Muhammad Rasulullah - The Apostle Of MercyLucknow (lndl•)
Published by :
Academy of ·1slamic Researc h and Publications Tagore Marg (Nadwa) , P. Q . Box. No. 119 Lucknow- 226 007, ( India)·
( Al l Rights Reserved )
: 2nd Lucknow, 1982
Introduction
I. The Age of Ignorance 13 2. Selection of Arabia for the Advent ot
Prophet Muhammad 33 3. Arablan Peninsula 51 4. Mecca, Before the Prophet 63 ·s: Mecca, the Prophet's Birthplace 77
6. From Birth to Prophethood 91 7. Dawn' of Prophethood . . 105 8. Yathrib Before Islam .. 157 9. In Medina 179
JO. Decish1e B'attlc of Badr i99 11. The .Battle of Uhad 215 12. The Battle of Tre1iches 233 13. Action against Banr Qura,yza 245 14. The Tl'uce ·of Hudaybia 261 i5. Letters to Monal'chs 273 16. The Expedition lo Khaybar 295 17. The Expedition lo Mu'ta 307 18. Conquest of Mecca 313 19. The.Battle ofHunayn 333 20. The Battle of Ta'if 339 21. The Expedition to Tabuk· 347 22. The Year of Deputations 365 23. The Farewell Pilgrimage 373 24. The Eternal Rest 385 25. Wives and Children of the Prophet 401
26. Character and Features 411 27. ¥ercy for the World 443
Chronological Table 161 Bi!:>liography 465 Index 473
( ii )
3. Medina and its SuburbS'
4. The Battlefield of Badr
5. T he Battlefield of Uhad
6. Byzantine and Sasanid Empires (6Lb Century A. D.)
7. Expeditions and Battlefields of the­ Prophet
52
54
158
·204
214
276
360
In the name .of Allah, the Most Benevolent, the.Mlist Merciful
Praisl! be lo Allah, Lord of the Worlds and blessings and peace be on the one, e:'<alted amongst the prophets and the Seal of the apostles, J\111/iammad, and his progeny and companions, and 011 tliose who sincerely follow him to th1 Day of Judgement.
ThC' scminarr in which tlH\ writcl' of these' li1ws hacl had his first lesson was thr nm·sery which impressed upon his mind the' mould o f tlw Prophet. The age at which he was cmrolled in this blessed insLitution was much <'arl ic>r than th!> normal sC"hool-going agt• of tlw rhilcln•n; this was till' seminary of his own home pennt'atcd with ;m air and steep<'cl in a culture whose primal ingredient was th<' stamp of Lht' Prophetic character. Ev0ry· C"bild of thi!i household was l'Xpectecl to pattern his beha­ viour in conformity with this family tradition whP.r<>iu the small collt>ction or juvcn,il(' litc~1·aturl', consisting both of prnse and poetry, always in circulation among the children of the family, playC'cl 11ot an insignificant roll'. Later on, the wise grooming of his elder brother, Dr. Hakim Syed 'Abdul 'AIJ, was to help him in going through two of the best books in U1·du on the life of the Prophet at a comparatively young agc1 • Urdu has, thanks
I. The story has been told by me in At- Tariq-ital-Medina, in .which I have told how deeply impressed I was by Rahmat-l{l-lil-'Alomin, a popular bio­ graphy of the Prophet by Q lfai M. Sulaimlin Mansurpiiri.
2 MUHAMMAD .RASULULLAH
to the labours of the writers in the. recent past, a treasure of literature on the subject next only to Arabic.
v\Tl1en the writer was able to catch on Arabic and appre­ ciate its literature, he drank ill with rapt attention two of thr earliest works on the Prophet's life-. One of these was lls-Siral
aT1-Nabiiwlyah of Ibn Hisbam and lhe other was <:,ad al-i\1a'iid, written by Ibn Qayyim. He did not simply go • through them, but ·having almost lost .himself in the study of these books, founcl his heart and mind enthralled by r.ertitudC' and an uns~akable conviction. He felt captivated by a tmcler feeling of affection for the Prophet, whose life· is so full of and so packed with thrilling and soul-stirring events that next to the Quran, it is the most potent means for shaping one's behaviour and creating a fervour of spirit. Besides these two books he also read avidly all thosE> Urdu and English works on the subject which fell into his hands. The result of this intensive study has been that all of his writ­ ings so far have invariably reflected a touch of the Prophet's life-story. Whatever warmth and vigour and freshness there has ever been in his pen and whatever lucidity of style in the expression of his ideas he has ever had it has emauated from the fascinat~ng charm of that paradigm of perfection, that inexhaus­ tible source of inspiration whiob .fires one's imagination to the t•egions, heavenly and sublime. In truth, he has never penned anything that does not in some way or the other reflect the elegance of that prophetic mould or his own thoughtful rPAec­ tion on its profound wisdom.
His articles delineating different aspects of the Prophet's noble character and his marvellous accomplishments have been brought out in the collection entitled Karau'lln-i-J\.ftdlnii.1 •
A large number of books have been penned by the author of this book, but he has never bad the opportunity to produce a
l. The Arabie version known as At· Taril]·ilal-Medinii has been printed the.ice from Medina, Lucknow and Damascw "".hile. its Urdu version haa been ·brought out by the Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow.
INTRODUCTION 3
treatise on the life of the Prophet, although. he has ever felt the need ofa biography written in a style intelligible to the modern minds, utilisin·g both the modern <\nd· ancient sources. Deviat­ ing not from tqe Qur'an and the hadlth, such .a biographical sketch has to be based on the original sources, yet it need not be merely an encyclopaedic collectania amassing all the relevant as well as far-fetched· reports on the subject without any critical C'xamination. The biographies of this type have been in vogue aforetime but they unne,cessarily give rise to misgivings and doubts that are really totally unfounded, nor the Muslims need trouble their minds about them. Several savants and scholars (unaffected by the skeptical disposition of the modernists and orientalists) have already pried into these questions satisfactorily. A work of this nature should also be compatible with thespiritual truth!; and realities which are indispensable · fo1· comprehending the true nature of revelation, prophetic guidance, miracles and the recondite facts of mute reality, and should be written by one who can put h is trust in the Prophet not as a national l~ader or statesman but as the Apostle of God sent fo1· th~! guidance of tht! entire humani ty. Only the life of tht\ Prophet so written can be placed before every unbiased t-ducated person (whether a Muslim or n non-lvfuslim) without any reservation or specious reasoning. Accordingly, the writer has placed more reliance on t)1e original sources 'in describing the events and character of the Prophet and narrated them in a way that everything speaks for itse.lf and allows the reader to arrive at his own conclusion. The life ~f the Prophet is a living portraif, conveying the feeling ()f the good and the sublime, for which the writer has no need to philosophise or draw any inferences. In its charm and grace, harmony and excellence and cffe.ctiveness and appeal, the life of the Prophet does not, in truth and reality, need the p olish or refinement of any writer or the e.xposition of an erudite scholar . . All that one needs attempt is the na1:ration of facts selected and arranged harmoniously, in a simple and unaffected style.
Also, the recital of the Prophet's life-story requires a· conju­ gation of intellect and emotion, both poised on an even keel.
4 MUHAM'l4AD RABULULLAH
A scholarly treatment of the subject accoznpanied by frigid
analysis and cold logical reasoning is more likely to take away the warmth of its delicate charm, the glovv of whose heavenly
beauty is indispensable for a corrr.ct understanding of the facts and events closely related to the sentiments of credence and belief.
If the life of the Prophet rehearsed by anybody tries to gloss over the tender susceptibilities, the attempt would undoubtedly be
assiduous but Wooden; it would' be a tale striking and impressive
but would fail to convey the e~sence and substance of prophet~
hood. Likewise, it is equally essential that the naiveness of
credulity should not be allowed to becloud the soundness of
intellectual judgement which is now-a-days held as the test of
validity. It should neither be against the accepted principles of
logical reasoning nor an eulogiumr infatuated with blind faith,
acceptable only to the easy-believing Muslims and traditional
scholars of fajth living in a \VorlC of their·own creation, uncon­
nected and without any rapport with the outer, modern \Vorld
of today. An unhesitating faith \Vith the flame of ardent love
is a divine blessing, no doubt; yet, one should never forget that this is the life of that Apostle of God who \Vas sent as Inercy for
the whole universe and al! the peoples of the \vorlrl. His
blessing can in no case be denied to ·any segment of humanity
which has not had the opportunity of being brought up in an
Is~amic surrounding. Haply, it may turn out, by the mercy of
the Lord,. that such persons partake the blessing of Islain by
catching a.glimpse of the radiance emitted by the Prophet's life.
The non-Muslims have as much claim to the life of the holy
Prophet as those born in a ~\.fuslim home; or, rather they deserve it more for they stand in need of it.
The times and circumstances in whi-.:h the Prophet made
his advent cannot be overlooked in recounting his story. Tbe
.::.onditions prevailing, all over the world, in the pre-Islamic time
have, therefore, to be vividly portrayed. It is but necessary to
describe the universal confusion, moral degradation and
spiritual restlessness and disconsolateness to which man had
fallen during the sixth century, as 'veil as the social, economic
INTRODUCTION 5
and political causes that had co1nbined to produce that gloomy atmosphere. The authors of that global· degradation-tyran­ nical governments, messed up religions, fallacious and t>,xtremist
schools of thought, ruinous movements and deceptive calls and summons-all had joined hands in bringing the then world to almost complete destruction. The present writer still remembers the difficutly he had to encounter in presenting a clear picture of the widespread clepravation of the pre-Islamic age of pagan past in the opening section of his book Madha Khaser al-'Alam, b'inhitiil ii Muslim'in. 1 He had to wade through almost the \Vholc of \iVestern historical literature pertaining to the period and to recreate the story by collecting bits and pieces scattered in numerous books.
This prelude to the life o.f the Propht't, notv described sorne­ \vhat at a greater length, would help the reader to appl:eciate in the light of the then putrid world all around, the grand accomplishment of prophetic guidance, its greatness, the vast­ ness of its scope, the way it sharpened the wits, solved intract­ able problems and harmonised seemingly irreconcilable motives and clements. What \Vas, after all, the greatest achievement of
Muhammad's prophethood? It \Vas to give hope to the despaired heart of man, to take him back to the path of righteousness, to cleanse his mind and heart of the Contaminating impurity and to
raise him to the subliine heights of spirituality. What a gigantic task it \\'as can be understood correctly only \Vhen the reader has before him a clear picture of the perplexing and arduous nature of the task faced by the Prophet and his companions. Often­ times, one it unable to comprehend the turn of events and the decisions taken by the· Prophet unless he is fully a•vare of the social, economic and political situation then obtaining in Medina, its physical condition and geographical situation, the surround­ ing tribes and the relationship existing between them, balance of power struck by past settlements and treaties of peace,
1. English venion •ince printed as Is/dm arul the War/a', by the Academy of Islamic Research and ·Publications, Lucknow.
6 MUHAMMAD RAllULULLAH
conditions immediately preceding the hijrah 1 and the tribal customs
and conveiltions and their national code of ethics and laws. Anybody trying to study the life of the Prophet unmindful of these basic facts would be travelling in a dark tunnel wherein he can neither sec to his right or left nor know \Vhere he is
destined to einerge at the end of his journey.
All that has been stated about the environs of Mediµa JS
true for the then civilised regions around Arabia also. One can neither reckon, the significance of the call of Islam nor the nature
of its venturesome adventure so long as one is not acquainted
with the despotic rule as \Vell as the splendour and vastness of the
surrounding kingdoms, their culture and civilisation, their mili­ tary strength and the pretension and pageantry of their rulers \vho were invitt!d by the Prophet, through his epistles, to accept Isla1n. Recent researches have unearthed new materials about the cVents, life and culture of the countries around Arabia, which v,.:ere earlier either not kno\vn at all or of which the historians hacl only a hazy picture. A biographer of the Prophet should no\v take full advantage of all these nC\V discoveries 'in the fields of archaeology and history and present the facts in conformity with the latest methods of con1parative studies.
The writer of these lines is fully conscious of the difficulties alluded here as well as the great fund of literature hitherto accu­ mulated in different languages through the industry of the PropQ.et's biographers. Still, he considers it an honour to enter this long and luminuous list of the Prophet's biographers by attempting a new ·life-story of the most lovable and f!dmirable personality of all times and ages.
The 1neagre amount of leisure and the poor eye-sight of the writer have, however, been the two· impediments which have always prevented hlln from undertaking this i:nspiring task. He
was \Vell a\vare of the difficult and delicate nature of biographical
I. Lit. "emigratiou", a word often trausciibcd as 'hegira', ii applied to the
~n':tig;atio11 of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina. It marb ·the starting point of the Mu•lim era.
INTaODUC'nCN 7
writings and also of the fact that to pen the life of the greatest of all prophets was certainly most onerous. He had, of a fact,
written a large number of such- life-sketches-perhaps, more. than most of his contemporary writers.:....for he had had the good for­ tune of penning the achievements of great reformers and reviva­
lists of the faith; ever since he learnt to take the pen in his hand. Narration of these stories which run into a few thousand pages wer~ no less exhllqrating to him than enjoying the company of those purer souls, but he still felt diffident in driving his pen to
write the life of the Prophet. He was conscious of the fact that very ofwn a \Hiter is so swayed by his own .. predispositions that
he begins to paint the picture of his paragon of virtue in the colour of his resemblance•. The por trait thus painted is more of the writer himsc!lf, for, instead of dc~lineating the story of his ideal, in an objectiv1• and impartial manner, hi! unconsciously begins to view him in tlw light of his own expericncps and
inclinations. Those who arn c:onvcrsant with the science pf mind and have
also gained an insight into ethical conduct of the people through a pers.onal (•xp1·ric·ncc and study of the behaviour and deportment of their mates and colleagues over a length of time, can easily realise the inadequacy of diction aud modes of expression in the faithful portrayal of a human character, its inner rc~achcs as well as its spirits soaring high above the skics·-it is a task so ·C:elicatc and impassionable that not unoften it comes in upon the writer himself. Only he can hope to succeed in this precarious job who has the capacity to touch the chords of anothel' man's sentiments, enter into his spirit of emotions and sentimr.nts, share the tender­ ness as well as fen·our of his passions and ec~10 his joys and sufferings. Such a man has to have a soft corrier in his heart \Vhi.ch ~au perceive how othcl's spend their lonely nights after a bustling da-~ •. how they bc.>have within theil' homes and with the friends outsid<', how they acquit themselves in war and peace, how th1~y carry themseJ.vt!Sfo excitement and calmness, in want and in plenty and in strength anti .41 weakness. Verily, there are 11urnerous hc·artstrings,-sentiments and susceptibilities of man, still
8 MUHAMMAD RASULULLAH
mysterious and · undis~losed, fm· which one would not find an appropriate word in the greatest lexicon of any language.
Now, in its. charm and eleganc<.>, in its catholicity and comprehensiveness and in its depiction of the most delicate and deepest feelings of human life, the biography of a prophet presents a task far more formidable than any other kind of word­ painting. Of a truth, it. was only the hadtth1 of tlie holy Prophet, the like of which is to be found nowhere in the memoirs of other prophets or the greatest ~en whose life-story has been J~reserved by hist01·y, which has made it possible to penetrate into the inmost reaches of human psyclw. In the compilations containing the Prophet's acts and sayings as well as in his earliest biogra­ phies one finds such entrancing exaltations of God and moving supplications, such impassioned entreaties and absorbing orisons, expressing such heart-felt concern for the w<:'al of entire humanity, that one's heart begins to breathe and bum with their pene­ trating fervidness. 2 Similarly, the utterances and speeches of the Prophet handed down by- his companions and friends excel the most dainty find eloquent pie~s of literature. 3 With all this material at hand, one should have no difficulty nor needs to be ingeni0us as on.e is won~ to do in writing the iives of other great personalities, in recounting the life of the Prophet. .His life is the most perfect and winsome, based on unimpeachable evi­ dence. of the Divine Writ aod unquestionable records of history, furnishing a vivid and detailed account ·of his looks and lineament; cha1:acter and deportmen~.. moral behavim.ir and
I. L-it. "a saying" stand~ foe the 'prophetic tradition', a short account of some act or word of the Prophet and passed on by a chain of trustworthy narrators.
2. One has to see the author's article 'Life of Muhammad as reAected J;i.y­ his Prayers', since printe<l in the form of a booklet, which expl;iins what a deep insight into tl\e inne1·most feelings of human Tl)lnd ·~nd heart are i·cflectcd ·by the Prophet's prayers and how impr~e they are in shaping one's conduct and morals.
--
lNTRODUOTION 9
method of prayer, his living avvareness of God and anxiety for his fello\v being'S, the grace and elegance of his discourses, and the 1niraculous march of events in his inomentous lifr. These acc6unts, recorded \Vith the greatest care and resb·aint, present, not\vithstanding the great labour undertaken by early biogra~ phet·s, only a glimpse of that radiant soul. God may recompense thcrn all wil11 a goodly return, for they have left for us an undiminishing treasure in thr. forn1 of thr. life of the Prophet which can be partakPn by every individual, group and ract> to the
(•ud of tiine.
"Verily in lhL' n1essenger of Allah ye bave a good example for him who !Ooketh unto AHah and the Last Day, and remembereth Allah much. ''1
For these 1·easons, perhaps, he never ventured to attempt \vritiug a new life of the Prophet; actually, he always considered it to be beyond his cnpacity. But,…