CHAPTER 29: GER GOES TO THE PEOPLE OF AT-TA’IF TO INVITE THEM TO ALLAH AND TO THE AID OF HIS RELIGION AND THEY REJECT HIM
ALLAH’S MESSENGER GOES TO THE PEOPLE OF AT-TA’IF TO INVITE THEM TO ALLAH AND TO THE AID OF HIS RELIGION AND THEY REJECT HIM
Ibn Ishaq said: “After Abu Talib died, the Quraish were able to inflict such harm on Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that they were unable to do in the lifetime of his uncle, Abu Talib. Thus, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, went to At-Ta’if in search of aid and protection from Thaqeef. He also nursed the hope that they would accept what he has brought to them from Allah. He went to them alone. Yazeed Ibn Abi Ziyad reported from Muhammad Ibn Kab Al-Qurazi who said: ‘When Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, arrived in At-Ta’if, he proceeded to certain personalities of the Thaqeef who were their chiefs and notables. They were three brothers, ‘Abd Yaleel, Mas‘ood and Habeeb the sons of ‘Amr Ibn ‘Umair Ibn ‘Awf Ibn ‘Uqdah Ibn Ghiyarah Ibn ‘Awf Ibn Thaqeef. One of them was married to a Quraishi woman from Banu Jumah. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sat with them, called them to believe in Allah and requested their support against his adversaries among his people. One of them said: I will tear the cloth of the Ka‘bah if Allah has indeed sent you as a Messenger! Another said: Did not Allah find anyone other than you to send? The third person said: I swear by Allah that I will never have any discussion with you. If you are truly a Messenger from Allah, then you are the most dangerous person to reply to his words; and if you are lying against Allah, I feel it is imperative not to speak with you.”
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, rose from their presence after he had lost hope of any good from Thaqeef. It has also reached me that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them: “Seeing that you have acted as you have, please keep the matter secret” for Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had detested that his people would get wind of it and thus will increase in their acts against him. They reneged on that and stirred their rifrafs and slaves to abuse and ridicule him until they gathered a mob against him. He took shelter and rested against the wall of a vineyard of an orchard belonging to ‘Utbah Ibn Rabee‘ah and his brother Shaibah who were there at the time. They drove back the rifrafs of Thaqeef who were pursuing him. He proceeded to the shade of a grape vineyard and sat in there while the two sons of Rabee‘ah beheld what has befallen him from the rifrafs of the people of At-Ta’if. According to what I was informed, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, met a woman of Banu Jumah and said to her: “What has befallen us from the people of your husband!”
I was informed that when Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, felt safe, he said:
“O Allah! To You I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness and my insignificance before men. O Most Merciful of the merciful, You are the Lord of helpless and You are my Lord! Into whose hands would You entrust me? Into the hands of a remote person who would scowl at me, or to an enemy whom You have given control over my affairs? If You are not angry with me, I do not care; but Your clemency is more spacious for me. I seek refuge with the Light of Your Countenance, whereby all darkness is illuminated, and of which all affairs are ordered in this world as well as in the Hereafter, from (any
possibility) that You should send down Your anger or that I should incur Your wrath. It is for me to return to You until You are well satisfied! There is no wisdom nor might except with You.”
Ibn Ishaq related: When the two sons of Rabee‘ah, ‘Utbah and Shaibah, saw his travail, they felt compassion for him and they sent to him a young Christian slave called ‘Addas saying to him: “Take a bunch of grapes, place it on a plate and then take it to that man and ask him to eat from it.” Addas did so. He went to him with the plate and placed it before him asking him to eat. When Allah’s Messenger put his hand into it, he said: “In the Name of Allah” and then he ate from it. Addas looked at his face and said: “By Allah, the people in this land do not say these words.” Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked: “Then which country are you from, O Addas, and what is your religion?” he replied: “I am a Christian from Neenaw.” Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “From the town of a righteous man Yoonus Ibn Matta,” Addas said: “How did you know about Yoonus Ibn Matta?” Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied: “He is my brother; he was a Prophet and so am I.” Addas bent over him to kiss his head, hands and feet.
The sons of Rabee‘ah said to each other: “He has corrupted him for you.” When Addas returned to them, they asked him: “Woe be unto you, O Addas, why were you kissing the head, hands and feet of that man?” He responded: “My master, there is nothing better on the surface of the Earth than that man. He has informed me of things that only a Prophet could know.” They said: “Be careful, Addas. Do not let him seduce you from your religion, for yours is better than his.”
It is recorded in the Saheehain that ‘A’ishah said to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “Have you encountered a day harder than the day of the Battle of Uhud?” The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied, “Your tribes have troubled me a lot, and the worse trouble was the trouble on the Day of ‘Aqabah when I presented myself to Ibn ‘Abd Yaleel Ibn ‘Abd Kulal and he did not respond to my demand. So I departed, overwhelmed with excessive sorrow, and proceeded on, and could not relax till I found myself at Qarnath-Tha‘alib where I lifted my head toward the sky to see a cloud shading me unexpectedly. I looked up and saw Jibraeel in it, peace be upon him. He called me saying, ‘Allah has heard your people’s saying to you, and what they have replied back to you, Allah has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so that you may order him to do whatever you wish to these people.’
The Angel of the Mountains called and greeted me, and then said, “O Muhammad! Order what you wish. If you like, I will let Al-Akhshabain (i.e. two mountains) fall on them.” The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah, Alone, and will worship None besides Him.”
Muhammad Ibn Ishaq reported the hearing of the recitation of the Qur’an by some Jinns on his way back from At-Ta’if when he stayed overnight in Nakhlah. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, offered the Subh prayer with his Companions and the Jinns who were attracted to him heard his recitation of the Qur’an there. Ibn Ishaq said there were seven of them (from the Jinns of the people of Naseebeen) and Allah revealed concerning them:
“And (remember) when We sent toward you (Muhammad) Nafran (three to ten persons) of the Jinns, (quietly) listening to the Qur’an, when they stood in the presence thereof, they said: ‘Listen in silence!’ And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners.” (Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:29)
Al-Umawi has mentioned in his Maghazi that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Urraiqit to Al-Akhnas Ibn Shareeq requesting him to guard him in Makkah. He said in response: “An ally of the Quraish does not stand guard for one of its own.” Then the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent him to Suhail Ibn Amr to guard him and he also said in response: “The descendant of Banu ‘Amir Ibn Lu’ayy do not stand guard for Banu Ka‘b Ibn Lu’ayy.” Then he sent him to Al-Mut‘im Ibn ‘Adiyy to guard him and he said: “Yes, tell him to come.” Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, went and spent the night with him. In the morning, he went with him along with his six or seven children, all of them bearing swords. They entered the Masjid Al-Haram and he said to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “Circumambulate.” And they hung the scabbard of their swords in the tawaf arena. Then Abu Sufyan came to Mut‘im and asked: “Are you guard or follower?” he replied, “No, guard.” “Then there will be no contravention,” Abu Sufyan said. So he sat with him until Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, finished his tawaf. When he left, they also left along with him and Abu Sufyan went to his meeting place.
Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, remained for a few days afterward and then he was granted the permission to migrate. When he migrated to Madinah, Mut‘im Ibn ‘Adiyy died shortly afterward.
I say: This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said concerning the war prisoners of Badr: “Had Al-Mut‘im Ibn Adiyy been alive and interceded with me for these mean people, I would have freed them for his sake.”
Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to present himself to the Arab tribes during the Hajj season so that they may protect, aid and defend him against those who believe and oppose him but none of them would respond owing to the great honor Allah held in stock for him with the Ansar, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Ibn Ishaq said: Then Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, returned to Makkah to meet an even greater opposition and rejection of his religion from his people except for a few weak ones among those who believed in him. During the season of the pilgrimage, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him, would present himself to the Arab tribes to invite them to believe in Allah and that he was a Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that had been sent (by Allah). He would request them to protect him until Allah makes his Message prevail.
Imam Ahmad related from Rabee‘ah Ibn ‘Ibad of Banu Ad-Dil who was a polytheist but accepted Islam. He said: “During the period of Jahiliyyah, I saw Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the market of Dhul Majaz saying: “O people! Say La ilaha ill-Allah (there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah) so that you may be successful” while the people were gathered before him. Standing behind him was a clean-shaven man with squinted-eye and with pony-tail hair, who kept trailing him everywhere he went and he would taunt: “He is a childish liar.” I inquired from the people about his identity and they identified him as his uncle Abu Lahab.
Imam Al-Baihaqi also related from a man from Kinanah who narrated: “I saw Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at the marketplace of Dhul Majaz while he was saying: “O people! Say La ilaha ill-Allah (there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah) so that you may be successful” and behind him was a man throwing dust at him and behold, it was Abu Jahl. He used to interrupt Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saying: “O people! Do not let this man seduce you from your religion. He merely wants you to abandon your worship of Al-Lat and Al-Uzza.”
Moosa Ibn ‘Uqbah narrated from Az-Zuhri that: In those years, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would present himself to Arab tribes at all seasons. He would speak to all the nobles of each tribe requesting from them nothing but to protect and defend him. He would say: “I will not begrudge anyone of you over anything. Whoever is pleased among you with what I am inviting to, then, let him accept and whoever is averse to it, I will not begrudge him. All I want is your protection from the plot to kill me until I convey the message of my Lord and till Allah dispose my affair and that of my Companion as He wishes.” None of them responded positively to his request. He did not approach any of those tribes except that they said: “a man’s people have a better knowledge of him. Do you consider that a man will be good to us while he has corrupted his own people and they have also rejected him?” All of these occurred due to what has been kept in stock for him from the Ansar with which he will be honored.
Al-Hafiz Abu Nu‘aim related from Ibn ‘Abbas from ‘Abbas who said: “Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to me: ‘I do not think that you or your brother can defend me and would you come with me tomorrow to the marketplace to show me the residences of the tribes. The Arabs had gathered for Hajj.’ I said to him: ‘This is Kindah and its relatives. They are the best of the people of Yemen who come for Hajj. And this is the residence of Bakr Ibn Wa’il, this is the residence of Banu ‘Amir Ibn Sa’sa’ah, so make your choice’.”
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, began with the Kindah. He went to them and asked, “where are you from?” “From the people of Yemen,” they responded. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked, “Which part of Yemen?” They said: “From Kindah.” Again the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, asked, “Which branch of Kindah?” They replied, “From Banu ‘Amr Ibn Mu‘awiyah.” Then Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Do you have a need for something good?” They said: “What is that?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Bear witness that
none deserves to be worshipped other than Allah, establish Salat and believe in what has come from Allah.”
Abdullah Ibn Al-Ajlah narrated: My father narrated to me from an old man of his people that the clan of Kindah said to him: “If you triumph, shall we have authority after you?” Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Authority belongs to Allah and He disposes it wherever he wishes.” They said in response: “We do not have any need of what you have come with.” Al-Kalbi said: “Have you come to turn us away from our gods and set us against the Arabs? Go back to your people, we do not have any need of you.”
Imam Ahmad related that Jabir Ibn ‘Abdullah narrated: “Allah’s Messenger would offer himself to the people at each station of pilgrimage. He would say: ‘Is there anyone who would take me with him to his people for the Quraish have objected that I convey the
words of my Lord.’ A man from Hamdan came to him and he asked him: ‘From where are you?’ and the man replied, ‘From Hamdan.’ Allah’s Messenger then asked him: ‘Do you have any protection for me with your people?’ The man replied in the affirmative. Then he became afraid that his people might despise him so he came to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said to him: ‘I will go and inform them then I will come to you next year’.” The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, agreed. In the month of Rajab, a delegation of the Ansar came. The four authors of As-Sunan have also related the same through different paths from Isra’il. Imam Tirmidhi graded it as hasan Saheeh.
By Ibn Katheer
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