dr:mohamed eldondity
المدير
عدد المساهمات : 145
نقاط : 444
تاريخ التسجيل : 11/08/2009
 |  موضوع: @ LIFE STORY OF MOHAMED PBUH PART 23 @ ENTRY INTO MECCA  الخميس سبتمبر 10, 2009 12:57 pm | |
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Entry Into Mecca
Despite the improved relations between Mecca and Medinah
after the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, the ten-year
peace was to be broken by Quraysh who, with their allies, the
Bani Bakr, attacked the Khuza’ah tribe. Now Khuza’ah were
allies of the Muslims and when the Prophet (pbuh)heard of the
attack he immediately ordered his men to prepare for war.
When they were ready he told them that their destination was
Mecca and, as he did not want any fighting within the walls of
the city, he told them they must move quickly and take the
enemy by surprise. In this way the Meccans would not have
time to prepare for war and, being surrounded would have to
surrender. The Muslims would then be able to take the city
without injury or loss of life to anyone.
When the Muslim army, which numbered ten thousand, set
out for Mecca it was the month of Ramadan in the eighth year
of the Hijrah. Many of the men kept the fast, even though they
were not obliged to because they were travelling. Everyone
was jubilant because they were going to Mecca, especially as
some of them had not seen their homes in the city for eight
long years. In the meantime, the Prophet's uncle, al-'Abbas,
had decided that the time had come for him and his wife to
leave Mecca and join the Prophet (pbuh) in Medinah. They did
not, however, have to go far as after a distance of only
twenty-five kilometers they came across the Muslim camp.
When the Prophet (pbuh) saw them he said, 'Uncle, your
emigration is the last emigration. My prophecy is the last
prophecy.' Al-'Abbas then joined the army and his wife went
on to the safety of Medinah.
Night fell and the Muslims made fires to light their camp.
The Meccans, looking out of the city, were amazed to see the
many fires, and Abu Sufyan went all over Mecca trying to find
out whose camp it was. Suddenly he saw al-‘Abbas riding
towards him from the direction of the fires. He was returning
as a messenger of peace from the Prophet (pbuh) and said to
Abu Sufyan, 'The Muslims have come with a large army.
They do not wish to fight, only to enter the city. It would be
better to surrender and not fight. Come under my protection
and meet the Prophet (pbuh).' Abu Sufyan agreed, and got up
behind al-Abbas, who was riding the Prophet’s white mule. It
was still night as they entered the Muslim camp. Each time
they passed a fire, someone would call out, 'Who goes there?'
None of them recognized the stranger as the leader of their
enemy but all knew al-‘Abbas and so let them through. As they
passed by 'Umar, however, he immediately recognized Abu
Sufyan and yelled out, 'Abu Sufyan! The enemy of Allah!' He
ran after them intending to kill his enemy but al-‘Abbas made
the mule go faster. They reached the Prophet's tent just before
‘Umar who rushed in after them quite out of breath. 'Umar
begged the Prophet (pbuh), '0 Messenger of Allah, let me end
the life of Abu Sufyan, this enemy of Islam, who has led the
Quraysh armies in their attacks on us!' Al-‘Abbas interrupted,
saying, 'I have sworn to protect him during his time here
whereupon the Prophet (pbuh) told his uncle to take Abu
Sufyan to his tent for the night.
In the morning Abu Sufyan was taken to the Prophet
(pbuh) who said, 'Abu Sufyan! Have you not yet realized that
there is no divinity but Allah?' To this Abu Sufyan replied, 'If
there had been another he surely would Have helped me by
now.’ ‘Shame on you, Abu Sufyan', responded the Prophet
(pbuh), 'it is time you realize that I am truly Allah's
Messenger.' After a moment or two, Abu Sufyan, who
remembered how ‘Umar had not been allowed to kill him,
replied: 'I can see you are a generous and forgiving man but I
still cannot be sure of that.' At this, al-‘Abbas, who had been
standing nearby turned to him and said: ‘Believe as I do now.'
Abu Sufyan stood quietly for a moment, then in a calm, clear
voice swore in front of everyone, there is no divinity but Allah,
and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.'
The Prophet (pbuh) then told Abu Sufyan to go back to
Mecca and tell the people that the Muslims would enter the
city the next morning. Before he left, however, al-'Abbas
suggested to the Prophet (pbuh) that as Abu Sufyan was a
proud man, it would be good to give him an honorable
position. The Prophet (pbuh) took this advice, saying to Abu
Sufyan, 'Tell the people that when we enter, anyone seeking
refuge in your house will be safe.' This was a great honor for
Abu Sufyan.
In addition, the Prophet (pbuh) told him to assure the
Meccans that those who remained in their own homes or at the
Ka’bah would also be protected.
Abu Sufyan returned quickly to the city. He made straight
for the hill Hagar had climbed in her search for water and from
which the Prophet (pbuh) later spoke, and called upon
Quraysh to come to him. Abu Sufyan then spoke to the people,
'0 people of Mecca, the fires we saw all around us were the
camp fires of Muhammad and his men. He has come with a
strong army and there are too many for us to fight. It is best,
therefore, to surrender. Anyone who stays in my house, or in
his own home, or at the Ka'bah will be safe.'
Early next day, the Muslims entered Mecca from all sides.
They had been ordered to cause no harm unless anyone tried
to stop them entering. When the Prophet (pbuh) arrived, he
got off his camel, bowed down on the ground and thanked
Allah for this victory. When the unbelievers saw this, they
knew that the Prophet (pbuh) had come in peace. People
began leaving their homes and running towards the Ka’bah.
When they arrived there, they found the Prophet (pbuh)
performing the ritual encircling of the Ka'bah, the tawaf on his
camel, surrounded by the Muslims. When he had finished, he
said, 'There no divinity except Allah and He has no partner.
Men and women of Quraysh be not proud for all are equal; we
are all the sons of Adam, and Adam was made of dust.' Then
he recited this verse to them:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female,
and have made you nations and tribes so you may know each
another. Surely the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the
best in conduct. Lo! Allah is All-knowing, All-aware”. (Koran
xlix.13)
After this he said to them: 'O Quraysh, what do you think I
am going to do to you?' The people thought carefully before
answering because they knew that according to the laws of
war they could all be taken prisoner. They also knew,
however, that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was generous,
so they replied, ‘You will treat us as a kind nephew and a
generous brother would.'
To this he replied with the words used by the Prophet
Joseph when his brothers came to Egypt: 'God forgives you
and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.' Later the Prophet
(pbuh) went to the hill of Safa and there the crowd followed
him and surged forward, taking his hand one by one, to
declare themselves Muslim. He then turned to the Ka'bah and,
pointing his staff at the three hundred and sixty-five idols
which were placed there, recited from the Koran:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“… Truth has come and falsehood has vanished away. Lo!
Falsehood is ever bound to vanish”. (Koran xvii.81)
At this, each idol fell over onto its face. Together with his
followers the Prophet (pbuh) then proceeded to purify the
Ka'bah, after which he ordered Bilal to climb on top of it and
perform the call to prayer. Since then the call to prayer has
been heard five times a day in Mecca.
The Ka'bah, the House of Allah, has served the purpose for
which it was built by Abraham thousands of years ago, as a
sanctuary for the worship of Allah, our Creator, and Mecca
continues to be the spiritual centre of Islam.
On the day Mecca was conquered, the Prophet (pbuh)
addressed the people saying: 'Allah made Mecca holy the day
He created heaven and earth and it is the Holy of Holies until
the Resurrection Day. It is not lawful for anyone who believes
in Allah and the Last Day to shed blood therein, nor to cut
down trees therein. It was not lawful for anyone before me
and it will not be lawful for anyone after me.
Indeed it is not lawful for me except at this time, only Allah's
anger against his people makes it permissible. Mecca has now
regained its former holiness. Let those here now go forth and
tell others.'
The Lesson Of Pride At The Valley Of Hunayn
Islam flourished in Mecca and the Muslims became
stronger and stronger. But south of Mecca lived a tribe of
warriors called Hawazin, who had not become Muslim. They
made an agreement with another tribe from Ta'if, called Thaqif
to fight the Muslims and destroy them before they could
spread their religion throughout Arabia. The Thaqif, who were
known for their courage, soon won the support of other tribes
living around the Ta'if area, especially when such tribes were
told: ‘Look what has happened! If Quraysh, the largest tribe of
all, have fallen to Muhammad, it is only a matter of time
before the same will happen to the rest of us. We should strike
now before the Muslims are established in Mecca and have the
support of Quraysh.' The Chief of one of these tribes, a
fearless warrior called Malik Ibn ‘Awf, was chosen as the
leader. He put forward a plan: 'You should all go out to battle
accompanied by your families, your tents, your sheep and
goats, for with all your belongings at stake, none of you will
dare give up the fight.'
Everyone agreed with Malik except an old, blind man called
Dorayd. He had been a great warrior in his day and because of
his experience and valuable advice still accompanied the men
into battle. 'I don't like Malik's plan', he insisted. 'If a man is
so cowardly as to leave a battle, then he will leave his family
as well. The women and children will be a great worry to us
and if we are defeated all our wealth will fall into enemy
hands.' But Malik ignored this advice and stuck to his original
plan. When the Prophet (pbuh) heard what the enemy tribes
were planning, he found himself forced to fight and ordered his
army towards Ta’if. He had twelve thousand men and the
enemy only four thousand. The Muslims were proud of their
strength and as they looked around at their number, said to
themselves, 'We will never be defeated!' On hearing this the
Prophet (pbuh) knew that the Muslims had become too proud
and because of this would not succeed.
He warned them, 'Look to Allah and not to your own
strength.’
The time for battle came. The Muslim army advanced along
the Hunayn path, a narrow way in the rugged mountains,
towards the valley where the Hawazin and the other tribes
were waiting. It was very early morning and not yet light. The
Muslims were unaware that, under cover of darkness, the
Hawazin warriors had already climbed up the mountain and
were waiting for them. As soon as all the Muslims were
trapped in the narrow passage-way below, the Hawazin
ambushed them. First they threw rocks down upon them and
then attacked with arrows and swords.
In surprise and fear, the Muslims started to retreat. The
Prophet (pbuh) was bitterly disappointed to see them fleeing in
terror but he stayed firmly in his place with Abu Bakr, 'Ali, his
uncle al-‘Abbas, and a few companions at his side. Al-'Abbas
then called to the Muslims to return and not to abandon the
Prophet (pbuh). Ashamed at what they had done, and seeing
the Prophet (pbuh) facing the enemy almost alone, the
Muslims quickly returned to fight. Then Allah sent His angels-
the hosts ye cannot see-to their aid. A fierce battle followed.
The Muslim warriors advanced, attacking furiously, driving the
Hawazin back from the path into the valley, where the fighting
went on long and hard. At the end of the day the Muslims won
but not before having learned a hard lesson about the danger
of pride.
Just as the old man had predicted, the defeated enemy
fled, leaving their families and possessions to be captured.
Later all the leaders of the tribes except one came to ask for
them back and to declare their acceptance of Islam. The
Prophet (pbuh) forgave them and returned their families to
them, but not their belongings. The one exception was the
leader of Hawazin. He fled to Ta'if, where he sought protection
in the castle, but the Muslims pursued him and surrounded the
city, which they besieged for about three weeks.
They tried to break into the castle but after losing many
men in the attempt the Prophet (pbuh) ordered a withdrawal.
The story did not end there, however, for shortly afterwards
Hawazin and most of the other tribes came to Mecca and
declared themselves Muslim, including Malik Ibn Awf, who had
led them in battle and whom the Prophet (pbuh) now made
their leader.
After the battle of the Hunayn Valley, the Prophet (pbuh)
distributed what goods had been taken between the people of
Quraysh and the other Bedouin tribes. The Ansar from
Medinah, who had been his only support during the long hard
years before the conquest of Mecca, received nothing. They
felt angry about this and went to the Prophet (pbuh) to
complain. He said to them, what is this I hear of you? Do you
think badly of me? Did I not come to you when you did not
know the truth and Allah guided you; when you were poor and
Allah made you rich; when you were enemies and Allah
softened your hearts? Are you covetous for the things of this
world that I must use to gain people's trust so that I can then
lead them to Islam? Surely for you Islam is enough? Are you
not satisfied that while some men take away flocks and herds
you take Allah's Messenger back with you to Medinah?' On
hearing this, all the men felt very contrite and began to weep
then with great humility and reverence their spokesman said:
'We are indeed well pleased to have Allah's Messenger as our
gift in this life.’ Perhaps we could ask ourselves the same
question. Are we not blessed to have the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) and the Book, guiding us in what really matters for
ever and ever? Is this not so much more important than
thinking about the momentary pleasures of the day?
Shortly after this the Ansar left for Medinah accompanied
by the Prophet (pbuh). He could have stayed among his own
people and lived out his days in Mecca, but he returned as he
had promised, to live among the people of Medinah, which was
a great blessing for them.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Allah gave you victory on many fields and on the day of
Hunayn, when you exulted in your great numbers it was of no
help to you, and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for
you; then you turned back in flight; Then Allah sent His peace
of reassurance down upon is Messenger and upon the
believers, and sent down hosts you could not see, and
punished those who did not believe. Such is the reward of
disbelievers. Then afterwards Allah will relent toward whom He
will; for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”. (Koran ix.25-27)
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