WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:04.019 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:04.019 --> 00:00:09.460 Mawaddah Association presents: 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.460 "It Happened in Ramadan" 00:00:12.460 --> 00:00:15.779 By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha. 00:00:15.779 --> 00:00:18.980 "The Birth of a New World" 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:23.839 I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed. 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.839 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:31.839 “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast the same) number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you; and (He desireth) that ye should complete the period, and that ye should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that peradventure ye may be thankful.” (2:185) 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:37.840 “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast the same) number of other days. Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you; and (He desireth) that ye should complete the period, and that ye should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that peradventure ye may be thankful.” (2:185) 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:42.840 In Ramadan, thirteen years before the Hijrah, 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:46.840 and most likely on the twenty-fourth of this blessed month, 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:52.840 this planet Earth was blessed with the most magnificent moment of its existence, 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.840 and witnessed the greatest event ever to take place upon its surface. 00:00:55.840 --> 00:01:00.939 That event was a decisive turning point in the entire history of mankind, 00:01:00.939 --> 00:01:04.939 and heralded the birth of a new world. 00:01:04.939 --> 00:01:09.219 On that radiant, blessed day in the span of time, 00:01:09.219 --> 00:01:15.219 the Magnificent God, the Compeller, the Supreme, Master of the Kingdom, bestowed His favor; 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:19.219 He bestowed His favor upon this small planet Earth 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:21.219 and distinguished it with His honor. 00:01:21.219 --> 00:01:25.219 From among all creation, He chose a Messenger from their midst, 00:01:25.219 --> 00:01:28.219 to recite unto them the verses of Allah, 00:01:28.219 --> 00:01:31.219 to teach them the Book and wisdom, 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:34.219 to bring them out of darkness into the light, 00:01:34.219 --> 00:01:38.219 and to guide them along the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy. 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:40.290 And for this glorious day, 00:01:40.290 --> 00:01:43.290 there is a story that shall endure throughout time, 00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:46.290 etched into the memory of eternity. 00:01:46.290 --> 00:01:53.290 This story begins when Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib came to prefer seclusion 00:01:53.290 --> 00:01:55.290 and solitude was made beloved to him, 00:01:55.290 --> 00:02:00.290 so that nothing was dearer to him than being alone. 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:04.290 He would go to the Cave of Hira with his provisions, 00:02:04.290 --> 00:02:09.289 engaging in tahannuth—devotional worship—there for a number of nights, 00:02:09.289 --> 00:02:13.289 until his provisions were exhausted and he longed for his family. 00:02:13.289 --> 00:02:17.289 He would then return to his wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, 00:02:17.289 --> 00:02:19.289 replenish his provisions for a new stay, 00:02:20.289 --> 00:02:23.289 and return to his seclusion and worship. 00:02:23.289 --> 00:02:29.509 Allah willed to prepare the soul of His noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:33.509 to receive the weighty word that He was about to cast upon him. 00:02:33.509 --> 00:02:36.580 Thus, He began by granting him true dreams; 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:41.580 he would never see a dream except that it came true like the breaking of the dawn. 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:45.900 He remained in that state for as long as Allah willed. 00:02:45.900 --> 00:02:48.900 Whenever he went out to relieve himself, 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:51.900 he would walk far away until the houses of Makkah disappeared from view, 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:56.900 going deep into its mountain passes and valley bottoms. 00:02:56.900 --> 00:03:00.900 Not a stone or tree did he pass by except that it would say, 00:03:00.900 --> 00:03:03.900 "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah." 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:06.900 "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah." 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:13.930 He would look around—to his right, to his left, and behind him— 00:03:13.930 --> 00:03:16.930 and see nothing but trees and stones. 00:03:16.930 --> 00:03:19.930 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, continued 00:03:19.930 --> 00:03:24.930 in this manner, seeing and hearing such things for as long as Allah willed. 00:03:24.930 --> 00:03:29.150 It was his custom, whenever the crescent of Ramadan appeared, 00:03:29.150 --> 00:03:32.150 to spend the entire month in retreat at the Cave of Hira, 00:03:32.150 --> 00:03:34.150 in devoted worship and spiritual contemplation. 00:03:34.150 --> 00:03:38.150 Once he had completed his month and finished his retreat, 00:03:38.150 --> 00:03:42.150 he would first head to the Ka'bah before entering his home, 00:03:42.150 --> 00:03:46.150 circumambulating it seven times, or as much as Allah willed, 00:03:46.150 --> 00:03:49.150 and then return to his house and family. 00:03:49.150 --> 00:03:53.379 In Ramadan, thirteen years before the Hijrah, 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:57.379 the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:03:57.379 --> 00:04:00.379 was observing his retreat as was his custom in Ramadan. 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:04.379 Suddenly, the Truth came upon him while he was in the Cave of Hira. 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:08.379 The Angel came to him and said, "Read!" 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:11.439 The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, replied, 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.439 "I cannot read." 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.569 The Angel seized him 00:04:16.569 --> 00:04:19.569 and pressed him hard until he could bear it no longer, 00:04:19.569 --> 00:04:22.569 then released him and said, "Read!" 00:04:22.569 --> 00:04:25.569 He replied, "I cannot read." 00:04:25.569 --> 00:04:28.699 He seized him and pressed him a second time, 00:04:28.699 --> 00:04:31.699 until he could bear it no longer, 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:34.699 then released him and said, "Read!" 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:37.730 He replied, "I cannot read." 00:04:37.730 --> 00:04:40.889 He seized him and pressed him a third time, 00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:42.889 until he could bear it no longer, 00:04:42.889 --> 00:04:45.889 then released him and said to him: 00:04:45.889 --> 00:04:49.889 “Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth,” (96:1) 00:04:49.889 --> 00:04:52.889 “Createth man from a clot.” (96:2) 00:04:52.889 --> 00:04:55.889 "Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, 00:04:55.889 --> 00:04:58.889 Who taught by the pen." 00:04:58.889 --> 00:05:02.889 “Teacheth man that which he knew not.” (96:5) 00:05:02.889 --> 00:05:05.139 At that moment, 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:08.139 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, returned 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:10.139 to his wife Khadijah, 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:13.139 his heart trembling with fear from the terrifying sight he had seen 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:15.139 and the intensity of what he had heard. 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:18.430 Adding to his awe and trembling, 00:05:18.430 --> 00:05:21.430 scarcely had he reached the middle of the mountain 00:05:21.430 --> 00:05:25.430 when he heard a voice from heaven saying: 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:26.430 "O Muhammad! 00:05:26.430 --> 00:05:28.430 You are the Messenger of Allah, 00:05:28.430 --> 00:05:30.430 and I am Gabriel." 00:05:30.430 --> 00:05:33.430 He raised his head toward the sky to see, 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:37.430 and there was Gabriel in the form of a man with his feet set evenly 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:39.430 across the horizon of the sky, 00:05:39.430 --> 00:05:41.430 saying: 00:05:41.430 --> 00:05:43.430 "You are the Messenger of Allah, 00:05:43.430 --> 00:05:45.430 and I am Gabriel." 00:05:45.430 --> 00:05:47.529 The Prophet stood looking up at him, 00:05:47.529 --> 00:05:50.529 unable to move forward or backward. 00:05:50.529 --> 00:05:54.529 He began to turn his face away across the horizons of the sky, 00:05:54.529 --> 00:05:57.529 but no matter which direction he looked, 00:05:57.529 --> 00:06:00.620 he saw him just the same. 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:03.620 Then Gabriel departed from the Messenger, 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:06.620 and the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, set off 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:07.620 to his family. 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:11.910 The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned 00:06:11.910 --> 00:06:13.910 to his wife Khadijah, 00:06:13.910 --> 00:06:16.910 his neck muscles trembling, as he said: 00:06:16.910 --> 00:06:18.910 "Cover me! Cover me!" 00:06:18.910 --> 00:06:23.170 So they covered him until his fear subsided. 00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:26.170 The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, then told 00:06:26.170 --> 00:06:28.170 Khadijah the news, 00:06:28.170 --> 00:06:29.170 saying, 00:06:29.170 --> 00:06:31.170 "I fear for myself." 00:06:31.170 --> 00:06:33.170 She said to him, 00:06:33.170 --> 00:06:34.170 "Never! 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:35.170 Glad tidings! 00:06:35.170 --> 00:06:38.170 By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. 00:06:38.170 --> 00:06:40.170 You maintain ties of kinship, 00:06:40.170 --> 00:06:42.170 you speak the truth, 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:44.170 you host your guests generously, 00:06:44.170 --> 00:06:47.389 and you assist those afflicted by misfortunes of life." 00:06:47.389 --> 00:06:51.389 Khadijah then accompanied the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, 00:06:51.389 --> 00:06:54.389 until she brought him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal. 00:06:54.389 --> 00:06:57.389 He was a man who had embraced Christianity during the pre-Islamic period of ignorance (Jahiliyyah); 00:06:57.389 --> 00:06:59.389 he used to write the Arabic script, 00:06:59.389 --> 00:07:02.389 and would copy from the Gospel in Hebrew. 00:07:02.389 --> 00:07:05.389 He was an elderly man who had lost his sight. 00:07:05.389 --> 00:07:08.490 Khadijah said to him, 00:07:08.490 --> 00:07:09.490 "O my cousin! 00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:11.490 Listen to your nephew." 00:07:11.490 --> 00:07:12.680 Waraqah said, 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.680 "O my nephew, what have you seen?" 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:20.779 The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, informed him of what he had seen. 00:07:20.779 --> 00:07:22.779 Waraqah said, 00:07:22.779 --> 00:07:25.810 "This is the very same Namus (Angel of Revelation) that was sent down upon Moses! 00:07:25.810 --> 00:07:28.810 Would that I were a young man during your mission! 00:07:28.810 --> 00:07:32.810 Would that I might be alive when your people drive you out!" 00:07:32.810 --> 00:07:36.839 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, asked, 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:38.839 "Will they drive me out?" 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:39.839 Waraqah replied, 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:40.839 "Yes. 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:45.839 Never has a man brought what you have brought except that he was met with hostility. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:47.839 And if your day reaches me, 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:50.839 I will support you with mighty assistance." 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:53.029 Thereafter, the revelation continued to unfold, 00:07:53.029 --> 00:07:58.029 with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, having full faith in his Lord, 00:07:58.029 --> 00:08:01.029 affirming the truth of what came from Him, 00:08:01.029 --> 00:08:04.029 and preparing himself to shoulder the burden Allah placed upon him, 00:08:04.029 --> 00:08:07.029 whether people were pleased or displeased. 00:08:07.029 --> 00:08:09.029 For prophethood carries heavy burdens, 00:08:09.029 --> 00:08:12.029 which none can undertake nor endure 00:08:12.029 --> 00:08:15.029 except those of resolute strength and determination. 00:08:15.029 --> 00:08:20.290 The righteous and pure Khadijah bint Khuwaylid believed in Allah 00:08:20.290 --> 00:08:25.290 and affirmed the truth of what the Messenger, peace be upon him, brought from his Lord, 00:08:25.290 --> 00:08:32.320 and through her, Allah eased for His Prophet the rejection and denial he faced. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:37.509 Soon thereafter, however, the revelation to the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, ceased for a time; 00:08:37.509 --> 00:08:41.509 Gabriel delayed and no longer came. 00:08:41.509 --> 00:08:44.509 The Prophet grieved over this with the deepest sorrow 00:08:44.509 --> 00:08:47.509 and suffered from it intensely, 00:08:47.509 --> 00:08:50.509 to the point that the vast earth seemed narrow to him. 00:08:50.509 --> 00:08:54.509 What added to his anguish and grief 00:08:54.509 --> 00:08:57.509 was the mockery and ridicule of the polytheists, 00:08:57.509 --> 00:09:02.509 and their saying, "His Lord has forsaken him and detests him." 00:09:02.509 --> 00:09:05.509 So profound was his sorrow over the cessation of the revelation 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:09.509 that he would go out to Mount Thabir at times, 00:09:09.509 --> 00:09:12.509 and to Mount Hira at others, 00:09:12.509 --> 00:09:15.509 driven by extreme distress to throw himself from a cliff. 00:09:15.509 --> 00:09:20.509 Yet whenever he reached the summit of a mountain intending to cast himself down, 00:09:20.509 --> 00:09:23.509 Gabriel, peace be upon him, would appear to him 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:28.509 and say, "O Muhammad, you are truly the Messenger of Allah." 00:09:28.509 --> 00:09:32.610 Thereupon his anxiety would be calmed, his heart set at ease, 00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:34.610 and he would turn back from his intent. 00:09:34.610 --> 00:09:38.830 While the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, 00:09:38.830 --> 00:09:41.830 was on his way toward those mountains, 00:09:41.830 --> 00:09:45.830 enduring the deep distress caused by the pause in revelation, 00:09:45.830 --> 00:09:49.830 with heavy thoughts weighing upon his soul, 00:09:49.830 --> 00:09:51.830 relief suddenly came to him. 00:09:51.830 --> 00:09:54.830 He heard a voice from the sky, 00:09:54.830 --> 00:09:58.830 and he, peace and blessings be upon him, halted, overwhelmed by the sound. 00:09:58.830 --> 00:10:00.830 He raised his head, 00:10:00.830 --> 00:10:04.830 and there was Gabriel seated upon a throne between heaven and earth, 00:10:04.830 --> 00:10:07.830 sitting cross-legged upon it, saying: 00:10:07.830 --> 00:10:11.830 "O Muhammad! You are truly the Messenger of Allah, 00:10:11.830 --> 00:10:13.830 and I am Gabriel." 00:10:13.830 --> 00:10:17.830 Then Gabriel came to him with the words of Allah, Exalted is His majesty: 00:10:17.830 --> 00:10:21.830 "By the morning brightness, and by the night when it grows still, 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:25.830 “Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee,” (93:3) 00:10:25.830 --> 00:10:30.830 “And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former,” (93:4) 00:10:30.830 --> 00:10:34.830 “And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content.” (93:5) 00:10:34.830 --> 00:10:38.830 Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? 00:10:38.830 --> 00:10:45.830 And He found you lost and guided you, 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:50.830 and He found you poor and made you self-sufficient." 00:10:50.830 --> 00:10:54.830 “Therefor the orphan oppress not,” (93:9) 00:10:54.830 --> 00:10:59.830 “Therefor the beggar drive not away,” (93:10) 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:05.830 “Therefor of the bounty of thy Lord be thy discourse.” (93:11) 00:11:05.830 --> 00:11:10.149 This Surah was a touch of tenderness, 00:11:10.149 --> 00:11:12.149 a breeze of mercy, 00:11:12.149 --> 00:11:14.149 and an embrace of divine love, 00:11:14.149 --> 00:11:19.149 encompassing the noble Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:23.149 It was the gentle hand that wiped away his pain 00:11:23.149 --> 00:11:27.149 and poured upon him the cool comfort of tranquility and certainty. 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:33.340 Despite the immense weight the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, experienced 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:36.340 from the intensity and burden of the revelation, 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:39.340 he would constantly yearn for it and eagerly anticipate it. 00:11:39.340 --> 00:11:42.409 Abu Arwa al-Dawsi narrated that he said: 00:11:42.409 --> 00:11:46.409 "I saw the revelation descending upon the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:11:46.409 --> 00:11:48.409 while he was upon his riding camel; 00:11:48.409 --> 00:11:51.409 She would strain and twist her forelegs 00:11:51.409 --> 00:11:54.409 until I thought her leg bones might snap; 00:11:54.409 --> 00:11:56.409 sometimes she would kneel down, 00:11:56.409 --> 00:12:00.409 and sometimes she would stand firm as a peg until the revelation lifted from him, 00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:02.409 due to the sheer weight of the divine inspiration, 00:12:02.409 --> 00:12:06.409 while sweat poured from him like pearls. 00:12:06.409 --> 00:12:11.820 Revelation used to come to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:13.820 in two distinct ways. 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:16.820 On the authority of al-Harith ibn Hisham, who asked: 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:18.820 "O Messenger of Allah, 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:20.820 how does the revelation come to you?" 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:23.820 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, replied: 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:27.820 "Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:29.820 and that is the hardest on me; 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:33.820 then it departs from me after I have fully retained what he said. 00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:37.820 And sometimes the angel takes the form of a man and speaks to me, 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:40.019 and I comprehend what he says." 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:44.019 It was narrated from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:48.019 "I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:52.019 receiving revelation on an intensely cold day, 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:57.019 and when it departed from him, his forehead would be dripping with sweat." 00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:59.139 And on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, who said: 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:02.139 "Whenever revelation descended upon 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:04.139 the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:06.139 he would endure great hardship from its intensity, 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:10.139 moving his lips rapidly to retain it so that he would not forget it." 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:12.139 So Allah revealed verses regarding that to him. 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:35.139 Revelation remained the provision for the Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:38.139 sustaining him through the hardships of the path, 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:43.139 and a shade he sought refuge in whenever scorched by the heat of rejection, 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:45.139 as well as heavenly aid 00:13:45.139 --> 00:13:48.139 with which he confronted cunning, plots, and harm, 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:52.139 and a guide directing him to the straight path. 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:54.240 This divine revelation continued 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.240 until Allah perfected their religion for the Muslims, 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:00.240 completed His favor upon them, 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:03.240 approved Islam as their religion, 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:08.240 and called their Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, back to Himself. 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:11.500 May Allah reward our Prophet Muhammad on our behalf 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.500 and on behalf of humanity with the best of rewards, 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.529 for he conveyed the message, 00:14:16.529 --> 00:14:18.529 fulfilled the trust, 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:20.529 gave sincere counsel to the Ummah, 00:14:20.529 --> 00:14:24.529 and departed to his Lord, well-pleased and pleasing to Him.