In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Treasures of the Seerah.
The acceptance of Islam by 'Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl (may Allah be pleased with him).
'Ikrimah fled to Yemen and boarded a ship with some people.
Then a fierce storm struck them.
The people on the ship said:
"Be sincere in your devotion,
for your gods cannot avail you at all here!"
Glory be to Allah!
In times of ease,
they invoke idols,
but in times of distress,
they invoke none but Allah.
Allah Almighty says:
◁ Say, "Who rescues you from the darknesses of the land and sea? ▷
◁ You call upon Him humbly and in secret, ▷
◁ "If He should rescue us from this, we will surely be among the thankful." ▷
◁ "If He should rescue us from this, we will surely be among the thankful." ▷
As for our time,
some polytheists who attribute themselves to Islam,
when matters become dire for them,
associate partners with Allah and supplicate to others besides Him, Glorified and Exalted is He.
There is no doubt that the polytheists of that past era
were in a better state than those of today.
For this reason, some scholars said:
"The polytheist of former times
was less grave than the polytheist of our time."
Here, 'Ikrimah took heed of the words spoken by the shipmates,
and he said:
"If nothing can save me at sea except sincere devotion,
then nothing can save me on land except it either.
O Allah, I pledge to You
that if You deliver me from this plight,
I shall go to Muhammad
until I place my hand in his hand,
and I shall surely find him forgiving and generous."
So Allah saved him.
He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and embraced Islam,
and the Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted
his Islam.
Treasures of the Seerah.
The acceptance of Islam by Safwan ibn Umayyah
(may Allah be pleased with him).
Safwan ibn Umayyah
was not among those whose blood the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had declared forfeit,
forfeit.
However, he was a prominent leader among the chieftains of Quraysh,
so he fled.
'Umayr ibn Wahb al-Jumahi requested safe conduct for him,
and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) granted him safety
and gave 'Umayr his turban with which he had entered Mecca.
'Umayr caught up with him
while he was about to set sail from Jeddah to Yemen,
and brought him back.
Safwan said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"Grant me an option of two months."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied:
"You have an option of four months."
He later returned and embraced Islam.
His wife had already accepted Islam before him,
and the Prophet (peace be upon him) affirmed them
in their previous marriage.
Treasures of the Seerah.
The sermon of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Mecca.
On the second day,
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood to deliver a sermon,
saying: "O people!
“Lo! the number of the months with Allah is twelve months by Allah's ordinance in the day that He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred: that is the right religion. So wrong not yourselves in them. And wage war on all of the idolaters as they are waging war on all of you. And know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him).” (9:36)
It is sacred by Allah's decree until the Day of Resurrection.
It is not lawful for any person who believes in Allah and the Last Day
to shed blood in it or to fell a tree in it.
If anyone seeks a concession citing the fighting of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in it,
say to him: 'Allah permitted His Messenger,
but He did not permit you.'
It was only made lawful for me for a single hour of a day,
and its sanctity has returned today just as it was yesterday.
So let the present convey this to the absent."
He (peace be upon him) also said regarding the Sanctuary:
"Its thorns shall not be cut,
its game shall not be chased,
its lost property shall not be picked up except by one who announces it,
and its fresh herbage shall not be uprooted."
Al-'Abbas said:
"Except sweet rush (*idhkhir*),
for it is used by their blacksmiths and for their homes."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Except sweet rush."
A man from the people of Yemen stood up,
named Abu Shah,
and said: "Write this down for me, O Messenger of Allah!"
So he said: "Write it down for Abu Shah."
The entry of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) into Mecca during its conquest
serves as proof that entering Mecca without ihram is permissible,
because he did not enter as a pilgrim in ihram.
Thus, whoever intends to enter Mecca for Hajj or 'Umrah
is not permitted to enter except in a state of ihram.
As for whoever intends to enter it for purposes other than Hajj or 'Umrah,
many scholars have held the view
that it is permissible to enter without ihram,
such as a taxi driver,
or someone seeking trade or visiting a sick person.
Others maintained that one must enter in ihram.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stayed
in Mecca for nineteen days,
praying two rak'ahs and not fasting.
During this expedition,
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prohibited
temporary marriage (*mut'ah* of women).
Whoever claims that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)
was the one who prohibited temporary marriage
is either a liar
or an ignorant person.
This is because it is authentically established from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
that he prohibited temporary marriage.
On the authority of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade
temporary marriage with women
and the meat of domestic donkeys on the day of Khaybar."
On the authority of Sabrah ibn Ma'bad (may Allah be pleased with him),
he was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"O people!
I had previously permitted you
to contract temporary marriage with women,
but Allah has now forbidden that until the Day of Resurrection.
So whoever has any of them with him,
let him release her,
and do not take back anything of what you have given them."
On the authority of Salamah ibn al-Akwa' (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) permitted
temporary marriage in the year of Awtas
for three days,
then he forbade it."
There are other hadiths concerning temporary marriage,
but this is not the place to mention them.
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) felt secure
after the conquest,
he dispatched Khalid ibn al-Walid to al-'Uzza
to destroy it.
He dispatched 'Amr ibn al-'As
to destroy Suwa',
and he dispatched Sa'd ibn Zayd
to destroy Manat.
These were the idols of the Age of Ignorance.
As for Khalid ibn al-Walid,
he set out for al-'Uzza,
which was located in Nakhlah,
and belonged to Quraysh and all of Kinanah.
Abu Sufyan had said during the Battle of Uhud,
after the battle had ended:
"We have al-'Uzza, and you have no 'Uzza!"
Thus, al-'Uzza was the chief idol of Quraysh
and their greatest idol,
and Banu Shayban were its custodians.
Khalid set out toward it with thirty horsemen
until he reached it and destroyed it.
Then he returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him:
"Did you see anything?"
He replied: "No."
He said: "Then you have not destroyed it."
So Khalid went back and completed its destruction.
Khalid returned with his sword drawn,
and a black woman came out toward him,
naked and with disheveled hair;
she was a female jinni associated with al-'Uzza.
The custodian responsible for the idol began calling out to her,
but Khalid struck her and severed her in two.
He then returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and informed him.
He said: "That was al-'Uzza;
she has despaired of ever being worshipped in your land again."
As for 'Amr ibn al-'As,
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded him
to destroy Suwa',
which was an idol located in Hudhayl,
three miles from Mecca.
When 'Amr arrived,
the custodian confronted him and asked:
"What do you want?"
He replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered me
to destroy it."
He said: "You will not be able to do so!"
'Amr asked: "Why?"
He replied: "You will be prevented!"
'Amr said: "Are you still upon falsehood?
Woe to you!
Does it hear or see?"
Then 'Amr approached it and smashed it,
and he ordered his companions to demolish its treasury house,
but they found nothing inside.
'Amr then said to the custodian:
"What do you think now?
Were you prevented?"
He replied: "I submit to Allah!"
Sa'd ibn Zayd al-Ashhali set out for Manat,
which belonged to the Aws and the Khazraj.
When Sa'd arrived,
Its custodians said to him,
"What do you want?"
He said, "I want to destroy Manat."
The custodian said, "You are on your own."
So he advanced,
and a black woman came out against him,
naked and with disheveled hair,
wailing in distress
and beating her chest.
The custodian said to her,
"O Manat,
unleash some of your wrath upon him!"
Meaning, he was asking the idol to act against the one who defied it.
But Sa'd struck her down and killed her,
then he approached the idol and demolished it.
The priestess used to say to al-'Uzza, Manat, and other idols,
"Defend yourself! Defend yourself!"
Yet they could do nothing,
as was said in poetry:
"O 'Uzza, launch a fierce assault, like no other,
throw off the veil against Khalid and tuck up your garments!
For if you, O woman, do not kill Khalid,
you will incur immediate sin and be disgraced."
Indeed, they are mere idols that avail nothing.
Allah Almighty says:
“He said: Do they hear you when ye cry?” (26:72)
“Or do they benefit or harm you?” (26:73)
Thus Allah, Blessed and Exalted, opened Mecca for His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and he returned to it after his people had driven him out from it.
The Conquest of Mecca was a total victory in every respect:
it was a military victory,
a social victory,
a religious victory,
and a victory in countless other ways.
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says:
“When Allah's succour and the triumph cometh” (110:1)
"And you see the people entering the religion of Allah in crowds,
then glorify the praise of your Lord
and seek His forgiveness;
indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance."
After that, the Arabs entered the religion of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, in droves,
because Quraysh were regarded by the Arabs as the guardians and champions of the religion,
and the rest of the Arabs followed Quraysh's lead.
This confirms the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him:
"People follow Quraysh in both good and evil."
For this reason, it became an established and firmly rooted principle from the Prophet, peace be upon him,
that the leadership (imamate) belongs to Quraysh because they are the leaders.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, says:
"The leaders are from Quraysh."
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography:
The Battle of Hunayn in the eighth year of the Hijrah.
In the eighth year,
the Battle of Hunayn took place, also called Autas or Hawazin,
because the majority of those who fought the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were from Hawazin.
This battle occurred after the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard
that the clans of Hawazin and Thaqif,
along with Nasr, Jusham,
Sa'd ibn Bakr, and people from Bani Hilal, had gathered together.
They had all rallied under a man named Malik ibn 'Awf al-Nasri,
and these tribes decided to fight the Prophet, peace be upon him.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, heard of their march,
having previously sent a scout who reported,
"I departed from before you
until I ascended such and such a mountain,
and there I saw Hawazin in their entirety—
with their women on litters, their livestock, and their sheep—
assembled at Hunayn."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, smiled and said,
"That will be the spoils of the Muslims tomorrow, if Allah wills."
Malik ibn 'Awf al-Nasri had ordered the people to bring along their wealth,
and to take their children and women with them,
so that every man, while fighting, would feel
that his wealth and family were right behind him,
ensuring he would not flee from them.
When he encamped at Autas,
the people gathered around him,
and among them was a man famed for his military acumen in his time,
though he had grown old and possessed only his counsel to offer,
named Durayd ibn al-Simmah,
who was brave and battle-tested.
Durayd asked the people,
"Which valley are you in?"
They replied, "Autas."
He said, "Yes, a good battleground for horses;
neither rough and stony,
nor soft and sandy."
Meaning, it was neither too rugged,
nor too soft for horses to gallop on.
Then he asked,
"Why do I hear the braying of camels, the braying of donkeys,
the crying of children, and the bleating of sheep?"
They replied,
"Malik ibn 'Awf brought the people's women, wealth, and children along with them."
So he summoned Malik and asked him,
"Why did you do that?"
Malik replied,
"I wanted to place behind every man his family and wealth so he would fight to protect them."
Durayd said to him,
"By Allah, if victory is yours,
nothing will benefit you except a man with his sword and spear;
and if defeat is against you,
you will be disgraced through your family and wealth."
Malik replied to him,
"By Allah, I will not change my mind!
You have grown old, and your mind has grown old with you.
By Allah, either Hawazin obeys me,
or I will lean upon this sword until it comes out through my back!"
For Malik hated that Durayd should have any say in this war.
So they said to Malik,
"We obey you."
Durayd then remarked,
"This is a battle I neither wished to witness nor care to miss."
Then he recited:
"Would that I were a sturdy youth today,
charging swiftly and trotting in the fray,
leading long-maned steeds covered in blood,
as if they were nimble mountain rams!"
Meaning, he wished he were a strong, youthful warrior
so he could fight the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
News reached the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and he heard of their march to fight him.
So the Prophet, peace be upon him, dispatched Abu Hadrad al-Aslami
and commanded him to mingle with the people
and stay among them until he learned their plans.
So the man went out and brought back the news.
It had been mentioned to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
that Safwan ibn Umayyah possessed coats of armor and weapons.
So he sent for him,
and when he came, he said to him,
"O Abu Umayyah,
lend us these weapons of yours
so that we may meet our enemy with them tomorrow."
Safwan asked,
"Are you taking them by force, O Muhammad?"
He replied, "No,
rather as a guaranteed loan
until we return them to you."
So he gave them to him.
This occurred before Safwan embraced Islam,
and this request by the Prophet, peace be upon him,
serves as an instance of seeking assistance from non-Muslims in war.