| 3 | Narrated
'Aisha: (the mother of the faithful believers) The commencement of the
Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form of good dreams
which came true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion
was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira
where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before
his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food
for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food
like-wise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was
in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The
Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read. The Prophet added, "The
angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not
bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I
replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and
pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then
released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not
know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the
third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the
name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists) has created man
from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2,
96.3) Then Allah's Apostle returned with the Inspiration and with his
heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said,
"Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over and after
that he told her everything that had happened and said, "I fear that
something may happen to me." Khadija replied, "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 accompanied
him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza, who,
during the PreIslamic Period became a Christian and used to write the
writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as
much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his
eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O
my cousin!" Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's
Apostle described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same
one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I
wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would
turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa
replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with
something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility;
and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out
then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died and
the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while. Narrated Jabir bin
'Abdullah Al-Ansari while talking about the period of pause in
revelation reporting the speech of the Prophet "While I was walking, all
of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw the same
angel who had visited me at the cave of Hira' sitting on a chair between
the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said,
'Wrap me (in blankets).' And then Allah revealed the following Holy
Verses (of Quran): 'O you (i.e. Muhammad)! wrapped up in garments!'
Arise and warn (the people against Allah's Punishment),... up to 'and
desert the idols.' (74.1-5) After this the revelation started coming
strongly, frequently and regularly."
|
| 6 | Narrated
'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius
had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan
from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria,
Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Apostle had
truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his
companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them
in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He
called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's question said to
them, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a
Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him
(amongst the group)." Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to
me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added,
Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to
put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I
told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added,
"By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I
would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question
he asked me about him was: 'What is his family status amongst you?' I
replied, 'He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.' Heraclius
further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to
be a Prophet) before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Was anybody
amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius asked, 'Do the
nobles or the poor follow him?' I replied, 'It is the poor who follow
him.' He said, 'Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?' I
replied, 'They are increasing.' He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst
those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the
religion afterwards?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius said, 'Have you ever
accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?' I
replied, 'No. ' Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?' I replied,
'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in
it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except
that. Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?' I replied,
'Yes.' Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?' I replied,
'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.' Heraclius said, 'What
does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and
Allah alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce
all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the
truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.'
Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, I asked
you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble
family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their
respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you
claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had
been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was
following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether anyone
of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it
had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted
to take back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever
accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was
in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie
about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I, then asked you
whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it
was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle have been
followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his
followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were
increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is
complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody,
who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his
religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is (the sign
of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them
completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the
negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what
he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah
and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade
you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to
be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this
place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was
going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I
could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I
were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked
for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya
to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The
contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the
Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of
Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon
him, who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and
if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your
reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be
committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants). (And I recite
to you Allah's Statement:) 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word
common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we
associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take
others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness
that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64). Abu
Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read
the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we
were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of
Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even
the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started
to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near
future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)." The sub
narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and
Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates
that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in
the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in
that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied,
'At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who
practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror). Who are they
who practice circumcision?' The people replied, 'Except the Jews nobody
practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews).
'Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.' While they
were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey
the news of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard
the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the
messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told
Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the
Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.' (After
hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had
appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as
good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs. (a town
in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from
his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of
the Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that Heraclius
invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at
Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace
be closed. Then he came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your
desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain
then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e. embrace Islam).'
(On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of
the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized
their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing
Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience. (When
they returned) he said, 'What already said was just to test the strength
of your conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated before
him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius's
story (in connection with his faith). |
0 comments:
Post a Comment