused to accept Islam. The people of Quraysh urged Abu
al-As to divorce his wife, but he refused to do so.
 - 98 -

When the time for migration came, she stayed back in Makkah with her husband and separated
from her dear father. Eventually, came the time for the Battle of Badr. Abu al-As, as an
unbeliever, decided to fight in the army of the Quraysh against the Muslims and Abu al-As was
taken prisoner. To free her husband, Zainab (RA) decided to pay the ransom amount with her
onyx necklace that was gifted to her by Khadijah (RA) at the time of her marriage. When Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) saw the necklace, his face became covered with a veil of sadness, with tears
in his eyes, because the necklace reminded him of Khadijah (RA). However, choosing the
community over his own family, he turned to his companions and said: “Zainab has sent this
necklace as an amount to free Abu al-As. If you see fit to set free her prisoner and return her
possession to her, then do so.”. In return, Abu Al-As was to sent her back to Madina. Upon
reaching Mecca, Abu al-As ordered his wife to prepare herself for the journey to Medina. She
reached madinah and met her father. Later, she refused to remarry.

As time passed, Abu Al-As was again captured by the muslims with a caravan, but Zaynab gave
him protection and he returned to makkah safely with the caravan. It was at this time that
Abu al-As proclaimed his faith in Allah and His messenger. Thereafter, he returned to Medina
and announced his acceptance of Islam. He sought Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s permission to
go back to his wife Zainab (RA). They were reunited in the month of Muharram in the year 07
AH. Sadly, a year after re-uniting with her husband, in early 08 AH Zainab (RA) fell ill and passed
away.

Ruqayyah

Ruqayyah bint Muhammad (RA), the second daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
Khadijah (RA), was born three years after the birth of Zaynab (RA). Initially, Ruqayyah (RA) was
married to Utbah ibn Abu Lahab. But, after the advent of Islam, Abu Lahab and his wife became
the worst enemies of Muslims. Abu Lahab called his sons Utbah and Utybah and asked them to
divorce both the daughters of the prophet. Later on, Allah gave a better partner to Ruqayyah
(RA) in the form of Uthman ibn Affan (RA).

When animosity and cruelty of the people of Quraysh increased, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
permitted his companions to migrate to Abyssinia. Among the people who migrated to Abyssinia
were Uthman (RA) and his wife, Ruqayyah (RA). While they were living in Abyssinia, Allah blessed
Ruqayyah (RA) and Uthman (RA) with a son whom they named Abdullah. Unfortunately, he did
not live long and died at the tender age of six. Later on, Hz Ruqayyah (RA) and Hz Uthman (RA)
came back to Mecca, and then eventually migrated to Medina. As such, owing to her travels to
Abyssinia and Medina, Ruqayyah (RA) is often known as “The Lady With Two Migrations”.

During the Battle of Badr, Ruqayyah (RA) fell very ill. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
asked Uthman (RA) to refrain from participating in the battle, and instead stay with his wife
during her illness. In return prophet (s) said “You will get a reward and a share (from the war
booty) similar to the reward and the share of one who has taken part in the Badr battle.”
 - 99 -

Ruqayyah (RA) passed away on the same day that the Battle of Badr was won in 2 AH. Since
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was still in the battle-field, he could not take part in his daughter’s
funeral. Ruqayyah (RA) was buried in the al-Baqi in Medina.

Umm Kulthoom
Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad (RA) was the third daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA). She was born in the year 603 CE, and was a year younger than
Ruqayyah (RA). Umm Kulthum (RA) was initially married to Utaybah, one of the sons of Abu
Lahab. Due to his enmity towards Islam, Abu Lahab forced Utaybah to leave Umm Kulthum (RA).
After her divorce, Umm Kulthum (RA) went back to live with her father, Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH). She, along with other muslims, also suffered the hardships of the social boycott. Shortly,
after the boycott Khadijah (RA) passed away. In her absence, she had to take care of the entire
household as well as her younger sister, Fatima (RA).
Later on, she also migrated to Madina. It was in Medina that Umm Kulthum (RA) witnessed the
Muslims’ victory in the Battle of Badr. Unfortunately, it was during the battle itself that she got
the sad news about the demise of her elder sister, Ruqayyah (RA). After the death of Ruqayyah
(RA), Umm Kulthum (RA) was married to Uthman ibn Affan in the year 03 AH. As a result,
Uthman (RA) earned the title of Dhu al-Nurayn (“The Possessor of Two Lights”), because he
married two daughters of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Umm Kulthum (RA) lived with her husband Uthman (RA) for six years, but the marriage remained
childless. She passed away in the year 9 AH at the age of 29 years. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
tearfully conducted her funeral prayers, and she was laid to rest in Madina.

Fatimah
Fatima bint Muhammad (RA) was the youngest daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA). She was born five years before Allah bestowed her father with
prophethood. Prophet (s) in praise of Fatima, said, “Fatima is a part of me, and he who makes
her angry, makes me angry.”

Fatima (RA) spent her early years under the loving and tender care of her parents. Even as a
young girl, she was very courageous. One day, she accompanied Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to
al-Masjid al-Haram. As he began to pray, a group of some people from Quraysh gathered there,
and threw filth on him. Hz Fatima (RA) stood there and shielded her father from the attacks of
evil men like Abu Jahl, Uqbah and Shaybah.

Fatima (RA) was well-known for her compassionate and kind nature. She was generous and
always willing to help the poor and needy; she would often give her food away, even if it meant
going hungry herself. At the age of eighteen, Fatima (RA) was married to Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), in
Medina. Their marriage was a very happy one, albeit the couple spent most of their life in
extreme poverty. Fatima (RA) and Ali (RA) had two sons, Hasan (RA) and Hussain (RA); and two
daughters, Zainab (RA) and Umm Kulthum (RA).
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Despite being busy with family life, Fatima (RA) still managed to find time for the Ummah. She
even played a key role in the Battles of Uhud and Trench, such as tending to the wounded and
preparing food. Towards the later part of his life, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fell seriously ill.
His final days were spent in the apartment of his wife, Aisha (RA). Once, when Fatima (RA) visited
him, he smiled at her cheerfully. He then took her hand, drew her near to himself and told her
something in confidence. Hearing her father she first weeped and then smiled. Upon asking she
said “The Prophet (PBUH) told me that he would die in his fatal illness, and so I wept, but then he
secretly told me that from amongst his family, I would be the first to join him, and so I laughed.”
Fatima (RA) passed away in the year 11 AH (632 CE), six months after Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) passed away.

Hassan and Hussain

Hassan (R.A):
Imam Hassan (R.A) was born in Medina in 3 A.H and was the son of Hazrat Ali (R.A) and Hazrat Fatima
(R.A). Soon after his birth, Holy Prophet (PBUH) gave him the name of Hassan and once said:
“O Allah, I love him, so I beseech you to love him.”

There are stories of Prophet (PBUH) with Hassan (R.A) and Hussain (R.A) about allowing them to sit on
his back while he was prostrating during prayers. In addition, once Prophet (PBUH) suddenly interrupted
his sermon and came down from the Minbar to pick Hassan (R.A) up when he tripped over while
reaching Prophet (PBUH). This exhibits the love that Prophet (PBUH) felt and also the pride he took in
his grandchildren.

Hassan was only eight years old when Holy Prophet (PBUH) passed away and he spent his youth under
the guidance of his father, Hazrat Ali (R.A). When Hazrat Usman (R.A) got besieged in his house by the
non believers, Hazrat Ali (R.A) sent Hassan (R.A) there several times with food and water. In his attempt
to save Hazrat Usman (R.A), he sustained several injuries at the hands of rebels, before Usman’s (R.A)
assassination in 656 A.D.
During Hazrat Ali’s (R.A) caliphate, Hazrat Hassan (R.A) participated in all the battles and was held the
administrator of Bait-ul-Maal. He also was sent to Qufa, to seek the reinforcements during the struggle
against Talha, Zubair and Ayesha (R.A). He was a part of his father’s army in the Battle of Siffin. On the
21st of Ramazan, after the deceasing of Hazrat Ali (R.A), he was declared as the next caliph with the
agreement of 40 thousand people. Ameer Muawiya did not show allegiance to Hazrat Imam Hassan
(R.A) and prepared an army to encounter him. Hassan (R.A) too assembled his followers and found an
army of four thousand warriors. Whereas, Muawiya’s army outranked them with a total of 40 thousand
well prepared fighters. The armies settled at Amba. Muawiya sent a messenger to warn Hassan (R.A) to
surrender and his life would be forsaken. Upon hearing this, many Iraqi soldiers deserted from Hazrat
Imam Hassan’s army, as they were demoralized and were afraid of dying. Therefore, a peace treaty was
signed between the two parties. Consequently, Imam Hassan (R.A) announced that, in order to prevent
bloodshed, he was abdicating Khilafat. Prophet (s) had foretold this by saying “This son of mine (Hassan)
will bring peace between two believing groups” Later on, he retired to Medina for the rest of his life.
He passed away in 50 A.H in Medina because of poisoning by Ja’da, one of his wives. He was buried in
Janat al-Baqi in Medina.
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Hussain(R.A)
Imam Hussain (R.A) was born in 4A.H and was son of Hazrat Ali (R.A) and Hazrat Fatima (R.A). After his
birth Prophet ( PBUH) named him as Hussain. Prophet (PBUH) once remarked:
“O Allah! I love him so I beseech you to love him”
He was a source of great joy to his grandfather, who is reported to have said:
“ Hussain (R.A) belongs to me and I to him”
He was a loyal supporter of his father Hazrat Ali (R.A) and after Hazrat Ali’s (R.A) assassination, he was
reluctant to accept Hassan’s renunciation of the Caliphate. He refused Muawiya’s request to
acknowledge Yazid, his son, as a successor to the throne of Caliphate. Hussain didn’t show allegience to
Yazid as the nomination of Khilafat. After his refusal to recognise Yazid as a caliph, a deputation
from people of Kufa approached Imam Hussain and requested him to come to their rescue as Yazid’s
Governor was persecuting them. His friends knew the deceitful nature of Kufans and persuaded him not
to go there. Therefore, he sent his cousin Muslim Ibn Aqeel, who was warmly welcomed there. He
detected a wide spread support among the Kufans and wrote a letter to encourage Hussain (R.A) to
come over to Kufa. However, as soon as letter was dispatched, Muslim was martyred.
Hussain had already left Makkah, for Kufa in 59 A.H. On the way he heard the news of the Muslim’s
assassination Soldiers were dispatched to bring Hussain (R.A) either to Kufa or Damascus. Unaware of
the plot of his enemies, he stopped and camped at Karbala. Soon Obaidullah bin Ziyad’s army
surrounded the camp. On 7th of Muharram, 61 A.H , Obaidullah bin Ziyad’s army cut off all sources of
supply of water to the camp. All efforts to persuade Hussain to show allegiance to Yazid as a Caliph were
in vain. Hussain (R.A) decided to wage a war against Obaidullah bin Ziyad’s men but his followers knew
that they would be killed. There were 72 people against an army of 4000 soldiers that surrounded them
from all directions.
Finally, on 10th of Muharram all his supporters and Hussain (r) were slain. His head was cut off and was
taken to Yazid’s court who cried at this incident as he never wanted this to happen to prophet’s
grandson.

Shia beliefs regarding Imamat

Followers of Shia school of thought believe in the divine selection of imams as the forerunners
of the prophet. These individuals are from the family of prophet i.e Banu hashim and have a
direct lineage from the prophet through his daughter Fatima and his son-in-law, Ali bin Abi Talib
(Ali bin Abi Talib being the first Imam). Within this school, some believe in 12 imams, some in 7
and some in 5. However, the most popular belief is 12. That is why they are also called the
twelvers, those who believe in 12 Imams. They believe imams are innocent; they can’t perform
any sin willingly and unwillingly. The twelves say that; Imam is an infallible human individual.
They have the by birth ability to rule over the community with justice. They are also believed to
know the hidden, have control over the world. No one can be abler than them when it comes to
interpreting the sharia. Another characteristic for Imam is that He should be a role model for
the community to follow. Important aspect of Shia theory is that Imams are not prophets, but
imams are superior to some of the prophets. They also celebrate the birth anniversaries and
death anniversaries of Imam’s regularly. The concept of Imam in Shia sect is comparatively
different with that of Sunni Muslims concept.
 - 102 -

Twelve Imams
The names of twelve Imams of among shia are listed below (biography of first three is
important)

1.Imaam ‘Ali
2.Imaam Hassan
3.Imaam Hussain
4.Imaam Zainul ‘Abideen
5.Imaam Muhammad al Baaqir
6.Imaam J’afar as Saadiq
7.Imaam Musa al Kaadhim
8.Imaam ‘Ali ar Ridha
9.Imaam Muhammad al Jawaad
10.Imaam ‘Ali al Haadi
11.Imaam Hassan al Askari
12.and Imaam Mahdi

According to Shia belief the 12th Imam Mehdi A.S is still alive and living in hiding in a cave. He
has been given long life. They believe he is the promised Mehdi who will return before Esa A.S.
He will establish the true governance of Islam in the world.
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Other personailities
Bilal bin Rabah (r)
Hazrat Bilal (R.A) was an Abyssinian man. Both of his parents were in custody of a rich Qureyshi person
in Makkah known as Umayyah ibn Khalaf, thus he (R.A) grew up as an enslaved child. Despite being a
slave, he had great consciousness and accepted islam readily. He was one of the early converts to Islam.
The master of Bilal (R.A) was a strict non believer. When he came to know about Bilal having secretly
accepted Islam, he tortured him (R.A) severely which is regarded as the worst kind of anguish inflicted
upon the early Muslims in Makkah. The infidels tried all sorts of physical torture on him including
making him lie on the burning sand and keeping him chained. They tried their best to revert him back to
the age of darkness, but Bilal (R.A) stood firm on his Islamic faith and used to respond by saying “There
is none to be worshipped but Allah.” and “Ahad, Ahad” (Allah is One, Allah is One). This shows the
extraordinary level of persistence of Bilal (R.A). Bilal (R.A) finally got his freedom when Abu Bakr (R.A)
came to know about his condition and set him free from slavery after paying a considerable amount of
money to his master.
Bilal (R.A)’s melodious and loud pitched voice granted him the status of the first Muezzin of Islam in 2
AH when the first call to prayer was given. He (R.A) remained the leading Muezzin till the Holy Prophet
‫ ﷺ‬passed away and also called the first Azan after the conquest of Makkah.
Bilal served prophet (s) on regular basis. He also fought in all battles along with the Holy Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and
even continued doing it after prophet (s) passed away. At Mairaj, Prophet (s) heard the footsteps of Bilal
in Paradise. The reason for which was Bilal’s consistency in praying two rakats after every Wudu. In his
last days, he (R.A) fell ill while he was in Syria, and died at the age of sixty.

Zaid bin Haritha (r)

Zayd bin haritha was a slave boy gifted to Khadijah bint Khuwailid. After her marriage to prophet (s),
Zaid was at the service of prophet (s) and really loved to serve the prophet. When Zaid’s actual parents
found out about him, they came to Makkah to take Zaid. However, when he was given the choice, he
chose to live with the prophet. Upon this, prophet (s) announced Zaid as his son and thus, he came to be
known as Zaid ibn Muhammad.
After Mohammed (peace be upon him) received the revelation and became a prophet, Zayd was the
first slave to believe in the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) honored
Zayd and said to him, “You are my slave and the most beloved person to me.”
When Zayd grew older, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married him Um Ayman who gave
birth to Usamah bin Zaid. His son got the same level of love from the Prophet (peace be upon him) as his
father did. In the 10th year of prophethood, Zayd accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Taif.
He wiped the blood from the Prophet’s honored face and kept the stones of Thaqif from reaching him.
He participated in the battle of badr and after the victory of Badr, Zaid was chosen to give the good
news to the people of madinah. He also fought bravely in several battles such as Uhud, Trench and
Khaibar.
When the verse “Call them by (the names of) their fathers…” was revealed, Zayd was called by the
name of his father as adoption was prohibited by this verse. Zaid later married Zainab bint Jahsh, an
influential woman from Quraish. However, the difference in social life resulted in a divorce between the
two. Later, prophet (s) married Zaynab bint Jahsh which further strengthened the Islamic prohibition on
adoption.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) chose Zaid bin Haritha as the leader at Battle of Mautah where he
embraced martyrdom in the 7th year AH. This left the prophet in grief.
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Khalid bin Walid (r)

Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) was born in a highly respected family of Banu Makhzum of the tribe of
Qureysh in Makkah in nearly 585 A.D. His father, Waleed bin Mughira was a famous poet and an enemy
of islam. He mastered many of the combating proficiencies like using sword, spike, bow and spear etc.
and became a qualified horseman. He (R.A) was tall with big shoulders and was bodily very strong. He
was also considered to be among the best wrestlers of his time. He was among the worst enemies of
Islam. He also led the surprise attack as a disbeliever at the battle of uhad.

Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) became a Muslim after the treaty of Hudaibya. It has been said that Rasulullah
had told the brother of Khalid (R.A) that a brave and intelligent man like Khalid should not keep himself
away from Islam. So, when his brother told Khalid (R.A), he accepted Islam.
In the battle of Mautah, The Muslims were outnumbered against the multitude of Byzantines. Soon, the
three commanders appointed by Rasulullah were martyred and the Muslim flag was about to fall on the
ground till Thabit ibn Al-Arqam (R.A) gave it to Khalid bin Waleed (R.A). It apparently seemed to be the
time for Muslims to retreat. But, Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) stood firm and through his tactical mind, he
(R.A) rearranged the Muslim army to from rear to front so as to cast fear in hearts of the infidels that
disciples of Islam were still many in quantity. Eventually, it was due to his amazing strategic abilities that
the Muslims managed to retreat safely. Upon hearing the news of Khalid’s leadership through a
revelation, the Holy Prophet gave the title of “Saifullah, meaning Sword of Allah” to Khalid bin Waleed
(R.A) because his valor and gallantry in the front line.
He was also Part of the conquest of Makkah and was leading the squadron which faced Makkan
retaliation. He was also chosen by prophet (s) to destroy some of the particular idols in Makkah. He
served as a great muslim general and war strategist during the caliphates. He (R.A) received countless
wounds on his body from battles yet he died a natural death at the age of 57.

Abu Sufyan (r)

His actual name was Sakhr ibn Harb and he was a leader from Banu Ummayah from Quraish. He was a
staunch opponent of the Islam before accepting Islam later in his life. His daughter ramlah was also
among those who converted to islam.
In 2nd AH, Abu Sufyan was the appointed leader of a caravan that was persued by the muslims. However,
Abu Sufyan escaped twice with the same caravan. But he called for help from Makkans and this led to
the battle of badr where the Muslims ended up engaging a Meccan army, a force sized 1000 men. The
death of most Quraish leaders in the battle left Abu Sufyan as the leader of Mecca.
Subsequently Abu Sufyan was the military leader in the Meccan campaigns against Medina, such as the
Battle of Uhud in 3 AH and the Battle of the Trench in 5 AH, but could not attain his mission to destroy
islam. After Uhad, he also promised the muslims to come back again in the 4 AH but the makkan army
did not turn up. Eventually the two parties agreed on the Treaty of Hudaybiyya which was violated when
the Quraish sided with banu bakr, against the muslim ally banu Khuza. Muhammad (s) gave three
choices to Quraish and Quraish opted for dissolution of treaty which they later regreted. Abu Sufyan
wanted to renegotiate the treaty with the prophet and later with other companions, but it was of no
avail. Abu Sufyan travelled back and forth between Mecca and Madinah, still trying to reach a
settlement. Prophet (s) eventually moved against the makkans and prepared an attack which led to the
conquest of Mecca, Before the conquest, Abu Sufyan was caught spying but he accepted Islam at the
hands of prophet (s). Prophet (s) honoured Abu Sufyan by declaring his house a means of attaining
peace from the attack. His wife Hind bint Utba also accepted islam at the conquest of Makkah.
Later, he fought as one of Muhammad (s)’s lieutenants in the subsequent wars, and especially at hunain,
he was the one who called people back and urged them not to leave the battlefield. During the Siege of
 - 105 -

Taif, he lost an eye. Abu Sufyan was also made in-charge of Najran. He lost his second eye later on in
another battle. Abu Sufyan died at the age of ninety in 650 CE at Medina.

Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib (r)

Hamza Ibn Abdul Mutalib was born in Mecca 2 years before the Prophet's birth so he was very close to
the Prophet . He was also the foster brother of the Prophet by feeding. He was a warrior and a wrestler,
and for this reason he was away from makkan politics and mostly involved in hunting. Regarding his
conversion to islam, it is recorded that the Prophet was one day seated on Safa when Abu Jahl took a
stone and cracked the Prophet’s head, which began to bleed. Shortly after that, Hamza, while returning
from a hunting expeditionwas informed by a slave-girl regarding the attack on the Prophet . On hearing
that, Hamza was deeply offended and hurried to Al-Ka‘bah and there he found Abu Jahl sitting with a
company. Hamza rushed upon him and struck his bow upon his head violently and said: "You have been
abusing Mohammed ; I too follow his religion and profess what he preaches." After this, he rushed to
the prophet and told him what had happened. It was at this time that he accepted islam at the hands of
the prophet. Hamza’s conversion, along with that of Umar, boosted the muslim morale and muslims for
the first time prayed openly.
He migrated to Madinah with Ali bin Abi Talib. Hamza (r) was chosen as the commander for many
expeditions before Uhad. Also in the fight of Bader, Hamza was one of its heroes and was part of the
initial duel where he killed Utba. Hind wanted to avenge her father’s death and for this reason she
ordered Wahshi who was a great spear thrower to kill Hamza with his spear. In the battle field at Uhad
in 3 AH, Wahshi hid from him and taking opportunity, he struck Hamza fatally injuring him. Later, Hind
bin ‘Utbah ripped open the liver of Hamza and chewed it; but finding it unpleasant, she spat it out.
When the Messenger of Allah saw how Hamza was mutilated, he was extremely grieved. Then the
Messenger of Allah ordered that he should be buried. His grave still lies at Uhad. Prophet (s) referred to
him “Asadullah” (the lion of Allah) and “Sayyid ush shuhadah” (the leader of the martyrs).

What were the contributions of female companions towards the muslim community? [10]
Muslim women, especially sahabiyaat, have always played a vital role in the Muslim community, and not
only in traditional roles. They served the community through scholarship, teaching, nursing, and other
important activities. Muslim women today look to them as role models.

The scholastic contributions of the mothers of the believers, including Hafza (r.a), Umm Habiba (r.a),
Maimona (r.a), Umm Salmah(r.a), and Ayesha (r.a), are not hidden from anyone; specially the services of
Ayesha (r.a) cannot be forgotten. In the history of Islam, no other woman can equal Ayesha (r.a) in her
efforts for the promotion of the Prophet’s (SAW) teachings. She is one of the few companions whose
narration of ahadith exceeds 2000 in number and she was a source of education for all for nearly 50 years
after the Prophet(SAW)’s death.

Female companions also sacrificed their lives for the sake of Islam like in the case of the first Shaheed,
Sumayyah (r). She was killed by Abu Jahl for accepting Islam. Apart from sacrificing their own lives, these
sahabiyaat also laid down the lives of their sons, husbands and brothers for the sake of Islam and bore
this grief with patience, like Humna bint Jahsh who lost her brother, father and son in the battle of Uhad.
They also participated in Jihad actively as well as indirectly. Like Aisha (r) who participated in the battle of
Camel. Or the example of Prophet’s aunt Safiyyah who killed the Jew from Banu Quraiza who was spying
 - 106 -

against the muslims during trench. Apart from active participation, Sahabiyaat also nursed patients during
war like Aisha (r) and Fatima (r).

They were also involved actively in the politics of that time. We see the example of Ayesha (r) and others
who demanded revenge for the blood of Uthman. We also have the example of Asma bint Abu Bakr, who
was among the very few who knew about the secret mission of prophet’s migration. She also took food to
the prophet and his companion, Abu Bakr, in the cave of Thaur.

Muslim women also left their homes and migrated for the sake of Allah. Among them some were the
ones who migrated twice, once to Abyssinia and then to Madina like Ruqayyah, the daughter of the
prophet. Those who could not migrate bore the tortures of the enemies with patience like the two
daughters of the prophet who were divorced by Abu Lahab’s sons.

Prophet (s) also praised some women for achieving the peak of faith and among them two were Fatima
(r) and Khadija (r). They also showed utmost obedience to the prophet and followed the injunctions of
islam. Similarly, the modesty of the sahabiyat were attacked by the hypocrites and the disbelievers but
this did not affect them. Especially aisha whose chastity was confirmed by the Quran. Allah said "Surely
those who fabricate the lie are a group from among you…." [Quran 24:11]. When the ruling for
hijab were revealed, they immediately acted upon them. There were also women whom prophet (s)
sought advice from like Umm Salamah (r) was the one who advised the prophet to slaughter his sacrifice
after the treaty of hudaibiyah.

Muslim women also sacrificed their wealth for the sake of Islam and we see the example of Khadija (r)
who dedicated her wealth for the sake of prophet (s). Allah reminded prophet (s) regarding this as a favor
in Surah Duha “and we found you in need then we made you wealthy”. Muslim women also were nothing
less in terms of spending in the cause of Allah. During the Tabuk expedition, Muslim women contributed
their jewelry to sponsor the expedition. There were also many who were famous for their charity, like
Zainab bint Khuzaimah who was known as “Umm ul Masakeen” due to her care for the needy.

Role of Emigrants and Helpers

Emigrants
● Early converts
● Suffered persecution
● Traders by profession
● Migrated to Abyssinia
● Migrated to Medina
● Left belongings and families
● Participated in battles
● 1st 4 caliphs were amongst them
● Remained loyal to Prophet
● Paired with Ansar
● About them, Quran says: “ those who strive with their might and main in Allah’s cause, with their
goods and their persons have the highest of ranks in Allah’s sight”

Helpers
• people of Medina
 - 107 -

• took the pledges of Aqabah

• invited the Prophet to Medina
• paired with emigrants
• shared property with them
• Fought in battles
• Many of them fought in badr and Ansaar attained martyrdom at Badr
• Prophet came back to Medina after conquest of Makkah to repay for the loyalty of Ansar
• dropped down their demand for caliph after the Prophet’s death
• Quran mentions them and holds in high honor
• “Prophet (s) said “the sign of hypocrisy is the hate of Ansaar and the sign of faith is the love for
ansaar”

Role and Status of Ansaar

The word Ansaar means "helpers" in Arabic and in Islamic history, they refer to the believers from the
two tribes of Aus and Khazraj who supported Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and
the muhajirun (Emigrants) when they migrated from Mecca to Medina.

In the 10th year of the prophet hood a delegation consisting of six people from Khazraj came to Mecca
and converted to Islam when invited to do so by Prophet Muhammad. On their return to Medina, the
people from al-Khazraj, who had spoken about Islam to the people of Aus, sent another delegation to
Mecca who gave an oath of allegiance to the Prophet at the place called known as al-Aqaba. Twelve
people in total, that is ten from the al-Khazraj and two from al-Aws, joined the First Pledge of al-Aqaba,
and seventy-five people from the al-Khazraj and the al-Aws joined the Second Pledge of al-Aqaba. The
Medinan Muslims made an oath at the Second Pledge of al-Aqaba to protect and support the Prophet
and the Meccan Muslims as they protected their own lives, families and possessions. More people
among Aus and Khazraj converted to Islam through the efforts of prominent Ansaar like Saad bin Muadh
and Asad bin Zurarah. This greatly contributed to the formation of an Islamic state in Medina and the
opening of a new era in the history of Islam.

After these pledges, the Muslims started to migrate to Yathrib (Medina), which was described as a "safe
and peaceful location" by the Prophet. The prophet was also granted shelter in the house of Abu Ayub al
ansaari who was the closest relative of the prophet from the materal side.

Immediately after the emigration, the Prophet established a bond of brotherhood which united every
one of the Muhajirun to one of the Ansar as brothers. The ansars embraced the Muhajirun as if they
were their real family, wanting to share with them whatever they had. Providing them with
accommodation in their homes, they shared their food with them; they even wanted to divide their
orchards and share their property rights with them. The Qur'an refers to this Islamic brotherhood as
"Those who believed, and adopted exile, and fought for the Faith, with their property and their
persons, in the cause of Allah, as well as those who gave asylum and aid,- these are (all) friends and
protectors, one of another" (8:72).

The way ansaar helped the muslims and islam has no parallel in history. The Ansar became a single body
protecting the Prophet from the hypocrites and Jews, as well as against the threats of the Makkans.
Before the Battle of Badr, when the Prophet was worried, Sa'd ibn Muadh (a prominent ansaari) said,
 - 108 -

"Oh, Prophet of Allah, I swear to Allah that if you show us this sea and you dive into this sea, we will
dive in with you without any hesitation and none of us will return."

In the Battle of Uhud, most of the people who were trying to protect the Prophet by surrounding him
were from the Ansar. Because of such behavior and attitudes on the part of the Ansar, Prophet
Muhammad said "You are from the people I love most." Also, during the conflict with Banu Quraiza, the
ansaar supported the prophet and, unlike Abdullah ibn Ubay, Saad bin Muadh ruled against his own
allies in order to dispense justice. Similarly, at the time of conquest of Makkah, the prophet announced
that he would continue to live in Madina, which was great news to the ansaar.

After the prophet’s death, the Ansar continued their loyalty towards Islam. They voluntarily accepted
the caliphate of Abu Bakr and continued to support him and the leaders after him. This support of
Ansaar has gained them great status amongst muslims today who praise them and follow their example.
 - 109 -

Caliphates

Abu Bakr Siddeeq

Nomination of Abu Bakr as first Caliph

While the dead body of the Holy Prophet of Islam was being prepared for burial the Ansar of
Madina assembled at their meeting place 'Saqeefa Bani Sa'dah' to discuss the question of
succession to the Holy Prophet. The Ansars. At the meeting of the Ansars at Saqeefa Bani
Sa'idah', a leader of the Ansars made a passionate plea that it was through the efforts of the
Ansars that Islam had grown and spread; their city was capital of the Muslim state, and thus an
Ansar should be the head of the State after the Holy Prophet. It was reported to the emigrants
assembled in the Prophet's mosque that the Ansars had assembled to choose a successor to
the Holy Prophet. It was a critical situation. The burial of the Holy Prophet was a matter that
needed priority, but the question of choosing a successor to the Holy Prophet was a question of
life and death for the Muslim community, and if any wrong decision was taken at that stage, it
would affect the future generations. Abu Bakr, Umar and Abu Ubaidah accordingly decided
among themselves to proceed to Saqeefa Bani Sa'idah' to negotiate the matter with the Ansars
before it was too late.
When Abu Bakr, Umar and Abu Ubaidah reached Saqeefa Bani Sa'idah the Ansars were on the
verge of electing Sa'id bin Ubadah, the Ansar leader, as the successor to the Holy Prophet. Abu
Bakr took the stage and told people the gravity of the problem. Abu Bakr pointed out that under
the circumstances the Quraish who were the custodians of the Kaaba could alone provide the
leadership for the Muslim community. Abu Bakr also praised the Ansaar but suggested that the
leader be from the Quraish and from the early converts.
To this, an Ansaari suggested that they could have two Amirs, one from the Ansars and the
other from the emigrants,
Umar said that Islam stood for one God, one Prophet, and one Quran thus Muslim community
should have one Amir. lf the proposal of having two Amirs was once accepted this would
become a tradition later on. Such multiple leadership would lead to the disintegration of the
Ummah. Umar emphasized that in the interest of the solidarity of Islam they could not have more
than one Amir, and it was necessary that such Amir should be from the Quraish, the tribe of the
Holy Prophet.
There was some exchange of hot words. Then Abu Ubaida appealed to the Ansars saying: "O
Ansars you were the first to help Islam: do not now be the first to take steps towards the
disintegration of Islam."
When Abu Bakr saw that Ansaar were now convinced, he said “I do not want the leadership.
Here are Umar and Abu Ubaida. You may choose any one out of these two." Looking at the
selflessness of Abu Bakr, Ansaar now agreed that a leader be from Quraish as prophet was from
Quraish and Ansaar should continue their role as helpers.
When Abu Bakr repeated his words to choose Abu Ubaidah or Umar, Umar rose quickly to say:
"O Abu Bakr, how can I or Abu Ubaida be preferred to you? You are undoubtedly the most
excellent of the Muslims. You were the 'Second of the Two' in the Cave. You were
appointed as 'Amir-ul-Haj'. During his illness the Holy Prophet appointed you as the Imam
to lead the prayers. Of all the companions you were the closest and the dearest to the
Holy Prophet. As such you are dear to us. Stretch your hand so that we may offer our
allegiance to you."
Umar made Abu Bakr stand, and then gave his allegiance. Abu Ubaida was the next to pay
allegiance. Thereafter all the Ansars assembled there offered their allegiance to Abu Bakr turn
by turn. Thus Abu Bakr was elected as the successor to the Holy Prophet on the very day of the
death of Holy Prophet. The next day, more people pledged allegiance in the prophet’s mosque.
 - 110 -

Problems faced by Abu Bakr during his caliphate

Apostasy movement
Troubles emerged soon after Abu Bakr's succession, threatening the unity and stability of the new
community and state. Several Arabic tribes revolted against Abu Bakr. The rebels rallied around people
who claimed to be prophets, the most prominent among these Musaylimah. The tribes claimed that
they had submitted to Muhammad only and that with Muhammad's death, their allegiance had ended.
Thus several tribes refused to pay Zakat (Charity). This was the start of the Ridda wars (Arabic for the
Wars of Apostasy). The apostasy of central Arabia was led by self-proclaimed prophet Musaylimah of al-
Yamama, while the other centers were to the south and east in Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. Abu Bakr
planned his strategy accordingly and formed the Muslim army into 11 units. The strongest unit was that
of Khalid ibn al-Walid and was used to fight the most powerful of the rebel forces. Other units were
given areas of secondary importance in which to bring the less dangerous apostate tribes. Abu Bakr's
plan was first to clear the area of west and central Arabia then tackle the most dangerous enemy
Musaylimah. After series of successful campaigns, Khalid ibn al-Walid finally defeated Musaylimah and
his tribe, the Banu Hanifa, in the Battle of Yamama. The Campaign of the Apostasy was fought and
completed during the eleventh year of the Hijri. In the year 12 Hijri Arabia was united under the central
authority of the Caliph at Medina.

Expedition to Syria
Before his death, Prophet (s) had prepared an army expedition under the command of Osama bin Zaid
to tackle the growing influence of Romans in the area bordering Islamic and the Roman Empire. But just
when the expedition was about to leave Madina, Prophet (s) died. Thus the expedition was delayed.
Many companions came to Abu Bakr with the suggestion to either stop this expedition or replace Osama
bin Zaid who was 17 at that time, with someone more experienced. Both the suggestions were refused
by Abu Bakr who was of the opinion that how can he undo something that Prophet (s) had ordered. This
shows the resolve of Abu Bakr in sticking to the Sunnah of the Prophet (s). To further strengthen his
resolve, he travelled some distance with Osama bin Zaid to bid him farewell for the journey. Thus closing
all doors to speculation and gossip.

Persian Empire
Refer to presentation

Roman Empire
Refer to presentation

Compilation of Quran
See compilation of Quran

Umar bin Al Khattab

Events during the caliphate of Umar

Election of Umar as the caliph was decided by Abu Bakr himself on his death bed. Some people
suggested not to make Umar as the caliph, due to his strictness, but abu bakr responded by saying “the
responsibility of caliphate will make him soft”
 - 111 -

After his election, Umar was faced with two major threats. One was the military threat of the Persian
and the Roman Empire. Other was the administrative challenge of controlling such a vast empire that
had grown rapidly with conquests in Byzantine and Persian empires.

Military achievements of Umar

See presentation

Administrative reforms of Umar

The government of Umar was more or less a unitary government, where the central political authority
was the Caliph. The empire of Umar was divided into provinces and some autonomous territories. The
provinces administered by the provincial governors or Wali. The selection of which was made personally
by Umar, who was very strict in it. Provinces were further divided into districts, there were about 100
districts in the empire. Each district or main city was under the charge of a junior governor or Wali,
usually appointed by Umar himself, but occasionally they were also appointed by the provincial
governor. Other officers at the provincial level were:
• Katib, the Chief Secretary.
• Katib-ud-Diwan, the Secretary.
• Sahib-ul-Kharaj, the Revenue Collector.
• Sahib-ul-Ahdath, the Police chief.
• Sahib-Bait-ul-Mal, the Treasury Officer.
• Qadi, the Chief Judge.
These principal officers were required to come to Mecca on the occasion of the Hajj, during which
people were free to present any complaint against them. In order to minimize the chances of
corruption, Umar made it a point to pay high salaries to the staff. Under Umar the empire was divided
into the following provinces.
• Arabia was divided into two provinces, Mecca and Medina;
• Iraq was divided into two provinces, Basra and Kufa;
• Jazira was a province;
• Syria was a province;
• Umar divided Palestine in two provinces Aylya and Ramlah;
• Egypt was divided into two provinces, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt;
• Persia was divided into three provinces, Khorasan; Azarbaijan and Fars.

Umar was first to established a special department for the investigation of complaints against the
officers of the State. One of Umar's most powerful department was his intelligence department of
secret services.

Umar undertook many reforms and closely oversaw public policy. He established an advanced
administration for the newly conquered lands, including several new ministries and bureaucracies, and
ordered a census of all the Muslim territories. In 638, he extended and renovated the Masjid al-Haram
(Grand Mosque) in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina.

Umar also ordered the expulsion of the Christian and Jewish communities of Najran and Khaybar
allowing them to reside in Syria or Iraq. He issued orders that these Christians and Jews should be
treated well and allotted them the equivalent land in their new settlements. Umar also forbade non-
Muslims to reside in the Hejaz for longer than three days.
 - 112 -

In 641, he established Bayt al-mal, a financial institution and started annual allowance for the Muslims.
A year later he also started allowance for the poor, underprivileged and old non-Muslim citizens of the
empire. As a leader, In 639, his fourth year as caliph and the seventeenth year since the Hijra, he
decreed that the Islamic calendar should be counted from the year of the Hijra of Muhammad (s) from
Mecca to Madinah.

Further administrative works were carried out in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, infrastructure and
town-planning

Death of Umar
The Persian slave Abu Lulu Feroz brought a complaint to Umar about the high tax charged by his
master but after investigation, Umar held that the tax charged to Abu Lulu was reasonable, owing to
his daily income. Feeling that he was not given justice, Abu Lulu made a plan to assassinate Umar.
Before the Fajr prayers Feroz entered Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, where Umar usually led the prayers
attacked Umar during the prayer. He stabbed him six times in the belly and finally in the navel, that
proved fatal. Feroz tried to flee, but people from all sides rushed to capture him; in his efforts to
escape he is reported to have wounded twelve other people, six or nine of whom later died, before
slashing himself with his own blade to commit suicide. Umar died of the wounds three days later on
26th Dhū al-Ḥijja 23 AH. As per Umar's will, he was buried next to Al-Masjid al-Nabawi alongside
Prophet (s) and caliph Abu Bakr by the permission of Aisha.

Uthman bin Affan

Election

On his death bed, Umar was suggested that he make his son, Abdullah ibn Umar as the next caliph, but
he refused saying “One caliph from the family of Khattab is sufficient”. Similarly Umar also said that “if
Abu Ubaidah or Salim the freed slave were alive today, I would have chosen one of them as the
caliph”.
However, before his death he appointed a panel of six men to choose a caliph from amongst them and
then their choice was to be confirmed through allegiance by the Muslim population. The panel, which
was instructed to make the choice in three days included ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Sa’d bin Abi Waqas, Talha,
Zubayr and Abdul Rahman bin ‘Auf. Abdullah ibn Umar was added as a voter only, in case if the decision
is tied 3 by 3. Despite long meetings the panel could not arrive at a decision, Abdur Rahman than
withdrew his name and it was decided that he would make the final decision regarding the selection. He
consulted each member separately with the exception of Talha who was not in Madina at the time.
‘Uthman and ‘Ali proposed each other’s name whereas Zubayr and Sa’d put forward ‘Uthmans name.
After more consultation Abdur Rahman gave his decision in favour of ‘Uthman and was the first to take
bay’a on his hand and was followed by all the other Muslims in the mosque

Reforms of Uthman's era

Umar had fixed the allowance of the people and on assuming office, Uthman increased it by 25%. Umar
had placed a ban on the sale of lands and the purchase of agricultural lands in conquered territories.
Uthman withdrew these restrictions, in view of the fact that the trade could not flourish. Uthman also
permitted people to draw loans from the public treasury. In 651, the first Islamic coins were struck
during the caliphate of Uthman.
 - 113 -

Umar, the predecessor of Uthman was very strict in the use of money from the public treasury. Apart
from the meagre allowance that had been sanctioned in his favour, Umar took no money from the
treasury. He did not receive any gifts, nor did he allow any of his family members to accept any gift from
any quarter. During the time of Uthman there was some relaxation in such strictness. Uthman did not
draw any allowance from the treasury for his personal use, nor did he receive a salary, he was a wealthy
man with sufficient resources of his own, but unlike Umar, Uthman accepted gifts and allowed his family
members to accept gifts from certain quarters. Uthman honestly felt that he had the right to utilize the
public funds according to his best judgment, and no one criticized him for that. The economic reforms
introduced by Uthman had far reaching effects; Muslims as well as non-Muslims of the Rashidun Empire
enjoyed an economically prosperous life during his reign.

Public Service
Under Uthman the people became economically more prosperous, and they invested their money in the
construction of buildings. Many new and larger buildings were constructed throughout the empire.
During the caliphate of Uthman as many as five thousand new mosques were constructed. Uthman
enlarged, extended, and embellished the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi at Medina and the Kaaba as well. With the
expansion of the army, the cantonments were extended and enlarged, more barracks were constructed
for the soldiers and stables for the cavalry were extended. Uthman provided separate pastures for state
camels.

During the caliphate of Uthman, guest houses were provided in main cities to provide comfort to the
merchants coming from faraway places. More and more markets were constructed and Uthman
appointed Market Officers to look after them. In Iraq, Egypt and Persia numerous canals were dug,
which stimulated agricultural development. In the cities, particular attention was directed towards the
provision of the water supply. In Medina, a number of wells were dug to provide drinking water for the
people and in Mecca the water supply was also improved.

Administration
In his testament, Umar had instructed his successor not to make any change in the administrative set up
for one year after his death. For one year Uthman maintained the pattern of political administration as it
stood under Umar, later making some amendments.
During Uthman’s reign the empire was divided into twelve provinces. These were:
• Medina
• Mecca
• Yemen
• Kufa
• Basra
• Jazira
• Faris
• Azerbaijan
• Khorasan
• Syria
• Egypt
• Efriqya (later Africa)

The provinces were further divided into districts (more than 100 districts in the empire) and each district
or main city had its own Governor, Chief judge and Amil (tax collector).
 - 114 -

Military expansion during the time of Uthman

During the caliphate of Uthman, the challenge was more to retain the conquered land than to conquer
more lands. Rebellion took place in the areas like Syria, Alexandria, Azerbaijan, Armenia etc and all
these rebellions were crushed. New areas were also conquered like Gazni, Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Hisraf,
Samarkand, Tashkent, Sajestan, Arghiyan, jarjan,Tabrastan, Khurasan and turkemanistan. Some Areas
were inaccessible to muslims before, but muslims were able to conquer them through the first naval
fleet made by uthman. This naval fleet conquered Cyprus, Rhodes, Antakiya etc. In North Africa, further
more conquests were made, which lead to control of Tripoli, Tunisia, Morocco, and Parts of Algeria and
Spain. These are included in the Military achievements of Uthman.

Compilation of Quran
See compilation of Quran

Revolt against Uthman

Unlike his predecessor, Umar, who maintained discipline with a stern hand, Uthman was less rigorous
upon his people; he focused more on economic prosperity. Under Uthman, the people became
economically more prosperous and on the political plane they came to enjoy a larger degree of freedom.
Moreover, the foreign powers became nervous at the success of the Muslims under the leadership of
Uthman, and now their only hope lay in subversive movements within the territories of Uthman's
caliphate. Leaders like Abdullah Ibn Saba, felt that it was a good opportunity to accomplish their aims of
rebellion by starting arguments over religion. Initially, they started with arguments over Uthman's
kinsmen, who were governors of Egypt, Bosra and Kufa. The actual reason for the anti-Uthman
movement were many anonymous letters were written to the leading companions of Muhammad,
complaining about the alleged tyranny of Uthman's appointed governors. Moreover, letters were sent
to the leaders of public opinion in different provinces concerning the reported mishandling of power by
Uthman's family. This contributed to unrest in the empire and finally Uthman had to investigate the
matter in an attempt to ascertain the authenticity of the rumours.

The situation was becoming tense and so the Uthman administration had to investigate the origins and
extent of anti-government propaganda and its aims. In the Majlis al Shurah (council of ministry), it was
suggested to Uthman that reliable agents should be sent to various provinces to investigate the matter
and report about the sources of such rumours. These agents submitted their reports to Uthman, that all
was well and the people were satisfied with the administration, and they had no legitimate grievance
against it.

In 655, Uthman directed the people who had any grievance against the administration to assemble at
Mecca for the Hajj. He promised them that all their legitimate grievances would be redressed. In
response to the call of Uthman, the opposition came in large delegations from various cities to present
their grievances. Uthman addressed the people and gave a long explanation of the criticism about
himself and his administration

The rebels realized that the people in Mecca supported the defense offered by Uthman and were not in
the mood to listen to them. That was a great psychological victory for Uthman.
 - 115 -

After the Hajj of 655 things remained quiet for some time. With the dawn of the year 656, Medina, the
capital city of Uthman, became a hotbed of intrigue and unrest. When the crisis deepened in Medina,
Uthman addressed the congregation in the Masjid-e-Nabawi and gave an explanation and rebuttal of all
the claims against him. The general public was again satisfied with Uthman. He had hoped that after his
speech in which he had explained his position, and offered full defence for his actions, the allegedly false
propaganda against him would cease.

Later, the three main provinces of Egypt, Kufa, and Basra became essentially independent from the
Caliphate of Uthman, and became the center of revolt.

From Egypt a contingent of about 1,000 people were sent to Medina, with instructions to assassinate
Uthman and overthrow the government. Similar contingents marched from Kufa and Basra to Medina.
They sent their representatives to Medina to contact the leaders of public opinion. The representatives
of the contingent from Egypt waited on Ali, and offered him the Caliphate in succession to Uthman,
which Ali turned down. The representatives of the contingent from Kufa waited on Al-Zubayr, while the
representatives of the contingent from Basra waited on Talhah, and offered them their allegiance as the
next Caliph, which were both turned down.

Siege of Uthman
The situation in Medina was a big gain for the rebels. When they felt satisfied that the people of Medina
would not offer them any resistance, they entered the city of Medina and laid siege to the house of
Uthman, essentially taking it over but not confining the Caliph. The rebels declared that no harm from
them would come to any person who chooses not to resist them. Uthman strongly instructed his
supporters to refrain from violence. The early stage of the siege of Uthman’s house was not severe, the
rebels merely hovered around the house and did not place any restrictions on him. Uthman went to the
Al-Masjid al-Nabawi as usual, and led the prayers. The rebels offered prayers under the leadership of
Uthman. While Uthman addressed the people in the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi he was criticized by
opponents. When the rebels felt that the people of Medina were not likely to offer active support to
Uthman, they changed their strategy, and tightened the siege of the house of Uthman, thus confining
Uthman to his home. Uthman was denied the freedom to move about and was not allowed to go to the
mosque.

As the days passed, the rebels intensified their pressure against Uthman. They forbade the entry of any
food or provisions, and later water as well, into his house. During the siege, Uthman was asked by his
supporters, who outnumbered the rebels, to let them fight against the rebels and rout them. Uthman
prevented them in an effort to avoid the bloodshed of Muslim by Muslim.

Finding the gate of Uthman's house strongly guarded by his supporters, the rebels climbed the back wall
and snuck inside, leaving the guards on the gate unaware of what was going on inside. when the rebels
entered his room and struck blows at his head. Naila, the wife of Uthman, threw herself on his body to
protect him. Raising her hand to protect him she had her fingers chopped off and was pushed aside, and
further blows were struck until he was dead.

Ali bin Abi Talib

Events during the caliphate of Ali

 - 116 -

Ali was caliph between 656 and 661, during one of the more turbulent periods in Muslim history.
Uthman's assassination meant that rebels had to select a new caliph. There were three candidates: Ali,
Talhah and al-Zubayr. First the rebels approached Ali, requesting him to accept being the caliph, but he
turned down the offer, suggesting being a counselor instead of a chief. But on the insistence of some of
the companions, Ali inherited the Caliphate—which extended from Egypt in the west to the Iranian
highlands in the east—while the situation in the Hejaz and the other provinces on the eve of his election
was unsettled. Soon after Ali became caliph, he dismissed provincial governors who had been appointed
by Uthman, replacing them with trusted aides. Muawiyah refused to submit to Ali's orders; he was the
only governor to do so.

When he was appointed caliph, Ali stated to the citizens of Medina that Muslim polity had come to be
plagued by dissension and discord; he desired to purge Islam of any evil. He advised the populace to
behave as true Muslims, warning that he would tolerate no sedition and those who were found guilty of
subversive activities would be dealt with harshly.

A'isha, Talhah, Al-Zubayr and Muawiyah wanted to take revenge for Uthman's death and punish the
rioters who had killed him. Under such circumstances, a schism took place which led to the first civil war
in Muslim history. The First Fitna, 656–661, followed the assassination of Uthman, continued during the
caliphate of Ali, and was ended by Muawiyah's assumption of the caliphate. Ali was first opposed by a
faction led by Talhah, Al-Zubayr and Aisha bint Abu Bakr. This group gathered in Mecca then moved to
Basra with the expectation of finding the necessary forces and resources to mobilize people of Iraq.
They occupied Basra. They refused Ali's offer of obedience and pledge of allegiance saying that once the
murderers of Uthman are punished, they will accept Ali as the caliph. The two sides met at the Battle of
Bassorah (Battle of the Camel) in 656, where Ali emerged victorious.

Ali appointed Ibn Abbas governor of Basra and moved his capital to Kufa, the Muslim garrison city in
Iraq. Kufa was in the middle of Islamic land and had strategic position.
Later he was challenged by Muawiyah , the cousin of Uthman, who refused Ali's demands for allegiance
and called for revenge for Uthman. Ali opened negotiations hoping to regain his allegiance, but
Muawiyah refused on the pretext that his contingent had not participated in his election and murderers
of Uthman should be punished. The two armies encamped themselves at Siffin for more than one
hundred days, most of the time being spent in negotiations. Although, Ali exchanged several letters with
Muawiyah, he was unable to dismiss the latter, nor persuade him to pledge allegiance. Skirmishes
between the parties led to the Battle of Siffin in 657. Muawiyah's army were on the point of being
routed when Amr ibn al-Aas advised Muawiyah to have his soldiers hoist mus'haf on their spearheads in
order to ceasefire. Ali wanted to still fight, but only a minority wanted to pursue the fight.

The two armies finally agreed to settle the matter of who should be Caliph by arbitration. The refusal of
the largest bloc in Ali's army to fight was the decisive factor in his acceptance of the arbitration. The
question as to whether the arbiter would represent Ali or the Kufans caused a further split in Ali's army.
Finally, Ali was urged to accept Abu Musa. Some of Ali's supporters, later were known as Kharijites
(schismatics), opposed arbitration and rebelled and Ali had to fight with them in the Battle of Nahrawan.
The arbitration resulted in the dissolution of Ali's coalition.

In the following years Muawiyah's army invaded Iraq, which Ali's governors could not prevent and
people did not support him to fight with them.

Death
 - 117 -

On the 19th of Ramadan, while Ali was praying in the mosque of Kufa, a Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam, a
Kharijite, assassinated him with a stroke of his poison-coated sword. Ali, wounded by the poisonous
sword, lived for two days before dying in Kufa on the 21st of Ramadan in 661.
 - 118 -

Articles of Faith
The Hadith of Jibrael in Sahih Al-Bukharee gives the description of Eemaan as divided into 6 parts,
all of which complement one another.

ALLAH ANGELS

ARTICLES OF
MESSENGERS DAY OF
FAITH JUDGEMENT

BOOKS QADAR

Allah
• We as Muslims believe in one Supreme Being as God or ilah. The personal name of God is
Allah
• Muslims believe that there is no true god worthy of worship except Him
• Muslims believe that Allah is one and unique in all attributes and actions and this is referred to
as Tawheed

Tawheed comes from the root word “wa-ha-da” which means oneness or uniqueness. In Islam, this
word has a special meaning and significance and is used to denote the oneness and uniqueness of
Allah. Opposite to Tawheed is ‘Shirk’. The message of Tawheed was spread by all the Prophets of
Allah (May peace be upon them all). "And We did not send any Messenger before you but we
inspired him (saying): There is no god but God. None has the right to be worshipped but I. So
worship me." (Quran 21:25)

Belief in the oneness and uniqueness of Allah in all its dimensions is a condition that a Muslim
needs to fulfill in order to be called a Muslim.

There are three different categories of Tawheed that a Muslim needs to understand in order to not
fall into the traps of shirk set up by Satan.
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1. The unity of Allah's Lordship (Tawheed ur-Ruboobeeyah): That Allah is the One who creates,
owns and administers what He created, the One who brings benefit and averts harm, and the
sole Power in the universe.
2. Allah's unity regarding His Perfect Names and Attributes (Tawheed Asmaa' Allah wa Sifatih)-
describing Allah according to the names and attributes by which He has described Himself in
the Qur'aan or by those used by Prophet Muhammad to describe Him, without changing their
meaning.
3. Allah's unity regarding His worship (Tawheed ul `Ibaadah) is to single-out Allah alone for all
worship and not to worship anything along with Him, whether it be an angel, a Messenger, a
Prophet, a pious person, a tree, a stone, the sun, the moon, or other than these, such as money
or one's desires.

The Kalimah testifies that there is no divinity except Allah none other than Him and none along
with Him. None is similar to Him, none creates and sustains except Him, and none has the right to
govern creation but Him. The concept of Tawheed necessarily overflows into all aspects of belief
and worship and into all aspects of life.

A Muslim testifies that Allah is

• Unique in His attributes

• Unique in His actions
• Unique in His existence
• Unique in his Lordship (creator and sustainer of all the worlds)
• Only worthy of worship
• Only worthy of praise

Shirk is the opposite of Tawheed. It means to give an attribute of Allah to Creation or give an
attribute of creation to Allah. Allah is unique and can never be compared to anyone.

His attributes and names:

He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes.

No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone.
God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole
universe. He manages all affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures
depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and the All-Knowing.

In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the open and the secret, and the public and
the private. He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in
the whole world except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will
never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power over all things, and He is able to do
everything.
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He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent. In one of the sayings of the
Prophet Muhammad, we are told that God is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child.
God is far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and decrees. If
someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly without asking anyone else to
intercede with God for him or her.

Some reference which can be used

In the Quran, God describes Himself:

“Say, He is God, the One. God, to Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was
He begotten, and there is none like Him.” (Quran, 112:1-4)

Ayat ul Kursi

Allah says “Alif laam Meem. Allah, there is no God except him, the living, the upright” (3:1-2)

Allah says “and your diety, is the one diety worthy of worship”

Allah says “You alone we worship and you alone we ask for help” Fatiha: 4

Quran tells us, when firaun asked Moosa (as) as to who Allah is, Moosa replied “My lord is the one
who creates everything and then fashions it” (surah Taha)

Quran says “There is no God except me, so worship me, and establish prayer for my
remembrance” (surah taha)

Allah’s Messengers
• Muslims believe that Allah chose from the humans as messengers after testing them.
• Messengers are the best of people chosen to convey the message of Allah to the Mankind.
Messengers guide people; they purify them from sins, relate the message of God to people, warn them
and give them glad tidings. The messengers establish the proof upon people so that on the Day of
Judgment people don’t say that they were not warned.
• They were sent to all nations and communities
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• These messengers came with a general message of Tawheed and came to rectify the evils prevailing
in these societies. "And We did not send any Messenger before you but we inspired him
(saying): There is no god but God. None has the right to be worshipped but I. So worship me."
(Quran 21:25)
• Apart from the basic beliefs, a few laws were different between the teachings of various prophets.
Prophet (s) explained this in this way “Prophets are brothers. Their deen is the same, but their
mothers are different”
• All messengers were men and humans and of the most upright character within society.
• Messenger (Rasool) is different from a Prophet (Nabi). A Rasool is a person who brings a new law
where as a prophet is a person who follows the law brought by a Rasool. Musa (AS) was Rasool and
Haroon (AS) was a Nabi. But one should note that a Rasool is also a Nabi.
• These Messengers were given books as well like Torat, Zabur, Injeel, Suhuf Ibrahim and Quran.
• Quran mentions 26 prophets but there were 124000 prophets approx.
• All prophets were sinless as God forgave their shortcomings and they strictly followed the divine
code.
• It is obligatory on Muslims to follow them and listen to whatever they command us to do. Quran says
about the last prophet “Obey Allah and obey the messenger”
• There are some prophets who were given a higher status than others but in general all prophets are
equal. We respect all of them equally and believe in whatever they brought. Quran says in surah
baqarah “these are the messengers whom we have blessed, some over the others”
• Allah establishes evidence against people through the messengers as Allah says in the Quran “and we
do not punish people until the message of the messenger reaches them”
• For example we believe that Esa (as) was a prophet of Allah and he brought the message to Bani
Israel.
• Prophet (s) was the last and final messenger of Allah and is called the seal of the prophets (Khatam un
Nabiyeen). Previous messengers had limited scope of preaching and message. System brought by
Rasulullah is perfect and complete. There will be no prophet after him and he was Khatam un
Nabiyeen. The message of Rasulullah is guarded from deviations because no other prophet will come
to rectify it. Even the life and sayings of Rasulullah are preserved. The last and final message of Allah
is applicable in all times and places till the Day of Judgment. His message is universal. Regarding
him being khatam un nabiyeen, it is mentioned in 33:40 “and Muhammad is not the father of any
one of you among men, but he is the messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets”

Revealed Books
• Allah revealed books to guide humans. This guidance was in all aspects of life like social, political,
economic and religious. This book was a source of salvation for people of those times. Like at the
time of Moses, people were to follow Torah. Today we are suppose to follow Quran.
• Allah has revealed books of guidance to his messengers throughout history.
• Revealed books form the basics of faith in Islam.
• Each previous book was sent to a nation or tribe except the Quran which was sent to the entire
mankind for guidance.
• All revealed books demanded man to submit to Allah and rotated around the Tawheed of Allah, belief
system, and man’s relation with the creator.
• Some books that were revealed are Suhuf-e-Ibrahim, Torat, Zabur Injeel and Quran and the were
revealed to Ibrahim, Musa, Daud, Isa and Muhammad (may peace be upon them all)
• Quran 5:44 “It was We who revealed the Torah (to Moses); therein was guidance and light”
• Quran 3:3 “he has sent down to you the book with the truth, confirming what preceded it; and
he has sent down the torah and the gospel”
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• Quran 4:163: “We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after
him: we sent wahi to Abraham, Isma'il, Ishaq, Yaqub and the Tribes, to Isa,
Ayyub, Yunus, Aaron, and Sulayman, and to Dawood We gave the Psalms.”
• Quran, Surah Aala last 2 verses “Indeed this was there in the previous scriptures, the
Scriptures of Ibrahim and Moosa”
• Previous books revealed by Allah are acceptable by Muslims but as they have been altered and
modified, they are not reliable any more. Quran is the final message. It is the universal message
preserved as a book and has not changed since 1400 years.

Angels
• Angels are one of the creations of Allah made from nur (light). They are unseen creation but they do
take human forms. They are mighty creation of Allah with wings, like 2, 4, 6 etc. Jibreel (as) has 600
wings.
• Angels do not have a free will and they do what they are told to do. They do not have any extra
knowledge; they know what they have been told by Allah. They continuously worship Allah
• Angels are also given orders by Allah to help the Muslims
• They descend on the night of power and ask for blessings on behalf of the righteous people
• "Praise be to Allah, Who created (out of nothing) the heavens and the earth, Who made the
angels with wings - two, or three, or four ….." [35:1]
• ". . . For in the presence of your Lord are angels who celebrate His praises by night and by day.
And they never become tired." [41:38]
• Whoever is an enemy to Allah, and His angels and prophets, to Jibreel and Mikail - Lo! Allah is
an enemy to those who reject faith." [2:98]
• Say: ‘the Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls, then shall you be
brought back to your Lord.’" [32:11]
• Angels have specific responsibilities given to them.
Jibrael Bring revelation
Mikael To make arrangements for the rain and sustenance of people
Israfil Blowing trumpet on the last day
Maalik Guardian angel of Hell
Angel of Death Takes souls
Kiraman Katibeen Write the deeds of people
Munkar Nakeer Two angels who will question in the grave
Angels of Arsh They are 8 angels who lift the throne of Allah
Other angels Other Angels have many other tasks like they help muslims in fighting
against evil like in the battle of Badar. They seek forgiveness from Allah.
They are numerous and they regularly do the tawaaf of bait ul mamoor.
They are so many that there is not a single place equal to four fingers
size, where an angel is not there.
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Day of Judgment
Summary: Belief in the day of judgement makes a person conscious about the actions that a person does.
Because the person knows he will be asked five questions, regarding knowledge, wealth, youth, spending,
and actions.
There will be various stages of the End. Firstly, the end of a person starts with his/her death. Then after
dying, he will face punishment in the grave or he will relax in his grave. Then of the day of Judgement he
will be given life again. And he will be accountable for what he did. First thing that will be asked about
would be Prayer. Then other deeds. He will also be accountable if this person would have done something
wrong to other human beings. Finally, he will either go to hell or heaven.

Event Details

Birth - Death Muslims believe that this world is a temporary place that Allah has made as a
test for people. On the basis of this test, Allah will decide whether that person
will go to Heaven as a reward or Hell as a punishment.
Surah Mulk verse 2 tells us “it is He who created life and death so that he
may see who does good deeds”

Death "Every soul will taste death." [Al-Qur'an 3:185]

A believer dies with ease in such a way that the angel of Death takes out the
soul while the person wants to meet Allah. The example of taking the soul of
a believer is how when you squeeze a drop of water from container carrying
water. The Messenger of Allah (s) said: "When the soul of a believer comes
out [of its body], two angels receive it and rise with it towards the heavens,
whereupon the inhabitants of the heavens say, 'A good soul has come from the
earth. Allah has blessed you and the body which you used to occupy.'
" [Muslim]
A disbeliever’s soul is taken out in such a manner that it causes him immense
pain. The example of taking out the soul of a disbeliever is like pulling a cloth
out of thorns. "If you could see when the worngdoers taste the pangs of
death and the angels stretch their hands out, [saying], 'Deliver up your
souls. This day you will be awarded a degrading punishment.' " [Al-
Qur'an 6:93]
Death according to Islam is not the end of human life, rather another life, a
permanent one, awaits him. Once the person dies, the life in Grace/barzakh
begins

Life in Once a person dies, he is transferred to an interim life where his soul is either
Grave/Barzakh punished or rewarded. This is the time which is the waiting period till the day
of judgement. This life is also referred to as the life in Grave, even though the
body decays in the worldly sense. This is a life from the unseen. Prophet (s)
said "seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave." Then he
 - 124 -

said (three times), "oh! Allah I seek refuge in you from the punishment of
the grave."
Once a person enters grave, two angels, Munkar and Nakeer will
approach this person asking him three questions: Who is your Lord?
What is your faith? And Who is your Nabi?
The person who answers correctly will be rewarded and then one who
does not, would be punished.
Many people will be punished in different ways, like the ones seen by
Prophet (s) when he went to Mairaj.

The last Day Description of that day:

The Last Day will take place when none of the believers would be alive. It
will take place with immense horror. Quran says, the day will be so tough that
a child would turn old.

1. When the heaven is cleft asunder, 2. When the planets are dispersed, 3.
When the seas are poured forth, 4. And the sepulchres are overturned, 5.
A soul will know what it hath sent before (it) and what left
behind. [Surah 82:1-5. Al-Infitar ]

1. When the sun is overthrown, 2. And when the stars fall,

3. And when the hills are moved,
6. And when the seas rise,
10. And when the pages are laid open,
11. And when the sky is torn away, [Surah 81:1-3, 6, 10-11]

Surah Qariah (4-5)

A day wherein mankind will be as thickly-scattered moths. And the
mountains will become as carded wool.
The first Muslims believe that this world will end one day. Everything and everyone
Trumpet will die after Angel Israfeel blows the first trumpet. This first trumpet would
kill everyone except whom Allah wills.
Surah Haqqah 13-15
“Then when one Blast is sounded on the Trumpet. And the earth is moved
and its mountains, and they are crushed to powder at one stroke. On that
Day shall the (Great) Event come to pass!”

The second After 40 years have passed after the first trumpet, the second trumpet would
trumpet / be blown by Angel Israfeel. As a result of this, Men will come out of their
Resurrection graves. They will be resurrected. Once they are resurrected they will ask
“Who has woken us from our sleeps?” It is said, the first one to be raised
would be either prophet Muhammad or Prophet Moosa. People will be raised
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up alive from the graves just like how plants grow from seeds out of the land.
Allah compares these two things repeatedly in the Quran.
Surah Yasin Verse 51
“The trumpet shall be sounded when behold! From the graves men will
rush forth to their Lord!”

Day of With the second trumpet, the day of resurrection will begin. Nobody knows
Judgment / when the day of Judgment will come but we have been told signs of the
resurrection coming of this day. Only Allah knows when it will come. We know it will be
on Friday, but which Friday is not known to us.
On the day of Judgment, people will be brought back to life by Allah and they
will be given their books of deeds. Their bodies and earth will talk against
them on that day. Like our hands will testify against us or for us. Even Quran
will be either against a person or in favor of a person. People would be called
out by their names to be accountable to Allah. Prophet (s) said, a person will
not be able to move until he answers 5 questions regarding “Spending of life,
spending of wealth, earning of wealth, Knowledge and actions based on
it”
On this day, the first thing from the rights of Allah that will be asked about
would be prayer, and the first thing from the rights of others which would be
asked about would be Murder.
This day will be so Fair and Just that everyone will get a fair compensation,
either reward or punishment. Even animals will have their judgment. After
their judgment, the animals would be turned to dust.
Quran says “On that day, their tongues will be sealed and their hands and
feet would speak”
Surah Zilzaal says “when the earth will be shaken and it will take out all of
its burdens”
Meezan and The real wealth on that day would be deeds. Deeds would be weighed on that
deeds day and results announced. Any virtuous deed no matter how small it may be
done in the state of faith will carry benefit. Any evil deed no matter how small
it may be will carry the consequences, if Allah chooses not to forgive it.
All the humans will be accountable for their deeds in front of Allah who will
be the owner of the day of judgement as told in Surah Fatiha, Allah is
“Master of day of Judgment”
For the purpose of Justice, a Meezan (scale) would be brought in which the
deeds of people would be weighed.
Surah Qariah describes the Meezan and the result of it. Quran
says, “Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works), He will
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live a pleasant life. But as for him whose scales are light. Jahannum will
be his mother. And what it is!. Raging Fire”

The Siraat Once the judgement is made, everyone will be ordered to go through a bridge
known as the bridge of Siraat (Pull-Siraat). Below this bridge is the Hell fire.
This bridge is thinner than a hair, and sharper than a knife. Those who fall
from it, fall into the pits of Hellfire. So there will be some who will move
through it like lightining. Some will jog through it, some will walk, and some
will crawl. There will be others who will fall from it. On the other side of the
bridge is Paradise, however, one more judgement of the person is left.

A place called At this last place before paradise, which is called Qantarah, those matters will
Qantarah be settled which took place between people. So those who wronged others,
will be made to pay the wronged through the deeds. So if someone stole the
property of other, this matter will be solved here. Prophet (s) once asked the
sahabah, “Do you know who is a distressed poor person?” Sahabah
replied, “Yes, the one who does not have money” Prophet (s) said, the
distressed poor person on the day of judgement will be the one who will
have many good deeds, but because he wronged people, all his deeds will
be taken away by those people and then he will be put in hellfire.”
The fate – A muslim who had been bad in this world may be given punishment in the
Heaven or hell hell fire and then will be sent to heaven after completion of punishment.
However the punishment for the disbelievers is eternal.
Heaven is a place of Joy and pleasure. Allah says in the Quran “and in it they
will have gardens underneath which rivers will flow” and “for them
would be fruits with similar form (but different taste)” and “for them
would be pure wives” and “servants would be circulating around them,
handing them cups of wine”. Heaven has more than 100 levels. It has 8
gates. People there would live in peace and bliss. This would be an eternal
life. No death will take place there.
Hell would be a place of disgrace and punishment. Allah says in the Quran
“Indeed Hellfire is waiting, Made for the transgressors, they will live
therein forever, they will not taste therein any goodness nor any drink….
a suitable recompense [for their disbelief]”. (surah naba). This would be an
eternal life for disbelievers. No death will take place there.

Qadar (Predestination/Divine Decree/Taqdeer)

• Qadr means to make into certain proportions. Thus Qadr refers to pre-
destination i.e. everything has been already written down by Allah through his
knowledge as to what is happening, what has happened and what will happen.
Everything is written down on Loh-e-Mahfooz
• Prophet (s) said “In the beginning Allah created the pen and the tablet and
ordered the pen to write. So the pen wrote whatever will happen till the last day
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and then the ink of the pen dried.” (That means no changes will be made now)
This is called Qadr or Taqdeer.
• So it has already been written down as to what will happen in the future.
Whether we will go to heaven, hell, what our results will be, our provision, our
wealth, etc. When a child is in the womb of the mother an angel comes and writes
down the birth, death, provision and result of this person.
• This belief helps us realize that we should not have too much expectations
attached to a particular thing or action rather we should make a reasonable
effort and then leave the results to Allah. Since what is written is going to
happen.
• Qadr is the knowledge of Allah and thus Qadr cannot change except through
Dua. Dua can change Qadar. However even this dua is known to Allah and
already mentioned in Loh-i-mahfuz.
• If everything is written then should we not make any effort? No, we should try
our best in doing good deeds since we don’t know the future and we should not
depend on our efforts but depend on Allah for results.
• Question here is, if it is decided whether I will go to heaven or not, why should I
make any effort? If the amount that I will earn is already written, so does it
matter that I earn through halal means or haram means? Answer is the same as
above.
• Qadr also tells us that everything, good or bad, happens with the will of Allah. If
Allah does not will, even a leaf cannot move from its place. Allah says in the
Quran “Whatever is in the heavens and the earth bows down to Allah, willingly
or unwillingly”
• If something good happens we should give credit to Allah for this and this is by
praising and thanking him. But when something bad happens, even though it
happens with the will of Allah, we should blame ourselves and our deeds for it.
As Quran says “Corruption has spread on the land and sea, because of the bad
deeds that people earn” because it is only a disbeliever who blames Allah for his
own wrong doings.
• Allah has given mankind and jinn free will and the ability to choose between
right and wrong unlike angels. Allah has also sent the guidance. So it is upto
people to make choices. Allah says in Surah Shams “ then we inspired the soul
with what is evil and what is good”. So we have been given choices to chose from
and this is what we will be made accountable for.
• Allah says, “it is He who created all things and ordered them all in due
proportions.”
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Pillars of islam

Shahadah
The kalimah testifies that there is no divinity except Allah none other than Him and none along with
Him. None is similar to Him, none creates and sustains except Him, and none has the right to govern
creation but Him. The concept of Tawheed necessarily overflows into all aspects of belief and worship
and into all aspects of life. With the Kalimah, a Muslim testifies that Allah is

• Unique in His attributes

• Unique in His actions
• Unique in His existence
• Unique in his Lordship (creator and sustainer of all the worlds)
• Only worthy of worship
• Only worthy of praise
This part of the Kalimah starts with negation of all the other false Gods who are worshipped and gives
divinity to only one true God i.e. Allah. This negation gives a special power to this statement which
immediately attacks false beliefs, theories and systems.

The Messenger of Allah (S) also said: "The best remembrance of Allah is to say 'laa ilaaha ill Allah'
(there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah)."

The second part of the Kalimah says that “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. This means that
after accepting the Lordship of Allah, Muslims must accept the messenger ship of Prophet
Muhammad (s). Accepting him is the messenger means

• We accept him as the last messenger

• We accept him as being a part of the chain of messengers
• He should be obeyed in all religious matters
• His speech, actions and recommendations are a source of law for us
• He was a human being but was blessed with revelation and miracles
It is an obligation on all Muslims to attest to this truth. Allah says in the Quran that obedience to the
Prophet (pbuh) means obedience to Allah.

Merits/Benefits of Shahadah

- Paradise is its reward. Prophet (s) said “Whoever says La Ilaha Illa Allah and passes away on it
believing in it, would enter paradise”
- Uttering it before death will cause one to be admitted to the Jannah. Prophet (s) said, “The one whose
last words are la ilaha illa Allah will be entered into paradise”
- It is a refuge from the Fire of Hell. This is the reason why prophet Muhammad when he was preaching
to Makkans, he would tell them, “say La ilaha illa Allah and you will be saved”. He said the same to his
uncle Abu Talib.
- It is a cause for a Muslim to be forgiven. Allah says in the Quran that the believers say “ We have
 - 129 -

believed O lord, so pardon us”. Among this belief, the foremost is Tawheed.
- It wipes out sins. When a person converts to Islam by saying this testimony, it wipes out all past sins as
mentioned by the prophet.
- It is the best of deeds and it multiplies into many good deeds. When prophet (s) was asked about the
best of deeds, then he said, the best of deeds is to proclaim that God is one and the worst of deed is the
opposite of it, that is shirk.
- It is a protection against Satan since the protection against satan is remembrance of Allah. Prophet (s)
said "The best remembrance of Allah is to say 'laa ilaaha ill Allah' (there is no deity worthy of worship
except Allah)."
- It is a safety from the darkness and the punishment of the graves and from the Day of Resurrection.
Since the two of the three questions in the grave would be about Tawheed and Risalah, which are part
of the shahadah

- Accepting prophet Muhammad as the messenger of God is a ticket to paradise. Prophet (s) said,
“Those jews and christians who hear my name and do not accept me as he prophet, would be in
hellfire”

- Accepting prophet Muhammad as the last prophet gives us the final law and message from God in the
form of Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet. Success lies in following him as the Quran says “Say: If
you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you”

Why is shahadah the most important pillar of Islam?

1. Because acceptance of Islam is condition for acceptance of all other deeds.

2. We, as muslims, do all deeds purely for the sake of Allah and hoping for reward from
Him. Hence, without shahadah, making such an intention would not be possible.
3. All actions are to be done, according to the Islamic law. Hence, acceptance of prophet
Muhammad allows us to do all such actions in accordance with his Sunnah. For example,
Salah. We perform Salah according to the way of the prophet as prophet (s) said “ Pray
as you see me praying”
Salaah
The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the second pillar of Islam that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned after mentioning the testimony of faith, by which one
becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for all peoples. However, its
performance varied in different laws of prophets. Similarly, the prayers were made obligatory upon
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during his ascension to heaven. Prophet (pbuh) advised
his companion saying

“Do not associate partners with Allah and never leave a prayer intentionally”

Prophet (pbuh) also said:

“Salah is the coolness of my eyes”

Importance of Prayer:
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• Salah is a virtue of a believer. When Allah praises the believers, such as in the
beginning of surah al-Muminoon, one of the first descriptions He states is their
adherence to the prayers.
• Prayer is the most virtuous deed. Second only to the testimonies of faith. Once a man
asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the most virtuous deed. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) stated that the most virtuous deed is the prayer. The man asked
again and again. The first three times, the Prophet (peace be upon him) again
answered, "The prayer," then on the fourth occasion he stated, "Jihad in the way of
Allah." [Recorded by Ahmad]
• On the day of Judgment, first question asked would be about salaah. Prophet (peace be
upon him) said, "The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the
Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound.
And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad." [Recorded by Tabarani]
• The five daily prayer are a means of affirming our faith as we praise Allah, Glorify Him, and bow
down to him. We verbally and physically express ourselves five times a day in submission to Allah.
• It is protection against disbelief Prophet (pbuh) said, "Between Belief and disbelief, lies the
leaving of prayer."
• It makes a man a humble servant of Allah. Prophet (pbuh) said, "A person is closest to Allah while
he is prostrating."
• Congregational prayer binds the community together where people get a chance to understand
the problems of fellow Muslims, standing with one another in straight rows. This is the reason
why prophet (s) advised us to stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer and that those who don’t do
that, their hearts will also be separated.
• It makes a person punctual and regular. Allah said in surah Nisa “Indeed prayer has been made
compulsory on believers at its stipulated time”
• It is one of the best remembrance of Allah. Allah says in Surah Taha “and establish prayer for my
remembrance”.
• Salah is a conversation with Allah, which makes a person feel important, as they are conversing
with their creator. Prophet (pbuh) said, "When one of you is in prayer, he is conversing with His
Lord."
• It purifies man physically and spiritually The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "If a
person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would
have any filth left on him?" The people said, "No filth would remain on him whatsoever." The
Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, "That is like the five daily prayers: Allah wipes away the
sins by them." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
• It helps keep man away from sins and immorality. Allah has said, "Verily, the prayer keeps one
from the great sins and evil deeds" (al-Ankaboot 45).
• It is a way through which Allah forgives the sins of Humans. Once a companion came to the
prophet (s) telling him about a minor sin that he did. The prophet (s) told him that since he has
offered prayer, he should regard that minor sin as forgiven.

Pre-requisites of Prayer

The Basic conditions

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1) Islam, the opposite of which is disbelief (kufr). The disbeliever’s actions are rejected, no matter what
deed it is he performs

2) Sanity, the opposite of which is obviously insanity or madness. Similarly, it is forbidden to pray if the
person in under the effect of an intoxication.

3) The age of discernment, the opposite of which is early childhood years.

Once the above conditions are fulfilled, the preparation for prayer is done as:

• Qiblah: Facing the Qiblah, if known, if not then ask, otherwise, prayer in any direction
is acceptable, given that no other option is available. Quran says “so turn your face in
the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people
are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction”[al-Baqarah 2:144]
• Time: Time of prayer should be there. Praying outside the prayer time is not acceptable. Details
of time given below. Allah says in Surah Nisa “Indeed prayer has been made obligatory on
believers at its stipulated time”

• Intention: Intention resides in the heart and is the very basis on which actions are accepted.
Prophet (s) said “actions are judged by intentions”

• Purification: The removal of impurities from three: from one’s body, from one’s clothing, and
from the place one prays in. There are two kinds of impurities; (i) the greater one, (ii) the lessor
one. Major Impurity includes menstruation and sexual intercourse; one purifies himself from
these by performing Ghusl. An example of a minor impurity is the passing of wind, and this form
of impurity is removed by ablution (wudu).

• Satr: The covering of one’s Awrah (any area of the body that must be covered) with clothing
that doesn’t reveal one’s body shape, skin, or complexion. For men and women this basic
requirement is different. For men, it is navel to knee and for women it is their whole body,
except for the hands till the wrist and the face. Prophet (s) said “Allah does not accept the
prayer of a woman who does not wear Khimar (a covering)”

Timing of prayer:

Obligatory Sunnah
Prayer Prayer Time
Rak‘ahs Prayers

It starts from the time the sun starts to descend towards the 4 rak‘ahs before
Dhuhr
1 4 west after its zenith, and ends when the length of an object’s and 2 rak‘ahs
(Noon)
shadow is equal to the actual object’s height. after.

‘Asr It starts when the time of Dhuhr ends, and ends just before
2 4 None
(Afternoon) the sun sets.
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Maghrib It starts when the Sun has totally set, and ends when the
3 3 2 rak‘ahs after
(Dusk) brightness of dusk (twilight) disappears.

‘Ishaa´ It starts when the time of Maghrib ends, and ends at the
4 4 2 rak‘ahs after
(Night) middle of the night

It starts at the first appearance of light at dawn, and ends

5 Fajr (Dawn) 2 2 rak‘ahs before
when the sun starts to rise.

Method of Prayer

1. Niyaah: Intention in the Heart

2. Takbeer tehrima: Standing straight, raise hands up to shoulders or ears and say "Allahu Akbar" (God
is Most Great).
3. Qiyaam: Standing with hands folded over chest, recite Thana which is praise of Allah. After that
recite Taawuz (seeking refuge from shaytan), then recite Tasmia (beginning in the name of Allah),
then recite the first chapter of the Qur'an in Arabic. Then recite any other verses of the Qur'an that
you would like.
4. Ruku: Saying "Allahu Akbar." Bow, reciting three times, "Subhana rabbiyal adheem" (Glory be to my
Lord who is great). In this bowing position, the hands should be on the knees.
5. Qauma: Rise to standing while the hands are by the side. Then reciting "Sam'i Allahu liman hamidah,
Rabbana wa lakal hamd" (God hears those who call upon Him; Our Lord, praise be to You).
6. Sajda: Saying "Allahu Akbar." Prostrate on the ground, reciting three times "Subhana Rabbiyal A'ala"
(Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). The sajda is when all seven points touch the ground. The toes,
the knees, the hands and the forehead including the nose. During the sajda, the person is closest to
Allah.
7. Jalsa: Rise to a sitting position in which the right foot is upright and left foot lays on the ground
while you sit on it, saying "Allahu Akbar." In Jalsa recite “rabigfirli” meaning (O Allah I seek
forgiveness).
8. Sajda: Prostrate again in the same manner as before.
9. This concludes one rak'a (cycle or unit of prayer). Begin again from Step 3 for the second rak'a.
10. Tashahud: After two rak'as, one remains sitting after the prostrations and recites the first part of
the Tashahhud in Arabic. This is greetings to Allah and a prayer to bless prophet (s) and the
believers.
11. If the prayer is to be longer than these two rak'as, one now stands up and begins again to complete
the 4 rakat prayer, sitting again after all rak'as have been completed. (i.e. repeat step 3 to 10)
12. Tashahud continued: Recite the second part of the Tashahhud in Arabic which included Durood
Ibrahim (which is peace and blessings of Allah invoked upon Ibraham (as) and Muhammad (s)) and
then Dua.
13. Salam: Turn the face to the right and say "Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah" (Peace be upon you
and God's mercy).
14. Salam: Turn to the left and repeat the greeting. This concludes the formal prayer.

Method of Wudu
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Here are the steps for wudu’:

1. Have the intention

2. Wash your hands, front and back, up to and beyond the wrist three times, right hand
first, then left.

3. Rinse your mouth three times, scooping the water up with your right hand.

4. Wash your nose three times by sniffing water up the nostrils and blowing it out.

5. Wash your face three times.

6. Wash each arm up to and beyond the elbow three times, right arm first and then the left.

7. Pass the wet palms of both hands over your head and back. Then rub the inside and
outside of the ears with the thumbs and forefingers.

8. Wash your feet up to and beyond the ankle three times, right foot first and then the left.
Make sure the water gets between the toes by using your fingers.

You are in this state of ritual purity of wudu’ until you urinate or defecate, pass
wind, sleep, or become unconscious.

Method of Ghusl (Bathing)

The procedure for ghusl (bathing) is as follows:

1. Make the intention for ghusl.

2. Wash the private parts, using the left hand. Then wash the left hand three times.

3. Pour water over your head to thoroughly wet your hair three times.

4. Perform wudu’ (ablution) as described above, except for the feet.

5. Wash the whole head and body three times, starting with the right side. Use your hands
to make sure that water reaches every part of your body.

6. Wash your feet up to and beyond the ankles three times, making sure the water gets
between the toes.

Ghusl become obligatory after sexual intercourse or ending of menstrual cycle or

after seminal discharge. It is recommended to perform ghusl at least once a week,
each Friday before the Friday congregational Prayer.

Method of Tayammum

Tayammum is done as a substitution for water. Tayammum is permitted in two situations:

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1. When there is no water to be found

2. When one is not able to use it due to sickness and so on.

Tayammum can be performed for both types of ritual impurities. The description of Tayammum, is that
one must first make his intention. And then he must mention the name of Allaah (saying Bismillaah).
Then he is to strike the earth/sand with his two hands one time. After that, blow the dirt away and then
wipe the palms together along with the back of each hand and his face.

Some references for Prayer:

Quran says “ Establish prayer and pay Zakat and bow down with those who bow down” (Surah
Baqarah)

Quran says “Preserve the prayers and the middle prayer (Asr Prayer)” (Surah Baqarah)

Quran says “and establish prayer for my remembrance” (Surah Taha)

Prophet (s) said “Pray as you see me praying” (Sahih Bukhari)

(Qadha) Delayed Prayer:

Quran says in Surah Nisa “Indeed prayer has been made obligatory on believers at its appointed time”.
Based on this verse, the prayer is to be prayed within the fixed time mentioned. Prayer beyond this time
is not acceptable except in case of Qadha prayer. The Qadha prayer must be done as soon as possible.
There are a few reasons in which qadha prayer is acceptable like in battle field, when a person is sick or
injured, when a person sleeps with necessary arrangements but fails to wake up on time, when a person
loses sanity or consciousness.

Importance of Mosque

The word masjid means a place for prayer. It is a place where believers get together for worship, for
education, political meetings, for social gatherings like nikah and for the collection of Charity and its
disbursement. Mosques are referred to as houses of Allah. Hence one should enter them with respect
and humility. At most care should be taken to keep the mosques clean and pure. One should enter the
mosque with respect, in clean clothes and footwear must be removed. Trading and business is strictly
forbidden inside the mosque. Allah says in the Quran “Indeed mosques are for Allah, do not call upon
anyone other than Allah”

Friday Prayers
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Importance:
• Friday is the holy day for muslims as Saturday and Sunday are for Jews and Christians. It is the
leader of all days and many significant events took place on this day. Also, the day of judgement
will be established on Friday only.
• Friday prayers are expiation of the sins committed in the week as the prophet said "The five
daily prayers and the Friday Prayer until the next Friday prayer are expiation for what is
between them."
• In another hadith, prophet (s) told us that if a person misses three Friday prayers consecutively
then Allah seals the heart of the person. In another narration missing three Friday prayers has
been equated with disbelief.
• It is a good opportunity to educate the masses through the sermon
• All men of the community get together. In some communities women are also encouraged. It is
a symbol of equality and unity.
• Quran commands the muslims to leave all trade and work and move towards the masjid for the
Friday prayer. It is forbidden to trade after the adhan is called. The Quran says “when the call
for Friday prayer is proclaimed, hurry towards the remembrance of Allah and leave off
trade…”

What is done on Fridays?

• Friday prayer is obligatory on men. Women, children, sick and travelers are exempted from the
obligation.
• Friday prayer take place of the Zuhr prayers on Friday and thus the timing of Friday prayers are
the same as that of Zuhr. However some evidence also permits conducting the Friday prayers
earlier than that too
• There is no Qadha for Friday prayer. The one who misses it, has to pray Duhr
• Friday prayer cannot be prayed individually. It has to be done in congregation
• Friday prayer is called using 1 azaan. However some communities give 2 azaan. The first one
being just a reminder as was the practice of Uthman bin Affan (r)
• Muslims are encouraged to take a bath before the prayer, arrive early for it and sit down quietly
after offering two rakats of prayer.
• The sermon is delivered by the imam from the pulpit. The sermon consists of 2 parts. The imam
gives the khutbah and then after a short rest stands up again to deliver the 2nd part which also
includes general advice and prayers for the welfare of Muslim Ummah
• Listening quietly to the sermon is obligatory. Without moving or talking.
• 2 obligatory rakats like normal prayers are offered after the khutba
• It is recommended that the imam
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Eids

The literal word of “Eid” Means “Festivity”. There are 2 eids in one Islamic calendar:
• Eid-ul-Fitr on 1st Shawal
• Eid-ul-Azha on 10th Zilhajj

Eid ul fitr is a day of gratefulness after the month of Ramadan. Where muslims thank Allah for the
blessings in Ramadan and the opportunity to worship Allah in the best way possible. Prior to Eid prayer,
all those who can afford are encouraged to give Sadaqat ul fitr.
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Eid ul Adha is the day which Muslims spend in memory of Ibrahim (as)’s sacrifice of his son Ismaeel
where Allah ordered Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim fulfilled the commandment but Allah replaced
Ismael with a ram. In memory of this, Muslims sacrifice animals on this day after the eid prayers and
distribute its meat among the poor. The option to sacrifice the animal remains for the next 3 days. The
one who can afford and does not offer sacrifice is criticized in Islam. Prophet (s) said "the one who can
afford and still does not offer sacrifice should not come near the place for eid prayer”
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• Congregational prayer for men and women join these prayers too.
• The prayer is 2 rakats normal prayer with the addition of 6 or 12 additional Takbeers
• Eid prayer can be offered anytime between sunrise and noon
• The prayers are offered in large empty grounds in order to accommodate as many people as
possible.
• There is no Qadha for eid prayer.
• After the prayer, the imam delivers the sermon of Eid similar to the sermon of Friday.
• Khutba is in two parts which focuses on how we should be after the month of Ramadan and how
we should care for others on eid in Eid ul Fitr and importance of sacrifice and spirit behind
sacrifice on Eid ul Azha
• Muslims exchange greetings after offering prayers
• Muslims take alternate routes while coming and going for eid prayer to meet as many people as
possible

Dua (private prayer)

The Literal meaning of the word Dua is to call upon. In Islam Dua is a form of worship where a person
asks Allah for what he wishes, whether it be related to worldly benefit or otherwise. The Quran says,
’Man can achieve nothing but what he strives for’. But along with honest effort man needs the help of
his Creator in order to achieve his worldly goals. As such man turns to Allah, who is the solver of all
difficulties and asks for his help. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said “Dua is worship”. According
to another narration Prophet said “Dua can change Qadr”. Sincere and true prayer in faith is answered
 - 139 -

by Allah. The Prohet said,”verily your Lord is ashamed (shy) of His servants when they raise up their
hands to Him in supplication to return them empty.” Allah is the constant companion and is very close
to his His servants, who supports them in need and distress. Dua is not obligatory like salah at fixed
times but is to express gratitude to Allah and ask for His help, guidance, forgiveness and protection.
Private Prayer is also the strongest and most visible acknowledgement of Allah’s Sovereignity and man’s
utter dependence on Him. Allah is Independant, Self -Sufficient and Absolute and as such does not need
our prayers and praise. It is we who stand in need of Allah’s help, protection and guidance. Dua is
different from and similar to salah in many different ways. There is no specific posture for Dua but
prophet (s) use to raise his hands in a way that the palms would be joined and faced towards the sky.
There are also specific times when Dua is more likely to be accepted.
1. The Last Third Of The Night as prophet (s) said 'In the last third of every night Allah descends to
the lowermost heaven and says; "Who is calling Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking
Me so that may I grant him? Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?."'
2. Between Adhan and Iqamah
3. An Hour On Friday which is the last hour of Asr
4. While Prostrating . Prophet (s) said: 'The nearest a slave can be to his Lord is when he is
prostrating, so invoke (supplicate) Allah (SWT) much in it.
5. At The End Of The Obligatory Salat
6. The Night Of 'Qadr' (Decree)
7. During The Rain
8. The One Who Is Suffering Injustice and Opression
9. The Traveler
10. The Parent's Supplication for their Child
11. Dua on the Day of Arafat
12. Dua during the month of Ramadan especially at iftaar
13. While visiting the sick, and dua made by the sick

What do Muslims do in the month of Ramadan:

1. Iftar, Suhoor and Fast

2. Taraweeh (night prayer)
3. Aitakaaf in the last 10 days of Ramadan
4. Seeking Lailatul Qadr in the last odd nights of Ramadan like 21st,23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th
5. More recitation of the Quran.
6. Excessive charity, as was the sunnah of the prophet. The companions say that the prophet
would become like fast moving wind in terms of charity.
7. Extra worship and learning islam through various means.

Fasting
“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so
that you may become Muttaqoon (the pious).”[2: 183]

“The month of Ramadan in which Quran was revealed…. So whoever of you sights the month, he must
fast that month.” [2:185]
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Messenger of Allah (s) said: “He who observed the fasts of the month of Ramadaan out of sincerity
and hoping for the reward from Allah, he will have his past sins forgiven. And He who stands in night
prayer in the month of Ramadaan out of sincerity and hoping for the reward from Allah, he will have
his past sins forgiven” [Saheeh al-Bukharee]

Fasting is a means of attaining Taqwa (piety) and righteousness. The Messenger of Allah (s) said: “He
who does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah does not need his refraining from eating
and drinking.” [Saheeh Muslim].

Prophet (s) said “begin fasting when you see the crescent moon (of Ramadan) and leave the fasts
when you see the crescent moon (of Shawwal)”

Prophet (s) said “Eat Suhoor for there in blessing in it”

Prophet (s) said “My nation will prosper as long as they do not delay iftar”

Exemption from fasting

• Prepubescent children; though some parents will encourage their children to fast earlier for
shorter periods, so the children get used to fasting.
• Serious illness; the days lost to illness will have to be made up after recovery.
• A person, who is traveling, must count the days he missed and make them up at the end of the
travel.
• Women who are pregnant or nursing their children.
• A woman during her menstrual period; although she must count the days she missed and make
them up at the end of Ramadan.
• An ill person or old person who is not physically able to fast on a permenant basis. They should
donate the amount of a normal person's diet for each day missed if they are financially capable.
• A mentally-ill person.

Fasting is obligatory on every sane, mature and healthy Muslim. Young children are encouraged to
fast. Exempted are those who suffer terminal illnesses, or are too old to fast. Allah does not
overburden His slaves. Quran says “and those among you who are sick or travelling, then the number
should be completed in other days” [Surah 2:185]
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Virtues of Fasting

- The reward for obligatory fasting is so immense that we don’t know how huge its reward would be.
Prophet (s) said in a hadith Qudsi that Allah says “the fast is for me, and I will reward for it”

- Fasting is a shield against the Fire of hell and from the punishment in the grave. That’s why prophet (s)
said “Fasting is a Shield”

- Fasting is a means for one's sins to be forgiven because all good deeds erase bad deeds. Allah says in
the Quran “Indeed good deeds wash away bad deeds”

- The supplication of the fasting person is answered throughout the fast and especially close to magrib
prayer.

- Fasting is expiation for various sins as mentioned in the Quran which shows its importance. Like a
person who breaks an oath deliberately should fast for three days.

- The fasting person will be asked to enter from a special gate in paradise. There is a gate in paradise by
the name of Rayaan, from which fasting people would be asked to enter.

- Fasting is a shield against one's base desires. This is the reason why prophet (s) recommended fasting
to youth who are unable to marry, so that they could control their sexual desires.

- Fasting makes a person realize the blessings that Allah has given him because he abstains from many
halal things during the fast. This leads to him staying away from haram things during rest of the 11
months.

Zakat

Zakaat is one of the obligations of Islaam. It is also one of its (five) pillars, and the most important
amongst them after the Testimonies of Faith and the Prayer.

Zakaat has many religious, behavioral and communal benefits:

Individual benefits:

1. It is an obligation upon which rests an individual’s prosperity in this worldly life and the Hereafter.
2. It brings a servant close to his Lord and increases his Faith. This is the case with all of the acts of
worship. As prophet (s) said “A man comes close to Allah by performing the obligatory acts” (bukhari)
3. There is a Great reward for those who spend from their wealth as Allah says in the Quran “

4. Allah wipes away the sins by way of it because all good deeds erase bad deeds. Allah says in the
Quran “Indeed good deeds wash away bad deeds”

5. It purifies one’s wealth as Allah says "Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and
sanctify them with it." [Surah at-Tauba 103]

6. Protects the person from the sin and punishment of not giving Zakat as the Quran says that a
person who does not give Zakat, his wealth will turn into Kanz, and he will carry it as a burden on the
 - 142 -

Day of Judgment. Also, Allah says: “And those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend on them
in the Way of Allah (i.e. by giving Zakat), give them the tidings of a painful punishment. [Surah At-
Tauba: 34]
7. It causes him to follow the way of the generous individuals possessing kindness and magnanimity.
8. Giving the Zakat requires a person to characterize himself with the attributes of mercy and
sympathy towards his destitute brothers, and “Allah shows mercy to those who have mercy on
others”

9. Giving Zakat cleanses one’s character from stinginess and miserliness.

10. Giving zakat increases one’s wealth like Allah says “Indeed Allah increases Charity and decreases
Riba”

11. Zakat also allows individuals to keep a record of their income as they would calculate it each year.

Communal benefits:

1. Zakaat provides for the needs of the poor who are the majority of people in most countries. It helps
them afford basic needs like food, medicines, shelter etc
2. Zakat helps in countering disasters and calamities where the community spends money from zakat
to support their brethren in trouble. Whether it be natural disasters like flood, earthquake, drought,
femine or others like, war, refugee crisis etc.

3. It removes the grudges and ill feelings found in the hearts of the poor and destitute against the rich
and the wealthy.
4. Zakaat is a means for spreading and distributing wealth among the members of the community

5. It improves the standard of living of the poor

6. It is a way of funding Jihad and charitable organizations

7. It supports Islamic economy by encouraging spending or investment and discouraging savings.

How is Zakat given?

Zakaat is required to be given on specific forms of wealth, on the condition that they meet the nisaab
(minimum wealth), which include:
1. Gold ( 2.5% on 7.5 tola) in a year

2. Silver or cash equivalent (2.5% on 52.5 tola) in a year

3. Produce of mines (20%)

4. Camels (minimum 6 camels), cows and buffaloes (minimum 20), sheep and goat (minimum 40)

5. Zakat is also imposed on agricultural produce. If irrigated artificially then 5% and if irrigated
naturally, then 10% of produce. This is given when the harvest reaches a specific minimum quantity
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Zakat is given by a person who reaches any of the above criteria of wealth. Such a person is referred
to as “sahib nisaab” (the owner of nisaab)

Zakat can be given to the following 8 categories as stated by Verse 60 of Surah Taubah.

1. The poor who does not have money

2. The Needy (Miskeen) whose basic expenses are more than his nominal income
3. Mujahid in the path of Allah
4. Indebted
5. Traveler
6. To free slaves
7. To help newly converted Muslims or to Non-muslims whom you think will convert to Islam if you
give them financial support
8. To collectors of Zakat, like salaries of officers who collect zakat.

Some references that can be used for Zakat:

“Lo! Those who believe and do good deeds and establish salat and pay zakat, their reward is with
their Sustainer; and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.” (Quran 2:277)

those who establish salat and pay zakat and have the assurance of the Hereafter.” (Quran 31:4)

“The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is that of a grain of corn. It grows
seven ears and each ear has hundred grains. God increases manifold to whom He pleases.” (Quran
2:261)

Surah Taubah Verse 60

“Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect
[zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for
those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by
Allah . And Allah is Knowing and Wise.”

Zakaat al-Fitr:

The Purifying Charity ‘Zakaat al-Fitr' or 'Sadaqah al-Fitr' means 'the purifying charity of breaking the
fast’ It is a prescribed amount of staple food given by the Muslims to their poor Muslim brothers
during the last few days of Ramadaan or on the morning of Eid prior to the Eid prayer. The wisdom
 - 144 -

behind 'Zakaat al-Fitr' is to purify the fasting person from indecent words or actions and to provide
food for the needy during the Eid days.

Hajj
Linguistically, Hajj means, 'He prepared’. In the Sharee'ah, Hajj means a specific journey to Makkah
during the designated month of Dhul-Hijjah, for the performance of Hajj as an act of worship to Allah.

Conditions of Hajj to be obligatory:

• Muslims with physical disabilities who are not capable of doing the rituals of Hajj or travelling
are not obliged to make Hajj unless they can pay others to carry them in a way that this
obligation can be fulfilled or use facilities which can make it possible like wheelchairs.
• In addition, woman should have a mahram (a close male relative), since she is not allowed to
travel alone without a Mahram. In such a case, if Mahram is not available, then she is not
obliged to perform Hajj. Prophet (s) said “No woman should travel without her Mahram”
• The person should have enough wealth to travel for hajj whether that travelling is by any
means. Not only should the person have money for travelling, he should also have money to
survive the journey by providing himself food, accommodation etc. Allah says: “Hajj to the
House is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses." [3:97].
• The person should be mentally fit and sane.
• The person should be an adult for the obligation to be relieved of him. If a child performs Hajj,
then the reward goes to the parents and he will have to do another hajj after reaching the age
of maturity, if he can afford.

Those who do not fulfill any one of the above conditions, are exempted from the obligation of Hajj.

Benefits of Hajj

1) Realization of at-Taqwa (piety, fearful awareness of Allah) because people there are very conscious
not to sin and make sure that their time is spent worshipping Allah.
2) Affirmation of Tawheed as expressed in the talbiyah and as evident from the various acts in Hajj.
3) Reverence of Allah's symbols (rites) and sanctities, like Kabah, Hajr aswad, and places where a
person goes to during hajj.
4) Cultivation of good and praiseworthy characteristics like
• Decency and chastity.
• Suppressing anger, leaving argumentation and disputes.
• Gentleness, softness and calmness.
• Not being concerned only about oneself and associating with people.
• Being patient
• Generosity and openhandedness in helping fellow muslims
5) Reminder of the Last Day as muslims gather on the plain of arafat.
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6) Fulfillment of an obligation. Allah says: “Hajj to the House is a duty that mankind owes to Allah,
those who can afford the expenses." [3:97].
7) Increased submission and surrender to Allah as we do acts according to how Allah told us to.
8) Deepening of Brotherhood based on faith and Islamic unity and no discrimination based on race,
culture or ethnicity.
9) A symbol of muslim unity and concept of Ummah.
10) Increase in remembrance of Allah
11) Getting used to a system and training with discipline in terms of actions and time management
12) Other benefits – like trading, planning worldly affairs etc which was commonly done during hajj.
13) Getting saved from punishment. Umar (r) use to say “A person who can afford to perform Hajj but
dies without doing so. It does not matter whether he dies a Jew or a Christian”
14) A ticket to enter paradise. Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “The reward of a
Mabroor Hajj (sinless Hajj) is nothing short of Jannah.” [Saheeh Muslim]
15) Forgiveness of all sins. As prophet (s) said that Hajj that is accepted, removes the sins of a person in
such a way that it is as if, the person was just born.

Types of Hajj

Hajj Qiran – This type of hajj is when a person intends to do Umra and then Hajj using the same Ihram.
Example, he comes to Makkah in ihram on the 4th of Zilhaj and then does Umra. Then he continues
wearing the ihram and the limitations of ihram apply on him. With this same ihram, he proceeds to mina
for Hajj on 8th zilhajj.

Hajj Ifraad – This type of hajj is when a person intends to do Hajj only using one Ihram. Example, he
comes to Makkah in ihram on the 7th of Zilhaj and then does Hajj directly without doing Umra.

Hajj Tamattu – This type of hajj is when a person intends to do Umra with one ihram and then Hajj using
the other Ihram. Example, he comes to Makkah in ihram on the 24th of Zil Qaada and then does Umra.
Then he shaves his head and leaves this ihram and the limitations of ihram do not apply on him. Then
with another ihram he proceeds to mina for Hajj on 8th zilhajj.

Detailed method of Hajj (tamattu method)

Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “Take from me your rites of pilgrimage.” [Saheeh
Muslim]

Umrah:
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The pilgrim first has to make intention of Umra while leaving for Makkah, A person should be in Ihraam
before crossing meeqat. These points are a radius around makkah and a pilgrim cannot enter without
wearing ihram. Ihram for men is two unsown clothes. There is no ihram for women. The meeqat for
people of Madinah is Dhul Hulaifah. During Ihram it is forbidden to hunt, cut trees, and remove hair/nail
and to have sexual relations with one’s spouse. On intending for Umrah, the pilgrim begins saying the
Talbiyah (a sentence where the person expresses his servitude to Allah). The Talbiyah is translated as
“Here I am, O Allah. Here I am. Here I am, you have no partner, and here I am. Indeed all praise is for
you, and blessings are from you. For you is the dominion, you have no partner”

On arrival, the pilgrims perform their first Tawaf, (tawaaf al Qudoom) which involves all of the pilgrims
entering The Sacred Mosque (Masjid Al Haram) and walking seven times counter-clockwise around the
Ka'ba, kissing the Black Stone (Hajr Al Aswad) on each circuit. (If kissing is not possible, then a hand
gesture can suffice). The tawaf is performed all at once. Men are encouraged to perform the first three
circuits at a hurried pace, followed by four times, at a leisurely pace.

After the completion of Tawaf, all the pilgrims has to offer two Rakaat prayers behind the Place of
Abraham (Muqaam Ibrahim)

After Tawaf on the same day, the pilgrims perform sa`i, running or walking seven times between the
hills of Safa and Marwah. Pilgrims are advised to walk the circuit, though two green pillars mark a short
section of the path where they are advises to run. After Sai, the person them shaves off his head or trims
them (for women, cutting a lock of hair is sufficient). After this, he may remove the ihraam and the
limitations of Ihraam do not apply to him.

Hajj:

Then, on the eighth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims enters Ihraam again and proceeds to Mina where they
spend the night. Mina is located just outside Makkah. This is when the pilgrim begins the Talibiyah.

On the ninth day, they leave Mina for Arafat where they stand in contemplative vigil and pray. This is
known as wuquf e Arafah, considered the highlight of the Hajj. Prophet (s) said “Hajj is Arafah”. Pilgrims
must spend the afternoon within a defined area on the plain of Arafat until after sunset. Anyone who
misses arafah in their hajj, have missed the entire hajj. Prayers are accepted on this day. It is also
recommended to take a bath on the day of arafah. Pilgrims pray Zuhar and Asr prayers at Arafah,
shortened and combined (Qasr and Jamaa).

As soon as the sun sets, the pilgrims leave Arafat for Muzdalifah, an area between Arafat and Mina,
where they gather pebbles for the next day's ritual of the stoning of the Jamarah. Pilgrims spend the
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night sleeping on the ground before returning to Mina. Before sleeping, they pray Magrib and Isha
prayers at Muzdalifah, shortened and combined (Qasr and Jamaa). On the way to Arafat, the pilgrim
stops at Mashr Haraam, and sanctified place where he is expected to glorify and praise Allah specially.
Allah says in the Quran “and praise Allah near Mashr Haraam”.

On the 10th day of Zilhajj, the great day, the pilgrims perform Ramy al-Jamarat, throwing pebbles to
signify their defiance of the Devil. On the first occasion when Ramy al-Jamarat is performed, pilgrims
stone the minor pillar known as Jamrat'al'Aqabah. 7 pebbles are thrown one after the other, while the
pilgrim says “Bismillahi Allahu akbar”.

After the Stoning, the pilgrims perform animal sacrifices. Then, they shave their head or trim their hair
(for women, cutting a lock of hair is sufficient). Then the pilgrim takes off his ihram and all limitations on
him are now over except he is not allowed to have any marital relation with his wife. This limitation
continues till the end of Hajj.

After this, the pilgrims visits the Masjid al-Haram for tawaf. This is called the Tawaf az-Ziyarah or Tawaf
al-Ifadah, an obligatory part of the Hajj. The tawaf is followed by Sa’i. The night of the 10th is spent back
at Mina.

On the 11th, 12th and 13th Zilhajj the pilgrims must again throw seven pebbles each at each of the three
Jamarat in Mina after Noon. Staying on the 13th Zilhajj is not obligatory. Allah says in the Quran “The one
who hastens in two days (i.e 11th and 12th) then there is no sin on him”

Finally, before leaving Mecca, pilgrims perform a farewell tawaf called the Tawaf al-Wada.

Summarized method:
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Jihad
Literal meaning of the word Jihad
The literal meaning of Jihad is struggle or effort, and it means much more than just war. Muslims use the
word Jihad to describe three different kinds of struggle:

· A believer's internal struggle to live out the Muslim faith as well as possible
· The struggle to build a good Muslim society
· Holy war: the struggle to fight with force if necessary

Types of Jihad
Jihad bin Nafs (jihad by the self) (Spiritual Jihad) is the greater jihad in which a Muslim fights against his
own evil desires and struggles to obey Allah and become a better Muslim. It lasts a lifetime, and affects
every aspect of life. Prophet told warriors returning to Madina after a battle that they had returned
from the lesser jihad (of warfare) to the greater jihad of struggle against one’s own heart, i.e. desires
that lead to wrong doings. This is because this jihad is the most basic. If a person is pure from inside, it is
only then, that he can do other jihads.

Examples of such struggle for self-improvement could be:

Learning the Quran and Sunnah
Praying on time, infact all five pillars of islam are acts which a person struggles to do
Doing all that which pleases Allah
Staying away from sins and addictions and fighting desires

Jihad bil Lisan (jihad of the tongue) (Mental Jihad) is speaking and upholding the truth, speaking out
against what is wrong and immoral, and spreading the word of Allah and the teachings of Islam. Some
scholars also relate it to acquiring knowledge and call it jihad by knowledge or pen. The Prophet
Muhammad said: “The best jihad in the path of Allah is a word of justice to an oppressive ruler”.

Jihad bil Yad (jihad by the hand) (Physical Jihad) refers to choosing to do what is right and to combat
injustice and what is wrong with action. It is to stand up for what is right. Prophet said, “if anyone of you
sees an evil action then let him change it with his hand…………”

Jihad bil Mal. (Jihad by maal) (Physical Jihad) is spending wealth in the way of Allah e.g. to improve the
social conditions of people around, to help the weak and needy. Quran says, “Strive hard in Allah’s way
with your person and property.” (Sura As-Saff)

Jihad bis Saif ( jihad by the sword) (Physical Jihad) referring to qital fi sabilillah (armed conflict in the way
of Allah) is the most common meaning of the word Jihad in the Quran. It must be fought only as a last
resort when all other options are explored and exhausted. However when there is injustice, oppression
and the very existence of Islam and Muslims is threatened, and one’s faith is at stake, Jihad becomes
obligatory on Muslims: Quran says “And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah and of those
who being weak, are ill-treated men, women and children, whose cry is: ’Our Lord! Rescue us from
this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from us from thee one who will help! (An-
Nisa, 4:75)
According to the Qur’an, if the enemy ceased hostilities and sought peace, Muslims were to seek peace
as well: ‘If your enemy inclines towards peace, then you should seek peace and trust in Allah’. (8:61)
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Qital is done to remove hindrances in the propagation of Islam and never impose Islam on non-believers
as Qur’an says, “Let there be no compulsion in Religion”.

Jihad bis Saif may also be done in situations where muslims would want to liberate the oppressed
people from tyranny just it was done against the romans and Persians during the rightly guided
caliphates

Ruling of armed warfare

When Muslims, or their faith or territory are under attack, Islam permits the believer to wage military
war to protect them. Sometimes this Jihad becomes obligatory on all when the enemy is too big to
encounter with few. Sometimes it is only recommended, when the purpose is not to defend but to
liberate people and when the enemy is small and everyone’s participation is not needed.

Rules of armed warfare

A military Jihad has to obey very strict rules in order to be legitimate.
It must not be fought to gain territory.
It must not be fought for any reason other than to please Allah and for the sake of Allah
It must be done under a leadership
It must be fought to bring about good - something that Allah will approve of.
Innocent people should not be killed.
Women, children, or old people should not be killed or hurt.
Enemies must be treated with justice even after war
The war must stop as soon as the enemy asks for peace.
Property must not be damaged even the places of worship of non-muslims should not be destroyed
Killing monks and religious priests of non-muslims is forbidden
Trees should not be burnt especially fruit bearing trees
People should not be forced to convert to islam

Reasons for armed warfare

Self-defense like battle of trench
Strengthening Islam like conquest of Makkah
Protecting the freedom of Muslims to practice their faith
Protecting Muslims against oppression, which could include overthrowing a tyrannical ruler
Punishing an enemy who breaks an oath/treaty like Ban Nadir
establishing the writ of the Islamic government like Banu Quraiza
Fighting against those who wronged the muslims like at Badr
Fighting those who are planning to harm muslims, like Khyber expedition

Misconceptions about Jihad

Jihad should not be confused with terrorism
Jihad is not for personal gain or political gain or territory gain
Jihad should not aim at converting people to islam forcefully
Jihad should be within the perimeters defined by Islam