Part of Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (series completed)
· Lesson 2 of 58
Treasures of biography | Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis | Episode (2) | Before his mission, may God bless him and grant him peace
0:000:00
Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
0:00
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:03
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.
0:07
Chapter One.
0:09
The Period Before His Mission (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
0:15
His Name and Lineage.
0:19
He is Muhammad, son of 'Abd Allah, son of 'Abd al-Muttalib,
0:22
son of Hashim, son of 'Abd Manaf,
0:25
son of Qusayy, son of Kilab, son of Murrah,
0:28
son of Ka'b, son of Lu'ayy, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr.
0:32
And this Fihr is Quraysh itself;
0:34
thus, every Qurayshi is a Fihri.
0:37
And he (peace be upon him) is Mudari—
0:41
meaning his lineage traces back to Mudar,
0:43
and ultimately to 'Adnan, from the offspring of Isma'il (peace be upon him).
0:48
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
0:52
"Allah chose Kinanah from the descendants of Isma'il,
0:57
chose Quraysh from Kinanah,
1:00
chose Banu Hashim from Quraysh,
1:03
and chose me from Banu Hashim."
1:06
The Prophet's fifth grandfather was 'Abd Manaf,
1:12
who, according to the well-known accounts, had four sons:
1:16
Hashim, al-Muttalib,
1:19
'Abd Shams, and Nawfal.
1:21
So our Messenger's lineage traces back to Hashim.
1:27
And this Hashim's actual name was 'Amr;
1:30
he was given the epithet Hashim because he used to crumble bread—
1:34
meaning he would break it up, prepare it, and serve it to the pilgrims.
1:39
He was the first to feed tharid to the pilgrims,
1:43
tharid being bread soaked in broth with meat.
1:46
He was also the first to establish the two trade journeys for Quraysh:
1:50
the winter journey and the summer journey.
1:54
The poet said:
1:55
'Amr, who crumbled the bread for his people,
1:59
when the men of Mecca were suffering drought and emaciated;
2:03
For him the two journeys were established,
2:07
the winter travel and the summer trip.
2:11
The sons of Hashim were 'Abd al-Muttalib,
2:15
Asad, 'Amr, and Nadlah.
2:18
Hashim married from Banu al-Najjar among the people of Medina.
2:23
'Abd al-Muttalib was likewise an epithet;
2:26
his real name was Shaybat al-Hamd.
2:29
He was nicknamed 'Abd al-Muttalib only because
2:32
he was residing with his maternal uncles, Banu al-Najjar, in Medina
2:37
after his father passed away.
2:39
Then al-Muttalib, Hashim's brother, went to Medina
2:43
and brought his nephew back so he could be among his paternal uncles.
2:47
When he entered Mecca with him,
2:49
the people of Mecca assumed he was a slave al-Muttalib had bought,
2:53
so they said, "This is 'Abd al-Muttalib" (the slave of al-Muttalib).
2:57
Al-Muttalib said to them, "No,
3:00
he is simply my brother Hashim's son."
3:03
Yet that nickname stuck to him,
3:06
and he came to be known by no name other than 'Abd al-Muttalib.
3:10
'Abd al-Muttalib was the grandfather of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
3:14
During his lifetime, two major events occurred that history has never overlooked.
3:19
The First Event:
3:21
The Digging of Zamzam.
3:24
Abraham, the Intimate Friend of the Most Merciful (peace be upon him),
3:27
had married Sarah,
3:29
but he was not granted any child through her.
3:33
So Sarah gifted him a servant girl of hers named Hajar,
3:37
and she bore him Isma'il.
3:40
Subsequently, jealousy arose in Sarah's heart,
3:43
and she asked Abraham (peace be upon him) to take Hajar away from her.
3:48
So he set out with Isma'il and Isma'il's mother,
3:51
carrying with them a waterskin containing water,
3:54
heading toward Mecca the Blessed.
3:56
He left them both there.
3:58
Isma'il's mother followed after him,
4:01
until when they reached Kuda,
4:04
she called out to him from behind:
4:06
"O Abraham!
4:08
To whom are you leaving us?"
4:10
He said:
4:11
"To Allah."
4:12
She replied:
4:13
"I am content with Allah."
4:16
So she turned back and stayed in Mecca with her son Isma'il
4:20
until the water ran out.
4:22
She said to herself:
4:23
"If only I went and looked around,
4:25
perhaps I might sense someone."
4:28
The speaker said:
4:29
So she went and climbed Safa,
4:31
and looked and looked,
4:33
seeking to perceive anyone,
4:35
but she felt no one.
4:37
Then when she reached the valley floor,
4:40
she ran briskly until she reached Marwah.
4:43
She repeated this back and forth for several rounds.
4:45
Then she said:
4:47
"Let me go and see how he is doing"—
4:49
meaning the child.
4:51
She went and looked,
4:52
and found him in a dire state, as though gasping in the agony of death.
4:57
Unable to bear watching him,
4:59
she said:
5:00
"If only I went and looked around,
5:02
perhaps I might sense someone."
5:04
So she went and climbed Safa,
5:07
and looked and looked,
5:09
but perceived no one,
5:11
until she had completed seven circuits.
5:14
Then she said:
5:15
"Let me go and see how he is doing."
5:18
Suddenly, she heard a voice.
5:20
She said:
5:21
"Help, if you have any good to offer!"
5:24
Lo and behold, it was Gabriel.
5:26
He struck with his heel like this,
5:29
pressing his heel into the earth,
5:31
and water gushed forth.
5:33
Isma'il's mother was amazed,
5:35
and she began basin-making and scooping the earth around it.
5:38
Abul-Qasim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
5:41
"Had she left it, the water would have flowed freely as a surface spring."
5:45
She began drinking from the water,
5:47
and her milk flowed abundantly for her child.
5:51
Then some people from the tribe of Jurhum passed through the bottom of the valley,
5:55
and noticed birds hovering,
5:57
which surprised them as unusual for that place.
5:59
They said:
6:01
"Birds only hover over water."
6:04
So they sent their scout,
6:06
who looked and found that water was indeed there.
6:09
They came to her and said:
6:11
"O mother of Isma'il,
6:13
will you permit us to stay with you or settle alongside you?"
6:18
And when Isma'il reached manhood,
6:22
he married a woman from among them.
6:24
Later on, Abraham said to Sarah:
6:28
"I am going to check on those I left behind."
6:30
So he came, greeted her, and asked:
6:33
"Where is Isma'il?"
6:35
His wife replied:
6:37
"He has gone hunting."
6:38
He said:
6:40
"Tell him when he returns:
6:42
'Change the threshold of your door.'"
6:44
When he returned,
6:45
she informed him.
6:47
He said:
6:48
"You were that threshold,
6:49
so return to your family."
6:52
The narrator said:
6:53
Then it occurred to Abraham to visit them again after Isma'il had remarried.
6:59
He came and asked:
7:01
"Where is Isma'il?"
7:03
His wife replied:
7:04
"He has gone hunting."
7:06
She added:
7:08
"Won't you step down and have something to eat and drink?"
7:11
He asked:
7:12
"What is your food and what is your drink?"
7:15
She said:
7:16
"Our food is meat,
7:18
and our drink is water."
7:20
He said:
7:21
"O Allah, bless them in their food and their drink."
7:26
Abul-Qasim (peace be upon him) said:
7:30
"That blessing is due to Abraham's supplication."
7:34
Then it occurred to Abraham to visit them a fourth time.
7:39
The scholar noted in the margin:
7:41
That is because he visited them when Isma'il was young,
7:45
when Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son,
7:48
then when Isma'il was with his first wife whom he divorced,
7:52
then with his second wife,
7:55
making this the fourth visit.
7:58
So he came and met Isma'il behind the site of Zamzam,
8:02
repairing his arrows.
8:04
He said:
8:06
"O Isma'il,
8:07
your Lord has commanded me to build a House for Him."
8:11
He replied:
8:13
"Obey your Lord."
8:14
Abraham said:
8:16
"He has commanded me that you assist me in building it."
8:20
He said:
8:21
"Then I shall do so,"
8:22
or as he said.
8:24
So he stood up,
8:26
and Abraham began building
8:28
while Isma'il handed him the stones,
8:31
both of them saying:
8:32
“And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.” (2:127)
8:40
until the structure rose high
8:42
and Abraham grew too weak to carry the heavy stones.
8:45
So he stood upon the stone of Maqam Ibrahim,
8:48
while Isma'il continued handing him the stones, both repeating:
8:52
“And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.” (2:127)
8:59
Then years and centuries passed,
9:02
until the location and landmarks of Zamzam were lost to memory.
9:06
It is narrated that 'Abd al-Muttalib was sleeping one day
9:10
when he saw in a dream that he was commanded to dig Zamzam,
9:15
and its exact spot was shown to him in his sleep.
9:18
He went to the place he was commanded to dig in his dream,
9:22
dug there, and found the water.
9:25
Thereafter, he re-established the service of providing water to the pilgrims.
9:29
The Second Event:
9:32
The Coming of Abraha the Abyssinian to Destroy the Ka'bah.
9:36
The story of Abraha, as related by the scholars, is that
9:40
Abraha the Abyssinian built a magnificent cathedral in Sana'a,
9:45
the likes of which had never been seen in its time,
9:48
and wrote to the Negus:
9:50
"I have built for you a cathedral the likes of which was never built for any king before you,
9:56
and I shall not rest until I divert the pilgrimage of the Arabs to it,"
10:01
intending thereby to rival the Ka'bah.
10:04
When the Arabs learned of Abraha’s letter to the Negus,
10:09
a man from the tribe of Kinanah became enraged.
10:11
He set out and entered the cathedral when no one could see him,
10:17
and he defiled it;
10:20
that is, he defecated inside this cathedral.
10:23
When Abraha was informed of this,
10:26
he asked, "Who did this?"
10:29
He was told, "It was done by a man belonging to the people of that House
10:33
to which the Arabs make pilgrimage in Makkah,
10:36
after he heard your vow to divert the Arabs' pilgrimage to this church of yours."
10:43
Abraha was filled with immense fury and said,
10:46
"I shall surely demolish the Ka'bah!"
10:49
Here, an important point must be highlighted:
10:54
undoubtedly, this man learned of an evil act,
10:58
namely, that Abraha intended to divert the Arabs' pilgrimage from Makkah to this church,
11:05
so he became indignant for that reason
11:07
and denounced that evil
11:09
by defiling the cathedral with excrement.
11:12
Yet this, in turn, provoked Abraha's intense fury,
11:18
whereupon he resolved to demolish the Ka'bah.
11:21
The scholars have explicitly stated
11:23
that it is impermissible to forbid an evil
11:26
by bringing about an even greater evil;
11:29
rather, denouncing evil must always be done
11:32
in a manner that will not result,
11:35
in its wake, in an evil greater than itself.
11:39
Abraha was enraged by this deed
11:41
and swore to march against the House and tear it down.
11:45
He then commanded the Abyssinians to mobilize and make ready,
11:49
and he marched forth with an army of sixty thousand men,
11:52
bringing war elephants along with him—
11:54
creatures unknown to the Arabs at that time.
11:58
It is mentioned that the lead elephant among them was named Mahmud.
12:04
When he mobilized and set out,
12:06
the Arabs heard of it,
12:08
and they were appalled and deeply shaken by it,
12:11
deeming it their sacred duty to fight him;
12:14
for despite their polytheism,
12:17
they held the House of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, in the utmost veneration.
12:22
Among those who confronted him was a nobleman from the people of Yemen
12:26
named Dhu Nafar,
12:29
who called upon his people and whoever would answer him among the Arabs to wage war against Abraha.
12:34
But Abraha defeated Dhu Nafar and his followers,
12:37
taking him captive.
12:39
Abraha then passed through Ta'if,
12:41
where Mas'ud ibn Mu'attib al-Thaqafi came out to meet him
12:45
and said to him,
12:47
"O King,
12:48
we are merely your servants;
12:50
we hear you and obey you,
12:53
and we offer you no opposition.
12:55
Nor is this shrine of ours the one you seek"—
12:59
referring to al-Lat—
13:00
"rather, you seek the House in Makkah,
13:04
and we shall send with you someone to guide you to it."
13:08
So they sent with him a man named Abu Righal
13:12
to guide him along the way.
13:14
Abraha set out with Abu Righal accompanying him
13:18
until he encamped at al-Mughammas.
13:21
Once he had guided him there,
13:23
Abu Righal died at that spot,
13:26
after which the Arabs made a practice of stoning Abu Righal’s grave,
13:30
because they regarded him as a vile, treacherous man
13:34
for serving as Abraha’s guide to demolish the Sacred House of Allah.
13:39
Regarding him, Jarir said in his satire of al-Farazdaq—
13:43
as the two were constantly trading lampoons and feuding:
13:48
Jarir said,
13:50
"When al-Farazdaq dies, pelt his grave with stones,
13:53
just as you stone the grave of Abu Righal."
13:56
When Abraha encamped at al-Mughammas,
13:59
he dispatched an Abyssinian man named al-Aswad
14:03
with a detachment of horsemen until he reached Makkah,
14:07
and he seized the livestock of the people of Tihamah belonging to Quraysh and others,
14:12
capturing two hundred camels belonging to 'Abd al-Muttalib,
14:16
who was then the elder and chief of Quraysh.
14:20
Quraysh, Kinanah, Hudhayl, and all who resided in that Sanctuary resolved to fight him,
14:26
but they soon realized they lacked the strength to battle Abraha.
14:31
Then Abraha sent an emissary named Hunatah to Makkah,
14:36
saying, "Inquire about the chief and nobleman of the people of this land,
14:42
and then tell him:
14:43
'The King says:
14:45
I have not come to wage war against you;
14:48
I have only come to demolish this House.
14:51
If you do not stand between us and it,
14:53
I have no need to shed your blood;
14:56
and if he has no desire to fight me, bring him to me.'"
15:00
Hunatah arrived and conveyed to Quraysh what Abraha had said,
15:05
and 'Abd al-Muttalib went forth with him,
15:07
being the chief of Quraysh at that time.
15:11
When 'Abd al-Muttalib entered into Abraha’s presence,
15:15
Abraha was perplexed as to how to receive him;
15:18
he wished to honor 'Abd al-Muttalib,
15:22
yet thought: "If I seat him with me upon my throne,
15:26
it will demean my stature;
15:29
and if I remain on my throne while leaving him below,
15:31
it will demean his."
15:34
So he descended from his throne and sat with 'Abd al-Muttalib upon the ground.
15:39
The first thing he asked 'Abd al-Muttalib was:
15:43
"What is your request?"
15:45
He replied,
15:46
"You have seized two hundred camels belonging to me,
15:49
so return them to me."
15:51
Abraha grew angry and said,
15:53
"I thought far greater and nobler of you than this!
15:57
You come to me asking about your camels,
16:00
yet make no plea that I spare the House and refrain from demolishing it?"
16:05
Thereupon 'Abd al-Muttalib uttered words
16:07
that were profoundly momentous at the time,
16:11
and subsequently became a celebrated proverb.
16:14
'Abd al-Muttalib said,
16:16
"I am the master of the camels,
16:18
and the House has a Lord Who will protect it."
16:21
Abraha retorted,
16:23
"He cannot defend it against me!"
16:26
He said,
16:27
"That is between you and Him."
16:29
Abraha then ordered,
16:30
"Return his camels to him."
16:33
When 'Abd al-Muttalib returned to Quraysh,
16:36
he informed them of what had transpired
16:38
and told them,
16:40
"Evacuate Makkah,
16:42
for you have no power to fight Abraha."
16:45
So they took refuge in the mountains.
16:48
Then 'Abd al-Muttalib went and took hold of the ring of the Ka'bah's door,
16:52
accompanied by a group of men from Quraysh,
16:55
praying to Allah and imploring His aid against Abraha and his host.
17:00
'Abd al-Muttalib recited:
17:03
"O Allah, truly a man protects his camp, so protect Your sanctuary!
17:08
Let not their cross and their might ever triumph tomorrow over Your might!
17:14
If You leave them to destroy our Qiblah,
17:17
then do whatever You will!"
17:20
Then 'Abd al-Muttalib released the door-ring,
17:23
and he and those with him departed to take shelter in the mountains,
17:28
awaiting what Abraha would do.
17:31
When morning broke, Abraha
17:33
prepared to enter Makkah;
17:36
he readied his elephant and drew up his ranks.
17:39
Yet whenever they directed the elephant Mahmud toward Makkah,
17:43
it knelt down and refused to advance with them,
17:45
and consequently the remaining elephants halted as well.
17:49
Some of them asked,
17:50
"What is holding back the elephant?"
17:52
They replied, "We do not know."
17:55
He ordered, "Beat it!"
17:57
So they beat the elephant,
17:59
but it stubbornly refused.
18:00
Yet when they turned it toward Yemen, it sprang to its feet;
18:03
when they turned it toward the Levant, it stood up;
18:06
when they turned it toward the east, it stood up;
18:09
but whenever they turned it toward Makkah, it knelt down.
18:13
And shortly thereafter,
18:15
they were suddenly struck when Allah, Blessed and Exalted, sent swarms of birds against them,
18:21
just as Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
18:24
“Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant?” (105:1)
18:30
“Did He not bring their stratagem to naught,” (105:2)
18:34
"And sent against them swarms of birds,
18:38
“Which pelted them with stones of baked clay,” (105:4)
18:45
and made them like eaten straw."
18:50
Yes;
18:51
thus did Allah, Blessed and Exalted, unleash the swarms of birds,
18:56
pelting Abraha and his host with stones of baked clay,
19:01
so that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, destroyed them all.
19:06
And it is said
19:07
that a remnant of them survived
19:09
only to inform their people of what Allah, Blessed and Exalted, had done to them.