Muhammad, the Seal of Prophets (II)

After the words of courage from Nana Khadijat, the Prophet (SAW) was taken to see one elderly sage, Waraqatu ibn Naofal. On listening patiently to all that transpired on Mount Gar-Hirai, the old sage said: “This is the same commandment that was handed down to Prophet Moses (Prophet Musa (AS)). Alas! I wish I were a young lad to witness the commandment coming to pass. I wish I could be on earth, alive at the time the people in the city of Mecca would chase you out of the city………” A palpable fear overtook the Prophet (SAW) to find out from the old sage if truly he would be fought out of the city of Mecca. The sage replied in the affirmative. He added that no one had ever brought the kind of the message which the Prophet (SAW) had been sent that people had not turned down. But the sage gave his words of solidarity and support when the time would come in order to allay the fear in the Prophet (SAW). However, not quite long after, Waraqatu ibn Naofal passed on. It is unclear whether or not Waraqatu ibn Naofal died a Muslim.

The Prophet (SAW) quietly began his message among the people of Mecca who were deeply rooted in paganism at the time. The people were fond of bragging among themselves with the vanities of this world. The people used to take such practice as far as initiating personal enmity between individuals, between households and family groups. They used to go as far as whiping up sentiments of war among towns and communities. The Prophet (SAW) began by making the people abandon their old, sinful ways of life. He would privately talk to the people and encourage them to start doing only what was good in the sight of Allah (SWT).

Thhe wife of the Prophet (SAW), Nana Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, was the first ever to be redeemed into Islam. Next is the youthful Aliyy ibn Abi Talib. Aside from others who were adult relatives to the Prophet (SAW), Abu-Bakri ibn Abu Qubafah also got redeemed as a Muslim. He was a close associate of the Prophet (SAW). Also among the very early Muslims were Uthman ibn Affan, Zubayr ibn Awwam, Saad ibn AbiWaqas and Talhatu ibn Ubaedul-Lahi.

The Prophet (SAW) reached out to the people of Mecca with the Message quietly for the first three years of his prophethood. Then the commandment of Allah (SWT) came to the Prophet (SAW) to project the Message in the public domain (Surah Al-Hijir, Qur’an 15:94). The Prophet (SAW) therefore invited the general public to a venue for an address. The turnout was great. He began to address the people with a poser that “Would you all believe me if I said to you that a horse shall come out from this pit-hole?” They all replied, “Of course, yes! You have not for once been found to be a liar.” The Prophet thus went on to declare, “I have come to admonish and at the same time warn you to be saved from the impending doom and punishment.” The most uncomplimentary response to the speech of the Prophet (SAW) was from one Abu-Lahab. And it was on this account that Allah (SWT), among whose attributes are Ad-Darr (the Afflictor), Al-Manie (the Defender) and Al-Muntaqim (the Avenger) descended heavily on Abu-Lahab with the revelation in Surah Al-Masad, Qur’an 111:1-5.

The Message began to spread in earnest. The Message and the Messenger were now in the public domain. The Quraesh tribesmen started to hatch evil machination against the Prophet (SAW) and other faithful. A particular tormentor of no equal who spearheaded the incessant attack on the Prophet (SAW) was a man nicknamed Abu Jahii. His name was Amru ibn Hisham ibn Mugirah. Another instance was Abu-Lahab’s wicked attempt to crush the Prophet (SAW) to death with a very huge rock he carried looking for the Prophet (SAW) who was in the Sajd (prostrating) position at Solat. Allah (SWT) made Abu-Lahab too feeble to carry out his diabolic plan. He was put to shame by Allah (SWT).

Many of the companions of the Prophet (SAW) were tormented and persecuted by the enemies for holding on to Allah (SWT) with strong faith (eeman). Some of these faithful companions of the Prophet (SAW) so persecuted were Bilal ibn Rabah, a slave to Umayatu ibn Khalaf, Hamamatu ibn Bilal, Amiru ibn Fuhaerata and Abu Fukaehatu, a slave to Safwan ibn Umayat. Zunaeratu, a woman faithful was tortured by the Quraesh tormentors so much that she lost her sight. Abu Bakri had to free a woman-slave, Umm-Absi whose owner, Aswad ibn AbdYagus, mercilessly treated. Amaratu ibn Yasir and his entire family members were tortured with naked fire. The Prophet (SAW) would pass by the household every time to say words of admonition and encouragement to Yasir and his family. The Prophet (SAW) would remind them of Allah’s (SWT) unfailing promise of Paradise (Jahn’nah) as the ultimate solace. Meanwhile, virtually all the Saa’ahbah (the Prophet’s close associates and companions who chose to dedicate themselves and every resource they had to the cause of propagation of Islam) became endangered species at the hands of the Quraesh tribe.

The situation worsened and the Sah’ahbah were admonished by the Prophet (SAW) to flee to Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia). The ruler of Abyssinia was An-Najashiy (Emperor Negus) a good-natured fellow who tolerated the exiled Muslims in his country. This was the first Hijrah of the Muslim pioneers.

Three months later, they attempted to return to Mecca with greater challenges in their way. However, they continued with patience and perseverance upon which they improved in eeman (very strong faith in Allah, SWT). As time passed, the Muslims in Mecca concluded among themselves, with the consent of the Prophet (SAW), to return en masse on the second Hijrah to Abyssinia. The wisdom in their decision was to allow for communal life and brotherhood in togetherness in a foreign country. They were convinced that they were secure and in relative freedom to practice their faith, Al-Islam as against what obtained in Mecca. Thus, a total number of 56 first-generation Muslims made the return journey to Abyssinia. There were 38 men and 18 women of the congregation. Very prominent among them were Jaafar ibn Abu-Talib with his wife and Miqdad with Abdul-Lahi ibn Ma-sud.

But the Quraesh tribesmen would not relent in their bid to victimise the followers of the Prophet (SAW). They had to send Amru ibn Hisham ibn Magirah (Abu Jahii) and Amarat ibn Wahlid to meet with Emperor An-Najashiy (Emperor Negus) of Abyssinia in an attempt to poison his mind against the Prophet (SAW) and his followers. They offered valued gift items as bribe to the emperor in order to make him evict the Muslims from his country. Again, the Quraesh and their emissaries to Abyssinia were utterly shamed by Allah (SWT). As a backlash of this monumental disgrace, the Quraesh enforced a clampdown on the tribe of Banu-Hashim for a period of three years.

It was barely after this excruciating experience of the clampdown that the inevitable occurred. It was coincidentally three years to the Prophet’s (SAW) migration with companions to the city of Madinah (Hijirah), that Nana Khadijah bint Khuwaelid, the Prophet’s (SAW) first wife, passed on. Her demise made the Prophet (SAW) downcast and emotionally disturbed. Nana Khadijah bint Khuwaelid (RA) was inspirational to the Prophet (SAW) in all ramifications in the cause of entrenching the faith of Islam as spear-headed by the Prophet (SAW). She provided the needed emotional and psychological support at all times in order to instill courage and self-confidence in the Prophet (SAW) as humanly as possible. She was equally ready to make available all resources needed to push the struggle of the propagation of Al-Islam.