WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.950 --> 00:00:06.549 Treasures of the Seerah. 00:00:10.669 --> 00:00:12.769 Chapter Two: 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:18.920 The Da'wah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Mecca. 00:00:20.949 --> 00:00:24.210 When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reached 00:00:24.210 --> 00:00:25.969 forty years of age, 00:00:26.129 --> 00:00:28.730 Allah, Blessed and Exalted, bestowed His favor 00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:30.969 upon all of mankind 00:00:30.969 --> 00:00:33.729 by commissioning him (peace be upon him) as a Messenger, 00:00:33.729 --> 00:00:36.429 as a guide, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. 00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:40.789 “And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light.” (33:46) 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:45.100 Here is the Mother of the Believers, 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:49.799 recounting for us the story of the start of his prophethood (peace be upon him). 00:00:50.149 --> 00:00:53.030 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 00:00:53.270 --> 00:00:57.750 "The first form of revelation that came to him (peace be upon him) 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:00.189 was true dreams during sleep. 00:01:00.409 --> 00:01:04.870 He never saw a dream except that it came true like the bright gleam of dawn. 00:01:05.290 --> 00:01:07.930 Then, seclusion became dear to him, 00:01:07.930 --> 00:01:10.489 and he used to seclude himself in the Cave of Hira', 00:01:10.489 --> 00:01:13.969 engaging in acts of devotion for a number of nights 00:01:13.969 --> 00:01:16.530 before returning to his family. 00:01:16.530 --> 00:01:20.849 He would then return to Khadijah and replenish his provisions for a similar period, 00:01:20.849 --> 00:01:24.040 until the truth suddenly came to him. 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:26.540 The angel said, 'Read!' 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:29.219 He (peace be upon him) said, 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:31.349 'I cannot read.' 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:32.510 He related, 00:01:32.510 --> 00:01:36.790 'So he seized me and squeezed me until I reached the limit of my endurance. 00:01:36.790 --> 00:01:38.989 Then he released me and said, 00:01:38.989 --> 00:01:40.109 "Read!" 00:01:40.109 --> 00:01:42.629 I replied, "I cannot read." 00:01:42.629 --> 00:01:47.590 So he seized me and squeezed me a second time until I reached the limit of my endurance. 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:49.750 Then he released me and said, 00:01:49.750 --> 00:01:50.989 "Read!" 00:01:50.989 --> 00:01:53.469 I replied, "I cannot read." 00:01:53.469 --> 00:01:58.349 So he seized me and squeezed me a third time, then released me and said: 00:01:58.349 --> 00:02:01.510 “Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth,” (96:1) 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:04.670 “Createth man from a clot.” (96:2) 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:09.270 "Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the pen."' 00:02:09.270 --> 00:02:12.909 “Teacheth man that which he knew not.” (96:5) 00:02:12.909 --> 00:02:19.639 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) returned with these verses, his heart trembling with fear. 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:25.120 He entered upon Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) and said, 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:27.840 'Cover me! Cover me!' 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:32.599 She said: 'They covered him until the terror departed from him.' 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:36.740 He then said to Khadijah, after informing her of what had happened, 00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:39.219 'I feared for myself.' 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:40.939 Khadijah said— 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:47.219 and she was the reassuring pillar whom Allah chose for His Prophet (peace be upon him)—: 00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:51.740 'Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you.' 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:55.909 Khadijah began this statement with a denial, 00:02:55.909 --> 00:02:57.550 followed by an oath: 00:02:57.710 --> 00:03:00.789 'By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you,' 00:03:00.789 --> 00:03:03.830 and reinforced it by adding 'never.' 00:03:03.830 --> 00:03:09.509 All of this demonstrates the profound trust this woman had in her Lord, Blessed and Exalted, 00:03:09.509 --> 00:03:14.389 and her true insight into Muhammad (peace be upon him). 00:03:14.389 --> 00:03:17.750 The reason upon which she built this conclusion 00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:20.150 is what she mentioned immediately thereafter, 00:03:20.150 --> 00:03:21.590 saying: 00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:23.710 'For you uphold the ties of kinship, 00:03:23.710 --> 00:03:25.389 you bear the burdens of the weak, 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:27.310 you provide for the destitute, 00:03:27.310 --> 00:03:28.909 you honor the guest, 00:03:28.909 --> 00:03:32.250 and you assist those afflicted by genuine misfortune.' 00:03:32.250 --> 00:03:36.409 It is as if she were saying to the Prophet (peace be upon him): 00:03:36.409 --> 00:03:38.849 'Whoever possesses such noble virtues 00:03:38.849 --> 00:03:42.969 can never be disgraced by Allah under any circumstances, 00:03:42.969 --> 00:03:46.680 for these traits are qualities of sheer perfection.' 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:51.159 She then took him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:53.199 who was her paternal cousin. 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:56.199 He had embraced Christianity during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:01.319 and he used to write the Hebrew scripture as much as Allah willed him to write. 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:04.439 He was an elderly man who had become blind. 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:06.560 Khadijah said to him, 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:07.919 'O cousin, 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:10.280 listen to your nephew.' 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:12.240 Waraqah said to him, 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:13.439 'O my nephew, 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:15.240 what do you see?' 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.720 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) informed him 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:20.600 of what he had seen. 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:22.600 Thereupon, Waraqah said to him, 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:26.720 'This is the Namus (the angel Gabriel) whom Allah sent down upon Moses. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:28.959 Would that I were young and strong in those days! 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:31.310 Would that I were alive when your people drive you out!' 00:04:31.310 --> 00:04:36.589 At that moment, the Messenger (peace be upon him) found it unlikely that his people would drive him out, 00:04:36.589 --> 00:04:41.829 seeing that his people loved him dearly 00:04:41.829 --> 00:04:44.949 and only called him 'the Truthful and Trustworthy' 00:04:44.949 --> 00:04:47.470 (peace be upon him). 00:04:47.470 --> 00:04:49.189 That is why he asked, 00:04:49.189 --> 00:04:51.189 'Will they really drive me out?' 00:04:51.189 --> 00:04:52.550 He replied, 'Yes; 00:04:52.550 --> 00:04:57.740 no man has ever brought the like of what you have brought without being met with hostility.' 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:00.019 This is a crucial rule 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:04.379 and a profound principle upon which Waraqah ibn Nawfal based his judgment, 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:08.459 namely that all the prophets were harmed and faced hostility: 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:10.100 some of them were killed, 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:11.939 some of them were expelled, 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:13.779 some of them were tormented, 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:15.620 and some of them were terrorized; 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:17.579 instances of this are numerous. 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:18.699 He added, 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:23.410 'And if I live to see your day, I will support you with mighty assistance.' 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:26.410 Shortly thereafter, Waraqah passed away, 00:05:26.410 --> 00:05:29.050 and the revelation ceased for a period. 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:33.449 The scholars estimated this duration to be six months, 00:05:33.449 --> 00:05:38.199 while some stated that it lasted up to three years. 00:05:38.199 --> 00:05:42.720 Waraqah ibn Nawfal (may Allah have mercy on him) is considered a Muslim, 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:47.560 and it is authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:49.680 'Do not revile Waraqah, 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:53.720 for I saw that he has one garden or two gardens in Paradise.' 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:56.720 But was he a Companion? 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.360 The correct view is that he was not a Companion, 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.439 because he did not witness the active mission of the message; 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:08.040 he died after the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commissioned as a prophet 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:11.759 and before he began publicly conveying the message (peace be upon him). 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:17.589 Treasures of the Seerah: 00:06:17.589 --> 00:06:25.269 The Alleged Suicide Attempt of the Prophet (peace be upon him). 00:06:25.269 --> 00:06:27.060 Al-Zuhri said: 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:32.379 'Urwah informed me from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: 00:06:32.379 --> 00:06:34.420 "The revelation ceased for a while, 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:39.459 so much so that the Prophet (peace be upon him)—according to what has reached us—became grieved 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:45.459 with such sorrow that he repeatedly went out intending to cast himself down from the peaks of high mountains. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:50.379 But whenever he reached the summit of a mountain to throw himself off, 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:53.060 Gabriel appeared to him and said: 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:57.540 'O Muhammad, you are truly the Messenger of Allah.' 00:06:57.540 --> 00:06:59.860 Thereupon his heart would find tranquility, 00:06:59.860 --> 00:07:02.740 his soul would be reassured, and he would return. 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:05.579 When the cessation of revelation became prolonged again, 00:07:05.579 --> 00:07:07.819 he would go out to do the same; 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:10.379 and whenever he reached the summit of a mountain, 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.779 Gabriel would appear to him and say the same to him." 00:07:14.779 --> 00:07:19.540 This addition is not from the words of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her); 00:07:19.540 --> 00:07:21.819 rather, it is from the words of al-Zuhri. 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:23.660 He is among the Tabi'un 00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:26.220 and did not witness that event, 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:29.899 nor did he mention which of the Companions narrated this to him. 00:07:29.899 --> 00:07:33.220 That is why he said, 'according to what has reached us.' 00:07:33.220 --> 00:07:37.980 The unbacked reports (balaghat) of al-Zuhri and others are categorized as severed (munqati') hadiths, 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:39.579 and they are weak; 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:44.649 thus, it is not authentic to attribute this to the Prophet (peace be upon him). 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:47.889 Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:52.209 'Furthermore, the one who said "according to what has reached us" is al-Zuhri. 00:07:52.209 --> 00:07:53.850 The meaning of this phrase is: 00:07:53.850 --> 00:07:59.370 "Among what has reached us regarding the account of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 00:07:59.370 --> 00:08:01.170 in this story..." 00:08:01.170 --> 00:08:03.209 It is among the balaghat of al-Zuhri, 00:08:03.209 --> 00:08:05.050 and it is not continuously connected (mawsul).' 00:08:05.050 --> 00:08:06.769 Al-Kirmani said: 00:08:06.769 --> 00:08:08.980 'This is the apparent reality.' 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:11.939 Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:13.980 'Attributing this report to al-Bukhari 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:15.699 is a grave error, 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:22.060 because it gives the false impression that this story of throwing himself down is authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari, 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:23.740 which is not the case.' 00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:27.180 Once you know that this addition is unproven, 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:29.420 it is only right to say 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:33.539 that it is a denounced (munkar) addition in terms of meaning as well; 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:38.340 for it is unfitting for the infallible Prophet (peace be upon him) 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:42.139 to attempt to kill himself by hurling himself from a mountain, 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:45.299 whatever the motive might have been. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:59.879 The forms of revelation are six, as stated by the people of knowledge: 00:08:59.879 --> 00:09:01.240 The first: 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:03.399 True dreams; 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:08.080 this was the beginning of revelation to the Prophet (peace be upon him), 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:11.279 as 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:16.450 'He never saw a dream except that it came true like the bright gleam of dawn.' 00:09:16.490 --> 00:09:17.889 The second: 00:09:17.889 --> 00:09:23.289 What the angel would cast into the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him), 00:09:23.289 --> 00:09:26.409 such as his saying (peace be upon him): 00:09:26.409 --> 00:09:29.730 'The Holy Spirit breathed into my heart 00:09:29.730 --> 00:09:31.809 that no soul shall die 00:09:31.809 --> 00:09:34.690 until it completes its full provision; 00:09:34.690 --> 00:09:38.169 so fear Allah and be moderate in seeking it.' 00:09:38.169 --> 00:09:39.570 The third: 00:09:39.570 --> 00:09:42.210 That the angel would take the form of a man 00:09:42.210 --> 00:09:45.649 and address the Prophet (peace be upon him) 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:47.730 until he comprehended what was said, 00:09:47.730 --> 00:09:49.769 as in the Hadith of Gabriel 00:09:49.769 --> 00:09:53.049 when he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) 00:09:53.049 --> 00:09:55.009 while he was among his companions— 00:09:55.009 --> 00:09:57.620 referencing the famous Hadith of Gabriel. 00:09:57.620 --> 00:09:58.940 The fourth: 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:03.059 That it would come to him like the ringing of a bell, 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:05.899 and this was the hardest form upon him, 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:10.139 so much so that the forehead of the Messenger (peace be upon him) 00:10:10.139 --> 00:10:14.559 would drip with sweat on a bitterly cold day. 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:15.960 The fifth: 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:22.000 That he would see the angel in the actual form in which Allah, Blessed and Exalted, created him, 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.480 and the angel would reveal to him whatever He willed, 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:27.960 such as when Gabriel came to him in the cave. 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:29.519 The sixth: 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:35.879 What Allah, Blessed and Exalted, revealed to His Prophet (peace be upon him) directly 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:38.279 without the intermediation of an angel, 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:41.279 as occurred during his Ascension (Mi'raj, peace be upon him) 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:43.279 to the seventh heaven, 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:47.029 where the daily prayers were ordained upon him. 00:10:47.029 --> 00:10:51.620 Treasures of the Seerah: 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:56.450 How Polytheism Entered Mecca. 00:10:56.450 --> 00:11:00.769 The tribe of Khuza'ah were the custodians of the Sacred House before Quraysh. 00:11:00.769 --> 00:11:05.879 They inherited the custodianship over the House from generation to generation, 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.840 and their guardianship of the House lasted for three hundred years, 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:12.279 or, as some say, five hundred years. 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:15.759 During their era, idols were first brought into Mecca, 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:19.000 at the hands of their chieftain, 'Amr ibn Luhayy, 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:22.200 whose word among them was treated like binding law 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:24.600 owing to his esteemed status in their eyes. 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:28.720 This 'Amr ibn Luhayy had traveled to the Levant, 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:31.960 where he observed the people of the Levant worshipping idols. 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:36.399 He asked, "What are these idols that you worship?" 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:40.080 They replied, "These are idols we worship: 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.639 we pray to them for rain and they grant us rain, 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:45.519 and we pray to them for victory and they grant us victory." 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.879 He said, "Will you not give me one of them 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:52.559 so I may take it to the land of the Arabs that they might worship it?" 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:56.039 So they gave him an idol called Hubal, 00:11:56.039 --> 00:11:57.919 which he brought with him to Mecca. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:02.440 He erected it and commanded the people to worship it, and they obeyed him. 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:06.240 Thus he made light of his people, and they obeyed him; 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:11.960 indeed, they were a defiantly disobedient people. 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:15.679 The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:20.610 "I saw 'Amr ibn Luhayy dragging his entrails in the Hellfire." 00:12:20.610 --> 00:12:25.809 The Arabs had previously adhered to the religion of Abraham (peace be upon him), 00:12:25.809 --> 00:12:30.690 but with the passage of time, they forgot much of the specific religious laws. 00:12:30.690 --> 00:12:32.570 This state of affairs continued— 00:12:32.570 --> 00:12:36.009 namely, the leadership of the Khuza'ah tribe over the Sacred House— 00:12:36.009 --> 00:12:40.929 until Qusayy ibn Kilab married the daughter of the chieftain of Khuza'ah. 00:12:40.929 --> 00:12:45.250 Thereafter, he enlisted the help of other Arab tribes to fight Khuza'ah, 00:12:45.250 --> 00:12:48.169 defeating them and expelling them from Mecca, 00:12:48.169 --> 00:12:51.169 whereupon Qusayy assumed the leadership; 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:53.409 and Qusayy was from Quraysh. 00:12:53.409 --> 00:13:02.370 Among the rites that remained with the Arabs from the religion of Abraham (peace be upon him) was the Hajj pilgrimage. 00:13:02.370 --> 00:13:04.850 They would perform tawaf around the Ka'bah and sa'i between Safa and Marwah, 00:13:04.850 --> 00:13:07.649 stand at 'Arafat and Muzdalifah, 00:13:07.649 --> 00:13:09.809 and offer sacrificial camels. 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:15.009 However, due to the long passage of time, they began to say in their talbiyah: 00:13:15.009 --> 00:13:17.610 "Here I am at Your service, O Allah, here I am at Your service. 00:13:17.610 --> 00:13:19.970 Here I am at Your service; You have no partner, 00:13:19.970 --> 00:13:22.450 except a partner who belongs to You— 00:13:22.450 --> 00:13:25.200 You possess him and all that he possesses." 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:28.320 Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:31.240 "If you wish to realize the extent of the Arabs' ignorance, 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:36.159 read beyond verse 130 of Surah Al-An'am," 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:37.840 wherein Allah Almighty says: 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:43.519 “They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided.” (6:140) 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:47.480 “They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided.” (6:140) 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.720 “They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided.” (6:140) 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:54.759 "inventing lies against Allah." 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:59.549 “They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided.” (6:140) 00:13:59.549 --> 00:14:02.149 Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:14:02.149 --> 00:14:06.990 "Among those practices were the false, corrupt rites they fabricated, 00:14:06.990 --> 00:14:11.509 which their chief, 'Amr ibn Luhayy—may Allah render him hideous—falsely deemed 00:14:11.549 --> 00:14:15.429 an act of public good and mercy toward beasts and livestock, 00:14:15.429 --> 00:14:18.509 whereas he was a lying fabricator in doing so. 00:14:18.509 --> 00:14:20.950 Yet despite this profound ignorance and misguidance, 00:14:20.950 --> 00:14:24.830 these ignorant, rabble-like followers succumbed to him." 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:27.669 Allah (blessed and exalted be He) said: 00:14:27.669 --> 00:14:35.309 “Allah hath not appointed anything in the nature of a Bahirah or a Sa'ibah or a Wasilah or a Hami, but those who disbelieve invent a lie against Allah. Most of them have no sense.” (5:103) 00:14:35.309 --> 00:14:39.669 "The *bahirah* was a she-camel whose ear they used to slit, 00:14:39.789 --> 00:14:44.190 slitting it and dedicating her milk to false deities (*tawaghit*), 00:14:44.190 --> 00:14:46.970 while forbidding people from benefiting from her. 00:14:46.970 --> 00:14:48.690 As for the *sa'ibah*, 00:14:48.690 --> 00:14:50.850 it was a camel set free to roam, 00:14:50.850 --> 00:14:53.649 not restricted from any pasture or water source, 00:14:53.649 --> 00:14:55.529 nor ridden by anyone, 00:14:55.529 --> 00:14:57.889 being consecrated exclusively to the idols. 00:14:57.889 --> 00:14:59.529 As for the *wasilah*, 00:14:59.529 --> 00:15:03.529 it was a female camel that gave birth to a female offspring immediately following another female; 00:15:03.529 --> 00:15:07.159 if she gave birth to a male, it was dedicated to the idols. 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:08.679 As for the *ham*, 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:12.279 it was a stallion camel that had sired ten consecutive offspring from its spine; 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:16.139 it was left alone, neither ridden nor barred from any pasture." 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.620 Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) further stated: 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:22.820 "Rather, they followed him in that which was far more disastrous 00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:24.740 and immensely greater: 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:28.580 the worship of idols alongside Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He). 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:32.940 They altered the true religion and straight path 00:15:32.940 --> 00:15:36.460 with which Allah had sent His intimate friend Abraham— 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:40.860 namely, the pure monotheism of Allah, worshipping Him alone without partner, 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:42.580 and the prohibition of polytheism. 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:46.139 They corrupted the rites of Hajj and the landmarks of the religion 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:48.340 without knowledge, proof, 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:51.500 or any evidence, whether sound or weak, 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:56.600 merely imitating the polytheistic nations that preceded them. 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:02.600 The Arabs even took, alongside the Ka'bah, false deities (*tawaghit*) which they venerated as they venerated the Ka'bah itself. 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:07.120 They appointed custodians for them—serving as attendants and gatekeepers— 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:10.039 slaughtered sacrifices before them, and circumambulated them. 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:14.080 Yet despite all this, they still recognized the virtue and superiority of the Ka'bah. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:15.559 As for Quraysh, 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:18.120 they venerated Al-'Uzza and Hubal; 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:20.720 Thaqif possessed Al-Lat; 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:24.000 Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj venerated Manat; 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:26.679 and the tribe of Daws possessed Dhu Al-Khalasah."