In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.
The Migration to Abyssinia.
Out of the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) deep concern for his Companions,
when he saw the intense persecution they faced,
he ordered them to migrate to Abyssinia.
The king of Abyssinia at that time was named Ashamah,
and he was known for his justice.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to some of the Muslims:
"In the land of Abyssinia, there is a king under whom no one is wronged.
So join his land until Allah grants you relief and a way out from your present state."
The first migration took place in the fifth year of prophethood.
Twelve men and four women migrated.
Their leader was 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,
accompanied by the daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Ruqayyah (may Allah be pleased with her).
In that same year, during Ramadan, it occurred
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out to the Sacred Mosque.
There was a large gathering of Quraysh in their assembly places, as was their custom.
He stood among them and began reciting Surah An-Najm:
◁ By the star when it descends, ▷
◁ Your companion has not strayed, nor has he erred, ▷
◁ Nor does he speak from inclination. ▷
“It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired,” (53:4)
◁ It is not but a revelation revealed, taught to him by one intense in strength. ▷
This Surah—with the profound meanings and wondrous words it contained—
they had never heard anything like it before.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reached this verse:
◁ So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him]. ▷
He (peace be upon him) prostrated,
and none of them could contain themselves; they all fell down in prostration.
Every single person among the people of Mecca prostrated,
because the awe of these verses captivated their minds.
Thus, some people thought that they had embraced Islam
and followed the Prophet (peace be upon him).
News reached the emigrants in Abyssinia
that all of Quraysh had entered Islam.
So they returned to Mecca in Shawwal of that very same year.
Upon their arrival,
it became clear to them that this was not the case,
and that their prostration
was merely an inward acknowledgment and admission from within themselves
of the truthfulness of attributing this Qur'an to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted,
rather than actual allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The Emigrants to Abyssinia included:
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib,
'Uthman ibn 'Affan,
Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As,
'Abdullah ibn Ja'far,
who was born in Abyssinia,
Abu Salamah ibn 'Abd al-Asad,
Hatib ibn al-Harith,
'Abdullah ibn Shihab ibn 'Abdullah ibn al-Harith,
Mu'ammar ibn 'Abdullah
from Banu 'Adi,
Al-Muttalib ibn Azhar,
Sufyan ibn Mu'ammar,
Shurahbil ibn Hasanah,
'Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As,
and 'Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh.
The Female Emigrants to Abyssinia included:
Asma' bint 'Umays,
Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
Humaynah bint Khalaf,
Amah bint Khalid ibn Sa'id,
Umm Salamah,
and Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan.
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.
The Story of the Cranes (Gharanaiq).
Allah says in Surah An-Najm:
◁ So have you considered al-Lat and al-'Uzza? ▷
◁ And Manat, the third - the other one? ▷
When these verses were revealed to our Prophet (peace be upon him),
he recited them to both Muslims and polytheists.
They claimed that Satan cast onto the tongue of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
right after he recited these two verses,
that he said:
"These are the exalted cranes,
whose intercession is indeed hoped for."
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard of this false claim,
it distressed him deeply.
So Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed:
“Never sent We a messenger or a prophet before thee but when He recited (the message) Satan proposed (opposition) in respect of that which he recited thereof. But Allah abolisheth that which Satan proposeth. Then Allah establisheth His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise;” (22:52)
◁ ...except that when he recited, Satan threw [some falsehood] into his recitation. But Allah abolishes what Satan throws... ▷
“Never sent We a messenger or a prophet before thee but when He recited (the message) Satan proposed (opposition) in respect of that which he recited thereof. But Allah abolisheth that which Satan proposeth. Then Allah establisheth His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise;” (22:52)
“Never sent We a messenger or a prophet before thee but when He recited (the message) Satan proposed (opposition) in respect of that which he recited thereof. But Allah abolisheth that which Satan proposeth. Then Allah establisheth His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise;” (22:52)
◁ ...and Allah is Knowing and Wise. ▷
“That He may make that which the devil proposeth a temptation for those in whose hearts is a disease, and those whose hearts are hardened - Lo! the evil-doers are in open schism -” (22:53)
◁ ...[that He may make what Satan throws a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and those who are hard-hearted...] ▷
“That He may make that which the devil proposeth a temptation for those in whose hearts is a disease, and those whose hearts are hardened - Lo! the evil-doers are in open schism -” (22:53)
Ibn al-'Arabi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned ten points when explaining this verse in his Tafsir.
Among these points:
First:
When Allah sends the angel with His revelation to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
He creates within him certainty regarding it,
so that he is fully assured that he is indeed a messenger sent by Him.
If the Prophet, when addressed directly by the angel bearing revelation,
could not discern whether it was an angel, a human being,
or an apparition unlike these forms casting words and speech to him,
he could not validly assert that it was from Allah,
nor would it be established for us that it was Allah's command.
Furthermore, if it were possible for Satan to impersonate the angel
or resemble it,
we could never feel secure regarding any verse,
nor distinguish falsehood from truth.
Second:
Allah has safeguarded His Messenger from disbelief
and protected him from polytheism.
This is firmly established as part of the Muslims' creed by their unanimous consensus and total agreement.
Therefore, whoever claims that it was possible for him to disbelieve in Allah
or doubt Him even for the blink of an eye,
has stripped the bond of Islam from his neck.
Third:
Allah made Himself known to His Messenger, granted him insight through His proofs,
showed him the kingdom of the heavens and the earth,
and acquainted him with the ways of his brother prophets before him.
Thus, nothing regarding Allah's affairs that we know today was hidden from him.
Whoever entertains such a thought
is among those who walk prone on their face,
ignorant of their Prophet and their Lord.
Fourth:
How could such disbelief have been hidden from the Prophet (peace be upon him)—
something that could never originate from Allah—
when if anyone else had uttered it, everyone would have immediately denounced, rejected,
rebuked, and condemned it?
This story has been reported through chains of transmission that are unproven;
every path for it is either reported as mursal, mu'dal, or fabricated.
Whether a chain is connected or not,
this narration has been reported both marfu' and mawquf,
as well as mursal and connected.
To the point that Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) stated:
"The abundance of its paths indicates that the story has an underlying origin."
However, the vast majority of exegetes and hadith scholars
maintained that its authenticity is rejected.
Numerous scholars have refuted his stance on this issue.
The response to this story can be summarized as follows:
First, regarding the text (matn):
Irreconcilable discrepancies and contradictions occur in its wording and narrative,
making the heart unsettled about accepting it.
The leader of the scholars, Ibn Khuzaymah, was asked about it and said:
"This is a fabrication of the heretics."
Second:
It contradicts the authentic narration recorded by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih,
stating that the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited Surah An-Najm and then prostrated,
and the Muslims, polytheists, humans, and jinn all prostrated with him—
without any mention whatsoever of the cranes (Gharanaiq).
Third:
It directly contradicts explicit Qur'anic verses
which stipulate that Allah gave Satan no authority over the Prophet (peace be upon him),
such as His saying:
◁ Indeed, over My servants you have no authority. ▷
And His saying, Glorious is He:
◁ Indeed, he has no authority over those who believe and rely upon their Lord. ▷
“Lo! he hath no power over those who believe and put trust in their Lord.” (16:99)
“His power is only over those who make a friend of him, and those who ascribe partners unto Him (Allah).” (16:100)
What greater authority could there be than Satan casting upon the tongue of His Messenger (peace be upon him)
such explicit, idolatrous phrasing?
Likewise, it contradicts explicit verses
indicating the preservation of the Revelation and its protection from corruption, alteration,
addition, and omission, such as His saying:
“Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.” (15:9)
◁ And indeed, it is a mighty Book. Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it... ▷
“Falsehood cannot come at it from before it or from behind it. (It is) a revelation from the Wise, the Owner of Praise.” (41:42)
“Falsehood cannot come at it from before it or from behind it. (It is) a revelation from the Wise, the Owner of Praise.” (41:42)
And His saying:
◁ Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian. ▷
Fourth:
Definitive proof has been established
and consensus formed regarding the Prophet's (peace be upon him) infallibility
from disbelief crossing his heart or tongue,
whether intentionally or unintentionally,
or from falsely attributing to Allah anything He did not reveal, whether intentionally or inadvertently.
Allah says:
◁ And if he [i.e., Muhammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand; Then We would have cut from him the aorta. ▷
Fifth:
The context of the verses in Surah An-Najm
provides clear contextual evidence of the falsehood of this narration:
◁ Are yours the male and His the female? That, then, is an unjust division. ▷
It is logically incoherent for the context to condemn the idols of the polytheists across four consecutive verses,
and then praise them immediately after.
Human speech is far above such self-contradiction,
so how could it exist in the speech of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, which is the most eloquent and lucid of all speech?
Sixth:
It is well known that the polytheists of Quraysh
were the most eager of people to refute his (peace be upon him) prophethood,
invalidate his argument, cast doubt on his message,
and seek any opening through which they could attack him.
Had this story been authentic,
it would have served as their prime pretext to cause many who had embraced Islam to apostatize.
Seventh:
Accepting this story
implies that the believers accepted polytheism from the Prophet (peace be upon him)
after he had called them to monotheism—
as if he dismantled his own call,
far removed is he from such a thing!
Eighth:
A large group of scholars rejected this story,
such as Ibn Hazm, Qadi 'Iyad,
Ibn Kathir, Al-Shawkani, and others.
The question remains:
Why did both the Muslims and the polytheists prostrate?
As for the prostration of the Muslims,
it was in emulation of their Prophet (peace be upon him).
As for the prostration of the polytheists,
it is plausible that they prostrated out of sheer awe and overwhelming amazement
and fear that struck them upon hearing the Surah.
When the emigrants returned from Abyssinia to Mecca
and saw the reality of the matter clearly—
namely, that the disbelievers of Mecca had not entered Islam,
and that it was merely a rumor—
While some of them remained behind,
such as 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,
and his wife Ruqayyah, daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
others emigrated a second time,
and more joined them,
marking the second migration [to Abyssinia].
It comprised eighty-three men
from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and eighteen or nineteen women.
The chieftains of Quraysh went to Abu Talib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
a second time,
and said to him:
"O Abu Talib,
you possess age, nobility, and high standing among us,
and we previously asked you to restrain your nephew, but you did not.
By Allah, we can no longer endure this:
that he comes and recites the Qur'an in our very midst!
This is something we will never tolerate:
the reviling of our forefathers, the disparagement of our ways,
and the denigration of our gods.
You must either restrain him from us,
or we will confront you and him together on this matter,
until one of the two parties perishes."
This was a severe threat from Quraysh
to Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
When Abu Talib saw how grave the situation had become,
he sent for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and said to him:
"O son of my brother,
your people have come to me,"
and he related to him what they had said, adding:
"Spare me and spare yourself,
and do not burden me with more than I can bear."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) thought that his uncle was about to abandon him,
and that he had grown too weak to support him.
So he (peace be upon him) said:
"O uncle,
by Allah, even if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left,
on condition that I abandon this cause until Allah makes it prevail or I perish in its pursuit,
I would never abandon it."
Then he (peace be upon him) was overcome with tears and wept.
He rose and left his uncle Abu Talib stunned by these words he had spoken.
Though this narration is not sound in its chain of transmission—
namely, the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"By Allah, even if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left..."
to the end of the report,
as the scholars have pointed out—
greater leniency is nonetheless accepted in reports of the Seerah,
and there is no harm in mentioning it.
For it is firmly established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) never compromised;
however, as to whether he uttered these exact words or different ones,
the definitive knowledge lies with Allah, Blessed and Exalted.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) walked away,
leaving Abu Talib in stunned silence,
Abu Talib came to his senses.
He then called out to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
so he returned to him,
and Abu Talib said to him:
"Go, son of my brother, and say whatever you please;
by Allah, I will never surrender you to harm."
And he recited profound verses of poetry,
expressing therein his unwavering loyalty to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
that he would champion him,
and that he would never hand him over to the disbelievers of Mecca.
He said:
"By Allah, they shall never reach you with all their gathered host,
until I am laid in the earth, buried deep.
Pursue your mission, you have nothing to fear;
rejoice and let your eyes find comfort therein.
You called upon me and I knew you were sincere in advising me;
indeed, you spoke truly, as you were ever trustworthy before.
And you presented a religion that I know for certain
is among the finest of all religions for humankind.
Were it not for blame, or fear of being insulted,
you would have found me openly yielding to it."
In these verses,
Abu Talib makes it clear that he would never abandon the Prophet (peace be upon him),
yet he also refused to embrace Islam.
Perhaps the wisdom behind that was
that had he entered Islam,
the disbelievers of Mecca would have dared to harm him just as they did others;
but because he remained on their religion, they did not dare cross him.
After he recited these verses,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) departed,
gladdened by the lines of poetry he had heard
and by words that brought great comfort to his heart from his uncle Abu Talib.
When Quraysh realized that Abu Talib
had categorically refused to abandon the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and that he had resolved to break with them,
they went to 'Umarah ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah
and said to him:
"O 'Umarah,
we shall give you over to Abu Talib,
so that you become a son to him,
and we will take Muhammad in exchange for you and kill him."
Then they came to Abu Talib and said:
"O Abu Talib,
this young man—
meaning 'Umarah ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah—
is the most robust and handsome youth among Quraysh.
Take him:
you shall have the benefit of his intellect and his support,
and adopt him as a son, for he is yours;
but hand over to us your nephew,
this one who has opposed your religion and the religion of your forefathers,
fractured the unity of your people, and disparaged their ways,
so that we may kill him.
It is simply a man for a man."
Abu Talib replied:
"By Allah, how wretched is the bargain you offer me!
Would you give me your son so that I may feed and rear him for you,
while I hand over my son so that you may kill him?!
By Allah, this is something that will never happen!"
Anyone observing Abu Talib's stance toward the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and toward the disbelievers of Mecca
is left astounded
as to how Abu Talib did not embrace Islam
or follow the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Yet if we ponder Abu Talib's words:
"Were it not for blame, or fear of being insulted,
you would have found me openly yielding to it,"
we see that this was precisely what prevented Abu Talib from following the Prophet (peace be upon him).
For he knew well that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was upon the truth;
and that is why Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
“We know well how their talk grieveth thee, though in truth they deny not thee (Muhammad) but evil-doers flout the revelations of Allah.” (6:33)
"For indeed, they do not deny you,"
“We know well how their talk grieveth thee, though in truth they deny not thee (Muhammad) but evil-doers flout the revelations of Allah.” (6:33)
they knew the truth,
and they knew that what the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought was true,
that he was a messenger from Allah,
and that what he recited was neither poetry, nor sorcery, nor soothsaying;
yet it was sheer arrogance—we seek refuge in Allah, Exalted is He.