pre islamic history Archives

LAST DAYS OF THE HOLY PROPHET

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The 10th year of Hijrah had seen Islam triumphant over the whole of Arabia. The Prophet announced his intention to perform Hajj. 90,000 individuals responded to his call. By the time, they had started performing hajj on the 8th Zu’l Hajj, the crowd had amounted to 124,00.
All the rites and rituals were performed that day the way we perform them today.

Farewell Sermon at Arafat

The Prophet delivered a sermon/speech at Arafat for the last time before leaving this ephemeral world. He started as, “O people! Listen to my words, for I do not know whether I shall ever meet you in this place again after this year.”
The following points paint a clear picture of the message of the sermon.

The blood and property are sacred. Lord will ask you of your works. One mustn’t breach another’s property.
All usury is abolished.
All bloodshed in the Days of Ignorance is to be left unavenged.
You have rights over your people and they have rights over you. You have taken them only as a trust from God.
Every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, and that all Muslims are brethren.
Everyone is equal. No Arab has superiority over Ajmi and vice versa.
Feed and clothe your slaves well. If they commit a fault, of which you aren’t inclined to forgive, then part from them.
“Let him that is present tell it unto him that is absent. May be he that shall be told may remember better than he who has heard it.”
Then the Prophet asked, “O God! Have I conveyed Thy message? Upon this people replied with one accord. “Yes”, The Prophet added: “O God! Thou art my Witness.”
At the very moment a revelation came, which the Prophet read instantly, “this day, have I perfected for you your faith, and completed My blessings upon you, and have accepted for you al-Islam as your religion.”

Achievements of the Holy Prophet

End of Jahiliya period
Unification of the Arab tribes
Consolidation of Islam
Foundation of a universal religion
Never in the history of the world a man had so little achieved much as the Prophet did. The Holy Prophet began his life as an orphan, lived his boyhood and youth in poverty as a shepherd and a salesman, and then as a recluse in Mount Hira, then he became a humble preacher, for which he was persecuted and hunted out of his native city, to become a refugee in an alien city. At last, he rose to be ‘the Ruler of Arabia.’

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

Battle of Ditch: 627 A.D.

by Raja Ali Leave a Comment

Causes

Following are the causes of the Battle of Ditch:

Abu Sufyan had challenged the Holy Prophet to meet him next year at Badr. The Muslims reached there with an army of 1500 men. They waited there for 8 days but there was no trace of the Quraishites.
This had two-pronged impact: Muslims were bolstered because the Makkans didn’t appear and the Makkans themselves were now sure that the Holy Prophet and his followers were still resolute and undeterred after Battle of Ohud.
The Holy Prophet’s expeditions against the desert tribes helped the Makkans. Makkans had now the support of dozens of smaller Bedouin tribes. The Jewish tribe, Banu Nazir, which had been driven out of Madinah to Khyber also joined hands with the Quraish.
From here and there, the Makkans managed to form an army of 10,000 men for the battle. The estimates vary between 10k to 25k. It was under the command of Abu Sufyan.
The Muslims could only muster army of 3000 men.

The Main Event

In view of defeat at Ohud, Muslims this time decided to adopt defensive strategy. They knew too well that 3 sides of Madinah were covered and largely impenetrable.
Only Southern side remained undefended and opened. Salman, a close companion, suggested the trench-warfare method. They were to build trenches along the Southern border of Madinah so that the enemies wouldn’t at least get in. hence, the work to dig a trench begun and lasted for 8 days.
The enemy upon their arrival were shocked and appalled. The pagan Arabs were simple men. They liked to fight in the open. They abhorred the idea of any other and untraditional method. They started abusing the Muslims while Muslims started hurling arrows toward them.
The Prophet came to know Jewish tribe, Banu Qurayza. They were conspiring with Makkans against their fellow citizens. On the other hand, Makkans had found one weak spot in the trench. They kept coming but Muslims kept them at bay. But Muslims were weary after keeping that one spot safe for weeks now.
The Prophet thought about playing not only physical but mind game. He sent a man to Jews to request them. The man asked the Jews to ask the Makkans for hostage if they were to receive Jew aid. The man told them that the Makkans were treacherous lot. The Jews accepted the advice.
On the other hand, the Prophet sent a man to the Makkan army and told them that the Jews were a treacherous lot who would ask for hostages if the time came.
When the time came, the Jews asked for hostages and the Makkans realized the Muslims were correct. So any hope for alliance between them was thwarted this way.
The battle had been going on for 30 days now. The native Arabs were not accustomed to such long wars and so weren’t Bedouin tribes. Their supplies
were running short with each passing day. Their camels and horses were dying due to notorious winter, for which Madinah is famous.
Abu Sufyan on seeing the situation called meeting and the leaders decided to abandon the battle and return. He fully knew that Bedouin tribes would defect any day now. So, this way fled leaving behind only empty camps with dead camels and few horses.

Results & Impact

In war terms, battle of ditch was a peaceful affair. Only 9 Muslims were martyred.
The trench proved to be a determining factor. Makkans didn’t expect such wittiness from the Muslims. Again, the war was a war of waiting. Muslims had their whole city, Madinah, behind them to support them for supplies.
Whereas the Makkans had limited supplies which were dwindling with each day.
Another key cause was disunity among the army. The Makkans had promised their smaller allies bounty and return within short period. Tribes’ patience was running short.
The war also proved how sharpness can save many lives. The sharpness was first digging trench and then sowing the seeds of suspicion between Banu Qurayza and the Makkans.
By the time the war happened, the Makkans had already lost their trade to Syria. They had run short of wealth at home. In short, they were now ever in defensive position. There was also tensions within the Quraish over the leadership.
Another key impact of battle of dich was expulsion of Jews from Madinah, as we shall see later.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

The Battle of Ohud: 625 A.D.

by Raja Ali 1 Comment

Causes

Following are the Causes of Battle of Ohud:

The key cause of the battle was the Battle of Badr itself which had generated intense animosity among the Quraish. They lost their prestige, leaders, and at some extent trade.
Another chief cause was Abu Sufyan’s raid in the outskirts of Madinah, which came to be known as Ghazwat as-Sawiq. Upon hearing of the raid, the Prophet along with some men reached the spot. The Makkans in confusion fled leaving behind their bags filled with meal which is called ‘sawiq’ in Arabic.
In addition, Safwan bin Umayya sent his caravan to the North well to the East of Madinah to avoid the blockade by Muslims on coastal route on the West. But Muslims somehow came to know of this and on orders of the Prophet raided the caravan with 100 men. They captured the merchandise worth 100,000 dirhams.
For all of these reasons, the Makkans set out to Madinah with 3000 men under the leadership of Abu Sufyan. Women also accompanied the army. Among them one was Hind bin Utbah, daughter of Utba bin Rabia and wife of Abu Sufyan. She had vowed to avenge her father.

The Main Event

The Makkan army reached oasis near a hill called Ohud, North of Madinah. Whereas in Madinah, key leaders were discussing the strategy to be adopted. the Holy Prophet was in favor of defence position and not leave Madinah. But the young warriors were energetic and wanted to fight. Finally, the Muslim army left Madinah to face the opponent at Ohud.
The army had 1000 mean, of which 300 were Abu Sufyan’s. Half way through the road, Sufyan deserted the Muslim army along with his 300 men, leaving Muslims only 700 in number.
Next morning, the Holy Prophet set out to station the army strategically. Army was placed on the western slope of Ohud. This had few advantages, but there was a rear passage on the hill. the Holy Prophet put 50 men there to protect the passage so that the Quraish couldn’t cross it.
According to the Arabic tradition, as was mentioned in the last battle, the Muslims were winning decisively till the second stage. They were on advance even in the third stage. The Quraish upon seeing their losses retreated a bit.
Seeing them retreating, few Muslims started plundering the camps, more and more Muslims joined the plundering. The turning point occurred when the Muslims stationed at the passage joined the raiding too. Only 12 remained there.
Seeing this, Khalid bin Waleed hurried to passage rallying an army behind him. From here on, Muslims were now in defence position and their defeat was largely inevitable. In the fighting, the Holy Prophet got injured too. Someone, probably among the Muslims, started rumor that the Holy Prophet had died which further declined the morale of Muslim army.
The Makkans upon hearing the news also retreated a bit and finally decided to return to Makkah.

Results & Impact

70 Muslim warriors were martyred. Among them one was Hamza, uncle of the Holy Prophet. He was killed by Hind bin Utbah. The Makkans mutilated the martyrs of the war. In fact, Hind ate Hamza’s liver.
The chief reason behind the defeat was desertion of archers stationed at the rear passage.
Due to the defeat, certain Bedouin tribes started leaving the fold of Islam. Some of them were being bribed by the Makkans. They resorted to evil schemes. Once, they invited 70 Muslims for preaching. The clan killed them upon their arrival.
If Badr brought them prestige, confidence, and bounty, Ohud brought them the realization that discipline, were obedience necessary. They knew now that it was their greed that turned the victory into a defeat.
Some Muslims were now even more resolute. Their faith was now strengthened.
The Makkans were definitely victorious. But for them the war was not ideological but personal. They had set out to avenge their near and dear ones, which they did. They returned without further marching towards Madinah. Had they done so, Islam might not have spread.
There was no single objective among their ranks. It was every man for himself. Victory or no victory, their defeat was inevitable in the coming times.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

The Battle of Badr: 624 A.D.

by Raja Ali Leave a Comment

Following were the Causes of the Battle of Badr:

Economic warfare and strategic alliances of the Prophet

The trade of Makkah was large and profitable. The merchant of Makkah usually travelled to Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Abyssinia, for that they crossed the outskirts of Madinah. To ensure the safety of caravans, the Makkans had long established ties with Bedouin tribes lying along the way. The Holy Prophet, after coming to know about Quraishite intrigues in Madinah, tried aligning the Madinah with the Bedouin tribes. By the time, Battle Badr took place, the Holy Prophet had gained alliance of most of the tribes residing in North and South of Makkah. Due to this Makkans felt threatened since their economy depended wholly on caravans except for the revenue generated through yearly pilgrimage.

Quraishite intrigue in Madinah

The Makkans knew well that Abdullah bin Obay still had considerable following. They persuaded him to drive out the Holy Prophet and his followers. Before Munafiqeen could do anything, the Holy Prophet came to know of the plans. He deterred the bin Obay from advancing further. He contended it would lead an all-out war between Muslims and Munafiqeens. Although the immediate war was averted but the Holy Prophet knew that the Makkans wouldn’t stop. This came in sync with the Holy Prophet’ strategy of controlling the caravans route.

Events that made the war inevitable

Kurz bin Jabir raid (raided a cattle and a single camel from outskirts of Madinah)
Incident of Nakhla (Abdullah ibn Jahsh along with few other men went to south of Makkah to keep an eye on caravans. The team raided the coming caravan and in process killed Amr bin Hazrami, leader of Quraish. This displeased the Holy Prophet who strictly against any bloodshed)
Revelations of Jihad (at the same time, God allowed Muslims to fight those that fought the Muslims and threatened Islam)
Abu Sufyan caravan in 623 (some Munafiqeens told Abu Sufyan’s caravan, which was passing near Madinah, that Muslims might attack them. To this Abu Sufyan sent a messenger to Makkah to ask for reinforcement to save the caravan. The leaders of Makkah decided not only to save the caravan but to also teach Muslims a lesson. Even though caravan reached safely to Makkah, but Abu Jahal insisted upon waging a war against Muslims and get rid of them once and for all).

The Main Event

As soon as the news reached Madinah, the Holy Prophet asked Muhajireens to ready themselves. But he couldn’t ask the Ansars to protect him outside the boundary of Madinah since it was explicitly stated in the charter.
The Ansars, on the other hand, were ever ready to join him. Even after they joined, the total number Muslims could generate reached 313 only against the Makkans’ 1000.
As soon as the Muslims reached the ground of Badr in January 624 they took control of the water stream there. It didn’t occur to the Makkans to secure the water line. Instead they were waiting for the Muslims to arrive, in leisure. This proved decisive for the outcome of the battle.
Wars in ancient Arab were fought in 3 stages: 1. Verbal attacks 2. One on one combat 3. General attack
The second phase proved to an encouraging one for the Muslims since Ali, Hamza, and Obadiah bin Harish beat three of their opponents. The Quraishites killed in this stage were Utba bin Rabia, Walid, and Walid bin Utba.
By the time the third stage arrived, the Makkan warriors were already discouraged. Strategically, the Prophet didn’t allow the opponents water.
Quraish ran away leaving behind 70 dead and 70 POW. They also left handful of bounty. The dead also included Abu Jahal.
Only two POWs were executed back home, for they had committed unforgivable cruelties back in Makkah. Others were treated so well that most of them converted to Islam.

Impact and Significance

It was a struggle between old and new Arabia. The new Arabia emerged victorious. Had that not been the case, the peninsula of Arab would have remained an unknown land with no culture, civilization, and customs. From here, emanated a force that conquered vast lands and left an impression that will last till the end.
For any battle, morale is what matters. The importance here can be understood in how the battle bolstered Muslims’ confidence while at the same time generating skepticism among the Quraish. The battle turned POWs into converts; and that too willingly.
It also consolidated power of Islam and the Holy Prophet in Madinah. The Prophet was now the de facto leader of Madinah. The battle was also a start of the Prophet’s military career, in which he would go on to prove his mettle. Some Bedouin tribes also came in the fold of Islam.
The battle also resulted in gigantic loss to Quraish leadership. A lot of chiefs/renowned personalities of Banu Makhzum and Umayya died in the battle. They all were wealthy merchants too. Abu Sufyan now became the leader in Makkah and vowed to take revenge.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

Charter of Madinah

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Following are main clauses of Charter of Madinah:

Political Clauses

Republic and Nation of Madinah (Madinah is a one political entity ~ Ummah)

Sovereignty of Allah and Presidency of the Prophet (the disputes if erupted would be solved by the God and His Prophet, no one can declare war except for the Holy Prophet)

Duties and Obligations of War and Peace (while making peace or war, the believer will act collectively as a body, the Jews and Muslims must mutually help each other if Madinah comes under the threat of invasion)

Civic Clauses

Responsibility for peace and blood-money (everyone would be responsible for their own wars. Blood-money be paid on time so that no discord should arise)
Duties regarding debt and contract (rescue anyone who has fallen badly into debt, no contract if a contract already exists with other believer)
No believer shall assassinate other believer. If someone does do that, retaliation or blood-money is a way out. The victim may forgive too. Same applies to the Jews.

Religious Clauses

Mutual responsibility and brotherhood of Muslims.
Element of tolerance.
Jews are recognized as a political alliance.

Impact

United a city that was plunged into civil strife.
Life and property of every citizen was protected under the law.
No killing would go unpunished.
The minorities were given their due ad equal rights.
For the first time in history, Arabia had now a city which was politically organized.

Its Significance

In a sense, it was an outline of what the Holy Prophet and especially Islam aimed to achieve: a united Ummah where rule of law, equality, justice, tolerance, and brotherhood prevailed.
This Magna Carta of early Islam also shook the social order of Arabia. It was now moving from Tribalism to a unity based on faith.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

Migration to Madinah (Yathrib)

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Yathrib lay 300 miles north to Makkah. The city had Jews as well as Arab tribes. The two Arab tribes – Khazraj and Aws – were always at loggerheads with each other. The area was war-stricken. In addition, Jews and Arabs would also quarrel. The city, unlike Makkah which at least trade relations, was self-dependent. They relied heavily on their own cultivation, but war was the order of the day. This made for a deadly combination.
In 620, party of few men from Khazraj tribe came to Makkah for pilgrimage. They saw the Holy Prophet preaching and thought he was the prophet or messiah the Jews talked about. But soon they were so impressed by the message that they returned next year more men.
Next year, 6 men along with 5 more (2 from Aws) met the Holy Prophet secretly. They promised (pledged) to follow Allah’s religion. They planned to take the message to their hometown. This was called “the first pledge of Aqabah”.
In 622, about 75 Yathribi Muslims came to Makkah to formally invite the Holy Prophet to take refuge in Madinah.
Thereupon, the Holy Prophet after reciting some verses and repeating the earlier pledge asked them to obey him and fight for him. This was called “the second pledge of Aqabah”.
It is estimated that about 100 families (300 persons) left for Madinah. Only few were left among them Ali, Abu Bakr, and the Holy Prophet himself.
Upon hearing the news, the Quraish decided to kill the Prophet before migrating but fortunately couldn’t.
After travelling for a while, the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr reached Quba on 22nd September 622. They stayed there for two weeks and then proceeded to Madinah.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

The Persecution by the Quraish

by Raja Ali 2 Comments

It would be relevant to note here that the real wrath fell on lower class such as slaves. They were humiliated, tortured, and sometimes killed. Nevertheless, they were socially weak but not in their character or faith.
For the Quraish members who turned to Islam, the Makkans asked clans’ leaders to upbraid their members. Take for instance, Hazrat Usman was beaten by his uncle Zubair ibn al-Awwam.
When this severe persecution couldn’t dissuade the Prophet and his followers, the leaders sent Utba bin Rabia with worldly offers such as wealth, a beautiful woman or even leadership of Makkah. The Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) rejected the offer outright.
They even asked Abu Talib to convince his nephew. He tried too, but our Prophet remained undeterred.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

From the Call to the Migration

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Early Preaching and Conversions

It is widely believed the first one to accept Islam after the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) was his wife, Hazrat Khadija. About men, there are minor confusions about who converted first, but Hazrat Abu Bakr’s conversion has political and social significance.
Only twenty people had accepted Islam in the first 3 years. Subsequently, he received revelation to preach publicly.
With this object in view, he assembled all the clans of Quraish on the hill of Safa where he gave God’s message to the populace. Some stayed silent and some uttered evil words against him. Among them was the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H)’s uncle Abu Lahab. In the end, everyone went home paying no heed to the message.
Undeterred by the lukewarm response, the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) started preaching at the Eastern gate of the Kaaba because a lot of people passed from here. The gate was also known as al-Arqam.
The last of the man to convert here was Omer in the 6th year of prophethood.
Some historians maintain that most of the converts were from lower class. Significant amount of the converts was slaves. But there were exceptions such as Abu Bakr, Hazrat Omer, and Hazrat Osman.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.

LIFE OF THE HOLY PROPHET (P.B.U.H)

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The Call: 610 A.D.

By the time the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) was 40 years old, he was spending more and more time in Mount Hira where meditated for days and nights.
One-night Angel Gabriel came and said “Read.”
These were the first words the Allah revealed to His Messenger. the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) replied “I cannot read.” To which Angel Gabriel repeated the word ‘read.’
After the episode, the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) came home trembling and pale. He told Hazrat Khadija about the incident over which she reacted calmly. This shows how sincere she was to him.
After that she went to her cousin named Waraqa and narrated the whole story. Her cousin was now convinced that indeed he was the Last Prophet that was promised.
Afterwards started the series of revelations that we have today in the shape of Quran.

For complete Islamic history notes click here.