Seerah

Bismillah.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an,

Translation: It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom although they were before in clear error. [Suratul Jumu’ah, verse 2]

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sent Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) to do four things:

After the battle of Uhud, ‘Aisha (رضالله عنها) lost her necklace; so while the Muslim army moved forward, she stayed behind to find it. The army had a lost-and-found guy–Sawfan ibn Mu’atib (رضالله عنه)–who travelled behind the army and picked up lost items. So when he saw her, he immediately said la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no might or power except Allah), hopped off his camel, and let her go on it. Not one word passed between them (as they narrated later).

In the eight year after Hijrah (8AH), the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and his companions conquered Mecca–without a single sword-swing. 10,000 Muslim warriors arrived at the gates, and the inhabitants of Mecca raised their arms in surrender.

The norm during those days was that when a land is conquered, ALL its people are killed, and its women and children are taken as slaves and property. So when the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) conquered Mecca, the Meccans became frightened. And they should’ve been–this is the man who they slandered, tortured, ridiculed, persecuted, and fought for 21 years.

During the 23 years of revelation, the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) had many supporters and opponents, including his two uncles–Abu Talib (the father of Ali (رضالله عنه)), and Abdul ‘Uzza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, aka Abu Lahab.

Subhanallah, even within two uncles of the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم), we see great differences. Compare and constrast them:

Abu Talib:

• Extended his protection to his nephew, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), even though the Quresh wanted to kill him
• Wrote strong, emotional poetry during the boycott of Mecca in order to move people towards nullifying it
• Commanded his sons to sleep in the Prophet’s (صلي الله عليه وسلم) bed at night, so that if any assassins came, the sons would die instead of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم)
• The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said regarding him: because of me, he will be in the lightest part of the Hellfire.

Abu Lahab:

The Shepherd’s Path is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef.

While many of us claim to love the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم), few of us follow his path, and fewer still know more then snatches of information about him. How did he live, and how did he die? What key lesson did the angel Jibreel send by squeezing him three times before the first revelation? What deep and profound lessons can we learn and apply from his life, to our current situation? What would he do if he were in our position today?

When the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) appeared on the scene in Mecca to proclaim the message of Islam, the Muslims faced ridicule, mockery, opposition, propoganda, and even severe torture up to the point of death–to the point where Muslims would walk through the streets, see their brothers and sisters being severely tortured in front of their eyes.

And Allah revealed the commandment not to fight back. Not in Mecca, not for ten years until they migrated to Medinah.

When the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) arrived in Medina, he built a masjid before doing anything else! The masjids the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) built were more than places to pray! Their functions included:

1. A place for children: not a place where they cried and ran around but a place where they were accommodated. There are several narrations of how when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) was praying, the children would come and climb on his back or he (صلي الله عليه وسلم) would hold them while praying salah. The masjid was a cool place to hang out, it was where they learned the basic adaab and akhlaaq and principles of the Muslim society.
2. Educational Center: The masjid acted as a school where the Sahaba were educated and were encouraged to learn more.
   • Organization of the community: the masjid is where all the organizational events took place. It was in the masjid where the Sahaba learnt to become organized people – how the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) would walk between the saff of the Muslims before every salah, to straighten and correct their saffs.
   • Hospital: Many who were wounded or sick were tended in the masjid, such as Sa’d ibn Mu’adh (رضي الله عنه) after the Battle of Khandaq.
   • Shelter: it was a shelter for the poor and needy (nicknamed As-Saffa). This is where people would bring in dates and hang them on the wall of the masjid, so any hungry person could eat from them.
   • Social life: The Muslims met each other at the masjid five times a day, they got to know each other and were able to actively participate in each others’ lives. If someone was missing, they understood that there was a problem, so they would ask about it. Likewise, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) used to sit with the companions after Fajr sometimes and ask them about their dreams.
   • Think-Tank: The masjid is where shura and brainstorming took place.
   • Welcome Centre: Chiefs, delegations and visitors were all met and welcomed at the masjid.
   • Serenity Spa: if someone had anything bothering them, they would go to the masjid. Like the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم)–when he was upset with his wives, he went to the masjid. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) would call to Bilal (رضي الله عنه) to make the adhaan and start the prayer.
   • Bedouin Retreat: Bedouins would come, sit in the majalis, learn the Qur’an, ask their questions, go back home, and teach their people the deen. Whole tribes became Muslim from one or two bedouins!

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  References
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<p class="reference">
  Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. <a href="/shepherds-path/">The Shepherd&#8217;s Path</a>. University of Ryerson, Toronto. March 2007.
</p>

Another important gem we learn from the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and the early generations is that power comes with conciseness.

During the time of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), he received a letter from a man named Musaylimah, who claimed prophethood as well, and wished to divide up the area. In response, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) wrote:

“From Muhammad the Messenger of Allah to Musaylimah the liar. To proceed. Verily, the land belongs to Allah, and He inherits it to whom he wishes. And the outcome will always be for the believers.”

Pain is often an instigator of change. Pain works as one method to break people out of their cycles or mindsets.

Look at the story of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. In Mecca, before he became Muslim, he was one of the toughest on the Muslims.

One of his relatives, Umm Abdullah, prepared to leave for Habasha. He asked “where are you going?” and she said “To Habasha. I’m leaving Mecca because of the tightening you’ve put on us.” And he said “may you travel in peace.”

Before the battle of Uhud, when the Muslims were preparing and such, the Prophet, peace be upon him, lifted up his sword and said “who will fight with my sword?”

And all the sahaba were like “me, me”, like “pick me”. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) put down his sword. Their emotions were raised.

The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) raised it again and said “who will take my sword and give it the haq (right) due to the sword?”