In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.
“O ye who believe! It is not lawful for you forcibly to inherit the women (of your deceased kinsmen), nor (that) ye should put constraint upon them that ye may take away a part of that which ye have given them, unless they be guilty of flagrant lewdness. But consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein Allah hath placed much good.” (4:19)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) returned to Medina,
and Abu Basir, a man from Quraysh who was a Muslim, came to him.
So they sent two men in pursuit of him,
saying, "Honor the treaty you made with us."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) handed Abu Basir over to the two men,
for he (peace be upon him) would never break a covenant.
So they set out with Abu Basir until they reached Dhul-Hulayfah,
where they stopped to eat some of their dates.
Abu Basir said to one of the two men,
"By Allah, O so-and-so, I surely see that sword of yours is exceptionally sharp."
The man unsheathed it and said,
"Yes, by Allah, indeed it is!
I have tested it time and time again."
Abu Basir said, "Let me look at it."
So he handed it to him, and Abu Basir struck him with it until he died.
The other man fled until he reached Medina,
entering the mosque running.
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw him, he said,
"This man has seen something frightening."
When he reached the Prophet (peace be upon him),
he said, "By Allah, my companion has been killed,
and I am as good as dead!"
Then Abu Basir arrived carrying the sword
and said, "O Prophet of Allah,
by Allah, Allah has fulfilled your covenant.
You returned me to them, and then Allah saved me from them."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"What a stirrer of war he would be, [if only he had men with him]!"
When he heard that,
he realized that he would return him to them,
so he left Medina until he reached the seashore.
Then Abu Jandal escaped a second time
and joined Abu Basir at the seashore.
Thereafter, no man from Quraysh embraced Islam and left
except that he joined Abu Basir,
until a band of them gathered together.
By Allah, whenever they heard of a caravan
belonging to Quraysh setting out for the Levant,
they intercepted it, killed them, and took their wealth.
So Quraysh sent a message to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
beseeching him by Allah and the ties of kinship
that whoever came to him would be safe.
So the Messenger (peace be upon him) sent word to them
indicating his agreement.
Allah Almighty says:
“And He it is Who hath withheld men's hands from you, and hath withheld your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca, after He had made you victors over them. Allah is Seer of what ye do.” (48:24)
﴿in the valley of Mecca,﴾
﴿in the valley of Mecca after He gave you victory over them. And Allah is Ever All-Seeing of what you do.﴾
﴿And Allah is Ever All-Seeing of what you do.﴾
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
﴿and the sacrificial animals were prevented﴾
﴿from reaching their destination.﴾
﴿And were it not for believing men﴾
﴿and believing women﴾
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
﴿you might have harmed them unknowingly, incurring guilt.﴾
﴿without knowledge,﴾
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
﴿Had they been separated, We would have punished those among them who disbelieved.﴾
“When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.” (48:26)
“When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.” (48:26)
﴿and bound them to the word of righteousness,﴾
“When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.” (48:26)
﴿And Allah is Ever All-Knowing of everything.﴾
Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, says—
“And He it is Who hath withheld men's hands from you, and hath withheld your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca, after He had made you victors over them. Allah is Seer of what ye do.” (48:24)
meaning: He withheld fighting
through the peace treaty established between them after giving you victory over them.
That is, Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He,
was going to grant the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) victory over the people of Mecca,
just as Allah granted them victory at the Trench and at Badr.
He says: ﴿They are the ones who disbelieved,﴾ meaning the people of Mecca,
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
when the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those with him set out as pilgrims performing 'Umrah.
﴿and the sacrificial animals were prevented from reaching their destination,﴾
meaning the animals were blocked from reaching their destination
and from being sacrificed near the Sacred House.
He says—
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
referring to the vulnerable ones, such as Abu Jandal, Abu Basir, and other believers who were in Mecca
and unable to perform the emigration.
He says—
﴿whom you did not know, lest you trample them,﴾
meaning: You might inadvertently kill some of the believers without knowing.
He says—
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
meaning: You would later be blameworthy because of this,
and it would be said,
"You killed your own companions,
and you killed believers without knowing that they were believers."
He says—
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
meaning: from among His servants.
He says—
﴿Had they been separated,﴾
meaning: Had the believers in Mecca been distinct and separated from the disbelievers.
“These it was who disbelieved and debarred you from the Inviolable Place of Worship, and debarred the offering from reaching its goal. And if it had not been for believing men and believing women, whom ye know not - lest ye should tread them under foot and thus incur guilt for them unknowingly; that Allah might bring into His mercy whom He will - If (the believers and the disbelievers) had been clearly separated We verily had punished those of them who disbelieved with painful punishment.” (48:25)
That is, the reason Allah did not punish the people of Mecca
was the presence of these vulnerable believers inside Mecca.
He says—
“When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.” (48:26)
and that refers to their condition:
"Whoever comes to us from you as a believer, you must return him to us."
He says—
“When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.” (48:26)
“When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.” (48:26)
﴿And Allah is Ever All-Knowing of everything.﴾
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.
Events at Al-Hudaybiyyah.
The First Incident:
The Incident of Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
He said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood over me at Al-Hudaybiyyah
while lice were falling profusely from my head.
So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
'Are your vermin bothering you?' — and he was in a state of ihram.
I said, 'Yes.'
So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
'Shave your head.'
And he said:
'And concerning me, this verse was revealed:
﴿And complete the Hajj and 'Umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then offer whatever sacrifice is easy to obtain.﴾
﴿And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal reaches its destination.﴾
“Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makka) for Allah. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (2:196)
“Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makka) for Allah. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (2:196)
﴿then a ransom of fasting, charity, or sacrifice.﴾
“Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makka) for Allah. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (2:196)
“Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makka) for Allah. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (2:196)
“Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makka) for Allah. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (2:196)
﴿and seven when you return. That makes ten complete.﴾
﴿That makes ten complete.﴾
“Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makka) for Allah. And if ye are prevented, then send such gifts as can be obtained with ease, and shave not your heads until the gifts have reached their destination. And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering. And if ye are in safety, then whosoever contenteth himself with the visit for the pilgrimage (shall give) such gifts as can be had with ease. And whosoever cannot find (such gifts), then a fast of three days while on the pilgrimage, and of seven when ye have returned; that is, ten in all. That is for him whoso folk are not present at the Inviolable Place of Worship. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.” (2:196)
﴿So fear Allah and know that Allah is severe in penalty.﴾"
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Fast three days,
or give a farag of food in charity among six poor people,
or offer a sacrifice of whatever is easily available."
The Second Incident:
A Matter of Creed.
On the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in
the Dawn prayer at Al-Hudaybiyyah
following rainfall that had fallen during the night.
When he finished, he turned to the people and said:
'Do you know what your Lord has said?'
They said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.'
He said, 'Allah said:
"This morning, some of My servants became believers in Me and others disbelievers.
As for the one who said,
'We have received rain by the grace and mercy of Allah,'
that one is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars.
But as for the one who said,
'We have received rain by such-and-such a star system,'
that one is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars."'
Because he attributed the coming of rain to something
that is not a cause at all,
which is the star.
For the entire matter belongs to Allah.
The scholars distinguish
between saying "We received rain by such-and-such a star"
and saying "We received rain during such-and-such a star system."
If one says,
"We received rain by such-and-such a star,"
using the particle *bi-* to denote causality,
then this is shirk (associating partners with Allah)—Allah forbid!
As for when one says,
"We received rain during such-and-such a star system,"
this is not shirk,
provided he means that we received rain during that star system
in a temporal sense—
meaning at the time when that specific star was in a certain position,
rain fell.
This is permissible and there is no harm in it.
Thus, there are three cases here:
First:
If he believes that the star itself sent down the rain,
then this is major shirk.
Second:
If he believes that the star is a cause for the rain to fall,
then this is minor shirk,
because a cause must be established either by Islamic law or by natural observation,
and here it is neither.
Third:
If he believes that the rain fell at the time when the star was in that position,
then this is permissible and there is no harm in it.
The Third Incident:
Abu al-Malih said:
"I remember being with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah,
and rain struck us that did not even wet the soles of our sandals.
So the caller of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) announced:
'Pray in your dwellings.'
Thus, it is from the Sunnah regarding prayer when rain falls
that the caller announces:
'Pray in your dwellings,'
meaning in your homes,
and that is in place of saying 'Come to prayer.'"
The Fourth Incident:
Miraculous signs occurred for the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Among them is what we mentioned regarding the placement of the arrow,
as well as what Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his *Sahih*
on the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The people became thirsty on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah,
and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had a small water vessel in front of him.
He performed ablution from it,
then the people approached him.
The Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
'What is the matter with you?'
They said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
we have no water to perform ablution or to drink
except what is in your vessel.'
He said:"
So the Prophet (peace be upon him) placed his hand in the vessel,
and water began gushing forth from between his fingers (peace be upon him)
like springs of water.
Jabir said:
"So we drank and performed ablution."
It was asked of Jabir:
"How many were you that day?"
He said:
"If we were one hundred thousand, it would suffice us."
We were fifteen hundred.
Meaning one thousand five hundred.
We previously mentioned that the Quraysh, shortly before the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah,
sent 'Urwah Ibn Mas'ud to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Then they sent the leader of the Ahabish.
Then Suhayl Ibn 'Amr came.
During these meetings,
the Prophet, peace be upon him, likewise
had sent a messenger to them.
For the Messenger, peace be upon him, summoned
'Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him,
and dispatched him to Abu Sufyan and the notables of Quraysh,
to inform them that he had not come for war,
but rather had come as a visitor to this House,
honoring its sanctity.
So 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, set out for Makkah,
and Aban Ibn Sa'id Ibn al-'As met him when he entered Makkah,
or before he entered it.
He provided him protection,
and granted him safe passage until he delivered the message of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Then 'Uthman departed,
until he came to Abu Sufyan and the leaders of Quraysh,
and he conveyed to them on behalf of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
that which he had been sent with.
They said to 'Uthman,
when he had delivered the message of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him:
"If you wish to circumambulate the House, then do so."
He replied, "I would not do so
until the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, circumambulates it."
This is a sign of refined etiquette and immense love for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Otherwise, 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan was like any other of the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
full of longing to circumambulate the Great House of Allah.
Yet he refrained from circumambulation, not out of lack of desire,
but rather out of etiquette toward the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Then the Quraysh detained him with them.
A rumor reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the Muslims
that 'Uthman had been killed.
This was a plausible matter,
because there was fighting between them,
[as seen in] Badr, Uhud, and the Trench.
The Messenger had come with a large number,
and the Quraysh were prepared for battle,
and they did not fear Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
Thus, it was not unlikely that such people
would have the audacity to kill 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him.
Ibn Ishaq said:
"Abdullah Ibn Abi Bakr narrated to me,
saying: 'When it reached him that 'Uthman had been killed, [he said]:
We shall not depart until we fight the people.'"
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, called for the pledge of allegiance,
and it was the Pledge of Ridwan under the tree.
People used to say
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took their pledge to fight to the death.
But Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"The Messenger of Allah did not take our pledge to die,
but he took our pledge that we would not flee."
Some of the Companions mentioned that this pledge
was a pledge to die in the way of Allah,
and some mentioned that he took their pledge that they would not flee.
Both are intertwined,
because whoever does not flee is exposing himself to death.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took the pledge from the people,
and not a single Muslim who was present held back,
except for one man, who was Jadd Ibn Qays,
of the Banu Salamah.
It has been authentically reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said:
"No one who pledged under the tree shall enter the Fire,
except for the owner of the red camel."
The owner of the red camel is Jadd Ibn Qays.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, took the pledge of the Companions
on this great day,
and he pledged on behalf of 'Uthman with his own hand, peace be upon him,
saying, "This is for 'Uthman."
So he pledged on his behalf.
His hand for 'Uthman was more honorable than 'Uthman's own hand for himself.
After that was the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah,
and 'Uthman returned.