There are Three Stages in the Methodology of re-establishing the Khilafah
1st Stage: Culturing
“Warn thy family, thy nearest relations. And lower thy wing to the followers who follow you.”
[TMQ Ash-Shu’ara 26: 214-215]
It is reported in the Seerah by Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) that: “When these words ‘warn thy family, thy nearest relations’ came down to the Apostle he called me and said, ‘God has ordered me to warn my family, my nearest relations and the task is beyond my strength. I know that when I make this message known to them I should be greeted with great unpleasantness so I kept silent until Jibreel (as) came to me and told me that if I did not do as I was ordered my Lord would punish me. So get some food ready with a leg of mutton and fill a cup with milk and then get together the sons of Abdul-Muttalib so that I can address them and tell them what I have been ordered to say.’ I did what he ordered and summonded them. There were at that time forty men more or less including his uncles Abu Talib, Hamza, al-Abbas, and Abu Lahab. When they were assembled he told me to bring in the food, which I had prepared for them, and when I produced it the apostle took a bit of the meat and split it in his teeth and threw it into the dish. Then he (saw) said, ‘take it in the name of God’. The men ate until they could eat no more, and all I could see (in the dish) was the place that their hands had been. And as sure as I live if there had been only one man he could have eaten what I put out before the lot of them. The he (saw) said, ‘give the people to drink’, so I brought them the cup and they drank until they were satisfied, and as sure as I live is there had been only one man he could have drunk that amount. When he wanted to address them Abu Lahab got in first and said, ‘your host has bewitched you’: so they dispersed before the Apostle could address them. On the morrow he said to me, ‘This man spoke before I could and the people dispersed before I could address them, so do exactly as you did yesterday’. Everything went as before and then the Apostle said, “O sons of Abdul-Muttalib, I know of no Arab who has come to his people with a nobler message than mine. I have brought you the best of the world and the next. God has ordered me to call you to Him. So which of you will co-operate with me in this matter, my brother, my executor, and my successor being among you.” The men remained silent and I, though the youngest, most rheumy eyed, fattest in body and thinnest in legs, said: ‘O Prophet of God, I will be your helper in this matter.’ He laid his hand on the back of my neck and said, ‘This is my brother, my executor, and my successor among you. Hearken to him and obey him.’ The men got up laughing and saying to Abu Talib, ‘He has ordered you to listen to your son and obey him.’”
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas (ra): Around this time Rasool-Allah (saw) also went to the hill of As-Safa mountain and proclaimed loudly: “O Bani Fihr, O Bani Adi!” calling all the clans of the Quraysh. The people said, “Who is that?” Then they gathered around him, whereupon he said, “Do you see? If I inform you that cavalrymen were proceeding up the side of this mountain to attack you, will you believe me?” They said, “We have never heard you telling a lie.” Then he said, “I am a plain warner to you of a coming severe punishment.” Abu Lahab (who was present in the crowd) shouted angrily: “Tabban Lak (May you perish)! You gathered us only for this reason?” Then Abu Lahab went away. So Surah Al-Lahab “Perish the hands of Abu Lahab!” was revealed (111:1). [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 6, Hadith No. 495]
When the Messenger of Allah (saw) was sent, he first invited his wife Khadijah and she believed in him. He (saw) then invited his cousin ‘Ali and he believed in him. He then invited his servant Zayd, and he believed in him. And then he invited his friend Abu Bakr, who also believed in him. He continued to invite people to Islam, some believed and others rejected.
In the beginning, the Messenger of Allah (saw) would visit people in their homes, telling them that they had been commanded by Allah (swt) to worship Him and to associate none with Him. He (saw) openly invited people to Islam in Makkah, thus abiding by Allah’s command, “O you enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn!” [TMQ al-Muddaththir 74:1-2] After this, the Messenger of Allah (saw) would contact people secretly to teach them Islam and gather them on the basis of the Deen.
The Sahabah (Companions) used to offer prayers in the hills on the outskirts of Makkah away from the Quraysh. Everytime someone embraced Islam, Allah’s Messenger (saw) would send him or her someone from those who had embraced Islam earlier to teach them the Qur’an. He (saw) sent Khabbab ibn al-Arrat to teach the Qur’an to Fatimah bint al-Khattab and her husband Sa’id. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab once surprised them while they held their circle, and he embraced Islam then and there. The Messenger of Allah (saw) however realized that this was not enough, so he set up the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam as the centre of his call, a place from which he taught Muslims the Qur’an and perfected their knowledge of Islam, encouraging them to recite the Qur’an and understand it. Whenever someone embraced Islam, Allah’s Messenger (saw) would meet him in the house of al-Arqam. He (saw) pursued this task for three years, teaching this group of Muslims, leading them in prayers, and performing Tahajjud at night, motivating their souls, strengthening their belief through prayer and recitation, helping them to improve their way of thinking and to reflect on the verses of the Qur’an and the creation of Allah (swt). He (saw) taught them how to endure all hardships by submitting to Allah (swt). The Messenger of Allah (saw) remained together with his party of Muslims in the house of al-Arqam until Allah (swt) revealed his saying, “Therefore proclaim openly…”
2nd Stage: Interaction
Imam Abu Ja’far at-Tabari (ra) states, “After three years of his Prophethood, Allah (swt) commanded His Messenger (saw) to go out and proclaim the Message to the people publicly (enter the society) and summon them to it.
“Therefore, expound openly what you have been commanded and turn away from those who join false gods with Allah.” [TMQ Al-Hijr 15:94]
[at-Tareekh at-Tabari Vol. 6, Par. 1170]
Allah’s Messenger (saw) duly obeyed Allah’s command and presented his group to all of Makkah. He (saw) went out with his Sahabah in two lines, one led by ‘Umar and the other by Hamzah. The Sahabah walked in a manner that the Quraysh had never witnessed before. He (saw) then circumambulated the Ka’bah with them.
The Quraysh made many attempts through Abu Talib (the Prophet’s Uncle) to make compromises. They offered him kinship, money, women and a share in the rule. Abu Talib said, "Spare me and yourself and put not burden on me that I can’t bear." The Prophet (saw) replied: "O my uncle! by Allah if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that abandon this course, until Allah has made me victorious, or I perish therein, I would not abandon it."
Imam Abu Ja’far at-Tabari narrates, “(Abu Talib said to the Prophet (saw)), ‘Nephew here are the Shaykhs and the nobles of your tribe. They have asked for justice against you that you desist in reviling their gods and they will leave you to your god’. ‘Uncle’ he (saw) said, ‘Shall I not summon them to something which is better than their gods?’ ‘What do you summon them to?’ The Prophet (saw) replied, ‘I summon them to utter a saying through which the Arabs will submit to them and they will rule over the non-Arabs.’ Abu Jahl from among the gathering then said, ‘What is it by your father? We will give you ten the likes of it!’ He (saw) said, ‘That you should say la ilaha illallah.’ They took fright and said, ‘Ask for anything other than this.” [Tareekh al-Tabari Vol. 6, Par. 1177]
On the authority of Ibn Jareer and At-Tabarani, the idolaters offered that Muhammad (saw) worship their gods for a year, and they worship his Lord for a year. In another version, they said: "If you accept our gods, we would worship yours." Ibn Ishaq related that Al-Aswad bin Al-Muttalib, Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah, Omaiyah bin Khalaf and Al-‘As bin Wa’il As-Sahmy, a constellation of influential polytheists, intercepted the Prophet (saw) while he was circumambulating in the Holy Sanctuary, and offered him to worship that they worshipped, and they worship that he worshipped so that, according to them, both parties would reach a common denominator. They added "Should the Lord you worship prove to be better than ours, then it will be so much better for us, but if our gods proved to be better than yours, then you would have benefit from it." Allah, the Exalted, was decisive on the spot and revealed Surah Al-Kafirun.
They (a group of influential people including Aswad ibn al-Muttalib, Waleed ibn Mughirah and Omaiyah ibn Khalaf) approached the Prophet (saw) and offered to worship Allah (swt) for a year if Muhammed (saw) worshipped their gods for a year and after two years had elapsed they would decide which one had proved to be better. Muhammed (saw) remained silent, he knew it wasn’t up to him whether he could compromise. He waited and then Allah (swt) revealed Surah Al-Kafiroon which categorically rejected their offer. This incident and the revelation of the Ayah makes it clear that haq and batil cannot be mixed and that Kufr cannot be used to implement Islam.
Allah’s Messenger (saw) passed by them while they were being tortured and said to them, "Hold on Aal-Yasir (family of Yasir)! Your reward is jannah. Your destiny is with Allah."
Sumayya was with her son and her husband when they were all tortured because they had accepted Islam. When Prophet Muhammad (saw) saw them he said, "Patience, Al-Yasser, you are winning Paradise." Sumayya became the first martyr in Islam when Abu Jahl killed her.
In contrast to the above, during the Islamic State in Medina a Muslim woman was trading in the precinct of Banu Qaynuqa. The Jews asked to see her adornments. She refused. One of the Jews stuck her clothing, so that she became naked to them. One Muslim on seeing this and hearing her cries, exclaimed “Allahu Akbar” and killed that Jew, and was fought by the other Jews until he himself was killed. On hearing of this, the Prophet (saw) exiled the Jews of Banu Qaynuqa.
When Hamza (ra) embraced Islam he went to Abu Jahl and warned him from reviling his nephew is. The Prophet (saw) and that he was one of the followers of his Deen. The Prophet (saw) addressed this by saying, “The master of martyrs is Hamza and any man who stands in front of a tyrant ruler and orders him (with good ie. The implementation of the Deen) and prohibits him (from the evil of other than the Deen) and is slain by him.” [Abu Dawud. Authenticated by Ibn Hajr al-Hathami in Majmoo’ al-Zaaid]
Seeking the Nussrah
Ibn Katheer has narrated from Imam Ali (ra): “When Allah commanded His Messenger (saw) to present himself to the Arab tribes, he went out to Mina accompanied by myself and Abu Bakr (ra) where we came to a gathering of the Arab tribes.” [Bidayah wan Nihayah Vol 3]
Ahmad narrated on the authority of Jabir (ra), he said "the Messenger of Allah (saw) was delivering the message to the people, so he will say (can any one carry me to his people because Quraish has prevented me from delivering the word of my lord?" So, a man came to the Messenger (saw) from Hamadan. The Messenger (saw) said to him (from where are you?). He said: from Hamadan. The Messenger (saw) said: (Does your people have strength?). The man said: Yes. Then the man feared that his people will refuse, so he came to the Messenger (saw) and said: I will go to my tribe, then I will come and tell you next year. The Messenger (saw) said: Yes. The man went, but the delagation of Ansar came in Rajab".
[Al-Tirmizi: Hasan Saheeh]
On the authority of Az-Zuhri, of the tribes that Islam was introduced to, we could speak of Banu ‘Amir bin Sa‘sa‘ah, Muharib bin Khasfa, Fazarah, Ghassan, Murrah, Haneefah, Saleem, ‘Abs, Banu Nasr, Banu Al-Buka’, Kindah, Kalb, Al-Harith bin Ka‘b, Udhrah and people of Hadrmout. Islam was not introduced to them in one single year but rather repeatedly from the fourth year till the last pre-migration season of pilgrimage. They however, remained obdurate and none of them responded positively.
He addressed Bani ‘Amir bin Sa‘sa‘ah in their encampment, calling them to abandon idolatry and join him. One of them called Buhairah bin Firras, answered him back: "Should we give you allegiance and Allah give you power over your opponents, will you give us right to inheritance and succeed you in power?" The Prophet replied: "The whole affair lies in Allah’s Hands. He gives the power to whomever He desires." The man commented: "Do you expect us to incur the wrath and vengeance of the Arabs without the least hope of leadership? We can in fact readily dispense with your offers."
The Prophet (saw) also entered into discussions with Bani Sheeban bin Thalabah who stated that they would support the Prophet (saw) against the Arabs but not against the Persians. Again the Prophet (saw) refused this conditional support.
Also, Ibn Kathir has narrated in his Bidayah wan Nihayah from Abdullah ibn Ka’ab ibn Malik that, “the Messenger (saw) went to a branch of the Bani Kalb whose leader was Malih. He invited him towards Allah and then demanded protection, but they turned him down.” [Bidayah wa-Nihayah Vol. 3, Page 139]
Ibn Katheer relates in his "Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah" (vol. 3) that Imam 'Ali said that Allah (swt) ordered the Prophet (saw) to seek out the powerful tribes, so as to use their power and support (Nussrah), to establish the Islamic State. In this path, accompanied by abu Bakr and 'Ali ibn abi Taalib (ra), the Prophet (saw) came across a tribe named Banu Shayban ibn Tha'labah. He (saw) offered them the Da'wah and asked them for protection to establish the Islamic State. They attached a condition to offering the protection. They stated that they would have no problem protecting the Prophet (saw) against the Arabs, but they could not support him against the Persians (the great power of the time) because they resided on the border of Persia. Despite the Prophet's (saw) desperate situation, his banishment from Makkah and the Fard upon him of establishing Islam, he refused to accept their condition by the following words, “Only he who is protected from all sides supports Allah's Deen”, then he took hold of Abu Bakr's (ra) hand and immediately departed from the company of Banu Shaybaan. [This incident is recorded in the Sunan of Bayhaqi, "al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah" of ibn Katheer vol.3 p.142 and the Sahih of Imam al-Hakim, transmitted in all three by Abu Na'im]
Ka'ab ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (saw) went to Bani Hanifah to offer them Islam and seek support. However he narrates that their reaction was the worst of all tribes.
Ibn Shihab al Zuhri narrates that the Messenger of Allah (saw) went to the tents of Kinda where there was a Shaykh called Mulayh. He (saw) invited him to come to Allah (saw) and offered himself to them but they declined.
Ibn Abdullah ibn Hussayn narrates that the Prophet (saw) went to the tents of Kinda where he met a clan called Bani Abdullah whom he invited with the same message. "O Bani Abdullah, Allah has given your father a noble name." However like others before them they too rejected the Message and
refused to give him (saw) support.
Ibn Hisham narrates that when they (the Prophet and the Khazrah pilgrims from Medina) met secretly at al-‘Aqabah he (saw) spoke after reciting the Qur’an and commended Islam and said, "I invite your allegiance on the basis that you protect me as you would your women and children."
Al-Bara’ took his hand to give the pledge and said, "We give our allegiance O Messenger of Allah, by Allah we are men of war possessing arms which have been passed on from father to son". They further said…”We pledge ourselves to fight, in complete obedience to the Messenger of Allah, in weal and woe, in ease and hardship and evil circumstances; that we would not wrong anyone, that we would speak the truth at all times, and that in Allah’s service we would fear the censure of none.”
The Prophet (saw) said: “I will wage war against whom you wage war against, and declare peace with whom you declare peace, my blood is your blood and my pact is your pact.” [Ibn Hisham]
At-Tabari then mentions that the Messenger of Allah (saw) asked them to, “Select from amongst yourselves twelve Naqeebs (representatives) who will be responsible for their people including themselves.”
Mujashi' bin Mas'ud Al-Sulami, (ra), reported: “I came to the Holy Prophet (saw) to offer him my pledge of migration. He (saw) said: ‘The period of migration has expired and those who were to get the reward for this great act of devotion have got it. You may now give your pledge to serve the cause of Islam, to strive in the way of Allah and to follow the path of virtue.’”
[Bukhari compiled it in book on Jihad and Marching no 2742, 2849]
3rd Stage Ruling
When the Prophet (saw) emigrated to Madinah the ahl un-Nussrah (Aws and Khazraj) came out wearing leopard skins and swords so as to establish the rule of the Prophet (saw) and fight any resistance. The Jews of Madinah realised then that this was a pre-planned matter. The Prophet (saw) had taken authority without allowing the enemies to make any preparations against him as he (saw) had orchestrated a coup d’etat.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) wrote a Sahifah (document) concerning the Muhajireen and the Ansar in which he made an agreement with the Jews establishing them in their religion and their property, and in which he stated their reciprocal obligations. He (saw) began the document as follows,
“This is a document from Muhammad (saw) the Prophet, governing the relations between the believers of Quraysh and Yathrib, and those who followed them and joined them and fought alongside them. They are one Ummah to the exclusion of all people. The close friends of the Jews are as themselves.
None of them shall go our (i.e. frontiers of the Islamic State) except with the permission of Muhammad (saw).”
He (saw) then mentioned how the relationship between the believers was to be constituted, he also mentioned the Jews during his talk concerning the relations between the believers, he (saw) said,
“A believer shall not slay a believer for the sake of an disbeliever, nor shall he aid an disbeliever against a believer. Allah’s covenant amongst them is one, the least of them is responsible. Believers are friends one to the other to the exclusion of outsiders. To the Jews who follow us belong help and equality. They shall not be wronged nor shall their enemies be aided. The peace of the believers is indivisible. No separate peace shall be made when believers are fighting in the way of Allah. Conditions must be fair to all.” [Ibn Hisham Vol. 1, Page 502/3]
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