Event in Ramadan | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | H (5) | Islam of Bani Thaqif

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:04 Mawaddah Association presents:

0:09 Events in Ramadan.

0:12 To recount the mercy of the All-Merciful, the grace of the Master.

0:15 The conversion of the Banu Thaqif to Islam.

0:19 In Ramadan of the ninth year after the Hijrah.

0:23 The eyes of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were gladdened by the conversion of Thaqif.

0:28 After stubborn refusal,

0:30 And a wild aversion that lasted for twenty years.

0:34 The history of the Islamic call

0:36 Tells the story of Thaqif and their conversion, a story with a dark beginning,

0:41 And a radiant ending.

0:43 This story begins back in the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah),

0:46 When Thaqif inhabited Ta'if.

0:49 Ta'if was one of the suburbs of Makkah,

0:52 With impregnable fortifications and towering heights,

0:55 Sheltered by formidable mountains.

0:58 Its protection could not be breached, nor its heights attained.

1:01 Furthermore, it was

1:03 A garden of lush, verdant landscapes,

1:06 With cool breezes,

1:08 Abundant in fruit,

1:10 With pleasant harvests and low-hanging clusters.

1:13 Most of the dwellings in Ta'if belonged to the Banu Thaqif.

1:18 They held sovereignty and prestige there,

1:21 For they were a proud and haughty people,

1:24 Fair-faced and of noble lineage.

1:27 Moreover, they were masters of the deep ignorance of the Jahiliyyah,

1:31 And worshippers of idols.

1:33 They had built a great Ka'bah for Allah so they could perform pilgrimage to it,

1:37 Circumambulate it, and offer sacrifices to it.

1:41 When Allah sent His Messenger with the religion of guidance and truth,

1:45 And commanded him to warn his closest kinsmen,

1:49 He proclaimed the command and declared the truth openly.

1:52 The Quraysh confronted him with harm and persecution,

1:56 Yet his resolve did not weaken, nor did his determination falter.

2:00 Instead, he began to present himself to the tribes,

2:04 Seeking their protection so that he might convey the messages of his Lord.

2:07 Three years before the Hijrah,

2:10 Allah took the soul of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid,

2:14 And after her, the Messenger’s uncle, Abu Talib, passed away.

2:18 The Quraysh then intensified their persecution of the Messenger, peace be upon him,

2:23 And their fools acted against him with extreme aggression.

2:27 At that point, the Messenger, peace be upon him, turned

2:32 His face toward Ta'if,

2:34 Seeking support from Thaqif,

2:36 Hoping to find protection with them against his own people,

2:39 And hoping they would accept his call,

2:42 So that he might be strengthened by Islam, and Islam strengthened by them.

2:46 No sooner had the Messenger, peace be upon him, reached Ta'if

2:50 Than he went to three of its leaders:

2:54 'Abd Yalil ibn 'Amr and his two brothers, Habib and Mas'ud.

2:59 He presented himself to them and called them to Allah,

3:03 Enticing them with His reward and warning them of His punishment.

3:07 Some of them acted arrogantly,

3:09 And some mocked him.

3:12 One of them said to the Messenger, peace be upon him:

3:17 "May the coverings of the Ka'bah be torn if Allah has truly sent you!"

3:21 The second said: "Could Allah not find anyone to send other than you?"

3:26 And the third said mockingly:

3:29 "By Allah, I will never speak to you!

3:32 If you are a Messenger from Allah as you claim,

3:35 Then you are too significant for me to reply to you.

3:39 And if you are lying about Allah,

3:42 Then it is not fitting for me to speak to you."

3:45 At that, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood up, deeply distressed and heavy-hearted.

3:54 He disliked that his people should hear of this, lest they increase in their persecution.

3:59 He asked them to keep his visit a secret,

4:02 But they did not.

4:04 They incited their fools against him,

4:07 And stationed two rows of their wicked men along his path, with stones in their hands.

4:13 When the Messenger, peace be upon him, passed between them,

4:18 Every time he lifted a foot, they pelted it with stones,

4:23 And every time he placed a foot, they pelted it with stones,

4:27 While they insulted him, reviled him, and shouted at him.

4:31 His feet were torn and his heels bled.

4:35 They did not stop until they had gathered the people against him,

4:39 And forced him into an orchard belonging to 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah and his brother Shaybah,

4:44 Who were from Quraysh, and then they left him.

4:48 The noble Messenger, peace be upon him, sat in the shade of a tree,

4:53 Having reached the limit of his exhaustion.

4:56 He raised his gaze to the heavens and said:

4:59 "O Allah, to You I complain of the weakness of my strength,

5:03 The scarcity of my resources,

5:06 And my insignificance before the people, O Most Merciful of the merciful.

5:10 You are the Lord of the oppressed, and You are my Lord.

5:14 To whom will You entrust me?

5:16 To a distant person who treats me harshly,

5:19 Or to an enemy to whom You have given control over my affair?

5:22 If You are not angry with me, then I do not care,

5:27 But Your protection is more encompassing for me.

5:30 I seek refuge in the light of Your Face, which illuminates the darkness,

5:35 And by which the affairs of this world and the Hereafter are set right,

5:38 From Your anger descending upon me,

5:41 Or Your wrath befalling me.

5:43 To You is the plea until You are pleased,

5:46 And there is no power nor strength except by You."

5:51 When the two sons of Rabi'ah saw him in this state,

5:55 Their compassion was stirred,

5:57 For they were from Quraysh.

5:59 They called a servant of theirs named 'Addas,

6:02 Who was a Christian,

6:04 And said to him:

6:06 "Take a cluster of these grapes,

6:08 Place it on this tray,

6:10 Then go to that man,

6:13 And tell him to eat from it."

6:15 'Addas approached the Prophet, peace be upon him,

6:19 And placed the tray before him.

6:22 When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

6:25 Reached out his hand to take from it, he said:

6:28 "In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful."

6:31 'Addas looked into his face,

6:33 Then said:

6:35 "By Allah, these are words that the people of this land do not say."

6:39 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him:

6:43 "And from the people of which land are you, 'Addas?

6:46 And what is your religion?"

6:48 He said: "I am a Christian from the people of Nineveh."

6:51 The Messenger, peace be upon him, said to him:

6:55 "From the village of the righteous man, Yunus ibn Matta."

6:59 'Addas said:

7:01 "O 'Addas,

7:02 What makes you know who Yunus ibn Matta is?"

7:05 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

7:08 "He is my brother;

7:10 He was a prophet, and I am a prophet."

7:13 At that,

7:15 'Addas threw himself upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

7:19 Kissing his head, his hands, and his feet.

7:22 When his two masters saw this, they said:

7:25 "Woe to you, 'Addas!

7:27 Why are you kissing the head, hands, and feet of this man?"

7:31 He said: "O my masters,

7:34 There is nothing on earth better than this."

7:37 They said: "Woe to you, 'Addas!

7:40 Do not let him turn you away from your religion,

7:42 For your religion is better than his."

7:45 The Messenger, peace be upon him, departed from Ta'if,

7:50 Having despaired of any good from Thaqif,

7:53 And headed toward Makkah, sorrowful and heavy-hearted,

7:56 After having experienced a day the likes of which he had never known.

8:00 It was narrated from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

8:04 That she said to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him:

8:08 "Has there come upon you a day harder than the day of Uhud?"

8:12 He, peace be upon him, said:

8:14 "I have encountered from my people what was harder,

8:17 And the hardest I encountered from them was the day of Thaqif,

8:21 When I presented myself to 'Abd Yalil,

8:24 And he did not respond to what I wanted.

8:26 So I departed, overwhelmed with grief,

8:29 And did not recover until I was at Qarn al-Tha'alib.

8:33 I raised my head,

8:35 And suddenly I was under a cloud that shaded me.

8:38 I looked, and there was Jibril,

8:41 And he called to me and said:

8:43 'Allah has heard what your people said to you and how they responded.

8:48 He has sent to you the Angel of the Mountains,

8:51 So that you may command him to do with them as you wish.'

8:53 The Angel of the Mountains called to me,

8:56 Greeted me, and said:

8:58 'O Muhammad,

9:00 I am the Angel of the Mountains,

9:02 And my Lord has sent me to you so that you may command me as you wish.

9:06 If you wish, I will crush them between the two mountains.'"

9:10 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

9:14 "Rather, I hope that Allah will bring forth from their loins

9:17 Those who will worship Allah alone and associate nothing with Him."

9:21 Thaqif remained clinging to their disbelief,

9:25 Holding fast to their fortifications for a long time.

9:29 The Messenger, peace be upon him, migrated to Yathrib,

9:34 And found there support such as he had not found in Ta'if.

9:38 He defeated polytheism at Badr,

9:40 And Allah granted him the clear victory on the day of Makkah.

9:44 Many of the Arab tribes embraced Islam,

9:48 Yet Thaqif did not convert.

9:51 Instead, they remained devoted to their idol, al-Lat,

9:54 Worshipping it instead of Allah.

9:56 On the day of Hunayn,

9:58 Thaqif had a notable force within the army of polytheism,

10:02 And they fought against the Messenger, peace be upon him,

10:05 And his Companions in a fierce and bloody battle.

10:09 The killing was intense among the Banu Malik of Thaqif,

10:13 Until seventy of their men were killed.

10:16 Among the dead

10:18 Were two great leaders of the people.

10:21 Then Thaqif retreated to Ta'if,

10:24 And fortified themselves within it.

10:26 The Messenger, peace be upon him, turned his face

10:30 After Hunayn toward Ta'if,

10:32 With an army of his Companions,

10:34 And besieged it with a severe siege,

10:37 And bombarded it with a catapult.

10:39 He, peace be upon him, was the first to use a catapult in Islam.

10:45 However, the fortified city held out against the attacks of the Muslim army.

10:50 On one of the days of the siege,

10:53 A group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

10:58 Crawled toward one of the walls of Ta'if under a protective cover to breach it,

11:03 The Thaqif tribe then launched red-hot iron hooks at them.

11:08 They emerged from beneath them.

11:10 The archers then showered them with arrows.

11:12 They killed several men among them.

11:14 The siege laid by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, on Ta'if lasted for about twenty days.

11:20 He then departed from it after a group of his Companions had been martyred beneath its walls.

11:26 Among them was 'Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq.

11:29 He was struck by an arrow.

11:31 He remained ill from it until he passed away.

11:35 While the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was returning from Ta'if,

11:40 he was joined by one of the leaders of Thaqif, 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi.

11:46 He announced his conversion to Islam.

11:48 He asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for permission to return to his people to call them to Allah.

11:55 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him,

11:58 "They will kill you if you return to them,"

12:02 knowing their pride and intensity.

12:05 He replied,

12:06 "O Messenger of Allah,

12:08 I am dearer to them than their own eyes."

12:11 The Thaqafi leader, 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud, was confident in his standing among his people.

12:16 He returned to them and announced his Islam before them.

12:20 He said to them,

12:22 "By Allah, O my people, I have come to Chosroes in his kingdom,

12:25 and Caesar in his majesty.

12:28 Yet I have never seen a king among his people like Muhammad is among his Companions.

12:33 I have seen a people who would never abandon him for anything.

12:38 Consider what your opinion is, for he has offered you guidance.

12:43 Accept what he has offered you, for I am a sincere advisor to you."

12:47 However, the Thaqif did not honor their leader nor did they respond to him; instead, they killed him.

12:54 While 'Urwah was breathing his last pure breaths,

12:59 he requested that he not be buried with his people,

13:02 but rather that his grave be placed with the martyrs who had fallen at the walls of Ta'if from the Muhajirun and the Ansar.

13:11 And excellent are they as companions.

13:14 Thus, he is buried outside of Ta'if.

13:17 Thereafter, the Thaqif began to return to their senses and reflect upon their situation.

13:23 They saw the Muslims in their sincerity of faith,

13:26 the purity of their intentions, and the precision of their order.

13:29 They held them in high regard, and it became difficult for them to persist in their war and hostility against them.

13:35 They saw that the word of Islam was spreading and its banner was rising,

13:40 and that they had no power to resist it.

13:43 So Allah expanded their chests to Islam,

13:46 and directed their hearts toward faith.

Event in Ramadan | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | H (5) | Islam of Bani Thaqif

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