Seerah in the Quran

In 53 BH (571 CE), Abraha (the viceroy of Yemen) attempted to attack the holy city of Makkah and destroy the Kaba with an army of Elephants. Abdul Muttalib intervenes and beseeches Allah for help. Allah Almighty sends an army of birds and destroys Abraha’s force. This was the year the Prophet was born. This was a sign of extraordinary things to come.

Allah Almighty protected the Quraysh. He gave them security and prosperity both at home and in their journeys. They enjoyed supremacy in Arabia. They claimed privilege of being protected by God through extraordinary means. They rebuilt the Kaba in 18 BH (606 CE) to reiterate their association. Thus, they should have worshiped the one true God, Allah, who protected and blessed them.

In 10 BH (613 CE), three years after the Prophet received his first revelation, the Prophet publicly called the Quraysh to Islam. Many of them, including his uncle Abu Lahab, chastised him. They turned people away from the religion and called him names. They claimed piety but their practice was the opposite; it was all for show. They boycotted the Muslims including the women, children and frail men. They denied them even the smallest of gifts or provision.

The disbelievers went further and broke up families. Utbah and Utaybah, the sons of Abu Lahab, were betrothed to the Prophet’s two daughters. Abu Lahab commanded his son’s to divorce them and they did. The same happened to other believers. In 8 BH, when the Prophet’s infant son died, Abu Lahab and his wife rejoiced at the demise of his brother’s grandson. Some said, his lineage has been cut and his cause will die with him. Allah Almighty gives solace to the Prophet. He tells the Prophet that it is them who will loose and be cut off. The Prophet will be given plenty and the fountain of Kawthar. Allah Almighty tells the Prophet to be stand firm with salah and sacrifice.

The disbelievers hatch a plan to murder the Prophet. He escapes and they place a bounty upon his head. The Prophet with Abu Bakr Siddiq leave Makkah and make the perilous journey to Madinah – the Hijrah (migration). He arrives in Madinah and the people accept him as their leader. The state of Madinah is born and it challenges the dominance of the Quraysh in Makkah. The Quraysh try to mask it as an internal rift and that they are fighting over the claim to the same God. But the Prophet declares that they are separate entities. The line was drawn between the Muslims and disbelievers.

Allah had promised the Muslims victory and He is true to His promise. In 2 AH, a great battle was fought at Badr. The few against the many. But Allah Almighty granted a glorious victory to the Muslims. The core leadership of the Quraysh fell. Utbah was the first to die quickly. Abu Jahl was killed by unseasoned young warriors. Umayah b. Khalf died fleeing. Uqbah met his fate on his knee. In a ditch of Badr their bodies lay; only remembered in dishonourable mentions. For the cowardly Abu Lahab, who skived the Battle, a far worse end awaited. The Muslims were recognised as a real contending force. In 6 AH, with the treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet negotiated peace despite unfavourable terms; Allah Almighty turned it to the advantage of the Muslims and their influence extended beyond Arabia. In 8 AH, Makkah was conquered and the dominance of the Muslim in Arabia was complete. People entered Islam in droves.

The enemies of Islam failed. Those who sided with the enemy lost out. One of the great losers was Abu Lahab b. Abdul Muttalib. He refused protection to the Prophet, abandoned his kin and actively committed crimes against them. This was vulgar even to the Arabs who believed in loyalty to family. Abu Lahab masked it to be for the sake of God but in reality is was to gain popularity and increase his wealth. He met a disgraceful end. When news reach of the Muslim victory at Badr, he became vexed, and attacked a Muslim slave. He was struck in the head and that became then septic. Soon, people fled from him fearing him to being contagious including his treacherous wife. He died alone and his body rotted. When the stench became unbearable, a few slave were sent to dispose of his body. His wife was equal in mischief to him. She put fuel to fire and spurred cruelty towards Muslims. She threw thorns in the path of the Prophet and mocked the Prophet on child’s death. A bad end she had. A worse thorny end awaits them both in the fiery chasm.

In 10 AH the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed his Hajj. People joined him from all over. They camped in Arafah, did tawaf of the house and worshipped Allah Almighty – the one true god. Allah Almighty declared the Prophet’s part of the mission accomplished and the Prophet gave his farewell sermon. The message was clear for all times. There is only one god. None is worthy of worship but Him and Prophet Muhammad is His messenger. So long as someone believes this, declares it and submits to His command till their end, they will have the grace of Allah and will be victorious in this world or the next. If they associate against or deny Allah, they shall suffer the same fate as those before. All praise is to Allah, the creator of all the worlds, the all-merciful, the all-kind and the master of the day of reckoning. It is only Him we worship and from Him we seek help.

The believer should not be complacent. There will always be evil and circumstances which challenges the faith and patience of the believers. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah (1 AH), he was declared the leader of the city. Most of the Aws and Khazraj alongside the Muhajirun united to form the Ummah. The Yahud tribes in the region such as Banu Nazir, Banu Qurayzah and Banu Qaynuqah ceased to be power brokers. The treaty of Madinah between the Muslims and the Yahud tribes was signed ensuring peace and mutual protection of Madinah. The Yahud Tribe broke the pact one after the other. The chief of Banu Nazir, Ka’b b. Ashraf, conspired with the Quraysh against the Muslims for which he paid the price in 3 AH. That same year the Banu Nazir denounced the treaty and attempted to assassinate the Prophet. They were expelled to Khaybar. The Banu Mustaliq were expelled in 5 AH after they broke the treaty. That same year the Yahud tribes openly rebelled and joined the confederates in their the siege of Madinah. The Muslims retaliated and Banu Qurayzah were no more and in 7 AH after the battles of Khaybar the threat was neutralized. When open war failed they resorted to sorcery, Labid b. Amr and his daughters cast a spell upon the Prophet by blowing on a rope. Allah Almighty saved the Prophet. These enmities stemmed from the jealousy of the Yahud that Allah Almighty had taken Prophethood from the descendant of Israil and gave it to the Prophet Muhammad who was from the descendant of Ismail.

The believer should be mindful of the enemy within. The one’s who whisper without revealing their true colours to misguide the believer. Like jinns, there are humans also who act like such shaytans. In the Prophet’s time, Abdullah b. Ubayy Ibn Salul, the leader of the Munafiqun (hypocrites), was such a poison. Before the arrival of the Prophet (peace be upon him), he was set to be crowned the king of Madinah. Ibn Ubayy was jealous that his role was given to the Prophet and sought to undermine the Prophet with his underlings. During the Battle of Uhad (3 AH), he left with 300 men en-route back to Madinah. He encouraged the Banu Nazir to fight with promise of help but abandoned them when they did. He attempted to create strife between the Muslims and spread false rumours about the Prophet’s household most notably during the campaign against the the Banu Mustaliq. He dissuaded some from joining the Prophet’s march towards Tabuk (9 AH) to fight the Romans. He portrayed himself as the arbitrator when in fact he was the corruptor. He would have others do his bidding while keeping himself out of harms way. He died a natural death in his bed in 9 AH. Verily, the Munafiq will be in the lowest rang of hell.