365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH Day 4 The Title of al-Siddiq he Quraysh were clearly not happy with what the Prophet Muhammad ∂ T was preaching and tried their best to stop him from doing this. They tried to harm him on many occasions. But the Prophet continued and bore the brunt of the Quraysh’s wrath silently and patiently. Meanwhile, the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, who had supported him all along and his wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, died, which left the Prophet alone. Soon after, one night in 620 C.E. the Prophet was taken to the Heavens (al- Mi‘raj). People ridiculed him when they heard that he had gone to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and from there to the Heavens. A number of people, some of them Muslims, came to Abu Bakr and expressed doubts about the possibility of this journey. Abu Bakr silenced them with his eloquent reasoning and told them that he would believe anything the Prophet said. He said: “I have never heard Muhammad tell a lie. I believe in everything he says.” Thus, Abu Bakr earned the title of ‘al-Siddiq’, which means a very strong and honest friend. Day 5 Abu Bakr’s Love for the Prophet ne day, Abu Bakr publicly made a call to the people gathered to Kabah to O accept Islam. The people, however, did not like this and beat Abu Bakr mercilessly. Utbah bin Rabiah took the lead and wounded Abu Bakr’s face very badly. The Prophet was also present there and the people assaulted him too. Abu Bakr’s tribe, the Banu Taim, came and took Abu Bakr home, vowing that if Abu Bakr died, they would kill Utbah bin Rabiah. However, by the evening, Abu Bakr regained consciousness. Abu Bakr wanted to see the Prophet and asked his men surrounding him about going to the Prophet. The men got angry at this and went away. Abu Bakr then requested his mother to take him to the Prophet. When it was night, his mother, along with Umm Jamil, a woman who had accepted Islam, took him to the Prophet. On seeing him in such condition, the Prophet was distressed, and, out of pity for him, kissed Abu Bakr’s forehead. Noticing the Prophet’s distress, Abu Bakr tried to make light of his injuries and requested the Prophet to invite his mother to accept Islam and to pray for her acceptance of Islam. The Prophet invited Abu Bakr’s mother to accept Islam and she accepted it there and then. 6 7 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH searching for them along the direct route to Madinah. They stayed in the Cave Day 6 of Thawr, which was five miles south of Makkah. They stayed there for three days and three nights. During the day, Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr, the son of Abu Respect and Success in this World Bakr, would listen to the plans and talks of the Quraysh, and at night, he would carry the news to them in the cave. Abu Bakr’s daughter, Asma, brought them meals every day. Amir ibn Fuhaira, a servant of Abu Bakr, would bring a flock of man came up and insulted Abu Bakr one day when he was sitting with the goats to the mouth of the cave every night where they were milked so that the A Prophet. Abu Bakr listened but remained silent. The man insulted him Prophet and Abu Bakr could have milk to drink. again. But Abu Bakr continued to hold his peace. When the man kept on with his verbal attack, Abu Bakr could no longer control himself, and answered back. On hearing this, the Prophet immediately got up to leave. Day 8 ‘Why have you got up to go, Prophet of God?’ Abu Bakr asked. “The Second of the Two” ‘As long as you remained silent, Abu Bakr,’ the Prophet replied, ‘God’s angel was answering for you. But as soon as you burst out, the angel left, and I am leaving too.’ hen the Quraysh came to know of the Prophet’s departure, they sent many Then the Prophet said, “O Abu Bakr, three things W search parties in all directions to capture the Prophet and Abu Bakr. One are true; firstly, when a man is being wronged and search party followed close on the heels of the Prophet, but when they reached he bears it for Allah, he is rewarded with respect and the mountain, they lost trace of him. They then climbed the mountain, and success in this world. Secondly, one who maintains passed by the cave in which the Prophet Muhammad ∂ and Abu Bakr were good relations with his relatives and shows generosity will prosper in life. Thirdly, one who begs from others to gain more will be made to suffer hardship by Allah.” Day 7 The Travelling Companion hen the persecution in Makkah became intolerable, the Muslims started W migrating, first to Abyssinia and later on to Madinah. When Abu Bakr asked the Prophet to let him go to Madinah as well, the Prophet replied, “Wait, Allah might give you a travelling companion.” Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ∂ that the Quraysh were plotting to kill him. The Prophet decided to migrate and so, one night, he asked his young cousin, Ali ibn Talib, to lie down on his bed and wrap himself up in the cloak the Prophet usually wore. Meanwhile, under the cover of darkness, the Prophet quietly came out of his house and went to the house of Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was very happy to be migrating to Madinah with the Prophet. The Prophet Muhammad ∂ and Abu Bakr left Makkah and took an indirect and longer route to go to Madinah, because they knew the Makkans would be 8 9 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH 365 DAYS WITH THE SAHABAH the Muslims did not intend to fight anybody. The Quraysh advanced to prevent Day 34 the Muslims from entering Makkah. The two parties met at Hudaybiyyah, some eleven kilometres from Makkah. Anxious to avoid fighting, the Prophet set The First Child to Enter Islam up camp there and sent a message to the Quraysh, suggesting a peace treaty between the two sides. Many of the clauses were more than the Companions ne day Ali saw the Prophet and Khadijah praying and asked them what could bear. The Muslims felt badly about the treaty. But this truce, the terms of O they were doing. The Prophet told him that they were praying and that they which appeared so against the Muslims, later brought them huge benefits. followed Islam, the religion of Allah. The Prophet explained Islam and told him, While the Hudaybiyyah treaty was being compiled, the Prophet dictated “Believe in the One Allah. He has no partner. Worship Him alone. Forsake the to Ali: “This is a peace treaty, which Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has idols Lat and Uzza.” agreed upon with Suhail ibn Amr.” Suhail objected saying, “Had we considered The following day Ali went to the Prophet early in the morning and became you the Messenger of Allah, we would not have turned you away from the House a Muslim. Ali kept his acceptance of Islam a secret; he did not tell anyone about of Allah, nor fought with you. You should write ‘Muhammad ibn Abdullah.’” it. Ali was then the first youth to enter Islam. When Abi Talib saw the Prophet The Prophet promptly asked Ali to score out what he had written. “By Allah, I and Ali praying in a new fashion, he asked what religion they were following. cannot do it,” replied Ali. The Prophet erased the words himself and dictated, The Prophet replied that it was the religion of their great grandfather, the ‘Muhammad, the son of Abdullah.’ religion of the Prophet Ibrahim. Later on, Allah asked the Prophet to invite all his family members to accept Islam. Ali organised a banquet for them at which the Prophet invited them to accept Islam and asked them who would be his Day 36 support in his mission. A silence fell on all the guests and no one said a single word. At this, Ali rose and said, “Prophet, I will be your support.” The Prophet Profound Knowledge of Islam repeated his question three times and each time only Ali rose to proclaim his support. li had learnt reading and writing from his A very childhood. One of Ali’s important tasks Day 35 became to write letters to people on behalf of the ‘By Allah I can’t do it’ Prophet. Ali later on resolved matters connected with religion and gave judgment on legal issues. He was well known among the Companions for he Prophet, in obedience to Allah’s will, set out for Makkah in the year 6 his deep knowledge and understanding of the A.H. along with 1,400 Companions to perform Umrah. He made it clear that Shariah. It was Ali who instructed Abul Aswad Duwali to frame the rules of T Arabic grammar. When Abu Bakr became caliph, he consulted Ali in important matters. Whenever he was faced with difficult problems, he called upon Ali and said: “O Abul Hasan, show us a way out of this.” After Abu Bakr, Umar became the second caliph. Ali provided the greatest support to him and helped him as a trusted advisor. Ali was one of the electoral council, which was appointed by Umar to choose the third caliph.