Biography / The Life of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)

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Mecca before Islam

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the messenger of Allah and the last prophet, was born in the city of Mecca. Mecca is in the west of the Arabian Peninsula, which lies between Asia, Europe and Africa, within the Hejaz region. It is important to be aware of the history of Mecca, the Kaaba and the Quraishi tribe to understand the life of the Prophet.

The known history of Mecca dates back to the time of Prophet Abraham, but there is not much information about any earlier history. Prophet Abraham brought his son Ishmael, who was an infant, and his wife Hagar to Mecca on the order of Allah, leaving them there to return to Palestine.

The valley of Mecca is described as an "uncultivable valley" (Abraham 14/37), being a desert with a hot, dry climate. Thus, Hagar and Ishmael were soon thirsty. According to religious accounts, just as Hagar, who had been running between the Safa and Marwa Hills in order to find water, had become desperate and abandoned hope for her son's life, a source of water sprung from under the feet of her son. The source was an abundant spring called the zamzam and subsequently became a stopping-off place for caravans. After a certain time, the Jurhum tribe from Yemen settled in the outer sections of Mecca. Ishmael learned Arabic from them and married a girl from this tribe.

Prophet Abraham, who was living in Palestine, paid occasional visits to Hagar and Ishmael. On his third visit to Mecca, Prophet Abraham, in accordance with the order of Allah, began to construct the Kaaba with his son Ishmael. It can be understood from certain verses of the Holy Quran (al-Baqarah 2/127; Al-Imran 3/96; Al-Hajj 22/26) that the Kaaba had existed before the time of Abraham; however it had been destroyed and its location was obliterated over time until Prophet Abraham once again found its place and rebuilt it.1 Although there is no information about who built the Kaaba before Abraham, it is recorded in some sources that it was built by Prophet Adam or his son Seth. When Prophet Abraham completed the construction of the Kaaba, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and taught him how to perform the pilgrimage (hajj).

The administration of Mecca and the Kaaba, which had been the duty of Ishmael, passed to the Jurhum tribe after him. The Jurhum tribe first accepted the religion conveyed by Ishmael, but they deviated with time, performing immoral acts, stealing gifts that were brought to the Kaaba, and not treating the people who came to the city for pilgrimage well. After a certain time, the Khuza'ah tribe, which had migrated to Mecca from Southern Arabia, defeated the Jurhum tribe in a battle and removed them from the city. The Jurhum tribe returned back to Yemen, their homeland, after removing the Hajarul Aswad (Black Stone) from its place and covering over the zamzam well to disguise its location. The Ishmaelites did not take part in the battle, due to their small number, and they continued to stay in the city after concluding an agreement with the Khuza'ah tribe. Amr bin Luhay, one of the leading figures of the Khuza'ah tribe, broke the tradition of monotheism and allowed for the emergence of idolatry when he took over the administration of Mecca and the Kaaba.

Quraishis under the leadership of Qusay bin Kilab, an ancestor of Prophet Muhammad five generations removed, took over the administration of Mecca in the first part of the fifth century by after defeating the Khuza'ah tribe. Accordingly, the services of the Kaaba, which represented great honor and respect, passed to the Quraishis. Qusay gathered together the Quraishi branches, which were living around Mecca, and he placed them around the Kaaba. Also by performing the necessary regulations, Qusay gained control of the following services: the administration of Mecca (the administration of Darunnadwa-Council of the Meccan infidels) commander-in-chief (kiyada), flagmanship (liva), maintenance of the Kaaba, security of the Kaaba's door and keys (hijaba or sidana), supply of water to the pilgrims (sikaya), and accommodation for the pilgrims (rifada). The Darunnadwa which was built by him continued its existence up to the Islamic period as a meeting place where important issues were discussed and various ceremonies were held.

The administration of Mecca and the services of the Kaaba were continued by the descendants of Qusay bin Kilab after his death. Hashim bin Abdumanaf, the grandson of Qusay and an ancestor of Prophet Muhammad three generations removed, worked hard to provide food and water for both the pilgrims who came to Mecca and the Quraishi tribe.

Hashim, known for his generosity, and his brothers Abdushems and Nawfal made trade agreements with Byzantium, Yemen, Ethiopia and Iran. They also signed nonaggression pacts with the tribes along the trade routes.


Accordingly, trade in Mecca gained international importance. The Quraishis were able to make journeys for trade without threat to Yemen and Ethiopia in the winter, and to Syria and through Anatolia in the summer because of the prestige they had won from the performance of the Kaaba services. On his way to Syria, Hashim went to Yathrib (Medina) and stayed there for a while, marrying Salma, the daughter of Amr bin Zayd from Najjarian. Abdulmuttalib (Shayba), the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, was their child. Hashim died in Gazza in Palestine during his travels, and he was buried there. Abdulmuttalib stayed in Medina for eight years and later was brought to Mecca by his uncle Muttalib. Abdulmuttalib was raised by his uncle and his uncle transferred the leadership of the tribe to him before his death. After a dream, Abdulmuttalib located the place of the zamzam well that had been covered by the Jurhum tribe before they left Mecca, and he reopened the well. He undertook the duty of bringing food and water to the pilgrims.

The religious and commercial importance of Mecca, in addition to its geographical location, caught the attention of states such as Byzantium, Iran (Sassanian) and Ethiopia. Abraha, the Yemeni governor of the kingdom of Ethiopia, built a church in San'a to try to prevent the visits of the Arabs to the Kaaba. When this attempt failed, he decided to destroy the Kaaba and abolish Mecca's status as a religious center by invading it and stopping the trade activities of the people there. Abraha and his army came as far as the area surrounding Mecca with his army and stayed there. The grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, Abdulmuttalib, who was the leader of the Hashimite branch of the Quraishis, met Abraha and reminded him that the Owner of the Kaaba, which was known as Baytullah (the House of Allah) would protect it. Abraha ordered his soldiers to strike, but the elephant in front of his army refused to take a step towards the Kaaba. According to Surah Fil (105/1-5) his army was destroyed by small stones that were dropped by birds flying overhead which had been sent by Allah. This incident was called the Incident of the Elephant, and the year in which it occurred was called the Year of the Elephant. The fact that Abraha's attempt failed caused the Arabs to give more importance to the pilgrimage than was ever seen before. As a result, the prestige of Mecca and the Quraishis was raised.


Mecca was the leading city of the three prominent cities of the Hejaz region, the other two being Yathrib (Medina) and Taif. Mecca, the intersection point on the roads that lead to Yemen to the south, the Mediterranean to the north, the Persian Gulf to the west, and the Red Sea port of Jeddah to the west, was located at an economically strategic point. Moreover, the Kaaba was located in the city, thus making the city the center of religion in Arabia. People from all parts of Arabia would come to visit the Kaaba during certain months of the year and trade activities would be heightened in the city. People would set up fair grounds and poetry competitions would be held. As Mecca was unsuitable for agriculture, due to geographical conditions, trade constituted the essence of business life.

Like the rest of the Arabian Peninsula in general, idolatry was also prevalent in Mecca. The number of idols in the Kaaba and its surroundings was 360; the biggest of these idols was Hubal, the most important Quraishi idol. In addition to this, there were idols in most of the houses. Arabs accepted that Allah was the creator and ruler of the skies and the earth, but they worshiped the idols, which they thought could bring them closer to Allah. They deviated from the monotheistic belief that commanded they worship Allah alone, and thus they committed the sin of shirka (idolatry) by associating partners with Allah. Yet, although their numbers were not great in Mecca, there were the Hanifs who still practiced the monotheistic belief that had been introduced by Prophet Abraham.
 

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The Birth of Prophet Muhammad

The Birth of Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born in the city of Mecca, which is located in the Hejaz region on the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. His exact date of birth is not known. The reason for this is that no particular calendar was used among the Arabs at that time. According to common opinion, he was born 50 to 55 days after the Incident of the Elephant in the month of Rabi' al-awwal on a Monday. Different estimates state that the date of birth of Prophet Muhammad was April 20, (Rabi' al-awwal 9) 571 or June 17, (Rabi' al-awwal 12) 569 Monday. The first one was suggested by the Egyptian astronomer Mahmud Pasha al-Falaki (1302/1885), and the second date was suggested by the famous Islamic scholar of our time Muhammad Hamidullah (2002).

The father of Prophet Muhammad was Abdullah bin Abdulmuttalib from the Banu Hashim branch of the Quraishis, and his mother was Amina, the daughter of Vahb bin Abdumanaf, who was a member of the Banu Zuhra branch of the Quraishi tribe. The Prophet was their only child.


The father of the Prophet, Abdullah, was a handsome young man admired by his friends. He had a beauty and brightness in his face that the other young men lacked. This is considered to be the "light of nubuvvat" (the light of prophethood, Nur-i Muhammadi) that belongs to Prophet Muhammad. Some accounts assert that when the father of Abdullah (the grandfather of the Prophet) Abdulmuttalib found the Zamzam Well and repaired it, some of the prominent members of the Quraishis tried to ridicule and humiliate him. At that time, Abdulmuttalib had only one son, Haris, and he was defenseless against them. He said that if he had ten sons he would sacrifice one as a votive. Later on, his wish came true and he had ten sons. In his dream, he was reminded of what he had sworn and Abdulmuttalib decided to draw lots among his sons to determine which one would be sacrificed. Abdullah, his youngest, was chosen.

Abdulmuttalib decided to sacrifice him but many people opposed him, especially his daughters. While deciding how to perform his sacrifice, he received some advice that he should draw a lot between Abdullah and ten camels, which were sacrificial animals at that time. But again Abdullah was chosen. Abdulmuttalib continued to draw lots, each time increasing the number of camels by ten. When the number of camels reached 100, the camels were chosen and Abdulmuttalib sacrificed these 100 camels. In this way, he saved his beloved son Abdullah. Prophet Muhammad once said "I am the son of two sacrifices" referring to the sacrifices, both of which were prevented, of his father Abdullah and his ancestor Ishmael, son of Abraham. Abdullah refused many marriage proposals in his adolescence and eventually on his father's advice he married Amina, the daughter of Vahb. Abdullah was eighteen years old when he married. While he was on his way back from Syria, where he had gone for purposes of trade, he stopped in Yathrib (Medina) and visited Adi bin Najjar, his father's uncle.

However, Abdullah became ill and died after staying with his relatives for a month; he was buried in Yathrib. When he learned of Abdullah's condition, Abdulmuttalib sent his elder son Haris to Yathrib, but Abdullah had died before Haris arrived in the city. The Prophet was thus born without a father. Most Islamic scholars believe that Abdullah did not suffer any pain in the afterlife and that he was granted deliverance as he did not live to see the prophethood of his son.

Amina, the mother of Prophet Muhammad, held a place of respect among the Quraishi girls. Her father Vahb was a prominent member of the Zuhra tribe. Abdulmuttalib and his son Abdullah asked for Amina's hand from her father, or according to another account, from her uncle Vuhayb.

According to the traditions of those times, the first three days of the marriage the couple stayed in Amina's house. It is believed that the light of the prophethood on Abdullah's forehead was passed to Amina. Islamic sources state that some supernatural incidents happened during Amina's pregnancy. According to one account, Amina had a dream during her pregnancy and she was told in this dream that she would give birth to an important person and she was told to name this child Muhammad or Ahmad. Some accounts assert that Amina felt no pain during delivery. A famous account tells that Prophet Muhammad was born already circumcised. When he learned that his grandson had been born Abdulmuttalib held a banquet; during this banquet Abdulmuttalib named the baby Muhammad. Abdulmuttalib said that he had named him Muhammad so that people would remember him with kindness.
 

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The Prophet's Childhood and Adolescence

The Prophet's Childhood and Adolescence

After his birth Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stayed with his mother Amina, and then, per tradition, he was handed over to his wet-nurse. The purpose of giving children to a wet nurse was so that they would be raised in the desert, which was a healthier place to grow up in comparison to the city and so that they would learn fluent Arabic. In accordance with this tradition, Prophet Muhammad was given to Halima bint Abu Zuayb, who was a member of the Sa'd bin bakr branch of the Havazin tribe. In a year of famine, Halima had gone to Mecca with her husband and other Bedouin women who earned their lives by nursing; however, she was unable to find a child from a rich family to nurse. But when she learned that Muhammad had lost his father she did not hesitate to take him, and she agreed to be his wet nurse so that she would not return home empty-handed. After two years, Prophet Muhammad was brought back to Mecca by his wet-nurse Halima, however Amina wanted her child to stay with Halima for a little longer, as she believed that the desert air was good for her child, and according to some accounts, there was a plague in Mecca. Prophet Muhammad stayed with his wet nurse until he was five or six and then he was brought to Mecca and handed over to his mother. The husband of Prophet Muhammad's wet nurse was Harith bin Abduluzza. The couple had sons called Abdullah, Unaysa and Shayma.


According to what has been reported, after receiving the care of Prophet Muhammad, Halima and Harith became wealthier; their camels and sheep began to provide much more milk than before. In addition to this, it is said in the sources that the shakk-i sadr incident occurred during time when Prophet Muhammad was staying with his nursing mother. This was an event in which two angels came down to earth, cut open Muhammad's chest, took out his heart and purified it from all evils, washing it with heavenly water and then putting it back in its place. It is recorded that when Halima and Harith learned about this incident they were very anxious as they were unable to explain some extraordinary characteristics of Muhammad that they had witnessed many times before; they now thought that it would be better for the child to be back with his family.

When Prophet Muhammad reached the age of six, his mother Amina started to take care of him with her helper Ummu Ayman and took him to Yathrib (Medina). While there, they visited the grave of Abdullah and the members of the Banu Najjar, who were relatives of Abdulmuttalib's mother.

After staying in Yathrib for a month, Amina became ill and died, at a young age, on the way back to Mecca in Abva, located 190 km from Medina. It is said that before her death, Amina looked at her little child and said: "All living people die. Everything new gets old. Everything that is in abundance grows less. Everything large disappears and I will die too, but I will always be remembered, because I leave my son to the world as a fine future."

After his mother's death, Muhammad was an orphan and was brought back to Mecca by Ummu Ayman and given to his grandfather Abdulmuttalib. Prophet Muhammad revisited Abva in the sixth year after the migration (628 AD) and visited his mother's grave. During this visit, he repaired the grave with his own hands and cried when remembering the affection and compassion of his mother. Affected by his grief, the Companions could not hold back their tears and cried with him.

Abdulmuttalib took great care of Muhammad, as he was a precious gift from his son Abdullah, who had died at an early age. He would sit at the table with Muhammad, and from time to time took him to the divan that was under the shadow of the wall of the Kaaba; he took his grandson to the meetings in Darunnadva over which he presided, and he tried to provide the child with a fatherly compassion and love in order so that he would not miss that which would have been given to him by his parents.


When Abdulmuttalib was over eighty he handed the custody and protection of his grandson Muhammad to the boy's uncle, Abu Talib, and then the old man passed away. Abu Talib was the brother of Prophet Muhammad's father. Abu Talib loved his nephew more than his own children, believing that the child had brought fortune to the family and he made great efforts to raise him well. He would take Muhammad with him on his journeys. When Abu Talib decided to go to Syria for trade, Muhammad was about nine (or twelve) years old and he wanted to accompany his uncle. When his nephew insisted on this, Abu Talip agreed to take the boy with him. The caravan stopped in Busra, which is inside the borders of Syria. A monk called Bahira, who was living in a monastery, invited the caravan for a meal. Bahira told Abu Talib that Muhammad could be the prophet who had been described in the Bible and called attention to some of the dangers that he might encounter, advising Abu Talib to protect the boy well. Upon this, Abu Talib ended the journey and returned to Mecca.

It is known that when Prophet Muhammad was about ten years old he worked as a shepherd for a while in order to help his uncle Abu Talib, who had a large family. After becoming prophet he would refer to this time, saying, "There has never been a prophet who did not herd sheep". When the Companions around him asked, "Did you herd sheep Holy Prophet?" he replied, "Yes. I herded the sheep of Mecca".

Abu Talib's wife Fadima bint Asad took great care of Muhammad, caring for him more than her own children. After the Prophet grew up, he never forgot the good deeds of his aunt. He would visit her in her house in Medina and sometimes would sleep there in the afternoons. When his aunt passed away, the Prophet was very sad and made a shroud for her from his own shirt, personally leading her funeral prayer. When speaking of his sadness about her death, he showed his loyalty with the following words: "I was a child who was in need of her custody. She would feed me even if her children were hungry. She would leave her children and comb my hair.

She was like my mother." Abu Talib stayed with his nephew after he became a prophet and although Prophet Muhammad's persistent requests that Abu Talib accept Islam were never answered, Abu Talib did his best to protect Prophet Muhammad, both as a child and later when he became prophet.

There were frequent wars between the Arab tribes in the Age of Ignorance. The Prophet had to join in such a war when he was an adolescent. The most reliable account states that the Prophet and uncles participated in the great battle that broke out between the Quraishi-Kinane and Qays-Aylan alliances, but that he did not actually fight in the war, rather protecting the belongings of his uncles, deflecting arrows with his shield and then collecting them to give to his uncles. It is thought that he was either fourteen, fifteen, seventeen or twenty years old at that time.

Prophet Muhammad participated in a meeting when he was twenty for an agreement known as the Hilf al-Fudul. The Hilf al-Fudul was drawn up to prevent injustices that were being practiced against the weak and weary people who came to Mecca for pilgrimage or trade, and to prevent the tribal wars that frequently broke out. The Hilf al-Fudul was drawn up under the auspices of Zubayr bin Abdulmuttalib, Prophet Muhammad's uncle, and under the leadership of Jud'an at-Taymi, the richest, oldest and most influential tribal leader in Mecca.

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The term Hilf al-Fudul means "the alliance of the virtuous". The people who joined in this movement swore that they would protect everyone, be they natives or strangers, who encountered injustice and that they would act as one and help each other financially to ensure that these people got what they deserved. Prophet Muhammad talked about this alliance, praising it, and said: "I was present in Abdullah bin Judan's house when they concluded a pact so excellent that I would not change my part in it even for a herd of red camels; if I was asked now, in Islam, to take part in it, I would gladly agree." According to an account by Balazuri, in the Islamic period Abu Jahil refused to pay the price of something that he had purchased from a man who was a member of the Arash. A polytheist who knew the hostility of Abu Jahil towards the Prophet jokingly told the aggrieved trader that he could apply to the Prophet who was in the Kaaba and that the Prophet would give him his money back. Upon hearing these words, the trader went to the Kaaba, explained the situation to Prophet Muhammad and asked for his help. The Prophet went to Abu Jahil's house and took the money without any confrontation.

Prophet Muhammad made his living through trade, like many of the Quraishis in Mecca. Prophet Muhammad embarked on his career in trade by helping Abu Talib, who was involved in trade in cloth and grain. Prophet Muhammad continued this trade when his uncle became older. It is known that Prophet Muhammad traveled to various places for purposes of trade.


It is known that Muhammad went to the Hubasha emporium when he was a teenager, to Yemen once or twice, to the Mushakkar and Daba emporiums in eastern Arabia, and even to Ethiopia. As a result of these journeys, Prophet Muhammad not only learned about the necessities of commercial life, but also became acquainted with the people living in certain regions of Arabia, and learned about their languages, dialects, religions, and political and social conditions. In all sources it is stated that Prophet Muhammad lived an honest life and remained removed from the wrong-doings in the Age of Ignorance. At the age of twenty-five, he was known as Muhammadu'l-amin or Al-Amin (the Trustworthy) because of his decency, bravery, compassion, fairness, and his honesty and reliability in trade. The Meccan trader Qays bin Saib stated that he had made many deals with Prophet Muhammad but that he had never come across a partner in trade who was better than he. He said: "When he set out on a journey, I would give him some transactions to carry out for me. After the journey he would not return to his house until he had told me about the transactions to satisfy me. In contrast, when I set out on a journey travel and he gave some transactions to carry out, upon my return he would ask only whether I was healthy and in good condition, unlike other people, who asked me questions about trade."
 

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The Prophet's Marriage to Khadijah

The Prophet's Marriage to Khadijah Khadijah was the daughter of Khuwaylid bin Asad, a prominent member of the Quraishis. Her grandfather Qusay was related to ancestors of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Khadijah, who was married twice before marrying the Prophet, was a noble, beautiful and rich woman. She received many marriage proposals after the death of her second husband, but she refused all these proposals.

Khadijah made her living by carrying out trade with people whom she considered reliable. Upon advice, Khadijah contracted a partnership agreement with Prophet Muhammad, who was known as a decent and reliable young man. She asked him to go to Syria for trade with her slave Maysarah. This journey to Syria was very successful in terms of trade. Khadijah was very pleased with this success and realized that Prophet Muhammad was an honest and reliable man. Maysarah spoke to her about Prophet Muhammad's morality and attitudes, praising and complimenting him. Upon hearing these words, Khadijah trusted Muhammad more and her feelings of admiration for him grew stronger over time. According to one account, Khadijah proposed marriage to Prophet Muhammad a short time after this, either personally or via a woman named Nufaysa bint Umayyah (Munya). Prophet Muhammad was rather surprised, but accepted this proposal after thinking about it for a while. Abu Talib and the other uncles of the Holy Prophet went to Khadijah's uncle Amr bin Assad to get his permission, as her father was no longer alive at the time. Upon receiving an affirmative reply from Amr bin Assad the marriage was performed. Prophet Muhammad moved from Abu Talib's house to Khadijah's house and thus a happy household was formed. It is known that Prophet Muhammad was twenty-five years old and Khadijah was forty years old at that time. However, there are some accounts that assert that Khadijah was younger than forty at the time of the marriage.

The couple had seven children; Qasim, Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Qulthum, Fatima, Abdullah (Al Tayeb), and Al Taher. Abdullah and Al Taher died before the prophethood of Muhammad. Some sources state that Al Tayyeb and Al Taher were two different children, while other sources assert that these were both nicknames for Abdullah.

Except for his youngest daughter Fatima, the Prophet's children all died before him. Fatima lived six months after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad was also known by the name Abu'l-Qasim because of his eldest son Qasim. Two people joined the household of the Prophet during his marriage with Khadijah. One of them was Zayd bin Harisa, a slave given to him by Khadijah. Prophet Muhammad set him free, and later adopted him.

The other was Ali bin Abu Talib, the son of his uncle Abu Talib. Ali was five years old when he joined the Prophet's household according to some accounts. Prophet Muhammad took in Ali bin Abu Talib in order to help his uncle when a drought occurred in Mecca. Later on, Prophet Muhammad approved a marriage between Fatima and Ali.

The Prophet's lineage continued with his grandsons Hassan and Hussein.

Khadijah remained married to the Prophet Muhammad for about twenty-five years, and she always supported the Prophet financially and morally. The first person to believe in the revelations was Khadijah and she remained with him through rough times. Khadijah was the first wife of the Prophet and mother to all his children except for Ibrahim.

The Holy Prophet never forgot her good deeds and her faithfulness. Prophet Muhammad did not marry any other woman while Khadijah was alive, and all his other marriages after her death were to serve a variety of purposes. The Prophet always remembered Khadijah with kindness and once said of her: "Allah never gave me a better wife than Khadijah. She believed in me at a time when other people denied me. She put all her wealth at my service when other people withheld theirs from me. And what's more, Allah gave me children through Khadijah."
 

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The Arbitration at the Kaaba

The Arbitration at the Kaaba

The arbitration the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) directed between the Quraishi people when he was thirty-five years old during the renovation of the Kaaba is extremely important. The Quraishi wanted to rebuild the Kaaba in 605 AD as it had been damaged by fire and flooding. During that time, news of a Byzantine ship striking the ground at the port of Shuaiba near Jeddah reached Mecca.

According to reports, the ship had been sent from Egypt to Ethiopia on the order of the Byzantine emperor and it was filled with marble, wood and iron that were to be used to restore a church in Ethiopia. Valid bin Mugira and his friends went to Shu'ayba, purchased the wood from the ship and invited the carpenter and construction worker Baku mar-Rumi to Mecca to help repair the Kaaba. During the repair work Muhammad worked alongside his uncle Abbas, carrying stones and helping him; however a dispute occurred as to the location of the Hajarul Aswad (the black stone that is thought to have descended from heaven). Each tribe wanted to have the honor of placing the stone, some people even suggested fighting for the honor.

Finally, Abu Umayya bin Mugira, a leader from among the Quraishi, suggested that "the decision of the first person who enters from the Banu Shayba gate of the Kaaba should be binding"; the Quraishis agreed and began to wait. When the people around saw that Muhammad was entering the gate they expressed their pleasure, saying "there he is, Al-Amin, there is Muhammad". Muhammad brought a cloth, the Hajarul Aswad was put on it and each tribe's leader took hold of the cloth. When the stone reached the level where it was to be placed, Muhammad took it and placed it in the building. As a result, a conflict that could have occurred among the Quraishis was prevented with a sensible and fair proposal.
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The Coming of the First Revelation

The Coming of the First Revelation Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was appointed as a prophet by Allah when he was forty years old. It was recognized that he was more inclined to think about Allah, to search for how to believe and worship Him after the repairs to the Kaaba and the al-Hajar al-Aswad had been put back in its place. Prophet Muhammad never showed any interest in the idols of the Meccan people or those of the other many Arab tribes. He came to the conclusion, using his reason and sense, that worshipping idols was of no use. Perhaps he was thinking like the small number of Hanifs who were trying to practice the monotheistic religion of Abraham.

However, Muhammad was in agony because he did not know how or what to do about this issue and he began to withdraw into solitude. Starting a few years before his prophethood, in the month of Ramadan, like his grandfather Abdulmuttalib and some other Quraishis, he began to retreat to a secluded cave on Mount Hira.

When Muhammad ran out of food, he would go to the city, help the poor, circumambulate the Kaaba, take food from his home and return to the cave. From time to time, he would take Khadija with him. According to what Aisha said, during this period the Prophet began having "sadiq (lucid) dreams" and this period continued for six months; subsequently his dreams came to be realized. There are also accounts in the sources that state that during this period Prophet Muhammad heard voices greeting him as "Assalamu Alayka ya Rasulallah -Salutations to you O Messenger of Allah", but when he turned and looked around he was terribly worried as there was no one there, and these voices seemed to come from the trees and rocks. Due to the above-mentioned incidents, some of which have an extraordinary quality, it is possible to say that this period was a preparation process for the revelations.

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In the year 610, during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, when Prophet Muhammad was in Hira, Gabriel appeared to him; it is thought that this could have occurred on the twenty-seventh night and according to some accounts on a Monday morning.

Gabriel informed Muhammad that Allah had assigned him as a prophet. This first revelation was reported by Prophet Muhammad as follows: "That night Gabriel came to me and said ‘Read (Iqra). I responded ‘I cannot read'. Upon this, the angel took me; pressed me until it was almost too much to bear. Then he released me and said ‘Read'. I again replied ‘I can not read' He embraced me again firmly and said ‘Read'. When I responded ‘What shall I read?' the angel embraced me till I had no more strength left and after releasing me the angel read these verses to me: ‘Recite in the Name of your God, Nourisher and Sustainer Who created man from a clot. Recite! And your God is the Most Generous Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not" (Al'Alaq 96/1-5). After this incident, Mohammad became anxious and fearful; he left Hira and went to his home, went to bed and told his wife Khadija to cover him. After Muhammad woke up, he told his wife what he had experienced. Khadija told Muhammad that she believed in him and reassured him by saying; "Allah will never disgrace you. You maintain good relations with your kin, you bear the burden of the weak, you help the poor and the needy, you serve your guests generously, and assist those who are afflicted by calamity." Then she took Prophet Muhammad to Waraqa ibn Nawfal, her cousin. Waraqa was an old Christian who knew the Holy Bible.

After listening to Muhammad, Waraqa replied that what had appeared to him was the angel who brought revelations to all the prophets and then added: "They will call you a liar; they will treat you badly. They will wage a war and drive you out. If I can live until then I will help you for the sake of Allah." After Waraqa stopped speaking, he leaned towards Muhammad and kissed him on the forehead. Both the Prophet and Khadija were quite relieved by the explanations of Waraqa and returned back home.
 

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Interruption in the Course of Revelation (Fatrat al–Wahy)

Interruption in the Course of Revelation (Fatrat al–Wahy)

The revelations stopped for a while after the first one. The discontinuance of the revelations caused Prophet Muhammad great anxiety, since the worry and difficulty of the first revelation had not been completely eliminated. He would frequently go to the Hira cave and wait for Gabriel to come, yet the angel did not appear. The Prophet experienced days of apprehension as he thought that God had forsaken him. In the sources the duration of this period, known as Fatrat al-Wahy, ranges from a couple of months up to three years.

However, it is possible that the period of three years has been confused with the period of the secret invitation, which lasted three years, and that the duration of discontinuance was actually much less. One day when Prophet Muhammad was returning back from the Hira cave, he saw Gabriel; he was again filled with fear and concern and returned home and slept. Gabriel appeared to Muhammad in his house and read the first verses of the Surah Al Muddaththir (74/1-5). In these verses, it is said that the time had come to convey the divine message to mankind, but that first of all Muhammad must rely on Allah while fulfilling the task and that he needed to stay away from moral impurity.

According to the accounts, during this period Gabriel taught the Prophet how to perform the ablution and prayer; Prophet Muhammad taught Khadija what he had learned from Gabriel and they performed the prayer together in their home.
 

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The First Muslims

The First Muslims From that day on, Prophet Muhammad invited the people who were close to him to the religion of Islam. This invitation lasted for as long as three years. After Khadija, his close friend Abu Bakr, Ali ibn Abu Talib and Zayd ibn Harisa, and the Prophet's daughters Zaynab, Ruqiyya and Umm Qulsum all became Muslims. Other than the people mentioned above, Abu Bakr's close friends Uthman ibn Affan, Zubayr ibn Avvam, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, Talha ibn Ubaydullah, Sa‘d ibn Abu Vaqqas, Uthman ibn Maz‘un, Said ibn Zayd, Ayyash ibn Abu Rabea and his wife Asma bint Salame, Abû Ubayda ibn Jarrah, Arqam ibn Abu'l-Arqam, Abû Salame, Ja‘far ibn Abu Talib and Ubayda ibn Haris came to Prophet Muhammad and accepted Islam. During this period, Prophet Muhammad performed the prayer in his own house, on the outskirts of the mountains and in the Haram when it was not crowded; he sometimes had the opportunity to perform these practices together with other Muslims.

Meanwhile, he recited the Quranic revelations that had been imparted to him to other people, and spoke about the belief of tawheed that is based on monotheistic faith and obedience to God, as well as issues related to morality and the Judgment Day on which people are responsible for their deeds on earth. He was careful not to convene and worship together with the Muslims when there were many polytheists around. During this period of secrecy, the Prophet and the Muslims assembled on the outskirts of the Safa Hill in the house of Arqam ibn Abu'l-Arqam, who had accepted Islam. In addition to it being a location where they could easily meet those who were coming to Mecca for pilgrimage, it was also a place where Muslims acted with solidarity and met Prophet Muhammad.

Such activities in this house continued until Umar ibn Hattab became a Muslim. Dar al-Arqam, the name given to Arqam's house, is a phrase used in the sources to indicate the date when the companions embraced Islam and the spreading of Islam, and has taken a place in Islamic history.
 

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Open Invitation-1 -The Beginning of the Public Invitation-

The Beginning of the Public Invitation

The public invitation to Islam started in Mecca after the fourth year of the prophethood. The first and most important respondents to Prophet Muhammad were the Quraishis. The Quraihis had placed their idols inside and around the Kaaba and directed the practices of both the hajj and umra pilgrimages, practices which had been continuing since the time of Abraham and Ismael; it was for this reason that the Quraishis had power and eminence among the other tribes. They had erected idols of various tribes around the Kaaba in order to attain full benefit from those who visited the Kaaba. Difficult times were about to come for Prophet Muhammad, who had invited his family members and close friends to Islam.

This was because he was now asked to openly convey the truths that were revealed to him without keeping his activities secret from the idolaters (Al-Hijr 15/94) and he was commanded to warn everyone of the revelations, beginning with the people around him (Ash-Shuaraa 26/214).

The Prophet began this difficult task by inviting his close friends to a feast; the invitation to Islam was to continue for nearly twenty-one years, starting from this time until the conquest of Mecca. About forty-five people, members of the Hashemite and Muttalibi branches of the Quraish, attended this feast. However, after the feast, without giving the Prophet a chance to talk, his uncle Abu Lahab said; "I have never seen a person who has brought such a bad thing to his tribe" and the guests left the feast. Saddened by this result, Prophet Muhammad organized a new meeting a few days later. During his speech at the meeting he stated that Allah was one, that He had no equal; Prophet Muhammad went on to say that he trusted in Allah and added that he would never lie to his guests. He finished up his speech with the following phrases: "I am the messenger of Allah who has been sent specifically to you and to all of mankind. I take an oath before Allah that you will die like you fall into sleep and become resurrected like you awake; you will be held liable for your deeds, you will gain goodness for your good deeds and be punished for your bad deeds. Heaven and Hell are eternal. You are the first people that I have warned."

Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet told him that his words were beautiful and that he would support him, but went on to say that he would not abandon the religion of his ancestors. His other uncle, Abu Lahab, on the other hand told his relatives to prevent Muhammad, saying that they would fall into vileness if they accept his invitation and that they would be killed if they protected him. Upon this Abu Talib announced that as long as he was alive he would protect his nephew. Abu Lahab and his wife had always been opposed to the Prophet and displayed animosity against him; they personally persecuted him after he gave a speech to people who came from outside Mecca. They said that his words were not true and told everyone that Muhammad was a wizard who was causing conflict in the tribe. It is probably for this reason that there is a chapter of the Quran in which Abu Lahab's name is mentioned, stating that he and his wife would perish in hell. (Al-Lahab 111/1-5). Although statements, deeds and even intentions of people who showed animosity to the Prophet and the Muslims are mentioned in the Quran, no other names are mentioned.

One day Prophet Muhammad decided to go up to the Safa Hill and inform all the people of Mecca about Islam. To the people who were gathered there he said: "O Quraishis! Would you believe me if I told you that there is an enemy squad behind that mountain?" The Quraishis responded, "Yes, we have never witnessed a time when you have lied" and the Prophet continued: "Then, I inform you that you will be subjected to great agony... Allah commanded me to warn my closest relatives. Unless you accept that ‘There is no God but Allah' you will not gain any benefit from me in this world or in the afterlife..."

The leading figures of the Quraish opposed Prophet Muhammad's invitation to Islam. When the Prophet began to read revelations which criticize idolatry and announce that the idolaters would go to hell, those people understood that his message was a great risk to their way of life, and began to act with animosity, doing anything they could to prevent him.

Moreover, the possibility that this monotheistic faith could prevail, leading to the abolishment of the idols made them concerned for the loss of their duties and benefits which ensured their superiority over the other Arabian tribes. On the other hand, the Quraish, who possessed a traditional culture that entailed tribal rigidity, attached high values to the traditions inherited from their ancestors. They saw idolatry almost as a cult that needed to be preserved, and thus frequently reiterated this point, announcing that they would never forsake the beliefs and practices of their ancestors. The morality of the Quraish was not at a level that would have made it easy for them to accept the invitation of the last prophet.

Within the society of Mecca, where the mentality of the Era of Ignorance was prevalent, there were many bad habits, such as indulging in alcohol, gambling, adultery and lying; there also existed support for illicit gains, exploitation and suppression of people, fueled by the perception of their tribal superiority. The Holy Quran criticized these attitudes and announced that superiority among people could only be acquired through affection towards the Creator and compassion towards the mankind (Al-Hujurat 49/13); it went on to state that people who exhibited attitudes contrary to these would be subject to punishment in the afterlife.

The Quraishi began to humiliate and insult Prophet Muhammad when they saw that he was gaining support with his criticism of their beliefs and attitudes; after a certain time they did not abstain from resorting to violence. The sources sometimes provide details related to the ruthless torment inflicted by the idolaters on the Muslims. In particular, torture inflicted by notorious idolaters such as Abu Jahil, Abu Sufyan, Abu Lahab, Umayya ibn Khalaf, Valîd ibn Mughira, Uqba ibn Abu Mu‘ayt and Hakam ibn Abu'l-As are a stain on the name of humanity. The people who were most affected by this torture were the slaves, concubines and people who came from outside the Mecca. These people were subject to torture. They were left hungry, laid out on the hot sand with rocks being piled upon them. The Yasir family experienced the harshest of these tortures.


Yasir, who came to Mecca to look for his lost brother, came under the protection of Abu Huzaifa from the Banu Mahzum tribe and married his concubine Sumayya. The famous Companion Ammar ibn Yasir was the child of this marriage. Yasir, Sumayya and Ammar were among the first Muslims and responded to the tortures of idolaters with patience. As a result, Sumayya died from the brutal tortures of Abu Jahil and gained the title of the first martyr in Islamic history. Yasir was also martyred on the same day. Ammar, who survived, was forced to speak in favor of Lat and Uzza and against the Prophet as he could no longer bear the harsh torture. As soon as he escaped from the idolaters, he went to Prophet Muhammad and told him about the situation. The Prophet, seeing that Ammar was greatly distressed, asked him what he had felt while he was saying those words. Amman replied that there was no change in his faithful heart. Upon this, the Prophet told him that as long as he kept his faith it was not wrong to act in such a way, and advised him to act the same if he were subjected to the same treatment again. (See also An-Nahl 16/106).

Slaves such as Bilal Habashi, Suhayb-i Rumi, Habbab ibn Arat and Abu Fukayha and concubines such as Zinnire, Umm Ubays, Nahdiya and Lubayna also faced great difficulties for the sake of their beliefs. Among the slaves, Bilal Habashi, the first person to accept Islam after Khadija, became subject to severe tortures by his master Umayya ibn Halaf. A rope was put around his neck and he was pulled through the streets of Mecca by the children. At noon, Umayya ibn Halaf laid him out on hot sands, put huge scorching stones on his chest and ask him to abandon belief in Allah and to have faith in the idols Lat and Uzza. Despite all these hardships, Bilal, who could hardly breathe, remained firm in his faith, saying "Ahad!" "Ahad" (Allah is one). On the other hand, wealthy Muslims were also exposed to various torments and tortures. For instance, Uthman's uncle, Hakam ibn Abu'l-As, exerted pressure on him by cutting off his financial support and tried to reconvert him in this way. Sa‘d ibn Abu Vaqqas faced the resistance of his mother. A revelation was even imparted for this reason, and it ordered that obedience to mothers and fathers was not required if they urged their children to deny Allah (Al-Luqman 31/15). After becoming a Muslim, Abu Ubayda ibn Jerrah faced great animosity from his father. Because Abdullah ibn Mas'ud publicly recited the revelations of Allah, he was beaten in the yard of the Kaaba. As a result, he was covered with blood and fainted. Mus‘ab ibn Umayr, a son of a rich family who grew up in prosperity, became a Muslim and faced a strong reaction from his family; his financial needs were not met and even his clothes were taken from him. When Abu Dhar from the Ghifar tribe announced that he had become Muslim, he was beaten until he passed out. Since reciting or reading the Quran in public was forbidden by the Quraish, Abu Bakr, who had a good reputation in Mecca, built a masjid in the garden of his house. The garden was protected by thick walls and he was able to carry out his Islamic practices there.

In addition to the behavior listed above, people threw filth and thorns on the road used by Prophet Muhammad, they threw stones at his house and they even attempted to strangle him when he was praying. In particular his uncle Abu Lahab and his wife Ummu Jamil, the sister of Abu Sufyan, exhibited great cruelty to Muhammad. Ummu Jamil forced her two sons to divorce their wives, both of whom were Muhammad's daughters. Upon this, the following surah was imparted: "The hands of Abu Lahab will perish, and they will! His wealth and gains will not exempt him. He will be plunged in flaming Fire. And his wife, the wood-carrier will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre." (Al-Lahab 111/1-5)

The torture, threats, unjust treatments and cruelty exhibited by the idolaters did not turn the Muslims to other religions; instead these actions strengthened their faith. The hardships that were experienced by the Muslims in the name of Allah increased their determination to struggle and showed people that faith was a precious treasure. Unable to decide what to do in response to the impressiveness of the Quran which addressed the minds and hearts of humans, the Quraish started to speak against it. They claimed that Prophet Muhammad was a clairvoyant, madman or a poet, that he had learned the Quran from a Christian, and that this book was a spell or tales of ancient times. However, the false claims that were continuously made against the revelations and divine messages sent to the Prophet were always confuted.

The Quraish met with Abu Talib, the uncle of the Holy Prophet, three times to try to prevent Prophet Muhammad inviting others to Islam. Abu Talib deflected the first request with calming and kind words. When the Quraish used threatening words at the second meeting, Abu Talib called Prophet Muhammad and said that he could not resist his tribe anymore.

Thinking that his uncle would no longer protect him, the Prophet said: "O uncle, if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to stop me from preaching Islam, I would never stop. I will keep preaching until Allah makes Islam prevail or I die." Upon hearing these words, Abu Talib comforted Muhammad with the following words: "Say whatever you please; for by Allah I shall not ever desert you." When the Quraish met with Abu Talib for the third time, they proposed "Give us your nephew, and we will give Umarah, son of Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah, as a son." Abu Talib refused this offer. In the meantime, some of the Quraish met with the Prophet and tried to dissuade him from his mission. For instance, Utba ibn Rabia said to the Holy Prophet: "...if your intention is to become rich, we will give you goods and property. If you ask for a position and prestige, we will make you our ruler." He even went as far as to say:

"If you are acting like that as a result of mental illness, we will cure you." After Utba completed his speech, the Prophet read the first verses of Surah Fussilat (41/1-6) and told him that he was a prophet appointed by Allah. Although Utba was influenced by the verses and the words of the Holy Prophet, he did not accept Islam.
 

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Acceptance of Islam by Hamza ibn Abdulmuttalib and Umar ibn Hattab

Acceptance of Islam by Hamza ibn Abdulmuttalib and Umar ibn Hattab

The acceptance of Islam by two people during the conveyance activities in Mecca period is of particular importance. One of these was Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet (pbuh), and the other was Umar ibn Hattab. In the 6th year of prophethood (616), a concubine who had witnessed Abu Jahil and his men's insulting Prophet Muhammad, spoke of what she had seen to Hamza, who had come to circumambulate the Kaaba after a hunt. Hamza was so angered on hearing of the insults heaped upon his nephew that he sought out Abu Jahil, struck him on the head with his bow and announced that he had accepted Islam with the following words: "I too have become a Muslim. Come and fight me if you have the guts." The Prophet was in Dar al-Arqam at that time, and he was very pleased that his uncle had accepted Islam. The Prophet, who made tremendous efforts to ease the obstacles experienced by Muslims in performing their duty of conveying the message of Islam, prayed to Allah that some influential and prosperous people be shown the right way, thus enabling the victory of Islam. One of these was Umar. According to Ibn Ishaq, one day Umar left his house to kill the Prophet. One his way, he learned that his sister Fatima had accepted Islam and went to her home. He beat his brother-in-law and his sister when he saw them reading Surah Taha. When he saw Fatima's determination despite her bleeding he was deeply moved and regretted his action.

Umar asked to see the pages they were reading. Influenced by the first verses of Taha and Abasa, Umar became a Muslim in front of Prophet Muhammad in Dar al-Arqam. The Prophet said the takbir in response to the acceptance of Islam by Umar. The people around him also said the takbir and they all left Dar al-Arqam and went to the Kaaba together.
 

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Migration to Ethiopia

Migration to Ethiopia

As stated above, the attitudes of the idolaters towards the Muslims began to become crueler and the Muslims were not only physically prevented from imparting their religion, but they encountered verbal opposition while Islam gradually spread in Mecca. The Prophet, who was very saddened by the cruelties and tortures experienced by his companions that he was unable to prevent, advised them to go to Ethiopia where they could practice their religion and lead a secure life. The Christian king of Ethiopia, Ashama Negus, was a just ruler who treated his people well. Knowing this, the Prophet said to his companions: "Go to Ethiopia if you wish. There is a ruler there who does not torment anyone. It is a country of truthfulness and honesty. Stay there as long as Allah allows." Upon this advice, the Muslim convoy, composed of eleven men and four women, set out for Ethiopia from the port of Shuayba in 615. In the convoy were included important names in Islamic history: Uthman and his wife, Prophet Muhammad's daughter Ruqayah, Zubayr ibn Awwam, Mus'ab ibn Umayr, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, Abu Salama and his wife Umm Salama. This incident, which bears importance as the first migration in Islam, also enabled Prophet Muhammad to spread the message in Africa in the first years of his prophethood. It can be understood from the reports of Uthman, who returned to Mecca one year later, that the Muslims had been well received there. For that reason, a second convoy immigrated to Ethiopia under the leadership of Ja'far ibn Abu Talib. With this convoy, the number of people who immigrated to Ethiopia reached 108. In response to the increase in the number of Muslims in Ethiopia, the Quraish sent a delegation to Ethiopia to request the return of the people who had immigrated there.

Negus called the Muslim representatives so that he could hear the claims of both sides. Ja'far ibn Abu Talib spoke on behalf of the Ethiopian immigrants: "O King! We were in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols, eating carrion, committing all sorts of iniquity. We honored no relative and assisted no neighbor. The strong among us exploited the weak. Allah sent us a prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, loyalty, and purity were well known to us. He called us to worship Allah alone and to repudiate all the stones and idols which we and our ancestors used to worship. He commanded us always to tell the truth, to remain true to trust and promise, to assist our relatives, to be good neighbors, to abstain from blood and things forbidden, and to avoid fornication, perjury and false witnessing. So we believed in Him."

After hearing both sides, the Ethiopian King refused the request of the Quraish that the Muslims be returned.

The Muslims stayed in Ethiopia for a while. Thirty-three people from the Ethiopian immigrants returned to Mecca after the end of the boycott in 620, which will be discussed below. Some of the remaining immigrants willingly returned to Mecca after the migration to Medina, and some of them returned in the 7th year after the migration to Medina (628). In the meantime, the Quraish sent a new delegation after the Battle of Badr to request the return of the Muslims. However, this request, as before, was rejected.

The acceptance of Islam by two people during the conveyance activities in Mecca period is of particular importance. One of these was Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet (pbuh), and the other was Umar ibn Hattab. In the 6th year of prophethood (616), a concubine who had witnessed Abu Jahil and his men's insulting Prophet Muhammad, spoke of what she had seen to Hamza, who had come to circumambulate the Kaaba after a hunt. Hamza was so angered on hearing of the insults heaped upon his nephew that he sought out Abu Jahil, struck him on the head with his bow and announced that he had accepted Islam with the following words: "I too have become a Muslim. Come and fight me if you have the guts." The Prophet was in Dar al-Arqam at that time, and he was very pleased that his uncle had accepted Islam. The Prophet, who made tremendous efforts to ease the obstacles experienced by Muslims in performing their duty of conveying the message of Islam, prayed to Allah that some influential and prosperous people be shown the right way, thus enabling the victory of Islam. One of these was Umar. According to Ibn Ishaq, one day Umar left his house to kill the Prophet. One his way, he learned that his sister Fatima had accepted Islam and went to her home. He beat his brother-in-law and his sister when he saw them reading Surah Taha. When he saw Fatima's determination despite her bleeding he was deeply moved and regretted his action. Umar asked to see the pages they were reading. Influenced by the first verses of Taha and Abasa, Umar became a Muslim in front of Prophet Muhammad in Dar al-Arqam. The Prophet said the takbir in response to the acceptance of Islam by Umar. The people around him also said the takbir and they all left Dar al-Arqam and went to the Kaaba together.
 

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The Boycott of the Quraish
The Quraish decided to try to neutralize the power that Prophet Muhammad had gained after the conversion of Hamza and Umar to Islam. They said that they would act in accordance with existing laws and kinship of the Hashemite and Muttalibis. However, they declared that these two tribes were enemies; they stopped conversing with them and stopped trading with them. They wrote the terms of the boycott and hung it on the wall of the Kaaba.

In response to this social boycott, Abu Talib brought his nephew and the Companions to the Shi'bu Abu Talib (the neighborhood of Abu Talib) in order to protect them. The Prophet moved there from the Dar al-Arqam, where he had been continuing his conveyance of the religion. Except for Abu Lahab and his sons, who preferred to stand beside the idolaters, all the Hashemites and Muttalibis, whether Muslim or not, moved there and lived under boycott for as long as three years (616-619). Khadija and Abu Talib spent all their wealth during these harsh times. Except for the pilgrimage season and the sacred months it was not possible for these people to perform trade activities or to go out shopping. Idolaters caused problems when the Muslims went shopping by increasing the prices. Finally, some conscientious people, such as the son of Abu Talib's sister Zuhayr ibn Umayya and Hisham ibn Amr, spoke to Mut‘im ibn Adî and Zam‘a ibn Asvad, both of whom were prominent members of the Quraish. After gaining the support of these two, they went to the Abu Talib neighborhood and released the Muslims, putting an end to the boycott.

The acceptance of Islam by two people during the conveyance activities in Mecca period is of particular importance. One of these was Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet (pbuh), and the other was Umar ibn Hattab.

In the 6th year of prophethood (616), a concubine who had witnessed Abu Jahil and his men's insulting Prophet Muhammad, spoke of what she had seen to Hamza, who had come to circumambulate the Kaaba after a hunt. Hamza was so angered on hearing of the insults heaped upon his nephew that he sought out Abu Jahil, struck him on the head with his bow and announced that he had accepted Islam with the following words: "I too have become a Muslim. Come and fight me if you have the guts." The Prophet was in Dar al-Arqam at that time, and he was very pleased that his uncle had accepted Islam. The Prophet, who made tremendous efforts to ease the obstacles experienced by Muslims in performing their duty of conveying the message of Islam, prayed to Allah that some influential and prosperous people be shown the right way, thus enabling the victory of Islam. One of these was Umar. According to Ibn Ishaq, one day Umar left his house to kill the Prophet. One his way, he learned that his sister Fatima had accepted Islam and went to her home. He beat his brother-in-law and his sister when he saw them reading Surah Taha. When he saw Fatima's determination despite her bleeding he was deeply moved and regretted his action. Umar asked to see the pages they were reading. Influenced by the first verses of Taha and Abasa, Umar became a Muslim in front of Prophet Muhammad in Dar al-Arqam. The Prophet said the takbir in response to the acceptance of Islam by Umar. The people around him also said the takbir and they all left Dar al-Arqam and went to the Kaaba together.
 

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The death of Abu Talib and Khadija

The death of Abu Talib and Khadija In the tenth year of the prophethood, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s uncle Abu Talib, who had always supported him, and his wife Khadija, with whom he had shared a happy life for twenty-five years, passed away (10 Ramadan / April 19th 620) only three days apart from one another.

Their deaths saddened the Prophet and the Muslims greatly. Thus, this year is known as the sanatu'l-huzn (the year of sadness). After the death of Abu Talib, Abu Lahab, the leader of the Hashemites, who had not accepted the prophethood of Muhammad before, now consented to take the Prophet under his protection due to the insistence of his sisters. However, after some time, he changed his mind due to the influence of Ukba ibn Abu Muayt and Abu Jahil. Thus, after returning from Taif, the Prophet was able to enter Mecca only under the protection of other Quraish idolaters.
 

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The Invitation of the People of Taif to Islam

The Invitation of the People of Taif to Islam
Over the course of time, the harsh treatment of Prophet Muhammad by the Quraish increased. In essence there was not much that the Quraish could do about the conveyance of Islam. During the period from the 10th year of prophethood until the migration, the Prophet turned to places outside of Mecca in order to reach other people and continue his conveyance. Taking Zayd ibn Haritha with him, the Prophet went to Taif where the Thaqif tribe lived. He invited Abduyalil, Mas‘ud and Habib, the three sons of Amr ibn Umayr, a prominent figure in the tribe to Islam, as well as some other important figures in the tribe.

The Thaqifis, who were related to and had trade relations with the Quraish, did not accept his invitation and did not respect the confidentiality of the invitation. They even incited the vulgar mobs of the city to stone him and Zayd ibn Haritha. The feet of Prophet Muhammad were bleeding and while trying to protect the Prophet, Zayd's head was also injured. The physical and verbal torment continued until the Prophet entered the orchard of Quraishi Utba ibn Rabia and his brother Shayba.

At this difficult time, the Prophet sought shelter in Allah, declaring his submission and asking for Allah's consent and help. Meanwhile, Addas, a slave belonging to the owners of the orchard, brought the Prophet a plate of grapes. When the Prophet began to eat the grapes, he said besmellah, which attracted the attention of Addas and they began to speak. When Addas said that he was a Christian from Ninova, Prophet Muhammad replied that Ninova was the home of Prophet Jonah. Addas asked him how he knew this. Prophet Muhammad replied: "He is my brother and a messenger of Allah. I too am a messenger of Allah". Affected by his speech, Addas accepted Islam. After resting for a while, the Prophet left Taif in order to return to Mecca.

In order to enter Mecca, he needed to find a Quraishi to take him under his protection. While he was waiting in the Hira cave, none of the people to whom he had asked accepted his request.

Finally, he managed to enter Mecca under the protection of Mut'im ibn Adi, the leader of the Navfalis, a branch of the Quraish. According to recorded hadith, Aisha asked the Prophet whether he had experienced a day that was more difficult than the Battle of Uhud and he reminded her of his return from Taif and added: "During that time, when my shock had passed I looked up and what I saw was Gabriel in a cloud shadowing me. Gabriel told me that an angel was to destroy the people of Mecca at my order if I wished this so and then the angel appeared to me.

However, I replied: ‘I don't want this; what I wish for is that Allah turns these idolaters into people who worship only Allah, and who do not associate anything with Him."
 

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The Isra and Miraj

The Isra and Miraj
After the death of the Holy Prophet's relatives and the cruelties inflicted by the people of Taif, Allah gave the last prophet the blessings of being able to travel to the spiritual worlds. One night, Prophet Muhammad was taken to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, accompanied by Gabriel.

They left from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. From the al-Masjid al-Aqsa, Muhammad ascended to the holy place, Sidratu'l-Muntaha. After that, the Prophet was taken to Allah - this was a journey conducted without time or space. With this miracle it was stated that Islam would spread outside Mecca to other countries. During his spiritual journey, the Prophet served as an imam for the other prophets and he stepped out in front of all the prophets and led them in a prayer. The first part of this journey is called the isra and is described in the seventeenth chapter of the Quran, which bears the same name. As for the miraj, this is described in the first verses of the fifty-third chapter, An-Najm (1-18). It is believed that the miraj happened just over a year before the Hijra (emigration), on the 27th of the month of Rajab. The miraj increased the holiness of the Prophet, reinforcing the faith of the believers, and also increased the hostilities of idolaters. When the Prophet reported this incident to the people of Mecca, they found it factitious and did not believe him. To try to prove that the Prophet was not telling the truth they asked about a caravan that was returning from Jerusalem to Mecca; he gave them the correct information about the caravan, which they themselves had no way of knowing until the caravan arrived later that day, yet still they refused to believe.

Although the idolaters wanted to embarrass Abu Bakr by reporting this incident in a mocking way, he only said: "If Muhammad said that, then he is telling the truth" and supported the words of the Prophet. It was because of this that Abu Bakr is said to have received his famous title As-Siddiq (The Truthful). That night the prayer was performed five times, the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah were sent, and it was reported that those who did not associate Allah with others would be forgiven. The following principles that were commanded by Surah Al-Isra are important to show the basic approach of Islam to several issues:
  1. To worship none other than Allah,
  2. To treat one's parents well,
  3. To give what is deserved to relatives, the poor and travellers,
  4. Not to be mean and not to waste,
  5. Not to kill children because one is worried about poverty,
  6. To avoid prostitution and adultery,
  7. Not to kill,
  8. Not to take the goods of orphans,
  9. To keep promises,
  10. To be careful in measurements,
  11. Not to pursue something if it is not known to be permitted or forbidden,
  12. Not to walk on the earth with pride or arrogance, and not to patronize others (Al-Isra 17/22-29).
 

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The Pledges of Aqabah

The Pledges of Aqabah Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made great efforts in the first years of his prophethood to invite those people who came to Mecca for pilgrimage to Islam, as well as those who came to the emporiums for trade purposes. The most prolific contacts among these were the Prophet's contacts with the people of Yathrib (Medina). He came across a delegation of six people who came from Yathrib in the 11th year of the prophethood (620) in Aqabah, a desolate place in Mina. The Prophet spoke to them about Islam. These people accepted Islam. One of them, As'ad ibn Zurarah promised that he would turn back to Yathrib and convey the new religion to both his tribe and to the Avs tribe and that he would meet with the Prophet again in Aqabah one year later. These six people, who formed the core of the Ansar tribe, carried out great services for Islam and as a result many people became Muslim. In the following year (the 12th year of the prophethood, Dhu al-Hijjah/July 621), twelve people secretly met with Prophet Muhammad in Aqabah. The people of Yathrib affiliated themselves with him and promised "not to associate any other with Allah, not to steal or perform adultery, not to kill their children, not to slander each other, and to obey the orders of Prophet Muhammad." This pledge is called "The First Pledge of Aqabah." The Prophet sent Mus'ab ibn Umayr with them to teach them the Holy Quran and Islam, to invite non-Muslims to Islam, and to lead them in prayer.

In one year, the activities of Mus'ab ibn Umayr, who was staying in As'ad ibn Zurarah's house, ensured the acceptance of Islam by the leading figures of Yathrib, including the leaders of the Avs tribe, Sa'd ibn Muaz and Usayd ibn Hudayr, and the city became a place of immigration. As a matter of fact, in the pilgrimage season of the 13th year of the prophethood (622), seventy-five Yathrib Muslims (two of them women) came to Mecca with the pilgrimage caravan; the people in the caravan were not all Muslims. Again, they secretly met the Prophet in Aqabah. The people of Yathrib invited the Prophet to their city, and he read some verses from the Holy Quran, and reminded them that they must devote themselves to Islam. Then he listed the terms of the second pledge of Aqabah: the Prophet told them to pledge that if he were to come to their city they would protect him and all the Meccan Muslims as if they were protecting their own children, wives or property, that they would remain obedient to the Prophet during the good times and the bad times, that they would provide financial help during times of affluence and times of hardship, that they would order what is good and prevent what is bad, and that they would fear no one and remain righteous. All of the Yathrib people accepted these terms and gave their pledges. The Prophet chose twelve representatives (naqib) among them. The Prophet assigned As'ad ibn Zurara as the head of other eleven representatives. The second Aqabah Pledge is sometimes referred to as the bay‘atul-harb (battle pledge), as it contains points concerned with warfare. Yathrib (Medina) is located at a strategic point that could have led to encounters with the Quraishis; caravans going to Syria, Palestine and Iraq from the north had to pass through this area.
 

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The Immigration to Medina (Yathrib)

The Immigration to Medina (Yathrib)
After the second Aqabah pledge to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), he gave permission to his companions to immigrate (hijrah) to Yathrib. The first ones to immigrate to this city were Amir ibn Rabia and his wife Leila bint Hasma; then the other companions began to leave Mecca in groups. It should be pointed out that there were a few companions who went from Mecca to Medina at earlier dates. These were Abu Salama al-Mahzumi and his wife Ummu Salama, who immigrated to Medina before the Aqabah pledges and Mus'ab ibn Umayr and Abdullah ibn Ummu Maktum, who were sent by the Prophet to Medina after the first Aqabah pledge in order to convey the message of Islam.

Generally the hijrah was performed secretly. This was because the Quraishi idolaters did not want the Muslims to leave Mecca and thus raised various difficulties, attempting to prevent the hijrah and even imprisoning some of the Muslims. For instance, when Abu Salama and his wife Ummu Salama returned to Mecca from Ethiopia and took their son Salama with them to go to Medina for hijrah, Ummu Salama's family did not let her leave. Subsequently, Abu Salama left his wife and son in Mecca and had to go to Mecca by himself. On the other hand, the family of Abu Salama took Salama from his mother in response to the things done by Ummu Salama's family. As a result of the deep sadness caused by the separation from both her husband and son, Ummu Salama shed tears for a year. Finally, her relatives showed mercy and allowed her to go to Medina and Abu Salama's family handed Salama over to his mother. Ummu Salama took her child with her and left Mecca to go to Medina. She reached Quba in the company of Uthman ibn Talha, whom she had met on the road and met Abu Salama there. Hisham ibn As had made preparations for the hijrah, but he was chained and imprisoned by his father, As ibn Wael, and by other idolaters.

Ayyas ibn Abu Rabi'a set out on the journey for hijrah and reached Quba, yet his brothers, Abu Jahil and Harith ibn Hisham, caught him on the way and persuaded him to return back to Mecca by telling him that his mother was in a wretched way due to his leaving, and then they imprisoned him in Mecca. Hisham ibn As and Ayyas ibn Abu Rabi'a escaped from the idolaters and managed to reach Medina in the 7th year of the hijrah (Gregorian 629). The people of Mecca had acquired information that Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi was going to perform the hijrah, and thus they did not pay back their debts and confiscated his property and personal effects. Suhayb could perform hijrah only after he had left all his wealth to the people of Mecca. At this point, the hijrah of Umar carries great importance. He circumambulated Kaaba and performed the salah twice and then set out on the journey after openly defying the idolaters.

After permission to perform hijrah had been granted most of the companions immigrated to Yathrib over a relatively brief period. Only the Prophet, his family Abu Bakr and his family families, Ali and his mother, and people who did not have the strength to perform the hijrah or who had been prevented from performing the hijrah remained. In the meantime, Abu Bakr repeatedly asked for permission to perform the hijrah from Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet always answered him with the following words: "Don't hurry! Allah Almighty will give you a companion."
Seeing that the Muslims who were performing hijrah to Yathrib were abandoning their houses, possessions and assets for their beliefs, the Quraishi idolaters began to worry that the Prophet might one day go there with his companions and pose a hazard and a threat against them.

They gathered in Dar al-Nadwa to discuss what kind of a strategy they should follow. Sending the Prophet into exile or imprisoning him were suggestions that were put forward. On the proposal of Abu Jahil, it was eventually decided that the Prophet should be killed. To avoid a blood feud with the Hashimites, of whom the Prophet was a member, they decided that the Prophet would not be killed by one person, but by a group of people composed of one person from each tribe. The Prophet was informed of this assassination plot through a revelation, and he took action to counteract the attempt. He went to the Abu Bakr's house and began to prepare for hijrah with him. They hired Abdullah ibn Urayqit as a guide to show them the way.

Although an idolater, Abdullah ibn Urayqit was a trustworthy and honest man. Abu Bakr gave the two camels that he had allocated for the hijrah beforehand to Abdullah ibn Urayqit and they agreed to meet at the skirts of Mount Thawr in three days time. The Prophet gave Ali the duty of preventing the idolaters from suspecting that he had departed and told him return those things that had been given to him in trust back to their owners. The Prophet and Abu Bakr set out at nighttime. They went to a cave in Mount Thawr and hid there. Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr, spent his day in Mecca listening to what the Quraishis were saying and plotting about the Prophet and then reported what he had heard to the pair at their hideout under cover of night for three consecutive nights. Also Amr ibn Fuhayra, the shepherd of Abu Bakr's flock of sheep, brought them milk and food by walking his flock through the cave. Amr ibn Fuhayra performed hijrah with them later.

The Quraishi idolaters were surprised when they saw Ali instead of the Prophet in his house. They asked Ali where the Prophet and Abu Bakr were. Ali did not tell their hiding place to idolaters. In response to this they beat Ali, arrested him, but released him later on. The Quraishi idolaters tried to obtain information from Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr. Abu Jahil tortured Asma when he did not get the answer he wanted. The idolaters did not find the Prophet in Mecca. Realizing that Prophet Muhammad had left Mecca, the idolaters began to search the surroundings and sent messengers to nearby places. One day, they came near Mount Thawr. But on the order of Allah, the cave's entrance was covered with a cobweb. Seeing the cobwebs they thought that nobody could be in there and they turned back. At the moment when the idolaters were in front of the cave's entrance, Abu Bakr became alarmed that the idolaters would find them. The Prophet calmed Abu Bakr saying, "Grieve not; Allah is with us" (Al-Tauba 9/40). As was agreed upon before, Abdullah ibn Urayqit came to Mount Thawr with the camels after three days. They set out from Mount Thawr to Yathrib along the coast. Lest the Quraishi should find them, they took a different path toward their destination, instead of the well-known roads, and sometimes they preferred to go through steep mountain crossings or through the middle of the desert. The Quraishis applied many strategies to find the Prophet. They promised to give 100 camels to any person who could find them, but nobody could. Suraqah ibn Malik, who was a very good tracker, wanted to win the prize of a hundred camels. When the travelers came into sight, he realized he could capture them or kill them, but his horse fell to the ground, as a result of a miracle. Suraqah discontinued his tracking after that. A similar threat was experienced when they passed through the lands of the Aslam tribe. Buraydah ibn Husayb, the chief of the tribe, stooped the convoy. After a short talk with the Prophet, Buraydah ibn Husayb and his tribe accepted Islam and became Muslim. Buraydah accompanied the convoy until they left the lands of his tribe. When they came to the spot called Juhfah, Prophet Muhammad remembered the road to Mecca and felt sad with his longing for the city.

In response to this, the following verse was revealed which stated that the Prophet would return to Mecca after defeating his enemies in the city where he experienced cruelty and from which he was forced to perform hijrah (Al-Qasas, 28/85). There were many positive developments during the hijrah. For instance, Abu Bakr and the Prophet stopped at the tent of Umm Mabad Atiqa bint Haled, a woman of Khuzaa, to buy something to eat. She had a ewe, but its udder had dried up owing to the drought. The Prophet wiped the sheep's udder with his hand and mentioning the name of Allah, he prayed that Umm Mabad might have a blessing in her ewe. It then flowed with milk. He gave Umm Mabad and the others the milk to drink first, until all of them were fully satisfied, then he drank knowing everyone was replete. He milked the ewe a second time and when the vessel was full, he left it with Umm Mabad. When Abu Mabad came back and his wife told him about the extraordinary happening and the angelic stranger, she described the Prophet in flowery language. Her remarks are mentioned in the hilya literature and still can be read today so far.
The news about the Prophet's departure from Mecca had already spread fast. The people in Yathrib became worried about Prophet Muhammad as he had not arrived yet.

Eagerly expecting his arrival, people would go out after the morning prayer to the outskirts of the city, to Harra, and await his arrival until there was no more shade and the sun became unbearable. They were returning to their homes on the 8th of Rabi' al-awwal (September 20, 622), as they had on previous days, when a Jewish girl on the roof of a three-story house saw the approaching convoy. She realized that this convoy was the Prophet's convoy and she announced their coming by crying out loudly. Upon hearing this, the Muslims rushed to Harra to greet Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet stayed in Qulsum ibn Hidm's house, which was one-hour distance from Yathrib. He stayed in this town for several days, and he built a masjid there. In the meantime, Ali had returned the things to their owners as the Prophet had requested and had left Mecca, hiding by day and traveling by night, finally arriving in Quba and meeting the Prophet there. It is recounted that Ali's mother, Fatima bint Asad, Sawda bint Zam‘a, the wife of the Prophet, their daughters, Fatima and Ummu Qulsum, and Abu Bakr's family also came to Quba. Apart from this, it is stated that the families of the Prophet and Abu Bakr performed hijrah later with Zayd ibn Haritha and Abu Rafi who had come from Medina. The Prophet set out from Quba to Yathrib with his convoy on the 12th of Rabi' al-awwal (September 24, 622), a Friday. The Prophet stopped at the location of the Salim ibn Avf tribe in the Ranuna valley when it was time for the Friday prayer. He read his first Friday khutba (sermon) there and led the prayer. In his sermon he first praised Allah, then Muhammad asserted that people would certainly be judged in the afterlife, that everyone would be held accountable for the people who were working under them, and that nothing could help people after death except for the good deeds that they did on earth. He advised all people to prepare for the afterlife by competing with each other in terms of performing good deeds. The Prophet set out for Yathrib after the prayer, and he was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the people of the city. There was an atmosphere of celebration and festival in Medina, the like of which had never been seen before. People lined up on both sides of the road; men, women and children joyously greeted Prophet Muhammad. All the while, tambourines were being played and the following words were sung: "The moon shone on us from farewell hills / We must thank Allah as long as invitation to Him continues / O Messenger / We shall obey You / Welcome here, our city is honored by your arrival." The Prophet entered the city on his camel, Qaswa, greeting the people and thanking them. Everyone wanted the Prophet to stay in their house, but Muhammad said that he would stay wherever his camel came to rest. The camel came to stop in front of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari's (Khaled ibn Zayd) house. Now the Meccan period, a time of suffering and pain, had come to an end and a new period had begun in Islamic history.
Yathrib was now known as Madinat ar-Rasul or al-Madina al-Munavvara, which means the city of the Prophet.
In the sources that relate the events connected to the exodus of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca, his arrival in Quba and his entry into Medina are given different dates.

If one carefully examines the accounts, one can understand that the people of Mecca made the decision to assassinate the Prophet on September 9th, 622, a Thursday, that the Prophet learned about this situation, leaving the city and going to the cave of Thawr, that he stayed there from the 10 through 12 September, 622 within the cave, left the cave on Monday Rabi' al-awwal 1, (September 13th, 622) and arrived in Quba, and on Friday, Rabi' al-awwal 12 (September 24th, 622) finally entered Medina.
 

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The first activities of the Prophet in Medina

The first activities of the Prophet in Medina
The emigration was a very important incident enabling the Prophet (pbuh) to fulfill his duties of prophethood under better conditions and assisting the spread of Islam. The greatest goal of the last prophet was to convey the verses of the Holy Quran, to teach the religion while practicing it himself, and to increase the number of believers, thus enabling the transmission of the religion to future generations without any changes. Thus, he decided to make certain arrangements and take precautions. He persuaded the Muslims to become good worshippers and earn the approval of Allah, to perform activities that would create social solidarity and inner unity among the believers and he presented commands and recommendations for them. Within this context, the Prophet commanded that people should greet one another, that they should protect the poor, that they should not neglect visiting relatives and that they should wake up for prayer during the night when others are still sleeping, promising heaven for those who do so.

First of all, the people of the period needed a mosque that would be the center of Muslim society. In the Meccan period people had very limited opportunities to worship together or to listen to to Prophet Muhammad. When the number of Muslims increased, particularly after the First Aqabah Pledge, As'ad ibn Zurara built a masjid near to where the dates where dried, with the qiblah (the direction in which Muslims pray) being in the direction of Jerusalem. Later al-Masjid al-Nabawi was built on this location. In the meantime, the Muslims in Mecca were not performing Friday prayers while the Muslims were performing it in Medina. The Prophet decided to build a mosque near the place where his camel had sat on the ground. He bought the land, which belonged to two orphan children whose names were Sahl and Suhayl. During the construction of al-Masjid al-Nabawi, which lasted about seven months, the Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub al-Ansari's house and met with men from Medina there, and with the women in another house. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi is one of the two masjids built on the order of the Prophet (the other being Quba), and its kiblah faced Jerusalem. In accordance with the verses sent in the sixteenth or seventeenth month after the hijrah (Al-Baqarah, 149-150), prayers that had been performed facing Jerusalem were re-directed towards the Kaaba.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi was first and foremost a place of worship. In the Age of Happiness, it became the center of nearly all of the Prophet's activities especially education. In al-Masjid al-Nabawi, political and military developments were discussed and various decisions were taken; the wounded were treated; prisoners of war and criminals were held in custody; the bounty won during battles were kept; delegations of Muslim tribes, emissaries and guests were accommodated; judicial trials were conducted; marriages were announced; various demonstrations and ceremonies were held. The Prophet was fulfilling all the requirements of his duties in the masjid and his house, which was next to the masjid, and he was conveying and teaching the verses of the Holy Quran which had been sent there. The Prophet built a veranda behind the al-Masjid al-Nabawi for homeless Muslims and Companions who wanted to study, known as the Suffa; the roof was made of date leafs. People who took shelter here or studied here were called the Ahl al-Suffa or Ashab al-Suffa. The Prophet chose people from the Ahl al-Suffa when creating advisory committees or diplomatic committees.

Just after the emigration, the Prophet announced that every immigrant (muhajir) was a brother or sister to someone from the Aws tribe or Khazraj tribe that is the residents of Medina. With this directive, known as the Muahat, the unification of the Islamic society was greatly enabled, and material and psychological needs were provided for the muhajirs, who had left their all possessions in Mecca. The Muslims of Medina accepted the muhajirs as their siblings and shared their homes with them in accordance with the promise they had given to Prophet Muhammad during the pledges of Aqaba. The people of Medina wanted to share their property rights, date fields, and other properties with the muhajirs and the muhajirs thanked them for this noble attitude, but refused this offer. The Prophet stated that the muhajirs could have a share of the products of their effort, on the condition that the property remained with the people of Medina. In this way, the income that was gained by working together was shared. This cooperation between the Muslims of Medina and the muhajirs was praised in the Holy Quran in the following words: "Undoubtedly, those who believed and left their hearth and homes for Allah and fought with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and helped they are heirs one of another" (Al-Anfal, 8/72). However, after the Battle of Badr, "And those who believed afterwards and emigrated and waged the holy war with you, they also are of you.

And the blood relations are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah. Undoubtedly Allah knows all things" (Al-Anfal, 8/75). By forming the above-mentioned bond of brotherhood, the Prophet not only provided for the needs of the muhajirs, but also created a bond of religion that took the place of the bonds of tribes. Except for the inheritance law, the provisions of the muahat, such as assisting one another, cooperating, and advising each other remained valid. In this way, the muahat tradition was generalized and it was announced that: "Muslims are brothers, therefore make peace between the two brothers and fear Allah that mercy may be shown to you" (Al-Hujurat, 49/10).

Emigration to Medina continued during the period up until the conquest of Mecca. In the early years of Medina, the Prophet told people who came from areas surrounding Mecca and Medina that they should immigrate to Medina. The Prophet did not approve of the people who left Medina after having immigrated there, and he prayed to Allah that the emigration become permanent. With the responsibility of being the last prophet, the Prophet wanted to lay the necessary foundations for a large community to learn the religion that he was conveying through practice, to pass on the religion to the future generations accurately, and to preserve the religion until judgment day without change or corruption. As a matter of fact, the Prophet's efforts ore fruit and the Muslims, whose numbers increased day by day, achieved political success and military victories against their enemies. When the victories of the Muslims eventually were crowned with the conquest of Mecca in the 8th year after the emigration (630), the Prophet said:

"There is no immigration after the conquest of Mecca" (Tirmidhi, "Siyar", 33). With these words, the Prophet removed the necessity of immigrating to Medina, but he wanted the people outside the city to still join in any war when they were called to do so.

There was no organized state in Mecca, or in the entire Hejaz region, and every tribe lived under the rule of its own tribal leader. In Medina the Aws tribe, the Khazraj tribe, and three Jewish tribes (the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza) lived. The date when the Jewish tribes came to the city is not exactly known. It is known that the Aws tribe and the Khazraj were constantly in conflict with each other, and that some Jewish people took sides with the Aws and some with the Khazraj. There was no executive structure that involved all the people of the city. After achieving brotherhood among Muslims with the muahat, the Prophet called representatives of the Arabs who were not Muslims, the Muslims and the Jewish tribes in Medina to Anas ibn Malik's house to discuss how they could live in the city in peace and safety. The Prophet persuaded all the groups to form a city state, and he formed a written text based upon the issues agreed upon there. In this agreement, which is mentioned in the sources as a "book" or "page", and which has been defined as the "first written constitution" by some scholars, such issues as providing domestic peace in the city, preventing possible external threats, determining the judicial authority to resolve legal conflicts between individuals, and determining some economic principles. It was a particular condition that the Jews would cooperate with the Muslims if there were external threats to Medina and that they would not cooperate with the Quraishis. It was decided that every group would cover financial issues, like cost of war and ransom or blood money, and that they would conduct judicial duties among themselves independently; Prophet Muhammad was to be the ultimate judicial body in resolving conflicts between people from different groups. It was also stated that the Jews and the Muslims had freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. In accordance with the article which asserted that "Medina will be a sanctuary for the people of this pact", Prophet Muhammad assigned Ka'b ibn Malik to determine the borders of Medina, with the al-Masjid al-Nabawi being the center. The political and military activities were conducted in line with these borders thereafter. The Prophet built a market place in Medina for the Muslim people, and he allocated the Baki spot as the burial ground. In this way, he drew up the first example of a city plan that would later become a model in the Islamic world, including the house of an amr (ruler), market place, graveyard, districts and a mosque in the center.

One of the regulations actualized in the first year of the hijrah (Gregorian 622) is the using of the adhan to notify the Muslims about the times of prayer. It is also accounted that the adhan was first used in the second year after the hijrah (Gregorian 623). The prayer was commanded during the Mecca period, but no method of how to notify the times for prayer was thought of until after Prophet Muhammad immigrated to Medina. Actually, the conditions in the Meccan period were not suitable for any such method. However, the Muslims in Medina had an environment in which they could openly perform their worship, and their numbers were increasing daily. The Prophet discussed with his Companions what could be done to notify Muslims of the prayer times to enable them to know the correct times. Many opinions were set forth in the talk and no agreement was reached. According to one account, Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Sa'laba was taught the adhan in his dream and he notified Prophet Muhammad about this incident. Prophet Muhammad wanted Abdullah to teach the words of the adhan to Bilal al-Habashi, who had a loud voice. Bilal al-Habashi went on the roof of a high house and called the morning adhan. Later on, a special place was built behind the al-Masjid al-Nabawi for calling the adhan. Consequently, the adhan became the distinct feature of Islam and a symbol of Muslim presence. The adhan is still called all over the world today at all times of the day to call people to worship Allah.
 

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Domestic and foreign threats – some battles and night raids

DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN THREATS – SOME BATTLES AND NIGHT RAIDS

The Prophet (pbuh) did not attack those Quraishi idolaters who displayed hostile attitudes to him and the other Muslims. He did not take revenge on them, but told the Muslims who faced insults, tortures and hardships to be patient. The revelations sent in this period were mainly composed of advice to be patient. Apart from the positive environment during the early years of the new period in Medina after the hijrah, hardships were also experienced. The idolaters of Mecca were determined to disturb the Muslims in Medina as well. Most of the local people of Medina had sincerely accepted Islam, but there were some hypocrites among them. The Jewish families living in the environs of the city appeared to participate in the agreement, but they were causing problems whenever they could and were ready to display hostility, such as betrayal.

Soon after the emigration, the prominent Quraishi members Abu Sufyan and Ubay ibn Halaf sent a letter to the Muslims of Medina. They stated that it was wrong for the Muslims to protect and help Prophet Muhammad, but that they should abandon such an attitude; if they did not do this hostilities might break out between the two cities. In response to this letter, Ka'b ibn Malik wrote a poem that refused to comply with the demands of the idolaters. In the meantime, the Quraishis started to impose some economic measures on Medina. The news of the emigration of Prophet Muhammad and his companions spread throughout almost all of the Arabian Peninsula. Many tribes followed the manner and message of the Prophet; the people who could not emigrate or who had to secret their Islamic faith waited for new developments. Meanwhile, a verse was sent that stated that any believers who underwent torture could stage armed counterattacks: "Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed able to give them victory. Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helps one who helps Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty." (Al-Hajj, 22/39-40). In a period of nearly one year, starting from seven months after the emigration (Ramadan 1 / March 623),

Prophet Muhammad carried out some military operations to protect the Muslims from the threat of the Quraishis; to show the Quraishis that the Muslims were also strong the Sifulbahr nighttime raid, commanded by Hamza the Rabig nighttime raid commanded by Ubayda ibn Harith, the Harrar nighttime raid commanded by Sa'd ibn Abu Vaqqas, the Battle of Abva (Vaddan), the Battle of Buvat and the Battle of Ushayra were all carried out during this period. The Muslim soldiers traveled along the paths of the Quraishi caravans, but they did not strike at any point, nor did they bother the caravans of other tribes or groups. With these military operations, Mecca and Medina, which were in fact at war with each other, began to experience a period in which the rules of engagement were valid.

This condition lasted until the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. Seventeen months after the emigration (Rajab, 2 / January 624), troops commanded by Abdullah ibn Jahsh were sent to Batn-i Nahla to attack a Quraishi caravan that was returning from Yemen; one person was killed, with two people being taken prisoner. According to some accounts, although this nighttime raid was primarily carried out for attaining intelligence, Prophet Muhammad also wanted to intimidate the Quraishi idolaters.
 

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Okumak,Yaþamaktýr
The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr, along with the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Trench, was one of the most famous battles that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) fought against the Quraishi idolaters. Badr was a small town 160 km southwest of Medina and 30 km from the Red Sea; it lay at the point where the Medina-Mecca road connected with the Syrian caravan road.

The Prophet and the Muslims of Mecca had been subjected to the hostilities and torture of the Quraishis for ten years and they eventually fled, taking with them only some of their belongings. With the addition of what the Muslims had left behind the Quraishis were able to form trade caravans to the south and north of the Arabian Peninsula. The Prophet was informed that a large Quraishi caravan, led by Abu Sufyan, was on its way back from Syria. It is stated that this caravan was composed of 1,000 camels and had goods of a value of 50,000 dinars. The Prophet planned to attack the Quraishi caravan in Badr and he set out from Medina on 12 of Ramadan 2 (March 9, 624). It should be noted that this was a battle carried out in self defense; the Muslims were not the raiding party. The Propehet assigned Abdullah ibn Ummu Maktum to be lead in his absence. The Islamic army was composed of 305 people (75 muhajirs and 230 Companions). Mus'ab ibn Umayr, Ali and Sa'd ibn Muaz were assigned as flagmen. There were seventy camels and two horses in the army. The Muslims continued to fast for one or two days, and they broke their fasting on the order of the Prophet.

Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan was informed about the preparations of Prophet Muhammad when he entered the Hejaz region and he sent a courier to Mecca with an urgent request for reinforcements. He followed a path away from Badr in order to avoid any ambush. Thereupon, the Quraishis, ably supported and accompanied by all the notable chiefs of Mecca, hastily formed an army. They then set out with 1,000 men, led by Abu Jahil, to Badr, even though they learned that the caravan had not been attacked. There were 700 camels and 100 horses in the army of the idolaters.

In fact, the Prophet and his companions were not aware that the Quraishi army had set out from Mecca and were near Badr. The Holy Quran states:

"And when Allah promised you one of the two bands of the enemy that it should be yours, and you longed that other than the armed one might be yours. And Allah willed that He should cause the Truth to triumph by His words, and cut the root of the disbelievers. When you were on the near bank of the valley and they were on the yonder bank, and the caravan was below you on the coast plain. And had you trusted to meet one another you surely would have failed to keep the trust, but it happened, as it did, without the forethought of either of you that Allah might conclude a thing that must be done; that he who perished on that day might perish by a clear proof of His Sovereignty and he who survived might survive by a clear proof of His Sovereignty. Lo! Allah in truth is Hearer, Knower" (Al-Anfal, 8/7, 42).

On the 17th of Ramadan 2 (March 13, 624), both of the armies set out for Badr in the early hours. The Prophet reached the water wells in Badr before the Quraishis. Upon the advice of Habbab ibn Arat, he left the well closest to where the enemy would arrive open while filling the other wells with sand. Prophet Muhammad allowed the idolaters to take water from the open well. Before the battle, Prophet Muhammad had sent Umar to the Quraishis and proposed that they return to Mecca without engaging in battle; however the Quraishis insisted on the battle. In accordance with ancient Arabic traditions, two men from both sides came out to the battleground to begin the war. During this challenge, which is known as the Mubaraza, Hamza killed his opponent, Asvad ibn Abdulasad al-Mahzumi. Upon this, Utba ibn Rabia, his brother Shayba and his son Walid from the Quraishis and Ubayda ibn Harith, Hamza and Ali from the Muslim army approached the battleground. After Hamza and Ali had killed their opponents, they went to help Ubayda who had been severely wounded and then killed Utba. Because he suffered from severe wounds, Ubayda ibn Hariht died, becoming a martyr, on the return from Badr. During the war which began after the Mubaraza, the Muslims were victorious on the afternoon of the same day. Seventy people were taken prisoner and seventy people from the idolaters were killed. Among the prisoners was Abu Jahil, the greatest enemy of Islam. The number of Muslims martyrs was fourteen.

Prophet Muhammad performed the funeral prayer of the martyrs and ordered that they be buried. He also ordered that the Quraishi casualties be buried. He commanded that the prisoners be treated well and only sentenced two of these prisoners, Ukba ibn Abu Muayt and Nadr ibn Harith, to death in return for the torture they had subjected Muslims to in the past. After this, Prophet Muhammad consulted with the Companions as to how the other prisoners were to be treated. He accepted the proposal of Abu Bakr and released the prisoners in return for a ransom, ranging from 1,000 to 1,400 dirham, according to their financial standing. Some of the prisoners who could not afford the ransom were released unconditionally while others were released on the condition that they taught ten Muslims how to read and write. The booty gained from the war was gathered together and equally distributed among those who had been involved in the battle. The Prophet returned to Medina at the end of the month Ramadan or at the beginning of the month of Shawwal.

Abu'l-As ibn Rabi, the son-in-law of the Prophet was among the prisoners detained in Badr. Abu'l-As was married to Zaynab, the oldest daughter of the Prophet. He had not accepted Islam although his wife was a Muslim and yet he refused to divorce Zaynab. When he joined the idolaters and became a prisoner, the people of Mecca sent the ransom money for the prisoners and his wife Zaynab sent a certain amount of money along with the necklace given to her by her mother Khadijah as a wedding present.

The Prophet recognized the necklace and became very emotional; remembering Khadijah and her services to Islam, he asked for permission from his Companions to release Abu'l-As and to return the necklace back to Zaynab. After Abu'l-As was released, he returned to Mecca and in accordance with a promise he had made to Prophet Muhammad he sent his wife Zaynab to Medina. Abu'l As later became a Muslim and performed the emigration to Medina, and was reunited with his wife (Muharram 7/ May 628).

In the Holy Quran it is stated that the victory of Badr was achieved with the help of Allah and that during the battle the Islamic army was supported by angels (Al-Anfal 8/8-12; Al‑ Imran 3/123-127). As a result of the Battle of Badr the Islamic society earned great respect in the Arabian Peninsula and the Prophet acquired extensive opportunities to convey the message of Islam. The people of Mecca, who had lost the battle of Badr, chose Abu Sufyan as successor to Abu Jahil and they swore an oath to seek revenge from the Muslims; from this date they endeavored to find ways to achieve their goal. Abu Lahab was not involved in the battle of Badr due to illness and sent As ibn Hisham as a replacement. After hearing about the defeat in Badr, Abu Lahab's condition deteriorated and he soon died. About two and a half month after the defeat of Badr Abu Sufyan came to Medina and attacked the outer environs of the city with a force of two hundred men. After killing two Muslims, he set the fields on fire and left the city. Although Prophet Muhammad followed him with two hundred men, Abu Sufyan and his soldiers evaded them by discarding their flour bags (sawik) so that they could move more rapidly. As a result, this pursuit came to be known as the Sawik Battle.
 
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