Seerah- taught by sister Yumna (6th September,2013)

In The Name Of Allah

Dated: September 6, 2013

Sirrat of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)

The Lesson's main points:

1- The prophet's relation with the message and the people whom he should deliver this message. (The end of the introduction)

2-Arab before Islam (according to their religions, traditions and their geography)

1- By the relation between the prophet (PBUH) and the message, the author means the prophet's role. Is he like a leader of a country or a tribe? Did he control it only according to his orders? Was his relation with the people who believed in the oneness of Allah and believed in him as the last prophet separated or it continued on the right path? Can he like any Pope give or grant forgiveness and mercy?

The answer of all these questions is: No, of course not. That's because when Allah sent the prophet (PBUH) He only sent him to open the doors for the open-minded and intelligent people to understand what was and what would be. And that's why He sent the Quran to help him to guide people to goodness and inspire them with uprightness. The prophet (PBUH) is not a leader of a country or a tribe to connect people around him they go away and give up going on his message. He (PBUH) represented a stage in the evolution of mankind. Thus whether Muhammad (PBUH) remained or went away. This will not affect the real message. His prophecy's end is not to collect people around him and then they will either lose their conscious after his death, or lose their faith. So people who recognize the true faith in their lives, have definitely acknowledged Muhammad (PBUH), have taken shelter under his banner, even if they have never seen nor lived with their guide.

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Gracious:

(O Mankind! Verily there has come to you a convincing proof [Prophet Muhammad] from your Rabb, we sent down to you a manifest light [This Quran]. So as for those who believed in Allah and held fast to Him, He will admit them to His Mercy and Grace [i.e. Paradise], and guide them to Himself by the Straight Path) (Quran 4:174-175)

(يا أيها الناس قد جاءكم برهان من ربكم و أنزلنا إليكم نورا مبينا. فأما الذين أمنوا بالله و اعتصموا به فسيدخلهم فى رحمة منه و فضل و يهديهم إليه صراطا مستقيما.)(النساء )

         

The author then gives a good example about the people who seek the proximity to the prophet's grave and want to spend their lives beside it. They make their relation with the prophet of Islam (PBUH) weaker than the web of a spider. What do they gain from being beside his grave?

Those who understand the message and live it beyond the sands and the seas know the secret of the prophet (PBUH) better than those who prefer being beside his grave. It is a spiritual and mental proximity not a materialistic one that forms a strong bond between the prophet (PBUH) and his followers. This explains the difference between the Muslims who understand the message well and those who do not take from the message except its external cloth and not its internal core. That's why we say that you never love for Allah's sake unless you first know Allah. The natural sequence is that before anything else you should know who your Rabb is and what is your faith. This consequently will help you to reach to the true faith, evaluate the level of this faith increases or decreases according to the strong base you know, and appreciate the kindness of the one who conveyed the message of Allah and this is the meaning of Hadith:"Love Allah for the bounties He provides you with and love me for the love of Allah"

And also the meaning of the Quran verse:

(Say [o Muhammad to mankind]: If you really love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. Allah often is oft-Forgiving, All-Merciful) (Quran 3:31)

"قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعونى يحببكم الله و يغفر لكم ذنوبكم و الله غفور رحيم"(أل عمران)

Thus and from that we can conclude that the prophet's role is not a gateway to mercy and not to drag you to paradise with a rope, his task is only to implant insight into your heart and open your eyes on the right path and his means to do this is the book which is easy to remember and safe from deviation, Quran, that falsehood can never approach either from in front or behind.

So if the message of prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is an eternal, general and global message, the people who follow this message should know quite well the difference between someone who guides you and give you a chance to think end take decision and the one who force you or convince you that mercy in only in is hand and you cannot reach to your Rabb gate without his help. And there is also a great difference between the one who loves Allah and the Prophet by applying this love practically and tried to be like the prophet in our life and the one who only say the word of love without changing his love to a practical one.

Arabs at the advent of Islam

1-The Arabian Peninsula:

It is enclosed by the Red Sea from the west and Sinai, the Arabian Gulf in the east, in the south by the Arabian Sea; the extension of the Indian Ocean, and in the north by old Syria and part of Iraq. It is about a million and a quarter square miles.

This geographical position has a great importance according to its internal setting; it is mostly deserts and sandy places. Some people may say what's the importance of such a sandy place with no water and settled people, but tribes that depended more on immigration from a place to another searching for water and fields? But it is a very important place to be the home of a prophet and a messenger not just that it is a place where there is Kabba and it should be safe from invaders and foreigners. This environment allowed its people to live in independence and liberty through the ages, despite the presence of two great neighboring empires. On the other hand it had become the centre of trade, culture, religion and art because of its external setting with seas and most nations at times which makes this deserted place a strategic one.

2-Tribes who lived in Mecca before Islam:

Over the years Ishmael's children (PBUH); the son of Ibrahim; father of prophets (PBUH), had children. His descendants increased and formed tribes which spread out all over Arabia. One of these tribes was called Qurayesh. Its people never moved away from Mecca and always lived near the Kabba. One of the duties of the leader of Qurayesh was to look after those who came on pilgrimage to the Kabba. The Pilgrims would come from all over Arabia and it was a great honor to provide them with food and water.

As time passed however, the Arab stopped worshipping Allah directly and started bringing idols with them from the different countries the visited. These idols were placed at Kabba;which was no longer regarded as wholly and sanctuary of Allah, as Ibrahim (PBUH) had intended it. It was, however, respected by Arabs. Around this time the well of Zamzam disappeared beneath the sand. Qusayy was one of the leaders of Mecca at that time and he was responsible of taking care of Kabba and the pilgrims. After his death, his son Abdu Manaf who was famous during his father's life took over the leadership of Quraysh. After him came his son Hashim who was the first to begin the two great journeys or caravans of Quraysh, one to Syria and the north in the summer and another one to Yemen and the south in the winter. As result Mecca grew rich and became an important centre of trade.

One summer Hashim went north to buy goods to sell in Yemen. On his way he stopped in Yathrib and there he saw a beautiful woman. She was Salma, the daughter of Amr Ibn Zeid,who was from a much respected family. He proposed to her and was accepted because he was an honorable man.

In time, Salma gave birth to a beautiful son and as some of his hair was white they called him shaybah,which in Arabic means grey-haired.

They stayed in the cooler, healthier climate of Yathrib, while Hashim returned to Mecca, but he would visit them from time to time with his caravans to the north. During one of these journeys, Hashim became ill and died. However, Shaybah, a handsome son grew up in his uncle's house and he was proud of being the son of Hashim Ibn Abdi Manaf, the head of Quraysh, guardian of Kabba and protector of the pilgrims.

After Hashim's death his brother Al Muttalib took over his duties. He traveled to Yathrib to see his nephew,Shaybah, and decided that as the boy would one day inherit his father 's place, the time come for him to live in Mecca. It was hard for his mother, to let him go with his uncle but she finally realized that it was for his best.Al Muttalib returned to Mecca, entering the city at noon on his camel with Shaybah behind him. When people saw the boy they thought he was a slave and pointing at him saying Abd-ul Muttalib as "abd" in Arabic means slave.

Al Muttalib told them that he is his nephew and not a slave and from that time on they called him Abd-ul Muttalib. On the death of Al Muttalib, Abd-ul Muttalib took his place. He became the most respected member of his family admired by all people. He was, however, unlike those Arabs who had given up the teachings of Ibrahim (PBUH).

Summary of the lesson:

1- The bond that ties Allah, Prophet (PBUH), the message and the people who believe in Islam.

2-The geographical features of the Arabian Peninsula.

3- The tribes lived in Mecca especially the one from which the prophet(PBUH) descended.