It has been
a while since I last wrote an article. I’ve been busy coping up with my
studies, my obligation as a Muslim, and of course my obligation to Allah.You
can say it was my period of depression in which I tried to regain back my
strength and improving my bond with He who owns this heart, soul, and body. And
I realised, there is no other role model that I can look up to, in order to be
the best Muslim that I can be, than Muhammad peace be upon him (pbuh).
In the wake
of the recent attack in France by so-called ‘Jihadist’, the social media is
exploding with criticisms, condemnations, and hate-speeches toward Islam. Why?
Because 12 people were killed due to the caricatures of Muhammad pbuh which are
insulting and disgraceful. And as always because of the action of a small
number of ‘Muslims’, Islam is to blame.
Why
‘Jihadist’ and ‘Muslim’? Why not just Jihadist and Muslim?
It is funny
how the timing of events seem so perfect; with France declaring their support
for a free-state Palestine, with Israel threatening to go against those who are
against them, and with an Israeli reporter perfectly situated near the scene of
shooting where you can clearly record the ‘Jihadist’ shouting Allahu akbar. I can’t help but to think
that these are not mere coincidence. Why after 7 months of publication of the caricatures
weekly, the perpetrators decided to kill the cartoonist?
Wallahu’alam. Allah knows best.
I am not
here to propose a conspiracy theory of some sort. I am here to tell you about a
man, the best of men who had walk this earth, the one who was always mocked and
threatened to death by his own society yet never lay a finger on them, the one
who went through tribulations and hardship during his life time; he who is
called Muhammad pbuh.
Al-Ameen, the trustworthy
Before his
Prophethood, Muhammad was no ordinary youth. He was an exemplary man of weighty
mind and faultless insight. He was favoured with intelligence, originality of
thought, and accurate choice of the means leading to accurate goals His vivid
mind and pure nature were helpfully instrumental in assimilating and
comprehending ways of life and people, individual and community wise.
He was
distinguished among his people for his modesty, virtuous behaviour, and
graceful manners. He was the most gentle-hearted, chaste, and hospitable. He
was the most truthful and the best to keep a covenant. His fellow-citizens, by
common consent, gave him a title.
Al-Ameen. The trustworthy.
Five year
before the Prophethood, Makkah was struck with a great flood that swept towards
Al-Ka’bah and almost demolished it. The Quraisy were obligated to rebuild it
therefore they divided the work amongst the tribes until it was time to put the
sacred Black Stone back to its position. Strife broke out among the chiefs and
lasted for four or five days, each contesting for the honour of placing the
stone in its proper place. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great
bloodshed seemed imminent. Luckily the eldest of the chiefs proposed that
whoever that enters into the Ka’bah compound first would be their judge. They
unanimously agreed with the proposal. By Allah’s will, it was Muhammad pbuh.
What was
their reaction?
On seeing
him, all the people present, cried with one voice, “Al-Ameen has come! We are content to abide by his decision!” The
situation was solved with Muhammad spreading a huge mantle with the sacred
Black Stone in the middle and asked each of the representative of the different
clans to lift the stone together. When it reached the proper place, he himself
laid it in the proper position.
That was
before he became Prophet.
After three
years of secret preaching, revelation came down from Allah for Muhammad pbuh to
start preaching in public. One day, he stood up on Mount As-Safa and called
loudly, “Ya Sahabah!” Many people gathered and those who could not, sent somebody
to report to them. Abu Lahab, his uncle as well as the enemy of Islam, was also
present.
“You see, if
I were to tell you that there were some horsemen in the valley planning to raid
you, will you believe me?”
“Yes, we
have only witnessed the truth from you,” they said.
Bear in mind
that Mount As-Safa is not as tall as a proper mountain. You can call it a mini
mountain in which few steps of ascending will bring you to the peak. Here, even
though it was clear that there could not be any horsemen in the valley as it
would be obvious to them, they still said that they would believe him. Because
he never spoke about the untruth.
Then
Muhammad pbuh said, “I am a warner to you before a severe torment.” Abu Lahab
promptly replied, “Perish you all the day! Have you summoned us for such a
thing?” He spitted as well as divorcing his son with the daughter of Muhammad
pbuh. Then came down Surah Al-Lahab (surah no 111).
You see,
when it comes to daily lives or even disputes, Muhammad was the one that they
seek and trust. But when it comes to faith, they rejected him. Not because he
was a liar of some sort, but because they were not able to see the truth behind
what he was preaching. This is a man trusted by all, with the most graceful of
manners, yet most people dubbed him as soothsayer, liar, and a madman then. And
even today.
Preaching
to Ta’if
After being
oppressed and physically abused for his preaching in Makkah, he set out on foot
towards Ta’if, about 60 kilometres from Makkah, in the company of his freed
slave Zaid bin Harithah, hoping to invite people to Islam. It was in Shawwal of
the tenth year of Prophethood. You could say it was a change of pace for him as
the oppression and boycott of Muslims in Makkah were at its peak.
Contrary to
his expectations, the general atmosphere was terribly hostile. He approached
the nobles of the town, only to be turned down with abusive language and
mockery. He stayed there for ten days, delivering his message to all of the
noble people, one after another, but all to no avail.
Stirred up
to hasten the departure of the unwelcome visitor, the foolish and their
servants hooted him through the narrow lanes, pelted him with stones and
obliged him to flee from the city pursued by a merciless crowd.
Blood flowed
down both his legs; and Zaid, trying to shield him, was wounded in the head.
The crowd did not cease until they had chased him two or three miles across the
sandy plains on the foot of the surrounding hills.
After
resting in one of the numerous fruit farm (there is a story but I will skip it
for now), he set out on the way back to Makkah, heart-broken and depressed.
When he reached Qarn Al-Manazil,
Allah sent to him Jibreel together with the angel of the mountains. The latter
asked the Prophet for permission to bury Makkah between Al-Akhshabain, the mountains of Abu
Qubais and Qu’aiqi’an.
He said, “No, I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah
alone, and will worship none besides Him.”
Try to brain
this: Muhammad pbuh was disappointed and depressed with the conditions in
Makkah therefore he went to Ta’if for a change of pace. There, he was treated
the same way as he was in Makkah. When Jibreel and the angel came saying that
they could bury Makkah between the mountains, he said no.
Why on earth
would someone who has been physically and mentally abused severely turn down
the offer in order to protect his abusers?
Why on earth
would someone who has been heart-broken and disappointed at the behaviour of
the people countless of times say no to such offer?
Why on earth
would someone who has been showered with hardship, not once or twice, refuse to
pay back for what the people did to him?
If only he
agreed to the offer, his job would be easier as there would be less people
opposing him!
And bear in
mind that the offer came only after he was disappointed with the people of Ta’if
in which psychologically speaking, if he was an ordinary man, he should be in a
state of anger and contempt!
But because
he is Muhammad; like a tree which drops its fruits to those who pelted it with
rocks.
He said no.
Of Trials
and Tribulations
Throughout
his Prophethood, there was not a day that he was not bothered by the
non-believers; be it from the smallest of mockery to the biggest of murder
attempt. Only after the Hijrah to Madinah, Allah sent down revelation regarding
the permission for the Muslims to fight back the non-believers, of course with
strict terms and conditions.
He was
taunted, degraded, and ridiculed by the Quraish during the earlier years. They
claimed he was possessed by a jinn or
an insane person. He was accused of practicing witchcraft and dubbed as the
soothsayers. Know that the Arabs of Makkah at that time were famous for their
poetry and proses. Hence when Muhammad, an illiterate, recited the words of
God, they were amazed by the beauty of the verses yet chose to put them under
the rag, ignoring the truth behind the verses although there were some who
converted to Islam once listening to the verses of the Qur’an because they knew
no man can ever produce the same verses as the ones revealed to Muhammad.
When the
verbal abuse and boycott did not affect the faith of Muhammad and the Muslims
of Makkah, the non-believers resorted to another way of confrontation:
violence. In one instance, it is recorded that the Prophet was one day seated
on the hillock of Safa when Abu Jahl happened to pass by and accused the
religion preached by him. Muhammad, however, kept silent and did not utter a
word. Abu Jahl went on unchecked, took a stone, and cracked the Prophet’s head
which began to bleed. He then joined his fellow Quraishites in their assembly
place.
In another
instance, Abu Jahl lay waiting for the arrival of Prophet to offer prayer at
the compound of Ka’bah. When the Prophet prostrated himself, Abu Jahl proceeded
carrying the big rock in order to drop it on Muhammad’s head. However by Allah’s
will, Jibreel was sent intercepted his action. Abu Jahl said, “When I
approached, a male camel unusual in figure with fearful canines intercepted and
almost devoured me.” Muhammad pbuh in the context of his comment on the
incident said, “It was Jibreel as, if Abu Jahl had approached closer, he would
have killed me.”
Again in
another instance, when the news of Muhammad pbuh planning to emigrate to
Madinah reached the ears of the Quraisy, they set up a plan to kill him before
he leaves the house. A total of eleven men were on alert the night before the
proposed emigration of the Prophet. As the night advanced, they posted
assassins around the house, waiting to kill him the moment he left his house
early in the morning. But Jibreel who was sent down to Muhammad to reveal the
plot of the Quraisy in which, with Allah’s will, he managed to escape the house
unnoticed.
For ten
years, he suffered physically and mentally everyday due to the confrontations
of the non-believers. After the Hijrah to Madinah, things were less than what
he went through in Makkah. Only that he needed to deal with the munafiq and the
Jews (some of the Jews) who pronounced their allegiance to Muhammad but
backstabbed him when Madinah was under attack, not once but countless of times.
So what did
he do to the people who did bad things to him? He forgave them. Only in the battlefield
did he kill the enemies but outside of the battlefield, he forgave them. Well
he also did forgive some of the enemies who converted while on the battlefield
or while being held captive. On top of that, do you want to know what he did to
the captives of war who still refuse to accept Islam?
Either their
families pay ransom to the Muslims or the captives, who were literate, teach
ten children the art of writing and reading until they had been proficient
enough.
This is the
ethics of Islam.
Upon
entering Makkah after the Conquest of Makkah (Fathul Makkah), Prophet Muhammad
pbuh went to the Ka’bah compound on the second day and called upon all the
Quraisy. He then said that Makkah is a holy land and would remain so till the
Day of Judgement. No bloodshed was allowed therein. He went to pray on the
hillock of Safa, facing the Ka’bah. There, the people of Quraisy who were in
fear gathered round him only to be reassured that he had lived with them and
would die with them.
In simpler words,
the bad things that they had done to him and the Muslims, he would not seek
revenge for he had forgiven them.
The
Chosen One
In order to
know a man, we need to learn about his past. And through learning a man’s past,
we will come to know of his worth. Only then would we know that the man
depicted by a group of people is far from the real characters of the man
himself.
In this
case, Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures of Muhammad or all the insulting caricatures
depicting Muhammad as someone indecent, are far from the truth.
He is not a
man of war or a man of indecency. He is a man of justice and a man of ethics. A
man of forgiveness and a man of modesty.
I am writing
this article in English with the hope that this article can reach, if not tens
of people, hundreds of people of different religions or beliefs, to show to you
who is the real Muhammad pbuh and why the Muslims are angry every time people
insulted him in the name of freedom of speech.
Because the
Muhammad the media depicted is not Muhammad.
For Muhammad
is the chosen one.
“Et Nous ne t’avons envoyé qu’en miséricorde
pour l’univers.”
(Al-Anbiya, 21:107)
May Allah
ease.
-Senpai-
Footnote: One reference which is for me, beneficial
and reliable to learn about the history of Prophet Muhammad pbuh is The Sealed
Nectar or Ar-Raheequl Makhtum by
Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri. There
are other sources as well such as As-Seerah
An-Nabawiyyah by Abu Muhammad Abdul-Malik bin Hisham or the hadits of the
Prophet themselves.
