When the Moon Split (2)

Let's continue the biography of the best man that set foot on Earth, Mohammad Bin Abdullah صلى الله عليه وسلم
:)

I think it's better to introduce the topics I shall be summarising ... Or most accurately, the things I did not know before .....

- Migration to Abyssinia

- Two of the most powerful of Quraish who were opposing the Muslims accept Islam ...

- Quraish's bargaining, punishing and boycotting

- The year of Sorrow

- Journey to Taif

- Saudah and Aisha رضي الله عنهما

- A miraculous sign

Let's go ! :-)

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* Migration to Abyssinia took place 5 years after the Prophet had become a prophet. The 1st batch to migrate was Uthman and his wife Ruqayyah; the Prophet's daughter ...

* Once whilst the Prophet was praying, Abu Jahl approached him to hit his head with a huge stone. Angel Jibreal appeared before him as a camel, so he retreated ...

* Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt tried choking the Prophet and Abu Bakr defended him ...

* When Abu Bakr migrated to Abyssinia, he met Malik bin Dughunna (a leader of tribes) and he promised to protect them, so he went back to Makkah ...

* Once Abu Jahl hit the Prophet's head with a stone, it bled, a slave saw him and told Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib (the Prophet's uncle; Assad-Allah, who was still a non-believer), he then struck Abu Jahl's head with his bow in revenge ...

* The Prophet prayed: " Oh Allah, strengthen Islam by Umar bin Al-Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham " ...

* Umar bin Al-Khattab became a Muslim 3 days after Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib (six years after the Prophet started his mission) ...

* A huge crowd went to kill Umar bin Al-Khattab and was met by Aas bin Wa'il Sahmi from a clan close to Umar's ... He told them threateningly: " none of the paths leads to Umar's house" , so they ran off !!

*  Umar bin Al-Khattab told the Prophet that they shall not hide any longer, so the Muslims marched out of Dar Al-Arqam in two rows behind the Prophet, one lead by Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib and the other by Umar bin Al-Khattab. The Muslims gained strength and prestige the day Umar bin Al-Khattab accepted Islam ...

* Utbah bin Rab'ia bargained the Prophet for wealth, honor, kingship and women.... The Prophet recited the openings of Surah Fussilat .... Utbah put his hand on the Prophet's mouth and a strange expression grew on his face ...

* The Makkans bargained the Prophet that he worships their gods one year and they worship Allah the next year... In reply, he recited 

سورة الكافرون

"قلْ أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَأْمُرُونِّي أَعْبُدُ أَيُّهَا الْجَاهِلُونَ"

"قُلْ إِنِّي نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ"

When they failed, they asked the Prophet to bring another Qur'an or make changes in the present one. Allah revealed

"وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ ۙ قَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا ائْتِ بِقُرْآنٍ غَيْرِ

 هَٰذَا أَوْ بَدِّلْهُ ۚ قُلْ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُ مِن تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِي إنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ"

and

"وَإِن كَادُواْ لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ الَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ لِتفْتَرِيَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُ وَإِذاً لاتّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلاً * وَلَوْلاَ أَن ثَبَّتْنَاكَ

 لَقَدْ كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْئاً قَلِيلاً"

* The Makkans realised that he was sincere in his belief, they wanted to find out if he's a real Prophet or just imagined himself to be one. They sought guidance from Jewish rabbis. They told them to ask him three questions: 1) The story about some youths, 2) a person who travelled both the East and West, 3) the soul. Surah Al-Kahf was revealed as a response
1) أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ آيَاتِنَا عَجَبًا

 2) وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنْ ذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ قُلْ سَأَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًا
 3) وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّن الْعِلْمِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً in Surah Al-Israa' ... 

* The Makkans then asked him to let them enter Islam with special status as the elite couldn't consider themselves interacting with their inferiors on equal terms. A reply from Allah was

وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ ۖ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

* The Makkans' arrogance grew and they challenged him to Hasten Allah's punishment... In reply Allah revealed

"أَفَأَمِنَ الَّذِينَ مَكَرُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ أَنْ يَخْسِفَ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَشْعُرُونَ"

"يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ"

"وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَنْ يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ"

* The Makkans asked Abu Talib to hand the Prophet over so that they could kill him, he refused and called the members of Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib and convinced them to pledge that they would protect the Prophet. They all did, except Abu Lahab ...

* All Makkans decided to totally boycott Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib until they handed over the prophet. They withdrew from Makkah and lived in She'eb Abu Talib were they fed on leaves and roots. This lasted from 3 years...

* Five nobles were saddened by the exile; they were Hisham bin Amr bin Harith, Zuhair bin Abd Abi Umayyah, Makhzoomi (the Prophet's cousin), Mut'im bin A'di, Abdul-Bukhturi bin Hisham, Zamaa' bin Aswad; they stood by the people and spoke. Abu Talib stepped in to inform them that the Prophet received a revelation regarding the termites eating the paper they hung on the Ka'bah regarding the boycott.

* Abu Jahl and Abdul Allah bin Abi Umayyah prevented Abu Talib to say Shahadah on his death bed. The prophet asked Allah to forgive Abu Talib until he was forbidden 
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُواْ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ أُوْلِي قُرْبَى مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ
إِنَّكَ لاَ تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَآءُ
Abu Talib then died ten years after the Prophet started his mission ..

* Two months and three days later, Khadijah passed away .

* One month later, he married Sawda bin Zam'aah who was one of the immigrants to Abyssinia after finishing the period of mourning at her hubbby ...

* A year later, the Prophet married Aisha who was six years old, but was sent to him when she was nine ...

* The Prophet travelled on foot with his former slave, Zayd Bin Harithah to Taif to call more people to Islam ... When stones were thrown at them, they sought refuge in an orchard belonging to the sons of Rabi'aa; Utbah & Sheba ... They sent their slave Addas with a plate of grapes, he accpted the prophet's call to Islam as he mentioned to him the story of Prophet Yunus ...

* At Qarn Al-Manazil, Angel Jibra'el came with the Angel of the mountains asking if he wants to crush the people of Taif ...

* He stopped at Nakhlah for a couple of days. He was praying Fajr when a band of Jinn heard him reciting the Qur'an. They did not come in contact with him, but warned their other companions and embraced Islam. The prophet knew of this when revealed in سورة الأحقاف and سورة الجن ....

* The prophet sent for protection from Akhtas bin Shariq, Suhail bin Amr, and Mut'am bin Adiy. They all rejected as they were allies of Quraish except Mut'am bin Adiy.

* The Makkans asked the Prophet for a sign like Musa, Isa

وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ لَئِنْ جَاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ لَيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّها إِذَا جَاءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

The moon split in half where each half appeared on either side of Mount Hira... They claimed that it was just a spell put on them and asked some travellers and they confirmed that they saw it too ....

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