KHUTAB I - D (16-20)

16.  THE BATTLE OF UH...UD (1)

          One of the famous battles in Islamic history is the battle of Uh.ud. Uh.ud is a hill north of Madinah where the battle took place between the Muslims, led by Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) and the infidel Quraysh tribe of Mecca. (Makkah). led by Abū Sufyān. The Meccans wanted to take revenge for their defeat and the loss of face at the battle of Badr the year before.  In this battle they were one thousand in number but were defeated by three hundred Muslims.

          After a journey of about ten days from Mecca, the Meccan army consisted of three thousand men, each with a camel for the journey, and two hundred horses. They reached the oasis of Madinah on Thursday in the month of Shawal 3/21 March, 625. Two days later, on Saturday 23 March, 625 C.E. the battle took place. The victory was almost within the Muslims’ hand, but soon turned to be a defeat. Khālid b. al-Walīd, who led the Meccan calvary observed some disorder in the Muslim advance. He overran the archers and attacked the Muslim flank and rear. The Prophet received two or three wounds on his face and leg. He himself wounded one Meccan who died from it.

          The Muslim army retreated to the slopes of the hill. The casualties: 27 of the Meccan and 75 of the Muslims, 70 of them were the ans.ār,  whereas among the muhājirīn was the Prophet’s uncle Ḥamzah.

          Why the defeat? Because the archers, who had been told by the Prophet not to leave their posts to protect the Muslim infantry against the attack from the rear, left their posts. Why did they leave their posts?  Because they saw the infantry was advancing and thought that the battle was over. On the other hand, the Muslim casualties were mostly due to the Quraysh calvary. The Muslims themselves were too poor and could not afford to have a calvary of their own.

          Was the defeat of the Muslims in this battle a serious defeat? No, from the military standpoint. The Meccan victory was not great. Although the Meccans had successfully avenged their defeat and bloodshed of the battle of Badr, they failed in many of their objectives. They failed to destroy the Muslim community in Madinah and remove the Prophet from his position and influence. They also failed to get northern Arabia under their control.  They could not destroy completely the Muslim army, because they had a number of wounded and most of their horses had received arrow wounds. We see how important it was to obey the commander

          Why did Allah let the Muslims be defeated?  Because Allah wanted to give us Muslims a lesson. After the battle of Uh.ud Allah revealed to the Prophet the following verse: 

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ.

إِنْ يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا

بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ.

وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ. أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ

وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ. وَلَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ

تَمَنَّوْنَ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَلْقَوْهُ فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ.

(آل عمران:۱٣٩-‍۱٤٣).

“So lose not heart.  Nor fall into despair: for ye must gain

 mastery if ye are true in faith.  If a wound hath touched you,

be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of

 varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that Allah

 may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself

  from your ranks martyr-witness [shuhada’, i.e., martyrs] to truth.

 And Allah loveth not those that do wrong.  Allah‘s object also is

 to purge those that are truth in faith and to deprive of blessing

 those that resist faith  [‘The purge or purification wasin two

 senses, (1) It cleared out the Hypocrites from the ranks of the

Muslim warriors, (2)  The testing-time strengthened the faith

 of  the weak and wavering: for suffering has its own mission in

 life. The Prophet’s example—wounded but staunch, and firmer

 than ever—put new life into the Community.’ A.Y. Ali’s

commentary].  Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven

without Allah testing those of you whofought hard (in

 His cause) and remained steadfast? Ye did indeed

 Wish for death before ye encountered it [i.e., at

 the  battle of Badr]: now ye  have seen it with

 your own eyes [i.e., in  the battle of Uhud],

 (and ye flinch!).” (Q. 3:139-143)

          What about the Muslims now? We are humiliated everywhere. Why?  Because we do not stick to our faith. We do not have strong faith. Allah says, “Ye must gain mastery if ye are true in faith” as mentioned above.  He also says:

 قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آَمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ (الحجرات:۱٤).   

“The desert Arabs [i.e., Bedouins] say ‘We believe’. Say:

‘Ye have no faith; but ye (only) say ’We submitted our wills

 to Allah [aslamna, we become Muslims]’; for not yet

has faith entered your hearts.” (Q. 49:14)

 In another verse He says:

 الْأَعْرَابُ أَشَدُّ كُفْرًا وَنِفَاقًا وَأَجْدَرُ أَلَّا يَعْلَمُوا حُدُودَ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ

 عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ (التوبة: ٩٧).

“The Bedouins are worst  in unbelief and hypocrisy,

 And  most fitted to be in ignorance of the command

 which Allah hath sent down to His Messenger: but

Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise” (Q. 9:97)

          Al-A‘rāb  means “the Bedouins”. people living in the desert under their tents and under the burning sun. They were blamed for their infidelity, hypocrisy and lack of faith. But now, are we Muslims better than they were?  The whole world knows how weak we are. We are still Bedouins in mentality and faith although we live in cities and palaces—as comfortable a life technology can give.

17.  THE BATTLE OF UH...UD (2)

          Abu Sufyān was the brother of Ummu Jamīl who was the wife of Abū Lahab, the Prophet’s uncle. His name was Sakhr b. H...arb b. Umayyah. He was a leader of the aristocratic party in Mecca. He was a respected merchant and led the great Meccan caravan several times. His eldest son H...anzalah was killed in the battle of Badr. His other son ‘Amr was taken prisoner, but afterwards he was exchanged for one Muslim who was fallen into Abū Sufyān’s hands when going to Mecca as pilgrim. His daughter Ramlah married a Muslim and emigrated with him to Abyssinia where she bore her daughter H...abībah.  She was then called Umm (Mother of) Ḥ abībah.

          In Abyssinia Ramlah’s husband converted to Christianity leaving her and her family without provider. When the Prophet learned about her condition he sent a letter to the emperor of Abyssinia asking to marry her. In this way she would remain Muslim and would find a protector when she returned to Mecca. Thus the Prophet was Abu Sufyān’s enemy and son-in-law at the same time.

          Abū Sufyān wanted to take revenge for the Meccan defeat at the battle of Badr a year before. The size of his army was one thousand men.  At the Battle of Uh.ud the Meccan army became three thousand men.  His wife Hind promised her slave Wah.shī to free him if he killed H...amzah, the Prophet’s uncle. He did and was later set free. The Prophet was hurt, and there was a rumour that he had been killed.

          The battle of Uh.ud is so important in Islamic history. It was the second battle in Islam and the first Muslims’ defeat. There were many Qur’ānic verses revealed to the Prophet after the battle of Uh.ud concerning this battle, although it was not mentioned by name in the verses.  Some of these verses are as follows:

سَنُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَكُوا بِاللَّهِ

مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الظَّالِمِينَ. وَلَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمُ

اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ إِذْ تَحُسُّونَهُمْ بِإِذْنِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا فَشِلْتُمْ وَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ وَعَصَيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا

أَرَاكُمْ مَا تُحِبُّونَ مِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرِيدُ الْآَخِرَةَ ثُمَّ صَرَفَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ لِيَبْتَلِيَكُمْ

وَلَقَدْ عَفَا عَنْكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. إِذْ تُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا تَلْوُونَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ

يَدْعُوكُمْ فِي أُخْرَاكُمْ فَأَثَابَكُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ لِكَيْلَا تَحْزَنُوا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا مَا أَصَابَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ

خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُون. ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُعَاسًا يَغْشَى طَائِفَةً مِنْكُمْ وَطَائِفَةٌ

قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ ظَنَّ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَقُولُونَ هَلْ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مِنْ

شَيْءٍ قُلْ إِنَّ الْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ يُخْفُونَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ مَا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ

لَنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ مَا قُتِلْنَا هَاهُنَا قُلْ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ

عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ وَلِيَبْتَلِيَ اللَّهُ مَا فِي صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ

مَا فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ.

(آل عمران:۱٥۱-۱٥٤).

“Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers

[i.e., Abu Sufyān and his followers for departing away from the

battle of Uhud], for that they joined partners with Allah, for which

He had sent no authority [i.e., proof]: their abode will be the Fire:

and evil is the home of the wrong-doers! Allah did indeed fulfil His promise to you when ye with His permission were about to annihilate your enemy [i.e., in the battle of Uhud]—until ye flinched and fell to disputing about the order [i.e., not to leave the post and maintain discipline], and disobeyed it after He brought you in sight (of the victory) which ye covet.  Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the Hereafter.  Then did He divert you from your foes in order to test you.  But He forgave you [i.e., for not annihilating you because of your sin]: for Allah is full of grace to those who believe. Behold! Ye were climbing up the high ground, without even casting a sideglance at any one, and the Messenger in your rear was calling you back. There did Allah give you one distress after another by way of requital [the first distress was that

many of them were killed and wounded and they lost booty: the second grief was the news that the Prophet was killed], to teach you not to grieve for (the booty) that had escaped you and for (the ill) that had befallen you.  For Allah is well aware of all that ye do.  After (the excitement) of the distress, He sent down calm on a band of you overcome with slumber. [i.e., to the believers, so that they did not suffer the distress], while another band [i.e., the hypocrites] was stirred to anxiety by their own feelings, moved by wrong suspicion of Allah—suspicions due to ignorance. They said: ‘Have we any hand in the affair?’ Say thou: ‘Indeed, this affair is wholly Allah’s.’ They hide in their minds what they dare not reveal to thee. They say (to themselves): ‘If we had had anything to do with this affair, we should not have been in the slaughter here.’  Say: ‘Even if you  had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death;’ but  (all this was) that Allah might test what is in your breasts  and purge what is in your hearts (Q. 3:151-154)

          So the battle of Uh.ud was a test who was truly a Muslim and who was a hypocrite. Those who did not want to fight were not true believers. There is an English proverb saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” If a Muslim is called to fight in the way of Allah and does not hesitate to answer the call for Allah’s sake, he is a Muslim.

          What have these verses to do with us?  Well, we have fought many battles and we have been defeated several times worse than the battle of Uh.ud, but we never learn from the battle of Uh.ud. Hopefully, one day we shall learn.

18.  THE BATTLE OF UH...UD (3)

Last Friday I talked about some Qur’ānic verses revealed after the battle of Uh.ud. Today I want to explain the rest of the verses dealing with the battle of Uh.ud. Allah said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا

وَلَقَدْ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ (آل عمران: ۱٥٥)

“Those of you who turned back on the day of the two hosts met,

--it was Satan who caused them to fail, because of some (evil)

they had done. But Allah has blotted out (their fault): for

Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing.” (Q. 3:155)

This verse talks about the hypocrites led by Abdullah b. Ubay.

Allah says further:

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقَالُوا لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ

إِذَا ضَرَبُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا غُزًّى لَوْ كَانُوا عِنْدَنَا مَا مَاتُوا وَمَا قُتِلُوا

لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ.

وَلَئِنْ قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا

يَجْمَعُونَ. وَلَئِنْ مُتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُحْشَرُونَ.

(آل عمران:۱٥٦-۱٥٨)

“O ye who believe! Be not like the unbelievers, who say of their

brethren, when they are travelling through the earth or engaged

in fighting: ‘If they had stayed with us, they would not have died,

or been slain.’ This that Allah may make it a cause of sighs and

regrets in their hearts.  It is Allah that gives life and death, and

Allah sees well all that ye do.  And if ye are slain, or die, in the

way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better

than all they could amass.  And if ye die or are slain, lo!it

 is unto Allah that ye are brought together.” (Q. 3:156-158)

          These verses mean that believers should not be like unbelievers who said about people travelling for business or fighting for Islam. “If they had been with us, not in their travel or in expedition, they would not have died or been killed, they would have been alive.” Allah does not want us to say so, because He Himself is the One Who gives life and takes life; wherever we go we would not die before its time. Moreover, dying in the way of Allah is better than the wealth we collect, for Allah will reward us. In other words, travelling for business is better than staying at home, but going out and fight in the way of Allah is the best, because Allah will forgive and have mercy on us.  

          When the Muslims wanted to know the condition of their brothers who fell martyrs in the battle of Uh.ud, Allah revealed:

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ. فَرِحِينَ

بِمَا آَتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ

وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ. يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ.

(آل عمران:۱٦٩-۱٧۱)

“Think not of those who are slain in Allah’s way as dead. Nay,

they live, finding their sustenance from their Lord.  They rejoice

in the bounty provided by Allah.  And with regard to those who

left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the

(martyrs’) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have

they (cause to) grieve.  They rejoice in the grace and the bounty

 from Allah, and in the fact that Allah suffereth not the reward

on the faithful to be lost (in the least).” (Q. 3:169-171)

Therefore the martyrs are alive, rejoicing the bounty of Allah, living on a different plane of life in a different world.

          The Meccan army retreated to H...amrā’ al-Asad about 12 km outside Madinah. The next day the Prophet and his companions who joined him in the battle of Uh.ud set out in pursuit of the retreating enemy. When they reached the place the enemy had already left. However, they remained nearby to avoid the impression that they were actually fleeing from the Prophet and the Muslims. During the day the Muslims collected wood and lit many fires at night so that that their force looked larger that it really was.  The purpose was to lower the spirit of the enemy. It worked and Abu Sufyān and his army returned to Mecca within a day or two. On this occasion Allah revealed the following verse:

الَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْقَرْحُ لِلَّذِينَ

 أَحْسَنُوا مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَوْا أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ (آل عمران:۱٧۲)

“Of those who answered the call of Allah and the Apostle,

 even  after being wounded, those who do right and

 refrain from wrong have a great reward” (Q. 3:172)

          Long before reaching Mecca, the Meccan leaders must have realized their difficult position, despite their recent victory in the battle of Uh.ud. They had collected all their forces, even with the support of neighbouring tribes. The only way they could raise a stronger army was through the assistance of some nomadic tribes in the east and the northeast. For this purpose, they used any means, such as making propaganda about the Prophet’s weakness, mentioning memories of the prominence of Mecca, promising booty, even giving bribes. These means worked, and with their huge army they attacked Madinah known as the battle of the Trench.

 19.  PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S MIRACLES

          Like other prophets before, Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) was also endowed with miracles. The miracles of Prophet Moses  (p.b.u.h.) were turning his stick into a serpent and splitting the sea; the miracles of Prophet Jesus (‘Isā, p.b.u.h.) were speaking in his cradle defending his mother’s honour, healing the sick and the blind, bringing a dead person back to life, and many others.

          These are among Prophet Muhammad’s miracles: when he was nursed by H...alīmah in the desert, he used to play and tend sheep with H...alīmah’s son Abdulllah. One day two men wearing white dress came and took him away, opened his breast and cleaned his heart. Abdullah ran home and told his mother what had happened. H...alīmah worried about Muhammad, so she brought him back to his mother in Mecca.  At that time, he was four years old. These two people in white dress were angels. This kind of heart cleaning operation by angels occurred only to the Prophet, although the appearance of angels as human beings occurred also to Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm, p.b.u.h.), Maryam (Mary, Prophet Jesus’ mother), and later Gabriel appeared to the Prophet and his companions as a handsome man resembling Duh.yat al-Kalbī.

          On the 27^th of Ramadan, the Prophet received the first revelation at Mt. H...irā’. The revelation continued for 23 years. He was ordered by Allah to call people to Islam. In the beginning, he called people secretly for three years.  Then, when he called them openly, the people of Mecca were against him.  In the seventh year of his mission, they boycotted him, the Muslims, and the Banī Hāshim clan for assisting him. They wrote the ban on a piece of parchment and put it in the Ka‘bah. The Prophet, the Muslims and the Banī Hāshim clan took refuge to the mountain near Mecca where they lived in a very poor condition. After three years, Allah informed the Prophet that the parchment had been destroyed by termites except the word بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ  (“In Your Name, O Lord!”). The Prophet told this to his uncle Abū T.ālib who told the people. They opened the Ka‘bah and found what Abū T.ālib had told them was true.  So, they stopped the boycott.

          When Sūrat al-Masad (Qur’ān, chapter 111) was revealed to the Prophet and was heard by Abū Lahab’s wife, Ummu Jamīl, she was very angry. The surah runs as follows:

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ. مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ. سَيَصْلَى نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ.

وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ. فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِنْ مَسَدٍ. (المسد:۱-٥)

“Perish the hands of the Father of Flame!  Perish he! No

 Profit to him from all his wealth, and all his gains!  Burnt

 Soon will he be in a fire of blazing flame! His wife shall

 Carry the (crackling) wood—as fuel—A twisted rope of

palm-leaf fibre round her (own) neck!” (Q. 111:1-5)

           Abū Lahab (“Father of Flame”) was the nickname of the Prophet’s uncle for his fiery hot temper and ruddy complexion. His wife, Ummu Jamīl was also cruel to the Prophet. She used to carry a bundle of thorn tied with ropes of twisted palm-leaf fibre and scattered them at night in the paths where he used to take to injure him. After hearing the revelation concerning her and her husband she went to the Ka‘bah and took a piece of stone to throw at the Prophet. Abū Bakr was there. Although the Prophet was near her she did not throw the stone at him. Later he told Abū Bakr that Allah had made him invisible to her.

          When Allah ordered the Prophet and the Muslims to immigrate to Madinah, the Prophet, Abū Bakr and Ali were the last to leave. The Meccans did not want Madinah to become a centre of Islamic call that would compete for the position of Mecca. They sent their young men, each representing a clan, to kill the Prophet, so that all clans would be responsible for the assassination. The Prophet’s clan would not be able to retaliate against them.  They surrounded the Prophet’s house to kill him while he was asleep. But Allah informed him about this scheme. So he asked his cousin Ali to sleep on his bed and cover himself with the Prophet’s green garment. In the dark the Prophet came out of the house citing Surat Yāsīn (Qur’ān, chapter 36) until he reached

  وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ. (يس: ٩)

“And We have put a bar in front of them and a bar

 behind them, and further, We have covered them up;

so that they cannot see.” (Q. 36:9)

those those young men who intended to kill him felt drowsy. The Prophet even put dust on their heads to humiliate their scheme. In the morning they found Ali instead of the Prophet.

          The Prophet and Abū Bakr hid at Thawr Cave for three days. The searchers did not enter the cave because they found a spider web covering its entrance and a dove and its nest with its chicks at the entrance. In the cave a scorpion stung Abu Bakr’s foot, and the Prophet, by Allah’s permission, cured him with his saliva and by massaging it with his hands.

          After failing to assassinate the Prophet, the Meccans announced a reward of one hundred camels to anyone who could find him. Surāqah found him, but when he approached, his horse stopped suddenly and threw him down. He became a Muslim and the Prophet told him: “What do you think if you wore the armlet (bracelet) of Chosroes, the Emperor of Persia?’ This happened later, after the conquest of Persia.

          Miracles also took place in the battles of Badr and Uh.ud as well as prior to the battle of the Trench. In the battle of Badr Allah sent angels to assist the Muslims who were small in number. In the battle of Uh.ud the Prophet cured the eye of Qatādah b. al-Nu‘mān. Prior to the battle of the Trench, the Prophet and the Muslims worked in the daytime digging a trench as suggested by Salmān and went home in the evening. One evening Jābir b. Abdullah approached the Prophet and invited him for supper, for he had slaughtered a small sheep. The Prophet not only accepted the invitation but also invited those who were digging the trench. Jabir did not know what to do.  The food was brought to the Prophet. He said the basmalah, namely,

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful”

and ate with a group of people. Then they went out and another group came in and ate, until all of them had their supper and there was enough food for everyone.

          While digging the trench, Salmān was not able to break a hard rock with his axe. The Prophet who was near him took the axe and broke the rock with three strokes, each with a strange sparkle. When Salmān asked what these three strokes and strange sparkles mean, he said that the first one was the prediction that Allah would make for him the conquest of Yemen, the second for the conquest of Syria and North Africa (Morocco), while the third for the conquest of the East.  All these actually happened during the reign of the four rightly guided caliphs, Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān and ‘Alī (may Allah be pleased with them).

  20. THE QUR’ĀN, THE LIVING MIRACLE

          The Qur’ān is the only living miracle which remains and seen by people. Other miracles of the Prophet and previous prophets can only heard from people and read from books. But the Qur’ān remains and challenges people to produce the like of it. At the beginning, the Qur’ān challenged the Meccan infidels to produce a Scripture like the Qur’ān and the Torah.  Allah said:

فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ عِنْدِنَا قَالُوا لَوْلَا أُوتِيَ مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى

أَوَلَمْ يَكْفُرُوا بِمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى مِنْ قَبْلُ قَالُوا سِحْرَانِ تَظَاهَرَا وَقَالُوا إِنَّا بِكُلٍّ

كَافِرُونَ. قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ هُوَ أَهْدَى مِنْهُمَا أَتَّبِعْهُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ.

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ

هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ.

(القصص:٤٨-٥٠).

“But (now) when the Truth has come to them from

Ourselves, they say, ‘Why are not (signs) sent to him, like

 those  which were sent to Moses?’  Do they not then reject

 (the signs) which were formerly sent to Moses?  They say:

 ‘Two kinds of sorcery [i.e., Prophet Moses was called

 a sorcerer by the Egyptians for doing miracles, such as

 turning his staff into a serpent and turning his hand into

 radiant-white, and Prophet Muhammad’s miracle of the

 Qur’ān and its wonderful words were called sorcery by

 the Meccan idolaters], each assisting the other!’  And they

say: ‘For us, we reject all (such things)!’  Say, then bring

 ye a Book from Allah, which is a better guide than either

 of them, that I may follow it! (Do) if ye are truthful!

 ’But if they  hearken not to thee, know that they only

 Follow  their own  lusts: and who is more astray than

 One  who follows his own lusts, devoid of  guidance

 fromAllah? For Allah  guides not  people given

 to wrong doing.” (Q. 28:48-50) 

          The challenge to produce a Book similar to the Qur’ān might be too hard for the Meccans. Then the challenge was reduced into ten chapters.  Allah says:

 أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِعَشْرِ سُوَرٍ مِثْلِهِ مُفْتَرَيَاتٍ وَادْعُوا مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ

 مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (هود:۱٣).

“Or they may say: ‘He forged it’. Say: ‘Then bring ten surahs [i.e., chapters] forged, like unto it, and call (to your aid) whomsoever

ye can, other than Allah!-- if ye speak the truth.’” (Q. 11:13)

          Then the Qur’ān made the challenge for one chapter only. Allah says:

وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُمْ

مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ. فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَنْ تَفْعَلُوا فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا

 النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ. (البقرة: ‌۲٣-‌‌٤‌‌۲)

“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from

 time to time to Our servant then produce a surah (a chapter)

 like  there-unto, and call your  witnesses or helpers (if there

are any) besides Allah, if ye are truthful.  But if ye cannot—

and of a surety ye cannot--then fear the fire whose fuel

 is men and stones,--whichis prepared for those

 who reject faith.” (Q.  2:21-24)

         This is a test and a challenge to the Meccans to produce a chapter similar to a chapter in the Qur’ān. They could ask any help from anywhere other than Allah, to inspire spiritual truth in such a noble and beautiful language in one chapter as evidence that they could also produce something similar to the Qur’ān. The challenge is repeated in another verse as follows:

 أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (يونس: ٣٨)

“Or do they say, ‘He forged it!’? Say: ‘Bring then a surah

[a chapter] like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you

 can, besides Allah, if it be ye speak the  truth!’” (Q. 10:38) 

           The shortest chapter in the Qur’ān consists of three verses only, namely, Sūrat al-Kawthar, as follows:

إنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ. فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ. إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ.(الكوثر : ۱-٣)

“To thee have We granted the abundance.

 Therefore, to   thy Lord turn in prayer and

 sacrifice. For he who hatest thee, he will be

 cut off (from future hope).” (Q. 108:1-3)

          The challenge of the Qur’ān (tah.addī) is an amazing challenge; it challenges not only the poets of Mecca in the time of the Prophet, but also the people of our present time and of the future, so that they can prove that the Qur’ān is the product of Muhammad and not revelation from Allah.  Many tried but failed, among them: Musaylimah b. H...abīb, T.ulayh.ah b. Khuwaylid al-Asadī, al-Nad.r b. al-H...ārith, Abū ’l-H...asan Muh.ammad b.  Yah.yā known as “Ibn al-Rawandī”, Abu ’l-T.ayyib al-Mutanabbī, Abū l-‘Alā’ al-Ma‘arrī, Labīd and Ibn al-Muqaffa‘. The style of the Qur’ān is beyond their reach.

           Labīd became Muslim in the year 9 A.H.  One day ‘Umar asked him to cite some of his poems.  Instead, he read Sūrat al-Baqarah (chapter 2 of the Qur’ān) and said that after Allah had taught him that surah and Surat Al ‘Imrān (chapter 3 of the Qur’ān) he stopped citing poetry.

          Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ (d. 727 C.E.), the famous prose writer of Persian origin, was asked one day to challenge the Qur’ān for hearing that many people would convert to Islam. He promised to do it in one year. After six months his friends came to see what he was doing. He was sitting at his desk, a pen in his hand, pieces of paper scattered on the floor, and confessed he could not produce a single sentence to challenge the style of the Qur’ān.  Allah says:

قُلْ لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْقُرْآَنِ لَا

 يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا (الإسراء: ٨٨).

“Say: ‘If the whole of mankind and jinns  were to

 Gather together  to produce the like of this Qur’ān, they

 Could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed

up each other with help and support.” (Q. 17:8)

          The infidel of Mecca would have taken the shortest way in fighting the Prophet and the Muslims if they could, by producing three verses (in one chapter) similar to those of the Qur’ān. But because they could not, they took the long way by fighting them with swords.

          In conclusion I would like to cite a short surah and one of my favourites, Sūrat al-D.uh.ā.  Whenever I read it I feel as if it were revealed to me. It exhibits a simple but perfect rhetorical balance: an opening oaths by contrasted light and darkness, introduces three triplets matching exactly together.

          When revelation stopped for a period of time the Meccan infidels said: “Muhammad’s Lord has forsaken him.” So Allah revealed the following surah:

وَالضُّحَى. وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى. مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى. وَلَلْآَخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الْأُولَى.

 وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى. أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآَوَى. وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَى. وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَى.

 فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ. وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ. وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ. (الضحى:‍۱-۱۱).

“By the glorious morning light,  and by the night when it is

still,-- [This is the opening with contrasting light and darkness,

two oaths].  Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is

He displeased. And verily the  Hereafter will be better for thee

than the present.  And soon will thy Guardian-Lord give thee

(that wherewith) thou shalt be well-pleased.  [This is the first

triplet.  It contains two negations and two promises]. Did He

not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)?  And

He found  thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance?  And

He found thee in need, and made thee independent? [This is

the second triplet. It contains three rhetorical questions].

Therefore treat not the orphan with harshness,  nor repulse

him who asks.  But the bounty of their Lord—rehearse and

proclaim!”. [This is the third and the last triplet.  It

contains three commandments of which two

prohibitions and one injunction]. (Q. 93:1-11)