Part of Ramadan events and lessons (series completed)
· Lesson 10 of 31
Ramadan events and lessons | Episode (10) | The delegations of Thaqif and Himyar arrive to declare their conversion to Islam
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Transcript
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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A summary of the book:
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"Ramadan: Events and Lessons."
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The arrival of the delegations of Thaqif and Himyar
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to declare their Islam.
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The time was Ramadan
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of the ninth year after the Hijrah.
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The conquest of Mecca had a resounding echo
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and a profound impact among the Arabs.
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Entering Mecca, cleansing it of idols,
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and ruling it by the law of Islam
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was a long-awaited moment for the people
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who had not yet accepted Islam,
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whose implicit attitude was:
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"Let us wait and see how Muhammad fares with his own people."
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Thus, when the dawn of conquest gleamed in the sky of Mecca
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and the glad tidings of glory and empowerment appeared
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on its horizons in favor of the Muslims,
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falsehood was dispelled at that moment
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from those people,
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and they came forward pledging allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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in Islam, in groups and individually.
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So in Ramadan of the ninth year
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of the Hijrah,
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right after the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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from Tabuk,
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two delegations reached Medina to declare their acceptance of Islam
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on behalf of their respective peoples.
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The first delegation was that of Thaqif,
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and the second was that of the kings of Himyar.
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First:
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The Delegation of Thaqif.
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Thaqif suffered two heavy, consecutive blows.
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The first was the Muslims' conquest of Mecca,
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which in itself was
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a severe psychological shock to them.
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The second was the Battle of Hunayn,
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in which they, along with the other allied tribes
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allied with them, suffered a major military
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and economic loss.
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Then the power of the Muslims became clearly evident to them as well
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when remnants of their forces fled
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to al-Ta'if and fortified themselves there,
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whereupon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) pursued them
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with a host of Muslims
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and besieged them for more than a month,
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before turning back from them to Medina.
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Before the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached
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Medina, Urwah
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ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi caught up with him and embraced Islam.
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He then sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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to return to his people, Thaqif,
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to call them to Islam.
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him:
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"They will kill you."
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That was because the Prophet of Allah knew
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their fierce pride and refusal to submit.
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But Urwah said, "I am dearer to them
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than their own firstborn children," for he was
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beloved and obeyed among them.
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Yet a person may be deceived by people's love for him
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when he agrees with what they desire
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and does not oppose what they dislike,
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unaware that opposing them in such matters
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may reveal aspects of people's character
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and actions that he never expected from them.
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Nevertheless, Urwah returned to Thaqif,
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eager for their acceptance of Islam and committed to conveying the message to them.
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When he reached them,
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he informed them of his new religion
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and called them to it,
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but they gave him no respite and shot arrows at him
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until they killed him (may Allah be pleased with him).
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Thus it transpired just as the Messenger of Allah
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(peace be upon him) had foretold.
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This informs us that popular affection
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should not be relied upon nor depended upon,
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for a single stance in which the beloved figure opposes
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the public's desires
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may turn their love for him into intense hostility.
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Therefore, a believer should always maintain his focus on pleasing Allah
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and act among people in accordance with that,
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without caring much about people's approval
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or disapproval,
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for such feelings are swift to change in them.
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A few months after the killing of Urwah, Thaqif
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deliberated among themselves
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and concluded that they had no power
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to fight the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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and the Arabs who were with him,
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even though they were a formidable and powerful tribe.
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So they sent a delegation to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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among whom was Uthman ibn Abi al-Aas,
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who was the youngest of the group,
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seeking to pledge allegiance and accept Islam.
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This was a wise decision on their part,
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and better for them in their worldly life and the Hereafter,
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for praiseworthy courage
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is that which is accompanied by sound judgment.
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That delegation remained in Medina,
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negotiating with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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regarding conditions they sought to stipulate,
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including that he permit them to commit fornication,
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drink wine, and consume usury,
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that he leave them their idol al-Lat,
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exempt them from performing the prayer,
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and that they not demolish their idols with their own hands.
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But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) refused
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and accepted none of that from them,
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except that he exempted them from destroying their idols
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with their own hands.
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So he sent Abu Sufyan and al-Mughirah for that purpose.
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During the days that the delegation remained
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in Medina, Uthman ibn Abi al-Aas
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(may Allah be pleased with him) was the most eager among the delegation
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to gain understanding of the religion (fiqh) and listen to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
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He listened extensively to the Messenger of Allah
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and memorized what he could of the Qur'an.
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When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) observed
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that deep eagerness in him,
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he appointed him as the leader in prayer for his people
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and imparted several counsels to him.
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In the course of this delegation's negotiations
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with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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concerning those sins,
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there is a clear indication of their strong attachment to them.
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Yet the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) refused to accept
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their Islam and pledge of allegiance
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except on condition of abandoning them all,
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because he wanted from them a pure Islam
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untainted by those sins,
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one with which Allah Almighty is pleased.
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As for selective Islam,
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which follows personal whims and desires,
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it is not a complete Islam.
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For how can it be true Islam
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when there is no prayer in it?
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So that delegation returned to Thaqif
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after fasting the remainder of Ramadan with the Muslims,
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having pledged allegiance to Islam
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with all that Islam entails, without selecting
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among its rulings.
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When they arrived, al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah
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(may Allah be pleased with him) took a pickaxe and demolished the idol,
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then collected its wealth and jewelry.
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He then sent word to Abu Sufyan,
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saying to him that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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had commanded them to settle
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the debts of Urwah ibn Mas'ud
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and his brother al-Aswad ibn Mas'ud,
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the father of Qarib ibn al-Aswad,
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from the wealth of the idol.
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So he settled their debts from it.
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Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded
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that
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to reconcile the heart and honor the son of al-Aswad,
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Qarib ibn al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him).
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Second: The Delegation of the Kings of Himyar.
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News had spread among all the Arabs
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of the victory of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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over Quraysh and other tribes
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surrounding Mecca and Medina.
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In fact, the strength of the Muslims had grown to such an extent
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that they reached the point of engaging the Roman
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Empire at Mu'tah,
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and subsequently preparing to fight them at Tabuk.
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This was something that had never crossed
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the minds of the Arabs at that time.
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Among those who received these reports
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were the Arabs of Yemen in the south of the Peninsula,
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who realized then that nothing was
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better or more paramount than submission
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and responding to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
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Thus, the kings of Himyar sent,
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in the month of Ramadan of the ninth year of the Hijrah,
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a letter to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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informing him of their acceptance of Islam
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and their renunciation of polytheism and its adherents.
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They were al-Harith ibn Abd Kulal,
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Nu'aym ibn Abd Kulal,
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al-Nu'man, ruler of Dhu Yazan,
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Ma'afir, and Hamdan.
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They dispatched the letter with Zur'ah Dhu Yazan
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and Malik ibn Murrah al-Rahawi.
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied to them
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with a letter praising Allah Almighty
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for their acceptance of Islam,
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in which he explained to them several Islamic rulings
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such as zakat, spoils of war, and the jizyah tax,
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and outlined the rights of the believers
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as well as those under a covenant.
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Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched
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a group of his Companions, appointing as their leader
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Mu'adh ibn Jabal,
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placing him over the upper province toward Aden,
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between al-Sukun and al-Sakasik.
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He served as a judge, a commander in times of war,
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an administrator responsible for collecting charity and the jizyah,
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He entrusted him with leading them in the five daily prayers.
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And he dispatched Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him)
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over the lower region:
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Zabid, Ma'rib, Zama', and the coastal plain.
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He instructed them: "Make things easy, and do not make them difficult.
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Give glad tidings, and do not drive people away.
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Cooperate with each other, and do not differ."
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Mu'adh remained in Yemen
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until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away.
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As for Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him),
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he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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during the Farewell Pilgrimage.
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This noble stance by the kings of Himyar
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is a virtue among their virtues
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and a meritorious legacy among their legacies,
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for they declared their Islam
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and severed ties with polytheism and the polytheists,
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without war, stubbornness, or conditions—
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unlike what Thaqif did—
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and they facilitated the mission of the envoys of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent
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to them, including Mu'adh, Abu Musa,
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Khalid, and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them).
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And in this event
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there are lessons: First,
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the importance of exercising sound judgment and wisdom,
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prioritizing them over being deceived by mere force.
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Second, demonstrating the impact...
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Third,
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true Islam requires
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a person to accept it in its entirety,
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not to select only what accords with his desires
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while abandoning the rest.
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Fourth,
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acquiring understanding of the religion and eagerness for knowledge
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is the path to praiseworthy leadership.
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Fifth,
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the validity of sending teachers and guides
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to instruct people and grant them understanding of Allah's religion.
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Ramadan: Events and Lessons.