Treasures of biography | Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis | Episode (8) | The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, made the call loudly

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0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:03 Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.
0:08 The Prophet's public call to Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
0:14 When Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed His words:
0:19 "O you wrapped in garments,"
0:22 "Arise and warn!"
0:24 "And your Lord magnify!"
0:26 "And your clothing purify!"
0:28 "And uncleanness avoid!"
0:30 "And do not confer a favor expecting more,"
0:33 "And for your Lord be patient."
0:36 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, began openly calling people to monotheism.
0:41 That was because Allah, the Blessed and Exalted,
0:44 summoned him away from sleep, wrapping himself in garments, and comfort,
0:48 toward struggle, striving, and hardship.
0:51 So He said:
0:52 "O you wrapped in garments,"
0:54 "Arise and warn!"
0:56 It was as if he were being told:
0:58 "He who lives only for himself may live in ease and rest;
1:03 as for you who carry this immense burden,
1:06 what business have you with sleep?
1:08 What business have you with rest?
1:10 What business have you with a warm bed?
1:13 Stand up for the grand mission that awaits you,
1:16 and the heavy burden prepared for you!
1:19 Stand up for exertion, fatigue, toil, and labor!
1:22 The time for sleep and rest has passed,
1:25 and from this day onward, there is only continuous sleeplessness
1:29 and a long, arduous struggle.
1:32 Rise, prepare yourself for this mission, and be ready!"
1:36 This was how Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, commanded His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
1:42 to stand up and openly declare the call to Allah.
1:45 Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated to us
1:49 the beginning of the Prophet's public call and how he openly proclaimed it,
1:54 saying:
1:56 "When this verse was revealed:
1:58 'And warn your closest relatives,'
2:02 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, summoned Quraysh,
2:06 and they gathered.
2:08 He addressed them both generally and specifically,
2:09 saying:
2:11 'O children of Ka'b Ibn Lu'ayy,
2:13 save yourselves from the Fire!
2:16 O children of Murrah Ibn Ka'b,
2:18 save yourselves from the Fire!
2:21 O children of Abd Shams,
2:23 save yourselves from the Fire!
2:26 O children of Abd Manaf,
2:29 save yourselves from the Fire!
2:32 O children of Hashim,
2:34 save yourselves from the Fire!
2:37 O children of Abd al-Muttalib,
2:39 save yourselves from the Fire!
2:42 O Fatimah,
2:44 save yourself from the Fire!
2:46 For I possess nothing from Allah for you,
2:50 except that you have bonds of kinship that I will tend to properly.'"
2:55 Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, narrated:
2:59 "When this verse was revealed:
3:01 'And warn your closest relatives,'
3:04 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, went out
3:08 until he climbed Mount al-Safa and called out:
3:11 'Ya Sabahah!' [O disaster of the morning!]
3:13 They said:
3:14 'Who is that calling out?'
3:16 They replied: 'It is Muhammad.'
3:18 So they gathered around him,
3:20 and he said:
3:21 'O children of So-and-so!
3:23 O children of So-and-so!
3:24 O children of So-and-so!
3:26 O children of Abd Manaf!
3:28 O children of Abd al-Muttalib!'
3:31 Thus they assembled before him,
3:33 and he said:
3:34 'Tell me, if I were to inform you
3:36 that cavalrymen were emerging at the foot of this mountain,
3:39 would you believe me?'
3:41 And in another narration:
3:43 'If I told you that behind this valley
3:46 an army was coming to attack you in the morning,
3:48 would you believe me?'"
3:50 By Allah, even if they had simply said to him, "We believe you,"
3:53 that would have been sufficient.
3:54 However, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, willed
3:57 that they testify to the truth in explicit terms,
3:59 making a statement that would stand as evidence against them,
4:03 testifying to their arrogance, stubbornness,
4:06 and turning away from the truth they well recognized.
4:09 So they said:
4:10 "We have never experienced any falsehood from you."
4:13 In this manner, the people of Mecca bore witness for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—
4:18 according to the well-known history, after forty-three years—
4:22 that they had never known him to lie.
4:26 This will come up again in the story of Abu Sufyan,
4:29 when Heraclius questioned him
4:31 at the beginning of the seventh year after the Hijrah:
4:34 "Did you ever accuse Muhammad of lying before he said what he said?"
4:38 He replied, "No."
4:40 Then the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
4:43 "Truly, I am a warner to you ahead of a severe punishment."
4:48 Thereupon, the Prophet's uncle, Abu Lahab, stood up
4:52 and said:
4:54 "May you perish!
4:55 Is it for this alone that you gathered us?"
4:58 Then he walked away.
4:59 So Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed verses defending His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
5:07 saying: "May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and may he perish!"
5:10 “The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish.” (111:1)
5:14 “His wealth and gains will not exempt him.” (111:2)
5:18 “He will be plunged in flaming Fire,” (111:3)
5:22 "And his wife, the carrier of firewood."
5:26 “Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.” (111:5)
5:33 After that, the open call to Islam began in earnest.
5:36 Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, commanded His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
5:42 three years after the start of his prophethood,
5:44 to proclaim openly what he was commanded
5:47 and to endure the harm inflicted by the polytheists.
5:50 Whenever the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, wanted to pray,
5:55 they would retreat into the mountain passes
5:57 to conceal their prayers from their people.
6:00 While Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas and a small group were praying in one of the mountain passes of Mecca,
6:06 some polytheists suddenly appeared before them.
6:09 They denounced them and initiated a fight with them.
6:12 Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas struck one of the polytheists with a camel's jawbone, splitting his head open.
6:18 That was the first blood shed in Islam.
6:22 People then began entering the religion of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
6:27 Abu Bakr, Ali, Zaid, Bilal, and Khadijah had already embraced Islam.
6:33 Then Ammar Ibn Yasir accepted Islam,
6:35 as did Uthman, al-Zubayr,
6:38 Ibn Awf, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, and Talhah Ibn Ubayd Allah.
6:44 Then Abu Ubaydah embraced Islam,
6:46 along with Abu Salamah Ibn Abd al-Asad,
6:48 al-Arqam Ibn Abi al-Arqam,
6:50 Uthman Ibn Maz'un,
6:52 Sa'id Ibn Zayd,
6:54 Khabbab Ibn al-Aratt,
6:56 Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud,
6:58 and Fatimah bint al-Khattab.
7:01 All of these individuals had embraced Islam in secret.
7:05 But after Allah revealed His words: "Proclaim what you are commanded,"
7:09 “So proclaim that which thou art commanded, and withdraw from the idolaters.” (15:94)
7:13 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stood up
7:16 to denounce the superstitions and nonsense of polytheism,
7:19 exposing the true nature of idols
7:22 and the reality of their worshippers,
7:24 explaining that idols do not deserve to be prostrated to
7:27 or worshipped beside Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
7:31 He began exposing their foolish ideas and making clear their misguidance,
7:34 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
7:37 On the authority of Khabbab Ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
7:41 "I was a blacksmith,
7:43 and al-As Ibn Wa'il owed me a debt.
7:46 I went to him to demand payment,
7:48 but he said: 'No, by Allah,
7:51 I will not pay you back until you disbelieve in Muhammad!'
7:55 I said: 'No, by Allah, I will never disbelieve in Muhammad
7:59 until you die and are resurrected!'
8:01 He replied: 'Then when I die and am resurrected,
8:05 come to me; I will have wealth and children there, and I will pay you back.'
8:10 So Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed:
8:13 “Hast thou seen him who disbelieveth in Our revelations and saith: Assuredly I shall be given wealth and children?” (19:77)
8:17 'Have you seen him who disbelieved in Our verses and said: "I will surely be given wealth and children?"
8:21 Has he looked into the unseen, or has he taken a covenant with the Most Compassionate?'"
8:27 “Nay, but We shall record that which he saith and prolong for him a span of torment.” (19:79)
8:31 “Nay, but We shall record that which he saith and prolong for him a span of torment.” (19:79)
8:34 “And We shall inherit from him that whereof he spake, and he will come unto Us, alone (without his wealth and children).” (19:80)
8:39 When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, began
8:43 calling people openly to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted,
8:46 a group of the prominent nobles of Mecca went to Abu Talib,
8:50 the uncle of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
8:53 They said: "O Abu Talib!
8:56 Your nephew has reviled our gods,
8:59 ridiculed our intellects,
9:01 criticized our religion, and declared our forefathers misguided.
9:04 Either restrain him from us,
9:07 or step aside and let us deal with him,
9:10 for you share the same beliefs as us in opposition to him, so we will spare you the trouble."
9:15 Abu Talib spoke to them with gentle words
9:18 and turned them away courteously,
9:20 so they departed from him.
9:22 Then Abu Talib went to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to reason with him,
9:28 but he did not yield to him,
9:29 and he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, persevered in his mission.
9:34 When the pilgrimage season approached,
9:37 the disbelievers and leaders of Mecca gathered around al-Walid Ibn al-Mughirah,
9:42 asking: "What shall we say to the arriving pilgrims?"
9:45 Al-Walid said to them:
9:47 "Agree on a single opinion regarding him;
9:50 do not differ among yourselves lest you contradict one another,
9:54 and one of your statements invalidates the other."
9:57 They said to him:
9:59 "Rather, you offer the opinion and we will listen."
10:01 He said: "No,
10:02 you give your suggestions and I will listen."
10:06 They said: "We will say he is a soothsayer."
10:09 He replied: "No, by Allah, he is not a soothsayer.
10:12 We have seen soothsayers,
10:14 and his words bear no resemblance to the murmurs or rhymed prose of a soothsayer."
10:18 They said: "Then we will say he is possessed."
10:21 He replied: "He is not possessed.
10:24 We have seen madness and we know it well;
10:27 he exhibits no choking, seizures, or demonic whisperings."
10:32 They said: "Then we will say he is a poet."
10:35 He replied: "He is not a poet.
10:38 We know all forms of poetry—its light meters, rhymed poems,
10:42 "And its measured verses, both concise and extended—
10:45 It is certainly not poetry."
10:47 They said, "Then we shall say he is a sorcerer!"
10:50 He said, "He is not a sorcerer;
10:53 We have seen sorcerers and their sorcery,
10:56 And his words bear no resemblance to their murmurs or their knots."
10:59 They asked, "What then shall we say?"
11:02 So he said to them,
11:04 "By Allah, his speech possesses a sweet sweetness,
11:07 Its base is firmly rooted,
11:09 Its branches bear abundant fruit,
11:11 And whatever you claim about him,
11:14 Will surely be recognized as false.
11:17 Yet the closest thing you can say is that he is a sorcerer—
11:21 That he came with speech that acts like magic,
11:24 Severing a man from his father,
11:26 A man from his brother,
11:28 And a man from his wife and his clan."
11:32 So they dispersed around him upon agreeing to that.
11:35 But did matters remain as such?
11:38 No; Allah, Blessed and Exalted, defended His Prophet,
11:43 Saying regarding al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah and those with him:
11:47 “Leave Me (to deal) with him whom I created lonely,” (74:11)
11:51 “And then bestowed upon him ample means,” (74:12)
11:54 ﴿And sons standing present before him,﴾
11:56 ﴿And I spread everything out for him smoothly;﴾
11:59 ﴿Then he covets that I should add more. By no means!﴾
12:03 ﴿Indeed, he has been stubbornly opposed to Our verses.﴾
12:07 ﴿I shall overwhelm him with a daunting climb.﴾
12:09 ﴿Indeed, he pondered and plotted.﴾
12:13 ﴿So destroyed be he! How he plotted!﴾
12:16 “Again (self-)destroyed is he, how he planned! -” (74:20)
12:19 Then he frowned,
12:21 Then he scowled and showed disgust,
12:24 Then he turned his back and grew arrogant,
12:27 And said, "This is nothing but sorcery handed down!"
12:31 “This is naught else than speech of mortal man.” (74:25)
12:35 ﴿I shall drive him into Hellfire!﴾
12:37 “- Ah, what will convey unto thee what that burning is! -” (74:27)
12:58 He also attacked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
13:00 And his Companions with accusations and insults,
13:04 Forming groups to mock
13:06 Islam and its followers. Allah Exalted says:
13:09 Allah Exalted says:
13:11 "And they say, 'O you upon whom
13:14 The Reminder has been sent down, indeed you are mad!'"
13:18 And he was branded with sorcery and falsehood.
13:21 Allah Exalted says:
13:23 Likewise, they began glaring at him with intense hatred,
13:27 Seeking through these glares to strike him down with their evil eyes
13:31 And ruin him out of sheer envy.
13:35 Allah Exalted says:
13:53 They also accused him of being taught by two young boys from Najran,
13:58 So Allah revealed:
14:00 “And We know well that they say: Only a man teacheth him. The speech of him at whom they falsely hint is outlandish, and this is clear Arabic speech.” (16:103)
14:04 “And We know well that they say: Only a man teacheth him. The speech of him at whom they falsely hint is outlandish, and this is clear Arabic speech.” (16:103)
14:10 They also mocked his Companions,
14:12 And said, "O you upon whom..."
14:14 They kept staring at him intently,
14:18 And said, "O you upon whom..."
14:21 And they mocked his Companions as well.
14:23 Allah Exalted says:
14:51 “Yet they were not sent as guardians over them.” (83:33)
14:55 And regarding the Noble Qur'an, they said:
14:58 ﴿And they say, "Fables of the ancients which he has written down!"﴾
15:02 “And they say: Fables of the men of old which he hath had written down so that they are dictated to him morn and evening.” (25:5)
15:06 And they said:
15:08 "This is nothing but a fabrication he invented!"
15:11 “Those who disbelieve say: This is naught but a lie that he hath invented, and other folk have helped him with it, so that they have produced a slander and a lie.” (25:4)
15:15 Out of their ignorance, they wanted
15:17 To counter the Noble Qur'an with the fables of the ancients.
15:21 Whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
15:25 Spoke to the people,
15:27 Called them to Allah, Blessed and Exalted,
15:30 And recited the Qur'an to them,
15:32 And then stood up to leave,
15:34 Al-Nadr ibn al-Harith would come
15:35 And sit in the exact spot of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
15:39 And say:
15:41 "By Allah, Muhammad tells no better stories than I do!"
15:45 He would then recount to them tales of the Persian kings,
15:48 And ask them:
15:50 "In what way are Muhammad's stories any better than mine?"
15:54 They also attempted compromise,
15:56 As Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says:
15:59 ﴿So do not yield to the deniers;﴾
16:02 ﴿They wish that you would compromise, so they too would compromise.﴾
16:06 Secondly:
16:07 Persecution and harm.
16:08 This was of two types:
16:10 The first type:
16:11 Psychological abuse.
16:14 The earliest instance of this harm
16:16 Came from Abu Lahab—may Allah disgrace him—
16:19 Who had married his two sons, 'Utbah and 'Utaybah,
16:22 To the two daughters of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
16:26 Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum, prior to the Prophetic mission.
16:30 When the Prophet, peace be upon him, was commissioned
16:33 And began calling people to Allah, Blessed and Exalted,
16:36 Proclaiming the message openly,
16:38 Abu Lahab ordered his two sons to divorce them,
16:42 And so they divorced them both.
16:46 Abu Lahab's wife, Umm Jamil,
16:50 Whose name was Arwa bint Harb,
16:52 Was no less hostile to the Prophet, peace be upon him, than her husband.
16:58 She used to carry thorny branches
17:00 And place them directly in the path of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
17:04 And at his doorstep by night.
17:06 She was a foul-mouthed woman,
17:10 And when she heard the Qur me revealed concerning her and her husband—
17:14 “The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish.” (111:1)
17:19 “His wealth and gains will not exempt him.” (111:2)
17:23 “He will be plunged in flaming Fire,” (111:3)
17:27 ﴿And his wife, the carrier of firewood!﴾—
17:31 “Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.” (111:5)
17:37 She came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
17:40 While he was sitting in the Mosque near the Ka'bah
17:43 Accompanied by Abu Bakr,
17:45 Holding a handful of stones in her hand.
17:48 She stood right beside them,
17:50 But Allah took away her sight,
17:51 So she could not see the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him;
17:55 She saw only Abu Bakr.
17:57 She said:
17:58 "O Abu Bakr!
18:00 Where is your companion?
18:01 It has reached me that he satirizes me!
18:04 By Allah, if I find him,
18:06 I will strike his mouth with this stone!
18:08 By Allah, I am indeed a poet!"
18:11 Then she recited:
18:13 "A censured man (*Mudhammam*) we defy,
18:15 His command we deny,
18:17 And his religion we pass by!"
18:19 Then she departed, and Abu Bakr said:
18:20 "O Messenger of Allah,
18:22 Did you see that she did not see you?"
18:24 He replied:
18:25 "She did not see me,
18:26 For Allah took her sight away from me."
18:30 And how remarkable it is
18:31 That Allah, Almighty and Majestic,
18:33 Just as He veiled her eyes from His Prophet,
18:35 Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
18:37 He likewise diverted her tongue from him,
18:40 So she said "Mudhammam" (the censured one)
18:42 And could not even pronounce "Muhammad" (the praised one)!
18:44 The second type:
18:46 Physical harm.
18:48 On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him:
18:52 While the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
18:55 Was praying near the House (the Ka'bah)
18:57 And Abu Jahl and his companions were sitting nearby,
19:00 One of them said to the others:
19:02 "Which of you will go bring the abdominal entrails of the slaughtered camel of such-and-such clan
19:06 And place them on Muhammad's back when he prostrates?"
19:10 The most wretched of the people stepped forward—
19:12 Who was 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt—
19:15 Brought it,
19:16 Bided his time,
19:17 And when the Prophet, peace be upon him, prostrated,
19:21 Placed it on his back between his shoulders.
19:25 'Abdullah said:
19:27 "I was watching, unable to do anything,
19:30 Lacking any power to protect him."
19:32 They burst out laughing, leaning against one another in amusement,
19:36 While the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
19:39 Remained in prostration, unable to raise his head,
19:42 Until Fatimah came
19:44 And threw it off his back.
19:46 Thereupon, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, raised
19:49 His head and said:
19:51 "O Allah, take vengeance upon Quraysh!"
19:54 Repeating it three times,
19:55 Invoking Allah against them.
19:57 His invocation weighed heavily upon them,
20:01 For they believed that supplications in that sacred city were answered;
20:06 Indeed, they knew well that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was truthful
20:10 And that he was truly a prophet,
20:12 Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
20:15 Just as Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says:
20:18 “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)
20:23 ﴿For indeed, they do not deny you;﴾
20:26 ﴿For indeed, they do not deny you;﴾
20:29 “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)
20:35 He said:
20:37 "O Allah, take Abu Jahl!
20:39 O Allah, take 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah,
20:43 Shaybah ibn Rabi'ah,
20:45 Al-Walid ibn 'Utbah,
20:47 Umayyah ibn Khalaf,
20:49 And 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt!"
20:51 And he named a seventh person—
20:53 'Abdullah said:
20:55 "Whose name I do not recall."
20:57 'Abdullah continued, "By Him in Whose hand is my soul!
20:59 I saw every single one of those whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, named slain and thrown into the well—
21:05 The well of Badr."
21:07 Similarly, Muslim recorded
21:09 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
21:13 Abu Jahl asked:
21:15 "Does Muhammad rub his face in the dust among you?"
21:19 They replied, "Yes."
21:21 He said, "By al-Lat and al-'Uzza!
21:23 If I see him doing so, I will surely trample his neck and rub his face in the dust!"
21:29 So Abu Jahl approached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
21:33 While he was praying,
21:35 Intending to trample his neck.
21:37 Suddenly, they saw him retreating on his heels, shielding himself with his hands!
21:43 The people asked him:
21:45 "What is the matter with you, O Abu al-Hakam?
21:47 What happened?"
21:49 He replied, "Indeed, between me and him is a trench of fire, terror, and wings!"
21:55 Abu Hurayrah said:
21:57 The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
22:01 "Had he come closer to me,
22:03 the angels would have torn him limb from limb."
22:07 And on the authority of 'Urwah Ibn al-Zubayr, who said:
22:09 "I asked 'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr Ibn al-'As
22:13 to inform me of the worst thing the polytheists did to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
22:19 'Abdullah replied:
22:21 'While the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was praying in the courtyard of the Ka'bah,
22:26 'Uqbah Ibn Abi Mu'ayt came forward,
22:29 wrapped his garment around his neck,
22:32 and choked him severely.
22:35 Abu Bakr came rushing over,
22:37 seized him by the shoulders, pushed him away from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
22:42 and shouted:
22:44 “And a believing man of Pharaoh's family, who hid his faith, said: Would ye kill a man because he saith: My Lord is Allah, and hath brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is lying, then his lie is upon him; and if he is truthful, then some of that wherewith he threateneth you will strike you. Lo! Allah guideth not one who is a prodigal, a liar.” (40:28)
22:48 This is what happened to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
22:52 As for what befell his Companions, it was immense.
22:56 Among them was 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan;
22:59 his uncle used to wrap him in a mat of palm leaves
23:04 and then ignite smoke beneath him.
23:06 Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr—
23:08 when his mother learned of his conversion to Islam,
23:11 she expelled him from her house and starved him,
23:14 even though he had been among the most pampered of people.
23:17 Bilal Ibn Rabah—
23:19 Umayyah Ibn Khalaf would take him out at the heat of noon,
23:24 throw him onto the sun-baked valleys of Makkah,
23:27 and then order a massive boulder to be placed upon his chest.
23:31 He would then say:
23:33 'By Allah, you will remain like this until you die,
23:37 or disbelieve in Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-'Uzza!'
23:41 Bilal would only reply: 'He is One! He is One!'
23:45 Such was Umayyah's torture of Bilal.
23:48 Yet Umayyah himself
23:50 suffered a torment far greater than this torture,
23:54 caused by Bilal's steadfast proclamation: 'He is One! He is One!'
23:57 For it was harder on Umayyah than the physical torture was on Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him).
24:03 One day, Abu Bakr passed by while they were subjecting him to this,
24:07 so he purchased him (may Allah be pleased with him).
24:10 It is said that when Abu Bakr came to buy him, he asked:
24:15 'For how much will you sell him?'
24:17 They said: 'You name a price.'
24:19 He said: 'Will you sell him for five hundred?'
24:23 Umayyah said: 'I have sold him to you.'
24:25 So Abu Bakr purchased him,
24:27 and Umayyah remarked:
24:29 'Even if you had offered less than this, we would have given him to you.'
24:34 Thereupon Abu Bakr replied,
24:36 demonstrating Bilal's immense worth in the sight of Allah, Blessed and Exalted:
24:40 'Had you demanded even more than this, I would have paid it.'
24:44 'Ammar Ibn Yasir, his mother, and his father
24:48 were dragged out to the sun-baked valleys and tortured.
24:52 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would pass by them and say:
24:57 'Be patient, O family of Yasir,
24:59 for your promised reward is Paradise.'
25:01 So Yasir died,
25:03 and Sumayyah, the mother of 'Ammar, died under torture—
25:07 and she is considered the first female martyr in Islam.
25:12 The persecution reached its absolute peak,
25:14 to the extent that Khabbab Ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
25:19 'I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
25:22 while he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka'bah,
25:26 at a time when we were suffering intense persecution from the polytheists.
25:29 I said: "Will you not pray to Allah for us?"
25:32 He sat up, his face flushed, and said:
25:36 "Among those who came before you,
25:39 a man would have iron combs driven
25:41 beneath his flesh into his bones and sinews,
25:45 yet that would not turn him away from his religion.
25:48 A saw would be placed upon the middle of his head and he would be sawn in two,
25:54 yet that would not turn him away from his religion.
25:57 By Allah, Allah will surely complete this cause,
26:00 until a traveler can ride from Sanaa to Hadhramaut
26:04 fearing nothing except Allah, Almighty and Glorious,
26:07 and the wolf for his sheep;
26:09 but you are being hasty."'
26:12 Yet despite all this persecution,
26:15 Allah, Blessed and Exalted, was ever with His allies,
26:19 as He stated.
26:21 “Lo! Allah defendeth those who are true. Lo! Allah loveth not each treacherous ingrate.” (22:38)
26:25 When the harm intensified,
26:27 the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) returned
26:30 to preaching secretly
26:32 in the house of al-Arqam Ibn Abi al-Arqam.
26:35 The house of al-Arqam was located on Mount al-Safa,
26:38 secluded from the eyes and gatherings of the tyrants.
26:41 So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chose it
26:45 as a meeting place
26:48 for his followers (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
26:51 These persecutions took place
26:54 at the beginning of the fourth year
26:56 of the call of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
27:00 Treasures of the Prophetic Biography.