MUHAMMAD SAW THE MESSENGER OF ISLAM (515 pages, 25/41)
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living in Madinah by the name of Mukhayriq who lived by the law of the prophet Musa and who was known for his great learning and virtue. This man had become Muslim, but out of consideration for his circumstances he had so far kept his Islam secret. However, when the battle of Uhud began, he felt a great yearning and desire to be of service to the Holy Prophet . When he could not sit still any longer, he went to the heads of his clan and said to them, “Do you have any doubt that I am the most learned among you in the knowledge of the heavenly scripture?” They answered him at once, “No, we haven’t a grain of doubt that you are the most knowledgeable amongst us all.”
“Know then that the Prophet of the Last Times who has been foretold in all the Holy Books, is Muhammad who this very day is fighting the pagan Quraysh at Uhud. For us it is the very best way to success if we joined him and lent him our support.” “But today is the Sabbath, it is forbidden to us to do any work,” they replied. Mukhayriq replied, “Muhammad who is the first and the last of all the prophets, has come to change the Shari’a, the holy law. Let us cut a long matter short, you have just con-firmed that I know more about the laws of religion than all of you, so come along, let us sacrifice our souls for the sake of the Holy Prophet this very day.”
But though he tried his best, he could not persuade them to leave their error behind and to accept Islam as the true choice of Allah. Mukhayriq therefore proclaimed his faith in the new religion all alone, and came into the presence of the Holy Prophet at Uhud. “Oh Prophet of Allah, will you accept me, I have come to give my life and soul for you, and I make over all my possessions and belongings to you. I ask you to dispense of my property in the cause of this noble religion and for the love of Muhammad , and for this battle fought for the sake of the Word of Allah.”
After that, he went out to fight. He fought with bravery and valor, and was at last slain, dying a martyr. The Holy Prophet praised him when he said of him, “Mukhayriq is the best of his people.
Still the enemy cavalry pressed in on the Prophet . One of the enemy horsemen was ‘Uthman bin Mughira of the Bani Makhzum – may his name be cursed. He attacked the Prophet Muhammad and fell into the trench that Abu Amir had dug for the Holy Prophet . He was slain by the sword of Harith and plunged into the pit of everlasting despair.
Umm Ayman is Injured
At this point in the battle, Umm Ayman was injured. She was one woman whom the Holy Prophet loved exceedingly much; she had been his wet-nurse and he honored her by saying about her, “(She is) my mother after my mother.” This highly honored lady of Islam was one of the women who looked after the wounded in battle and distributed water. She was wounded by the treacherous Khayyam.
The Holy Prophet said to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, “Here, take this arrow and shoot the man who wounded my nurse,” and he prayed after that to the Lord, “Oh Allah, make his arrow hit its mark!” The arrow Sa’d shot upon the Prophet’s command did not miss its mark and felled Khayyam to the ground. After this again Sa’d shot the arrow that the Prophet gave him and killed one of the unbelievers, Malik bin Zuhayr who had hidden behind a rock and who had caused the Muslims great losses.
Though the enemy army had at one point very nearly routed the Muslims who were dispersed by attacking fighters, the Muslim army pulled itself together and the enemy was pushed back. Then there was a lull in the fighting.
The Holy Prophet found it unsuitable to stay any longer on the open ground that he and his companions were occupying, and they withdrew to a more protected position behind the mountain of Uhud. When Abu Sufyan saw the Muslims gathering on the plain of Mt. Uhud, he contemplated attacking them again with another band of soldiers. But the Holy Prophet prayed to Allah Almighty, saying, “Oh my Lord, do not permit these unbelievers to climb these heights, so that they might not defeat this handful of true believers; prevent them from achieving this!” In answer to the Holy Prophet’s supplication the pagans were not able to scale the heights of Mt. Uhud.
The Meccans finally decided to withdraw, but before they went, Abu Sufyan wished to have certain news of the Holy Prophet’s condition. “Is Muhammad with you?” The Holy Prophet commanded his companions to give no answer. This time Abu Sufyan asked, “Is Abu Bakr with you?” and he yelled three times, but again the Prophet would let no one answer for him. After this Abu Sufyan asked about Ali and ‘Umar, but no one answered.
Thereupon Abu Sufyan turned and said to his men, “This means to say that they are dead, the backbone of Islam is therefore broken. We have attained our goal; this new religion is extinguished.” Hearing these vile words from the commander of the pagan army, ‘Umar the general of the new Shari’a could stand no more. He turned and yelled back at him, “Oh no, you vile and treacherous
one, who has declared war on Allah and His Holy Prophet , go tell your men that Allah has withered the lips of him who tries to extinguish this religion! All those about whom you ask are among the living, and they are soldiers of Allah’s army. They will come to exact their revenge on you yet.”
When Abu Sufyan heard ‘Umar speak these intrepid words, he was greatly astonished, and all he could say was, “The fortunes of war are variable. Today we have had our revenge for the Battle of Badr.” But ‘Umar yelled back at him again, answering, “Nay, it is not at all like that, in this too, you are in error. For our victory is from the bounty of Allah, while your victory is from the world of the fire which is the place of purification for the unbelievers.” Abu Sufyan then called upon the idols that he worshipped, and honored them, saying, “Oh great Hubal!” The Holy Prophet , a confirmed servant of the Lord, commanded ‘Umar to reply in such a way as to affirm the Unity of Allah. ‘Umar raised his voice and called out:
ALLAHU LA ILAHA ILLALLAH, ALLAH IS THE MOST HIGH AND ETERNAL.
Abu Sufyan, when he heard these words spoken in reverence, was confounded once more and could think of nothing to say but, “And we have ‘Uzza as well.” To this ‘Umar replied once more, “And Allah is our Lord.” Abu Sufyan then said, “Oh ‘Umar, your word is more to me than the word of Ibn Qami’ah, tell me truthfully: is Muhammad still alive?” ‘Umar replied, “I swear by Allah the Almighty that he is listening to all our prattle, that is the truth. Next year we will be back to measure ourselves against you, then we will see how it shall be.”
The Death of Ubayy bin Khalaf
The Holy Prophet commanded ‘Umar to speak these words, and ‘Umar obeyed his order. Then he advised his companions to let him know immediately should they run into Ubayy bin Khalaf, and for no one to touch him. For before this time, while in Mecca, this man had said to the Prophet whenever he ran into him, “Oh Muhammad, I am feeding a horse named ‘Awd, and it is from the back of this horse that I am going to kill you.” The Holy Prophet had answered him, “Not so, for Allah Almighty will deal you death at my hands, while you are yet astride that horse.”
This treacherous man had been taken prisoner at Badr, had been ransomed and saved, and yet had not changed his ways. He returned to fight the Prophet at Uhud. Suddenly he approached Muhammad, yelling at the top of his voice, “It’s
you or I, Muhammad!” The Prophet’s companions closed round him and prepared to assail him, but the Holy Prophet had forbidden them to touch him, and ordered them to let him know when he came. Speaking the name of Allah upon his lance, he stepped out in front of them all, and hurled his lance at the accursed man, so that it broke his rib. The stricken man turned his horse and fled, crying out, “Muhammad has killed me!” Abu Sufyan met him and held him, saying, “What has happened to you, there is no injury to be seen, no blood, and you are a strong man, what is it with you?” But the man insisted, “I don’t know what it is, or how I am wounded, but I know that this is going to kill me! I cannot stand this,” and he rode on to the Meccan camp where indeed he died and went into the everlasting fire, which is the place of cleansing for those who disbelieved.
Later the Holy Prophet was asked about these events, and he explained that when he had thrown his lance, the angel Jibra’il had lifted up the rib so that the weapon struck his liver and destroyed it. Then the angel had lowered the rib again so that there was no visible trace. Yet, the man was mortally wounded.
The pagans were finally convinced that they would not succeed in defeating the Muslims completely that day, so eventually they turned away from them, and rode back to camp.
The Holy Prophet ordered Muhammad ibn Maslama to find Sa’d bin Rabi‘, and he added, “I have seen Sa’d with twelve spears stuck in him, and I love Sa’d as I love my own eyes. Go and find him for me!” Muhammad ibn Maslama went out to the battlefield to find Sa’d. He went about calling, “Sa’d bin Rabi‘, where are you?” but he received no answer. At last, he called, “Oh Sa’d, I have been sent by the Holy Prophet to find you, it is my blessed duty to find you, he wishes to know what happened to you.” Hearing the Holy Prophet’s name mentioned, Sa’d then answered, “I am among the slain, and at this moment I am contemplating the Presence of Allah; I am submerged in the fragrance of Paradise, gazing at the Beauty of the Divine, drunk with the Love of Muhammad
; come to me, here I am.” These words led him to where he lay.
Muhammad ibn Maslama ran to the place the voice came from, and he found Sa’d in a pool of blood. He took him in his arms and once more Sa’d opened his eyes. “You have been sent by Muhammad , oh Muhammad bin Maslama?” he asked him. When Muhammad bin Maslama answered him that this was so, he said to him, “Tell our revered Prophet that I am sending him my Salams, and tell him that I have attained the Presence of the Beloved. Go give my Salams also to my people and say to them that if they wish to attain supreme success
they should serve and support the Holy Prophet , and seek to increase their love for him. Tell them that as long as they possess the strength to flutter an eyelid they should not fail in his service.” Then saying, “Oh Rasulullah, may you be satisfied with me!” he closed his eyes and surrendered his soul, entering the abode beyond all space.
The Holy Prophet wandered across the battlefield and stopped in front of each of the martyrs, gazing at each one separately. His eyes filled with tears that Allah alone could dry and they fell upon each one of the martyrs. He prayed for each of them each and informed of their various stations. When he came upon his blessed uncle Hamza, the great lion of Islam and champion of mankind, the most valiant hero among all the other martyrs, he saw what had been done to him, how his blessed corpse had been mutilated, his ears cut off, his liver torn out. He threw himself upon his dear uncle’s holy body.
Never had the Holy Prophet been seen to be so affected by anything as by these barbarous acts perpetrated on his beloved uncle, they were most hurtful to the Prophet . As the Lord saw that His beloved Prophet would not be able to bear the pain, He sent the angel Jibra’il to show him the high station Hamza now occupied in the Divine Presence. Then he was ordered to pray the prayer of the dead for the martyrs, and he prayed for every single one of them. When he came to pray over his uncle Hamza, he was so overcome that he could not pray. After he was composed, he prayed not less than seven times.
The Funeral Prayer in Islam
Oh Traveler on the road to Truth! You who are seeking the light of real knowledge! Even if it is an aside from our main topic here, I cannot pass without at least a brief mention of how immensely important the funeral prayer is in Islam.
In the illustrious religion of Islam, the funeral prayer tells of the spiritual station which material man occupies in the Divine Presence, and Islam is the only religion to possess such form of worship. It is a station reserved for the Holy Prophet that is hereby open to all mankind, as a Divine grant for his nation. It is a form of prayer that combines similarity with exception, for in that it consists of Qiyam (standing in prayer) it shows its similitude, and in that it contains no ruku’ (bowing low) or sajda (prostration), it shows its exception. This is how the funeral prayer is prayed: The dead body of the Muslim is placed before the congregation praying the funeral prayer. The imam leading the funeral prayer stands at the height of the dead man’s chest, making his inner reality to be his
Qibla. But lest any take this for a sign of idolatry, I hasten to elucidate as follows:
The chest is the location of iman (faith); the heart located at its center is the site of the call to Allah. On this site the Divine Gaze is trained, and it is the center of the organization of the human being. Therefore, when a true believer leaves this world and reaches his Lord, Allah Almighty orders the Muslims: “The heart of this servant of Mine was full of faith, and it was the established resting place of love, for Myself and My Beloved. This servant lived with Me, he walked with Me and rested in Me, he hurt no one, and he never inclined towards idolatry, disbelief, or hypocrisy. He was never slave to any tyrant. He always preserved his inner secret in the fairest of forms. In brief, he did not damage his distinction of “laqad karramna bani adama” (We have honored the Children of Adam – The Night Journey 70). He was not separated from Me for a single moment. Now he has passed into the other world and come to Me. Rise now and make him to be your Qibla! I graciously deign to descend upon his inner reality, so pray the funeral prayer over him, for in truth the Qibla is ever Mine,” speaks the Lord. This is the significance of the funeral prayer.
Therefore, when the Holy Prophet was about to pray the funeral prayer over his beloved uncle Hamza, he plainly perceived the Descent of Divine Grace and could not get his fill of it. For that, he stood again and again, intoning the prayer anew.
More Examples of Pious Women
The sister of Hamza, Safiya, had come running out from Madinah to the field of Uhud as soon as she heard the news of her brother Hamza. The Holy Prophet gave orders to the Companions to keep her away from the body of her dead brother, lest she see the state he was in. While the Companions tried to deter her from searching for the body of Hamza among the fallen, this blessed lady spoke, “Don’t try to hide my brother from me, I know he has fallen as a martyr. It is not such a terrible thing to die for the sake of Allah, in exchange for his soul my brother has received great reward and immeasurable gain. That is to say, Allah Almighty Himself has ransomed him which is why I wish to see his holy body.”
When he heard this answer from Safiya which bespoke of her deep faith and a heart filled with love and closeness to the Almighty, the Prophet changed his mind and told his Companions to show her the body, saying, “She has earned the right to see him,” while at the same time he prayed, “Oh my Lord, just as You have shown me the special rank my uncle Hamza holds in your Divine Presence,
show it also to his sister who is the embodiment of love and faith.” So they told her what had happened to the blessed body of Hamza and showed him to her. Safiya beheld the body of Hamza in the shape it is preserved in the Divine Presence, fully aware and in a wakeful state, sentient perception of his station, and she asked of him his intercession, while to people in general he appeared as a mutilated corpse. She touched him with fondness, reciting the holy words:
inna llillahi wa inna ilayhi radhi`un.
Surely we belong to God and to Him we return. (The Cow, 156)
This lady was not the only example of perfect love of faith that the Holy Prophet implanted in the hearts of those blessed martyrs in a brief period of time. Countless other examples could be cited, and assuming the reader’s consent, we shall mention here yet another blessed lady.
There was a woman of the Ansar who had one son who was a paragon of beauty and a brother and a husband, who both excelled in bravery. When she was informed of the death as martyrs of her dearest ones, successively, this respectable lady cried out repeatedly, “I want you to give me news of the Holy Prophet !” In the end she learned where the Holy Prophet was and she went to him and gazed at his blessed countenance, which mirrors the aspect of the Divine, and she called out, “Oh Rasulullah, now that I am seeing your blessed face all my troubles and woes are as nothing to me.”
What a wealth of religious sensitivity, what ardent love of faith! Thereafter the Holy Prophet had all the martyrs gathered. The spiritual beings of these warriors having departed for the Presence of the Divine, their pure and blessed remains, which are likened to the soul’s bride, were wrapped in their winding sheets, covered as they were in their martyr’s blood. Without being washed they were reposed with awe and veneration in the earth who is their original mother, while the Holy Prophet addressed the congregation as follows: “I bear witness that these friends of mine placed their own self-interest last and that they surrendered their lives and souls in Allah’s cause. Yes, in the eternal world to come, on that second Day of Gathering, those who were wounded for the sake of Allah will rise from their graves, blood flowing afresh from their wounds. No man nor angel will at that instance not feel passionate love for the color of that martyr’s blood, and indeed will become intoxicated on the scent issuing from it.”
How fortunate that man for whom none other than the Holy Prophet bears witness! As much as he has said to Jabir, “Oh Jabir, when your father was dying the death of the martyr, Allah Almighty spoke to him without intermediary, and
without veils and said to him, ‘Oh My servant, you who are giving up your life and soul for My sake! Whatever it is you wish for, tell Me, let Me know your every desire!’ Thereupon your father answered, ‘Oh My Lord, I have attained the goal of my faith in that I have come to You. What more is there left to wish for? Only for those whom I left behind in this world do I wish that they should know of my condition and of what You have granted to us.’ For the sake of your martyred father’s request, the Lord Almighty has commanded me through the revelation of these verses to make known the fate of the martyrs:
Count not those who were slain in God’s way as dead, but rather living with their Lord, by Him provided, rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them, and joyful in those who remain behind and have not joined them, because no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow, joyful in blessing and bounty from God, and that God leaves not to waste the wage of the believers. And those who answered God and the Messenger after the wound had smitten them -to all those of them who did good and feared God, shall be a mighty wage; those to whom the people said, ‘The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them’; but it increased them in faith, and they said, ‘God is sufficient for us; an excellent Guardian is He.’”
(The House of Imran, 169-173)
In this battle, the Muslims lost over seventy men who fell as martyrs, mostly from the Ansar. Their pure remains were delivered two by two to their original element, Mother Earth. For many of them no winding sheet could be found, such as Mus’ab bin ‘Umayr, the great standard-bearer of Islam, whose garment was not long enough to cover his feet. They covered them instead with branches from the rue-bush. Those who were close to one another and good friends in life were laid together in their graves in death. Hamza’ s nephew (the son of his sister) was buried together with Abdullah bin Jahsh; Abu Jabir, his brother-in-law ‘Amr bin Jamul and Khazraj bin Zayd were all laid in a grave together. There were also many wounded among the Muslims who needed to be looked after and attended.
The losses of the enemy did not exceed thirty men. The Muslims were full of deep remorse for not having heeded the advice of the Holy Prophet at the outset of the battle. The Prophet therefore gathered them all and addressed them: “Be not overly distraught, for you have been forgiven. The conquest of Mecca is near. However, be wary now, for the band of hypocrites is about to split off. We return to Madinah, and you will see clearly on their faces who is a true believer in Islam and who is not. The hypocrites will be weeded out.”
The Holy Prophet turned once more towards the martyrs buried in the field, gave them his tender Salams and bade them farewell. Then he turned back towards Madinah with his Companions, although his blessed face was wounded. When the seriously injured were taken aside to be cared for, he spoke to the Companions of the condition of the enemy. “Now Abu Sufyan is thinking, ‘Why didn’t we complete what we had set out to do, to eliminate the Muslim threat?’ and he will be planning a new attack. Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl is lamenting, ‘The revenge for my father’s death is not yet complete, although we have dealt a painful blow to the Muslims, we are yet returning without having settled with them once and for all, we have not entirely eradicated them.’ Is there not one person among you who will show them that Islam is here to stay, that the cause of ‘La ilaha illAllah’ will remain until the Last Day? We ought to follow them and make sure that their taste for launching a new attack is thoroughly spoilt, so that they understand that the essential reality of Islam has not been weakened.”
Upon this Abu Bakr and Zubayr together with seventy men made ready on the spot, presenting themselves before the Holy Prophet , saying, “Your wish is our command, oh Rasulullah!” After the Holy Prophet had prayed the morning prayer with them in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, he called for Bilal al- Habashi, and commanded him to call out: “Let all the fighters of the Battle of Uhud assemble here, let them prepare to pursue the enemy.” Bilal called out this command of the Holy Prophet with his strong voice, and the valiant warriors came running. Those who were only lightly wounded tied up their wounds and came along.
On the other side, Abu Sufyan had gone as far as Rawha when he decided to return to Madinah and launch a second attack on Islam. The Holy Prophet left the city of Madinah under the aegis of Ibn Ummi Maktum and gave the Muslim standard into Ali’s hands. Although he himself had been injured, he mounted his steed and counting the seventy men Abu Bakr had assembled round him, there were six-hundred warriors setting out from Madinah that day.
They reached a place called Hamru-al-Asad at a distance of eight miles from the city, there the Holy Prophet decided to set up camp. Abu Ma’bad, the chief of the Khuza’a, gave them his condolences for the losses they had suffered at Uhud. Ma’bad told them he was intending to travel to Mecca on some business and bid them farewell. Although the Khuza’a were not yet declared Muslims, their hearts already inclined towards Islam. When Abu Ma’bad passed the place of Rawha he made sure to call on Abu Sufyan. In the course of their conversation, Abu Sufyan asked him for news, as Ma’bad had expected him to. Ma’bad answered,
“Wallahi, by God, I don’t know, but Muhammad is moving against you with an army the likes of which I have not seen before, composed in particular of those who were not able to come to Uhud with him.” “How is that possible,” exclaimed Abu Sufyan, “we had all but eliminated their main power and thrust!” “That I can’t say, all I know is that I have never seen such an army. They came to Hamra-al-Asad. Before you leave this place here, I think you will be seeing the hooves of their horses.” As soon as Safwan bin Umayya - may his name be cursed – heard this, he said to Abu Sufyan, “Come, now that we have emerged victorious, let us not return to be beaten and defeated.” Abu Sufyan’s heart then filled with fear, and abandoning his plans, he returned to Mecca.
The Holy Prophet meanwhile returned to Madinah. The city was filled with grief, there were tears shed in every house except in the houses of the hypocrites whose faces were glad. When the Holy Prophet heard the shrill wails of the women coming from every house, he said, “Only for my uncle there is none who would weep,” and he added with tears brimming in his blessed eyes, “My dearest uncle, is there no one left at all to cry for you?” When the Ansar heard these words of the Holy Prophet they came running with their wives to the presence of the Prophet to give their condolences. From then on it became customary for each house to mention foremost the name of Hamza when bemoaning the dead and fallen. They sought to please of the Holy Prophet by adopting this practice. The Holy Prophet only forbade loud manifestations of grief like weeping and wailing, loud screaming and beating oneself, as was the custom in those times. He did say, however, that the tears flowing from grief are a rain of mercy in their own right.
Nowadays some people have abandoned these prophetic injunctions and the spiritual dimensions of this religion. The Holy Prophet has taught a valuable lesson to those cold-hearted people who fail to understand these issues. Some people claim that in Islam there is no such thing as mourning; nay, they go even further. If a Muslim who loves his Prophet more than he loves his own soul, happens to look a bit sad on the day that those lofty persons who were a living particle of the King of Prophets passed away, they will say to him, “Oh my brother, how is it that you are out of sorts today? You do not belong to the people of error, do you? For you must know, surely, that there is no mourning in Islam.”
This we do not understand very well: if there is no mourning in Islam, that is to say, if there is no compassion – may God forbid this ever be so - is our whole religion then swindle and fraud? Oh no, on the contrary, Islam is a religion of decency and decorum, kindness and compassion, and above all, mercy. When,
for example, our neighbor dies, you will never express yourself lightly and pleasurably on that day. How much more must this be the case when one of the great personages of Islam is engulfed by sorrow! How can it be counted among the precepts of our religion to remain as unmoved as a piece of wood by such events? It must be understood that the compassion felt in the face of any disaster is a mercy resulting from familiarity with the venerated Prophet ; on that account, how could this coldness of feeling towards him be evidence of anything but the lack of connectedness to the Holy Prophet , the Glory of the Worlds?
The Military Defeat at Uhud
Oh you who wish to taste of the sweetness of faith! We now ask ourselves this question: what wisdom lay in the defeat of the blessed Sahaba at the Battle of Uhud? We shall try to give an answer. There were those who would readily give their whole heart for this noble religion of Islam and follow the Holy Prophet perfectly and there were those of doubtful adherence to the faith, that is to say, the hypocrites. Of the second group, there were some who were to enter Islam in the future, for example Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was a genius of warfare. For the sake of the good deeds to be performed in the future, Allah Almighty in His Divine Wisdom and Subtlety permitted him this show of outward success, as a pre-empted reward, so that all his might and glory might not be broken.
For Khalid’s most glorious and honor-filled future was yet to come when the Light of the Quran - which is the backbone of all Islam - would blot out his stubbornness and zealotry. Moreover, at the armistice of Hudaybiyah, they were defeated by the sword of the Quran. In submission to the power residing at Madinah they bowed their heads and accepted Islam. Khalid ibn al-Walid became a great and mighty commander and was raised to the rank of “Sayfullah,” the “Sword of Allah.” He came to be one of the mightiest swords in the conquests of Islam and is counted amongst the most eminent of the Sahaba.
It is related that when the Holy Prophet was in great distress and separated from all of the Sahaba during the Battle of Uhud, the Lord of the Worlds sent to him five angels. The angels said to him, “Oh Rasulullah, we have come to your aid, whatever you wish, we will do it.” One of the angels said, “I am the angel in charge of the wind; if it is your wish, I will blow your enemies to pieces as happened to the people of ‘Ad.” The Holy Prophet said to him, “Go away and tend to your own business.” The second angel came and said, “Oh Prophet of Allah! I am the angel in charge of fire; if you command me, I will rain fire upon them and burn them up, for the Lord has sent us to thee!” But the Holy Prophet
wished to accept no help from this angel either.
Then the third angel came up to him and said, “As I cause
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living in Madinah by the name of Mukhayriq who lived by the law of the prophet Musa and who was known for his great learning and virtue. This man had become Muslim, but out of consideration for his circumstances he had so far kept his Islam secret. However, when the battle of Uhud began, he felt a great yearning and desire to be of service to the Holy Prophet . When he could not sit still any longer, he went to the heads of his clan and said to them, “Do you have any doubt that I am the most learned among you in the knowledge of the heavenly scripture?” They answered him at once, “No, we haven’t a grain of doubt that you are the most knowledgeable amongst us all.”
“Know then that the Prophet of the Last Times who has been foretold in all the Holy Books, is Muhammad who this very day is fighting the pagan Quraysh at Uhud. For us it is the very best way to success if we joined him and lent him our support.” “But today is the Sabbath, it is forbidden to us to do any work,” they replied. Mukhayriq replied, “Muhammad who is the first and the last of all the prophets, has come to change the Shari’a, the holy law. Let us cut a long matter short, you have just con-firmed that I know more about the laws of religion than all of you, so come along, let us sacrifice our souls for the sake of the Holy Prophet this very day.”
But though he tried his best, he could not persuade them to leave their error behind and to accept Islam as the true choice of Allah. Mukhayriq therefore proclaimed his faith in the new religion all alone, and came into the presence of the Holy Prophet at Uhud. “Oh Prophet of Allah, will you accept me, I have come to give my life and soul for you, and I make over all my possessions and belongings to you. I ask you to dispense of my property in the cause of this noble religion and for the love of Muhammad , and for this battle fought for the sake of the Word of Allah.”
After that, he went out to fight. He fought with bravery and valor, and was at last slain, dying a martyr. The Holy Prophet praised him when he said of him, “Mukhayriq is the best of his people.
Still the enemy cavalry pressed in on the Prophet . One of the enemy horsemen was ‘Uthman bin Mughira of the Bani Makhzum – may his name be cursed. He attacked the Prophet Muhammad and fell into the trench that Abu Amir had dug for the Holy Prophet . He was slain by the sword of Harith and plunged into the pit of everlasting despair.
Umm Ayman is Injured
At this point in the battle, Umm Ayman was injured. She was one woman whom the Holy Prophet loved exceedingly much; she had been his wet-nurse and he honored her by saying about her, “(She is) my mother after my mother.” This highly honored lady of Islam was one of the women who looked after the wounded in battle and distributed water. She was wounded by the treacherous Khayyam.
The Holy Prophet said to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, “Here, take this arrow and shoot the man who wounded my nurse,” and he prayed after that to the Lord, “Oh Allah, make his arrow hit its mark!” The arrow Sa’d shot upon the Prophet’s command did not miss its mark and felled Khayyam to the ground. After this again Sa’d shot the arrow that the Prophet gave him and killed one of the unbelievers, Malik bin Zuhayr who had hidden behind a rock and who had caused the Muslims great losses.
Though the enemy army had at one point very nearly routed the Muslims who were dispersed by attacking fighters, the Muslim army pulled itself together and the enemy was pushed back. Then there was a lull in the fighting.
The Holy Prophet found it unsuitable to stay any longer on the open ground that he and his companions were occupying, and they withdrew to a more protected position behind the mountain of Uhud. When Abu Sufyan saw the Muslims gathering on the plain of Mt. Uhud, he contemplated attacking them again with another band of soldiers. But the Holy Prophet prayed to Allah Almighty, saying, “Oh my Lord, do not permit these unbelievers to climb these heights, so that they might not defeat this handful of true believers; prevent them from achieving this!” In answer to the Holy Prophet’s supplication the pagans were not able to scale the heights of Mt. Uhud.
The Meccans finally decided to withdraw, but before they went, Abu Sufyan wished to have certain news of the Holy Prophet’s condition. “Is Muhammad with you?” The Holy Prophet commanded his companions to give no answer. This time Abu Sufyan asked, “Is Abu Bakr with you?” and he yelled three times, but again the Prophet would let no one answer for him. After this Abu Sufyan asked about Ali and ‘Umar, but no one answered.
Thereupon Abu Sufyan turned and said to his men, “This means to say that they are dead, the backbone of Islam is therefore broken. We have attained our goal; this new religion is extinguished.” Hearing these vile words from the commander of the pagan army, ‘Umar the general of the new Shari’a could stand no more. He turned and yelled back at him, “Oh no, you vile and treacherous
one, who has declared war on Allah and His Holy Prophet , go tell your men that Allah has withered the lips of him who tries to extinguish this religion! All those about whom you ask are among the living, and they are soldiers of Allah’s army. They will come to exact their revenge on you yet.”
When Abu Sufyan heard ‘Umar speak these intrepid words, he was greatly astonished, and all he could say was, “The fortunes of war are variable. Today we have had our revenge for the Battle of Badr.” But ‘Umar yelled back at him again, answering, “Nay, it is not at all like that, in this too, you are in error. For our victory is from the bounty of Allah, while your victory is from the world of the fire which is the place of purification for the unbelievers.” Abu Sufyan then called upon the idols that he worshipped, and honored them, saying, “Oh great Hubal!” The Holy Prophet , a confirmed servant of the Lord, commanded ‘Umar to reply in such a way as to affirm the Unity of Allah. ‘Umar raised his voice and called out:
ALLAHU LA ILAHA ILLALLAH, ALLAH IS THE MOST HIGH AND ETERNAL.
Abu Sufyan, when he heard these words spoken in reverence, was confounded once more and could think of nothing to say but, “And we have ‘Uzza as well.” To this ‘Umar replied once more, “And Allah is our Lord.” Abu Sufyan then said, “Oh ‘Umar, your word is more to me than the word of Ibn Qami’ah, tell me truthfully: is Muhammad still alive?” ‘Umar replied, “I swear by Allah the Almighty that he is listening to all our prattle, that is the truth. Next year we will be back to measure ourselves against you, then we will see how it shall be.”
The Death of Ubayy bin Khalaf
The Holy Prophet commanded ‘Umar to speak these words, and ‘Umar obeyed his order. Then he advised his companions to let him know immediately should they run into Ubayy bin Khalaf, and for no one to touch him. For before this time, while in Mecca, this man had said to the Prophet whenever he ran into him, “Oh Muhammad, I am feeding a horse named ‘Awd, and it is from the back of this horse that I am going to kill you.” The Holy Prophet had answered him, “Not so, for Allah Almighty will deal you death at my hands, while you are yet astride that horse.”
This treacherous man had been taken prisoner at Badr, had been ransomed and saved, and yet had not changed his ways. He returned to fight the Prophet at Uhud. Suddenly he approached Muhammad, yelling at the top of his voice, “It’s
you or I, Muhammad!” The Prophet’s companions closed round him and prepared to assail him, but the Holy Prophet had forbidden them to touch him, and ordered them to let him know when he came. Speaking the name of Allah upon his lance, he stepped out in front of them all, and hurled his lance at the accursed man, so that it broke his rib. The stricken man turned his horse and fled, crying out, “Muhammad has killed me!” Abu Sufyan met him and held him, saying, “What has happened to you, there is no injury to be seen, no blood, and you are a strong man, what is it with you?” But the man insisted, “I don’t know what it is, or how I am wounded, but I know that this is going to kill me! I cannot stand this,” and he rode on to the Meccan camp where indeed he died and went into the everlasting fire, which is the place of cleansing for those who disbelieved.
Later the Holy Prophet was asked about these events, and he explained that when he had thrown his lance, the angel Jibra’il had lifted up the rib so that the weapon struck his liver and destroyed it. Then the angel had lowered the rib again so that there was no visible trace. Yet, the man was mortally wounded.
The pagans were finally convinced that they would not succeed in defeating the Muslims completely that day, so eventually they turned away from them, and rode back to camp.
The Holy Prophet ordered Muhammad ibn Maslama to find Sa’d bin Rabi‘, and he added, “I have seen Sa’d with twelve spears stuck in him, and I love Sa’d as I love my own eyes. Go and find him for me!” Muhammad ibn Maslama went out to the battlefield to find Sa’d. He went about calling, “Sa’d bin Rabi‘, where are you?” but he received no answer. At last, he called, “Oh Sa’d, I have been sent by the Holy Prophet to find you, it is my blessed duty to find you, he wishes to know what happened to you.” Hearing the Holy Prophet’s name mentioned, Sa’d then answered, “I am among the slain, and at this moment I am contemplating the Presence of Allah; I am submerged in the fragrance of Paradise, gazing at the Beauty of the Divine, drunk with the Love of Muhammad
; come to me, here I am.” These words led him to where he lay.
Muhammad ibn Maslama ran to the place the voice came from, and he found Sa’d in a pool of blood. He took him in his arms and once more Sa’d opened his eyes. “You have been sent by Muhammad , oh Muhammad bin Maslama?” he asked him. When Muhammad bin Maslama answered him that this was so, he said to him, “Tell our revered Prophet that I am sending him my Salams, and tell him that I have attained the Presence of the Beloved. Go give my Salams also to my people and say to them that if they wish to attain supreme success
they should serve and support the Holy Prophet , and seek to increase their love for him. Tell them that as long as they possess the strength to flutter an eyelid they should not fail in his service.” Then saying, “Oh Rasulullah, may you be satisfied with me!” he closed his eyes and surrendered his soul, entering the abode beyond all space.
The Holy Prophet wandered across the battlefield and stopped in front of each of the martyrs, gazing at each one separately. His eyes filled with tears that Allah alone could dry and they fell upon each one of the martyrs. He prayed for each of them each and informed of their various stations. When he came upon his blessed uncle Hamza, the great lion of Islam and champion of mankind, the most valiant hero among all the other martyrs, he saw what had been done to him, how his blessed corpse had been mutilated, his ears cut off, his liver torn out. He threw himself upon his dear uncle’s holy body.
Never had the Holy Prophet been seen to be so affected by anything as by these barbarous acts perpetrated on his beloved uncle, they were most hurtful to the Prophet . As the Lord saw that His beloved Prophet would not be able to bear the pain, He sent the angel Jibra’il to show him the high station Hamza now occupied in the Divine Presence. Then he was ordered to pray the prayer of the dead for the martyrs, and he prayed for every single one of them. When he came to pray over his uncle Hamza, he was so overcome that he could not pray. After he was composed, he prayed not less than seven times.
The Funeral Prayer in Islam
Oh Traveler on the road to Truth! You who are seeking the light of real knowledge! Even if it is an aside from our main topic here, I cannot pass without at least a brief mention of how immensely important the funeral prayer is in Islam.
In the illustrious religion of Islam, the funeral prayer tells of the spiritual station which material man occupies in the Divine Presence, and Islam is the only religion to possess such form of worship. It is a station reserved for the Holy Prophet that is hereby open to all mankind, as a Divine grant for his nation. It is a form of prayer that combines similarity with exception, for in that it consists of Qiyam (standing in prayer) it shows its similitude, and in that it contains no ruku’ (bowing low) or sajda (prostration), it shows its exception. This is how the funeral prayer is prayed: The dead body of the Muslim is placed before the congregation praying the funeral prayer. The imam leading the funeral prayer stands at the height of the dead man’s chest, making his inner reality to be his
Qibla. But lest any take this for a sign of idolatry, I hasten to elucidate as follows:
The chest is the location of iman (faith); the heart located at its center is the site of the call to Allah. On this site the Divine Gaze is trained, and it is the center of the organization of the human being. Therefore, when a true believer leaves this world and reaches his Lord, Allah Almighty orders the Muslims: “The heart of this servant of Mine was full of faith, and it was the established resting place of love, for Myself and My Beloved. This servant lived with Me, he walked with Me and rested in Me, he hurt no one, and he never inclined towards idolatry, disbelief, or hypocrisy. He was never slave to any tyrant. He always preserved his inner secret in the fairest of forms. In brief, he did not damage his distinction of “laqad karramna bani adama” (We have honored the Children of Adam – The Night Journey 70). He was not separated from Me for a single moment. Now he has passed into the other world and come to Me. Rise now and make him to be your Qibla! I graciously deign to descend upon his inner reality, so pray the funeral prayer over him, for in truth the Qibla is ever Mine,” speaks the Lord. This is the significance of the funeral prayer.
Therefore, when the Holy Prophet was about to pray the funeral prayer over his beloved uncle Hamza, he plainly perceived the Descent of Divine Grace and could not get his fill of it. For that, he stood again and again, intoning the prayer anew.
More Examples of Pious Women
The sister of Hamza, Safiya, had come running out from Madinah to the field of Uhud as soon as she heard the news of her brother Hamza. The Holy Prophet gave orders to the Companions to keep her away from the body of her dead brother, lest she see the state he was in. While the Companions tried to deter her from searching for the body of Hamza among the fallen, this blessed lady spoke, “Don’t try to hide my brother from me, I know he has fallen as a martyr. It is not such a terrible thing to die for the sake of Allah, in exchange for his soul my brother has received great reward and immeasurable gain. That is to say, Allah Almighty Himself has ransomed him which is why I wish to see his holy body.”
When he heard this answer from Safiya which bespoke of her deep faith and a heart filled with love and closeness to the Almighty, the Prophet changed his mind and told his Companions to show her the body, saying, “She has earned the right to see him,” while at the same time he prayed, “Oh my Lord, just as You have shown me the special rank my uncle Hamza holds in your Divine Presence,
show it also to his sister who is the embodiment of love and faith.” So they told her what had happened to the blessed body of Hamza and showed him to her. Safiya beheld the body of Hamza in the shape it is preserved in the Divine Presence, fully aware and in a wakeful state, sentient perception of his station, and she asked of him his intercession, while to people in general he appeared as a mutilated corpse. She touched him with fondness, reciting the holy words:
inna llillahi wa inna ilayhi radhi`un.
Surely we belong to God and to Him we return. (The Cow, 156)
This lady was not the only example of perfect love of faith that the Holy Prophet implanted in the hearts of those blessed martyrs in a brief period of time. Countless other examples could be cited, and assuming the reader’s consent, we shall mention here yet another blessed lady.
There was a woman of the Ansar who had one son who was a paragon of beauty and a brother and a husband, who both excelled in bravery. When she was informed of the death as martyrs of her dearest ones, successively, this respectable lady cried out repeatedly, “I want you to give me news of the Holy Prophet !” In the end she learned where the Holy Prophet was and she went to him and gazed at his blessed countenance, which mirrors the aspect of the Divine, and she called out, “Oh Rasulullah, now that I am seeing your blessed face all my troubles and woes are as nothing to me.”
What a wealth of religious sensitivity, what ardent love of faith! Thereafter the Holy Prophet had all the martyrs gathered. The spiritual beings of these warriors having departed for the Presence of the Divine, their pure and blessed remains, which are likened to the soul’s bride, were wrapped in their winding sheets, covered as they were in their martyr’s blood. Without being washed they were reposed with awe and veneration in the earth who is their original mother, while the Holy Prophet addressed the congregation as follows: “I bear witness that these friends of mine placed their own self-interest last and that they surrendered their lives and souls in Allah’s cause. Yes, in the eternal world to come, on that second Day of Gathering, those who were wounded for the sake of Allah will rise from their graves, blood flowing afresh from their wounds. No man nor angel will at that instance not feel passionate love for the color of that martyr’s blood, and indeed will become intoxicated on the scent issuing from it.”
How fortunate that man for whom none other than the Holy Prophet bears witness! As much as he has said to Jabir, “Oh Jabir, when your father was dying the death of the martyr, Allah Almighty spoke to him without intermediary, and
without veils and said to him, ‘Oh My servant, you who are giving up your life and soul for My sake! Whatever it is you wish for, tell Me, let Me know your every desire!’ Thereupon your father answered, ‘Oh My Lord, I have attained the goal of my faith in that I have come to You. What more is there left to wish for? Only for those whom I left behind in this world do I wish that they should know of my condition and of what You have granted to us.’ For the sake of your martyred father’s request, the Lord Almighty has commanded me through the revelation of these verses to make known the fate of the martyrs:
Count not those who were slain in God’s way as dead, but rather living with their Lord, by Him provided, rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them, and joyful in those who remain behind and have not joined them, because no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow, joyful in blessing and bounty from God, and that God leaves not to waste the wage of the believers. And those who answered God and the Messenger after the wound had smitten them -to all those of them who did good and feared God, shall be a mighty wage; those to whom the people said, ‘The people have gathered against you, therefore fear them’; but it increased them in faith, and they said, ‘God is sufficient for us; an excellent Guardian is He.’”
(The House of Imran, 169-173)
In this battle, the Muslims lost over seventy men who fell as martyrs, mostly from the Ansar. Their pure remains were delivered two by two to their original element, Mother Earth. For many of them no winding sheet could be found, such as Mus’ab bin ‘Umayr, the great standard-bearer of Islam, whose garment was not long enough to cover his feet. They covered them instead with branches from the rue-bush. Those who were close to one another and good friends in life were laid together in their graves in death. Hamza’ s nephew (the son of his sister) was buried together with Abdullah bin Jahsh; Abu Jabir, his brother-in-law ‘Amr bin Jamul and Khazraj bin Zayd were all laid in a grave together. There were also many wounded among the Muslims who needed to be looked after and attended.
The losses of the enemy did not exceed thirty men. The Muslims were full of deep remorse for not having heeded the advice of the Holy Prophet at the outset of the battle. The Prophet therefore gathered them all and addressed them: “Be not overly distraught, for you have been forgiven. The conquest of Mecca is near. However, be wary now, for the band of hypocrites is about to split off. We return to Madinah, and you will see clearly on their faces who is a true believer in Islam and who is not. The hypocrites will be weeded out.”
The Holy Prophet turned once more towards the martyrs buried in the field, gave them his tender Salams and bade them farewell. Then he turned back towards Madinah with his Companions, although his blessed face was wounded. When the seriously injured were taken aside to be cared for, he spoke to the Companions of the condition of the enemy. “Now Abu Sufyan is thinking, ‘Why didn’t we complete what we had set out to do, to eliminate the Muslim threat?’ and he will be planning a new attack. Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl is lamenting, ‘The revenge for my father’s death is not yet complete, although we have dealt a painful blow to the Muslims, we are yet returning without having settled with them once and for all, we have not entirely eradicated them.’ Is there not one person among you who will show them that Islam is here to stay, that the cause of ‘La ilaha illAllah’ will remain until the Last Day? We ought to follow them and make sure that their taste for launching a new attack is thoroughly spoilt, so that they understand that the essential reality of Islam has not been weakened.”
Upon this Abu Bakr and Zubayr together with seventy men made ready on the spot, presenting themselves before the Holy Prophet , saying, “Your wish is our command, oh Rasulullah!” After the Holy Prophet had prayed the morning prayer with them in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, he called for Bilal al- Habashi, and commanded him to call out: “Let all the fighters of the Battle of Uhud assemble here, let them prepare to pursue the enemy.” Bilal called out this command of the Holy Prophet with his strong voice, and the valiant warriors came running. Those who were only lightly wounded tied up their wounds and came along.
On the other side, Abu Sufyan had gone as far as Rawha when he decided to return to Madinah and launch a second attack on Islam. The Holy Prophet left the city of Madinah under the aegis of Ibn Ummi Maktum and gave the Muslim standard into Ali’s hands. Although he himself had been injured, he mounted his steed and counting the seventy men Abu Bakr had assembled round him, there were six-hundred warriors setting out from Madinah that day.
They reached a place called Hamru-al-Asad at a distance of eight miles from the city, there the Holy Prophet decided to set up camp. Abu Ma’bad, the chief of the Khuza’a, gave them his condolences for the losses they had suffered at Uhud. Ma’bad told them he was intending to travel to Mecca on some business and bid them farewell. Although the Khuza’a were not yet declared Muslims, their hearts already inclined towards Islam. When Abu Ma’bad passed the place of Rawha he made sure to call on Abu Sufyan. In the course of their conversation, Abu Sufyan asked him for news, as Ma’bad had expected him to. Ma’bad answered,
“Wallahi, by God, I don’t know, but Muhammad is moving against you with an army the likes of which I have not seen before, composed in particular of those who were not able to come to Uhud with him.” “How is that possible,” exclaimed Abu Sufyan, “we had all but eliminated their main power and thrust!” “That I can’t say, all I know is that I have never seen such an army. They came to Hamra-al-Asad. Before you leave this place here, I think you will be seeing the hooves of their horses.” As soon as Safwan bin Umayya - may his name be cursed – heard this, he said to Abu Sufyan, “Come, now that we have emerged victorious, let us not return to be beaten and defeated.” Abu Sufyan’s heart then filled with fear, and abandoning his plans, he returned to Mecca.
The Holy Prophet meanwhile returned to Madinah. The city was filled with grief, there were tears shed in every house except in the houses of the hypocrites whose faces were glad. When the Holy Prophet heard the shrill wails of the women coming from every house, he said, “Only for my uncle there is none who would weep,” and he added with tears brimming in his blessed eyes, “My dearest uncle, is there no one left at all to cry for you?” When the Ansar heard these words of the Holy Prophet they came running with their wives to the presence of the Prophet to give their condolences. From then on it became customary for each house to mention foremost the name of Hamza when bemoaning the dead and fallen. They sought to please of the Holy Prophet by adopting this practice. The Holy Prophet only forbade loud manifestations of grief like weeping and wailing, loud screaming and beating oneself, as was the custom in those times. He did say, however, that the tears flowing from grief are a rain of mercy in their own right.
Nowadays some people have abandoned these prophetic injunctions and the spiritual dimensions of this religion. The Holy Prophet has taught a valuable lesson to those cold-hearted people who fail to understand these issues. Some people claim that in Islam there is no such thing as mourning; nay, they go even further. If a Muslim who loves his Prophet more than he loves his own soul, happens to look a bit sad on the day that those lofty persons who were a living particle of the King of Prophets passed away, they will say to him, “Oh my brother, how is it that you are out of sorts today? You do not belong to the people of error, do you? For you must know, surely, that there is no mourning in Islam.”
This we do not understand very well: if there is no mourning in Islam, that is to say, if there is no compassion – may God forbid this ever be so - is our whole religion then swindle and fraud? Oh no, on the contrary, Islam is a religion of decency and decorum, kindness and compassion, and above all, mercy. When,
for example, our neighbor dies, you will never express yourself lightly and pleasurably on that day. How much more must this be the case when one of the great personages of Islam is engulfed by sorrow! How can it be counted among the precepts of our religion to remain as unmoved as a piece of wood by such events? It must be understood that the compassion felt in the face of any disaster is a mercy resulting from familiarity with the venerated Prophet ; on that account, how could this coldness of feeling towards him be evidence of anything but the lack of connectedness to the Holy Prophet , the Glory of the Worlds?
The Military Defeat at Uhud
Oh you who wish to taste of the sweetness of faith! We now ask ourselves this question: what wisdom lay in the defeat of the blessed Sahaba at the Battle of Uhud? We shall try to give an answer. There were those who would readily give their whole heart for this noble religion of Islam and follow the Holy Prophet perfectly and there were those of doubtful adherence to the faith, that is to say, the hypocrites. Of the second group, there were some who were to enter Islam in the future, for example Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was a genius of warfare. For the sake of the good deeds to be performed in the future, Allah Almighty in His Divine Wisdom and Subtlety permitted him this show of outward success, as a pre-empted reward, so that all his might and glory might not be broken.
For Khalid’s most glorious and honor-filled future was yet to come when the Light of the Quran - which is the backbone of all Islam - would blot out his stubbornness and zealotry. Moreover, at the armistice of Hudaybiyah, they were defeated by the sword of the Quran. In submission to the power residing at Madinah they bowed their heads and accepted Islam. Khalid ibn al-Walid became a great and mighty commander and was raised to the rank of “Sayfullah,” the “Sword of Allah.” He came to be one of the mightiest swords in the conquests of Islam and is counted amongst the most eminent of the Sahaba.
It is related that when the Holy Prophet was in great distress and separated from all of the Sahaba during the Battle of Uhud, the Lord of the Worlds sent to him five angels. The angels said to him, “Oh Rasulullah, we have come to your aid, whatever you wish, we will do it.” One of the angels said, “I am the angel in charge of the wind; if it is your wish, I will blow your enemies to pieces as happened to the people of ‘Ad.” The Holy Prophet said to him, “Go away and tend to your own business.” The second angel came and said, “Oh Prophet of Allah! I am the angel in charge of fire; if you command me, I will rain fire upon them and burn them up, for the Lord has sent us to thee!” But the Holy Prophet
wished to accept no help from this angel either.
Then the third angel came up to him and said, “As I cause
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