The Sealed Nectar (25 page)

12.

Killing a believer deliberately with no good reason entails killing the killer unless the sponsor deems it otherwise.

It was solely by his wisdom and dexterity, that the Prophet [pbuh] erected the pillars of the new society. This phenomenon no doubt left its mark on the virtuous Muslims.

He used to bring them up in the light of the Islamic education, he sanctified their selves, enjoined them to observe righteousness and praiseworthy manners and was keen on infusing into them the ethics of amity, glory, honour, worship and first and foremost obedience to Allâh and His Messenger.

The following is a cluster of the virtues he used to inculcate in the minds of his followers:

A man asked the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] which of the merits is superior in Islam.

He (the Prophet [pbuh]) remarked:

"That you provide food and extend greetings to one whom you know or do
not know."
[Bukhari 1/6,9]

‘Abdullah bin Salâm said: When the Prophet [pbuh] arrived in Madinah, I went to see him and I immediately recognized through his features that he would never be a liar.

The first things he (the Prophet [pbuh]) said was:

"Extend peace greetings amongst yourselves, provide food to the needy,
maintain uterine relations, observe prayer at night while people are asleep,
then you will peacefully enter the Garden (Paradise)."
[Narrated by At-Tirmidhi; Mishkat Al-Masabih 1/168]

And he said:

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"The Muslim is that one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are
safe.
[Bukhari 1/6]"

And said:

"None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother that which
he loves for himself.
[ibid 1/6]"

And said:

"He will not enter Paradise, he whose neighbour is not secure from his
wrongful conduct.
[Narrated by Muslim; Mishkat Al- Masabih 2/422]"

And said:

"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he neither oppresses him nor does he
fail him. Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allâh will
remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgement. Whosoever
shields a Muslim, Allâh will shield him on the Day of Resurrection.
[Mishkat Al-Masabih 2/422; Sahih Al- Bukhari; Sahih Muslim]"

And said:

"Abusing a Muslim is an outrage and fighting against him is disbelief.
[Bukhari 2/893]"

And said:

"To remove something harmful from the road, is charity.
[Mishkat Al-Masabih 1/12]"

And said:

"Charity erases sins just as water extinguishes fire.
[ibid 1/14]"

And said:

"He is not a perfect believer, who goes to bed full and knows that his
neighbour is hungry.
[ibid 2/424]"

And said:

"Show mercy to people on earth so that Allâh will have mercy on you in
heaven.
[Sunan Abu Da'ud 2/235]"

And said:

"Try to avert fire even by half a date (in charity) if not by tendering a good
word.
[Bukhari 2/190]"

And said:

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"Clothing an under- clad Muslim, entitles you to a garment from the
Paradise; feeding a hungry Muslim will make you eligible (by Allâh’s Will)
for the fruit of the Paradise, and if you provide water to a thirsty Muslim,
Allâh will provide you with a drink from ‘the Sealed Nectar’.
[Mishkat Al-Masabih 1/169]"

He used as well to exhort the believers to spend in charity reminding them of relevant virtues for which the hearts yearn.

He said:

"The believers in their mutual love, are like the human body where when
the eye is in agony, the entire body feels the pain; when the head aches, all
the body will suffer.
[Narrated by Muslim]"

And said:

"The bonds of brotherhood between two Muslims are like parts of a house,
one part strengthens and holds the other.
[Bukhari 2/890]"

And said:

"Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims;
do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slaves of Allâh! Be like
brothers with each other. It is not violable for a Muslim to desert his brother
for over three days.
[Bukhari 2/896]"

The Prophet [pbuh] used as well to promote that habit of abstention from asking the others for help unless one is totally helpless. He used to talk to his companions a lot about the merits, virtues and Divine reward implied in observing the prescribed worships and rituals. He would always bring forth corroborated proofs in order to link them physically and spiritually to the Revelation sent to him, hence he would apprise them of their duties and responsibilities in terms of the consequences of the Call of Islam, and at the same time emphasize the exigencies of comprehension and contemplation.

That was his practice of maximizing their morale and imbuing them with the noble values and ideals so that they could become models of virtue to be copied by subsequent generations.

‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud [R] once said: If you are willing to follow a good example, then you can have a recourse in the tradition of the deceased, because the living are likely to fall an easy victim to oppression (so they might waver in faith). Follow the steps of Muhammad’s Companions. They were the best in this nation, the most pious, the most learned and the least pretentious. Allâh chose them to accompany the Prophet

[pbuh] and establish His religion. Therefore, it is imperative to get to know their grace, follow their righteous way and adhere as much as you can to their manners and assimilate their biography. They were always on the orthodox path. There is then the great Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] whose moral visible attributes, aspects of perfection, talents, virtues, noble manners and praiseworthy deeds, entitle him to occupy the innermost cells of our hearts, and become the dearest target that the self 122

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yearns for. Hardly did he utter a word when his Companions would race to assimilate it and work in its light.[Mishkat Al-Masabih 1/32]

Those were the attributes and qualities on whose basis the Prophet [pbuh] wanted to build a new society, the most wonderful and the most honourable society ever known in history. On these grounds, he strove to resolve the longstanding problems, and later gave mankind the chance to breathe a sigh of relief after a long wearying journey in dark and gloomy avenues. Such lofty morale lay at the very basis of creating a new society with integrated components immune to all fluctuations of time, and powerful enough to change the whole course of humanity.

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A Cooperation and Non-Aggression Pact with the Jews
Soon after emigrating to Madinah and making sure that the pillars of the new Islamic community were well established on strong bases of administrative, political and ideological unity, the Prophet [pbuh] commenced to establish regular and clearly-defined relations with non- Muslims. All of these efforts were exerted solely to provide peace, security, and prosperity to all mankind at large, and to bring about a spirit of rapport and harmony within his region, in particular.

Geographically, the closest people to Madinah were the Jews. Whilst harbouring evil intentions, and nursing bitter grudge, they showed not the least resistance nor the slightest animosity. The Prophet decided to ratify a treaty with them with clauses that provided full freedom in faith and wealth. He had no intention whatsoever of following severe policies involving banishment, seizure of wealth and land or hostility.

The treaty came within the context of another one of a larger framework relating to inter- Muslim relationships.

The most important provisions of the treaty are the following: 1. The Jews of Bani ‘Awf are one community with the believers. The Jews will profess their religion, and the Muslims theirs.

2. The Jews shall be responsible for their expenditure, and the Muslims for theirs.

3. If attacked by a third party, each shall come to the assistance of the other.

4. Each party shall hold counsel with the other. Mutual relation shall be founded on righteousness; sin is totally excluded.

5. Neither shall commit sins to the prejudice of the other.

6. The wronged party shall be aided.

7. The Jews shall contribute to the cost of war so long as they are fighting alongside the believers.

8. Madinah shall remain sacred and inviolable for all that join this treaty.

9. Should any disagreement arise between the signatories to this treaty, then Allâh, the All- High and His Messenger shall settle the dispute.

10.

The signatories to this treaty shall boycott Quraish commercially; they shall also abstain from extending any support to them.

11.

Each shall contribute to defending Madinah, in case of a foreign attack, in its respective area.

12. This treaty shall not hinder either party from seeking lawful revenge.[Ibn Hisham 1/503,504]

Madinah and its suburbs, after the ratification of this treaty, turned into a coalition state, with Madinah proper as capital and Muhammad [pbuh] as ‘president’; authorities lay mainly in the hand of the Muslims, and consequently it was a real capital of Islam. To expand the zone of peace and security the Prophet [pbuh]

started to enter into similar treaties with other tribes living around ‘his state’.

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The Prophet on the Battlefield

The Quraishites, mortified at the escape of the Prophet [pbuh] along with his devoted companions, and jealous of his growing power in Madinah, kept a stringent watch over the Muslims left behind and persecuted them in every possible way. They also initiated clandestine contacts with ‘Abdullah bin Uabi bin Salul, chief of Madinese polytheists, and president designate of the tribes ‘Aws and Khazraj before the Prophet’s emigration. They sent him a strongly- worded ultimatum ordering him to fight or expel the Prophet, otherwise they would launch a widespread military campaign that would exterminate his people and proscribe his women. [Narrated by Abu Da'ud]

His pride wounded and kingship no longer his, ‘Abdullah bin Uabi bin Salul, a priori responded positively to his Quraishite co- polytheists. He mobilized his supporters to counteract the Muslims. The Prophet [pbuh] on hearing about this unholy alliance, summoned ‘Abdullah and admonished him to be more sensible and thoughtful and cautioned his men against being snared in malicious tricks. [Narrated by Abu Da'ud] The men, on grounds of cowardice, or reason, gave up the idea. Their chief, however, seemingly complied, but at heart, he remained a wicked unpredictable accomplice with Quraish and the envious Jews. Skirmishes and provocations started to pave the way for a major confrontation between the Muslims and polytheists. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, an outstanding Helper, announced his intention to observe
‘Umrah
(lesser pilgrimage) and headed for Makkah. There Omaiya bin Khalaf provided tutelage for him to observe the ritual circumambulation. Abu Jahl, an archenemy of Islam saw him in the Sacred Sanctuary and threatened he would have killed him if he had not been in the company of Omaiya. Sa‘d, fearlessly and defiantly, challenged him to committing any folly at the risk of cutting their caravans off.[Bukhari 2/563]

Provocative actions continued and Quraish sent the Muslims a note threatening to put them to death in their own homeland. Those were not mere words, for the Prophet [pbuh] received information from reliable sources attesting to real intrigues and plots being hatched by the enemies of Islam. Precautionary measures were taken and a state of alertness was called for, including the positioning of security guards around the house of the Prophet [pbuh] and strategic junctures. ‘Aishah [R]

reported that Allâh’s Messenger [pbuh] lay down on bed during one night on his arrival in Madinah and said: Were there a pious person from amongst my Companions who should keep a watch for me during the night? She (‘Aishah [R]) said: We were in this state when we heard the clanging noise of arms. He (the Prophet [pbuh]) said: Who is it? He said: This is Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas. Allâh’s Messenger [pbuh] said to him: What brings you here? Thereupon he said: I harboured fear (lest any harm should come to) Allâh’s Messenger [pbuh], so I came to serve as your sentinel. Allâh’s Messenger [pbuh] invoked blessings upon him and then he slept.[Muslim 2/280; Bukhari 1/404]

This state of close vigilance continued ceaselessly until the Words of Allâh were revealed saying:

"Allâh will protect you from mankind."
[Al- Qur'an 5:67]

Here, the Prophet [pbuh] peeped from the dome of his house asking his people to go away, and making it clear that Allâh would take the charge of protecting him.[At-Tirmidhi 2/130]

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The Prophet’s life was not the only target of the wicked schemes, but rather the lives and the whole entity of the Muslims. When the Madinese provided the Prophet

[pbuh] and his Companions with safe refuge, the desert bedouins began to look at them all in the same perspective, and outlawed all the Muslims.

At this precarious juncture with Quraish, intent on pursuing their aggressive and devilish plans, Allâh, the All- High, gave the Muslims the permission to take arms against the disbelievers:

"Permission to fight is given to those (i.e. believers against those
disbelievers), who are fighting them, (and) because they (believers) have
been wronged, and surely Allâh is Able to give them (believers) victory."

[Al- Qur'an 22:39]

This verse was revealed in a larger context of Divine instructions to eradicate all aspects of falsehood, and hold in honour the symbols and rites of Allâh:

"Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order
for
Iqamat- as- Salât
: [i.e. to perform
Salât
(prayer) — the five compulsory,
congregational prayers (the males in Mosques)], to pay the
Zakat