THE TALE OF A NATION-3

Recitation of the Holy Scripture.

And with the truth We sent it down, and with the truth it descended. And We have not sent you (Muhammad), except as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.

Say, “Believe in it or do not believe. Indeed, those who were given the knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, they fall on their faces in prostration.

And they fall on their faces, weeping, and it increases their humility.

Say, “Invoke Allah or invoke the Most Gracious. By whatever name you invoke, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.

End of Recitation of the Holy Scripture.

Now let me briefly cover main events of prophet Muhammad’s life by only giving you an idea of dates in which they occurred. I told you that in 545 AD Muhammad’s father Abdullah born. Then in 570 AD Abdullah dies and Muhammad born. In 576 Muhammad’s mother, Aminah dies when he was just six years old. In 578 AD Abdul Muttalib his grandfather dies and Abu Talib elder brother of his father Abdullah takes the guardianship of his eight-year-old nephew. 595 AD Muhammad marries Khadija at the age of 25 who is 40 years old and this is her 3rd marriage, she first employs Muhammad and becomes impressed by his honesty, that she proposes to him. In 599 AD Muhammad’s cousin and his son in law Ali born. In 604 AD Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad born. She was the wife of Ali bin Abu Talib and all of Muhammad’s descendants are through her. In 610 AD Muhammad was given prophethood and received the first revelation of the Qur’an in the cave at Hira in the Mountain of Light, Jabal an-Nour. Khadija was the first to believe his prophethood. 613 AD is the year of Muhammad’s first open declaration at Mount Safa inviting the general public to Islam. In 614 AD Persecution of the early followers of Muhammad started by Quraysh. A party of these migrates to Abyssinia present day Ethiopia. In 615 AD Two big names Umar and Hamza accepts Islam. In 616 AD Second migration to Abyssinia takes place.

I already told you that Kaaba in Mecca housed hundreds of idols which were important to the various tribes and people of Arabia at the time. Now keep in mind that after Muhammad’s declaration of prophethood and his saying that there’s no god but God it’s very threatening to the establishment of Mecca. As this guy of the Quraysh tribe, the tribe that worships Hubal, the tribe that is in charge of Mecca, is now saying that Idol worship is a sin. And so Muhammad’s own tribe Quraysh begins to significantly persecute him and his early followers. Further, this also gives other clans like Ummayah an opportunity to settle their old grudges against Bani Hashim. So by all the conspiracies in 617 AD the leaders of Banu Makhzum and Banu Abd-Shams, two important clans of Quraysh boycotted Banu Hasim. Banu Hashim went with Abu Talib to his valley and gathered around him there. These days were very tough with them and sometimes they had to feed on the leaves of treas.

Now let me here discuss Abu Talib, uncle of Muhammad who took charge of him after Abdul Muttalib. He protected Muhammad from Quraysh and in spite of all pressures, Abu Talib continued his support of Muḥammad, defending him from the other leaders of the Quraysh even when it put a rift between him and the Quraysh. The Quraysh even warned to fight the Banu Hashim over this conflict. They even tried to bribe Abu Talib. In one instance Abu Talib requested to Muhammad if he could stop what he is preaching as all are becoming their enemies. Muhammad responded, “Oh uncle! By God Almighty, I swear, even if they should put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left that I renounce this cause, I shall not do so until God withdrew this from me or caused me to die in the process. Seeing his nephew’s emotion, Abu Talib responded, “Go, nephew, and say what you like. By God, I will never hand you over for any reason. It is quoted from the Prophet, ”Quraysh feared me until Abu Talib was alive. There are many disputes between Muslims over Abu Talib’s faith whether he died as a Muslim or unbeliever. The Shia school of thought believes that Abu Talib was a Muslim while Sunni says that Abu Talib did not formally accept Islam and died as a polytheist. Although Shia Muslims have also distorted their religion much and added many wrong things just like other sects of Muslims but as for Abu Talib they are right. The fact of the matter is that it is not only the old rivalry of Banu Ummayah with Banu Hashim but also within Banu Hashim, Banu Abbas who when overthrew the Umayyad dynasty tried to discredit Abu Talib by emphasizing that he died a pagan. Just to ascertain their claim of Caliphate a legitimate one through ancestral relationship to Muhammad and undermining the credibility of the ancestry of Ali son of Abu Talib by discrediting Abu Talib emphasizing that he died a pagan. Abu Talib was accused of being polytheist just to defame Ali to minimize his virtues and high qualities, which no other at all had except Ali. Not a single old companion of the prophet can claim that their fathers were believers nor were they themselves free from infidelity polytheism at some time of their lives. Whereas Ali was pure, since his birth in the Kaaba, and then his brought up by Prophet Muhammad himself and his acceptance of Islam before anyone else accepted, in a age so young when there is no concept of sin and no chances of sin. Muslims present many Quranic verses as proof of Abu Talib’s non belief like Surah Tauba 9:113, Surah Qasas 28:56 and Surah Inaam 6:26 while the fact of the matter is that they are all universal verses addressing in general to all and giving some principals as to how Allah judge between His slaves. The next verse 114 of Surah Tauba itself showing that after verse 113 Quran Gives the example of Abraham’s father in verse 114 as an enemy of God while the whole history shows that Abu Talib was an enemy to those who tried to bother Prophet Muhammad. I ask you a question you Muslims are over one billion in population today and all of you, I literally mean all of you think yourselves Muslims just because you recited the Shahada, a short oral declaration of faith. While Abu Talib didn’t. Just look at yourselves do you think this is the way your Lord will judge between His slaves on the day of judgment. I already told you in detail in Part 5 of this program that this would not be the case. While the fact of the matter is that majority of you who think yourselves Muslims are fuel of the fire. Look at your deeds, your morals your character as I discussed in detail in part 4 of this dialogue. You are the worst nation the sky has ever seen. And you think Abu Talib was an unbeliever. Abu Talib who adopted Muhammad when he was a kid, took care of him. Preferred him over his own children. Abu Talib who later trusted upbringing of his own son Ali upon Muhammad. Abu Talib who never disputed or got angered with Muhammad when his young son Ali became his first follower, the first male to accept Islam at the age of ten. By my Lord how can someone give such a space to a person and then simultaneously disagree with that person’s ideology? By my Lord just check within yourselves that you dislike some ideology some belief or even some trivial thing for yourself but allow your ten years old son to follow that thing in front of your eyes and not only that instead of stopping that person you continue your help and support for that person. Abu Talib who sacrificed everything for Muhammad, protected him from all the evil plannings of Quraysh, saved him from all the evil plots of Meccans. Suffered his trade his economy just for helping Muhammad. Faced a long three years of boycott from his tribe Quraysh but did not stop from helping supporting Muhammad. Abu Talib who then died during that boycott because of sufferings and hardships of that isolation. That Abu Talib was an unbeliever and you who call yourselves Muslims who are like locusts spreading all over the world in billions you all are believers. No by my Lord if all of you come together and put yourself on one side of the balance, the weigh of Abu Talibs deeds would be more than you. By my Lord, if all of you come together and become my enemy, I will surely fight with all of you until my Lord vanishes me or vanish you or He turns your heart.

Now coming back to that boycott of Quraysh in 619 AD it was lifted but this is also the year of death of Abu Talib and Muhammad’s wife Khadija and is called the Year of Sorrow. In 620 Muhammad Visits Taif and this is the year of Miraj that is his Ascension to the heavens and observation of various signs of his Lord. In 622 AD All Muslims are ordered by God and Prophet to migrate to Madina followed by the prophet himself and is called the Hijra and the first year of the Islamic calendar. In 624 AD Battle of Badr takes place between Muslims of Madina under the command of Muhammad and Quraish of Mecca under the command of Abu Sufyan and then the expulsion of the Bani Qainuqa Jews from Medina. The same year direction of prayer is converted from Jerusalem to Mecca. Then in 625 AD Battle of Uhud takes place between Muslims of Madina under the command of Muhammad and Quraysh of Mecca under the command of Abu Sufyan and the expulsion of Banu Nadir Jews from Medina. 625 and 626 AD Hasan and Hussein respectively born to Ali and Fatimah. 627 AD is the year of Ghazwa Ahzab or battle of Trench between Muslims of Madina under the command of Muhammad and Quraish and all Arab tribe allied together under the command of Abu Sufyan and then the Invasion of Banu Qurayza. In 628 AD Muhammad signs the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and this is the year that Muhammad sends letters to various heads of states proclaiming his prophethood and same year is the Battle of Khaybar. Then 630 AD is marked for the conquest of Mecca. Prophet entered his city of birth as a victorious. This is the busiest and most tiresome year in Muslim history as the same year they went for Battle of Hunayn, Battle of Autas, Siege of Ta’if and then the expedition to Tabouk. 632 AD is the year of the death of prophet Muhammad and same year within six months his daughter Fatima dies. Abu Bakr is chosen as caliph after a quarrel at Al Saqifa. Saqifa is a site in Madina where in haste some companions of Muhammad, decided about the successor to the Prophet right after his death, a controversial decision that is believed to have originated the oldest division in Islam between the Shias and Sunnis. In 634 AD Abu Bakr dies and Umar assumes power as the second caliph. He remained in power for almost ten years and in 644 AD Assassinated by a Persian slave named Abu Lulu Feroz, who was the slave of Mughira ibn Shu’ba who brought him with him to Madina. Mughira later in days of Ali’s caliphate didn’t give allegiance to him but to Mauwiya and was a right hand of Mauwiya in Syria and later becomes the governor of Kufa by Mauwiya.

Remember Damascus Syria was conquered During Umar’s caliphate. Umar appointed Muawiah bin Abu Sufyan as governor there. The action of appointing Muawiah in Syria laid the foundations of the biggest divide in the Muslim community and transformed the course of Muslim history forever. Honestly, it was not wrong to appoint him as a governor but the wrong thing was Usman’s extension of Muawiah’s rule to the whole Syria including Jordan & Palestine and not changing or transferring him to some other place. He remained as Governor there for about 23 years. A long tenure at one place turned out to be lethal and led to worst power struggle Muslims ever saw plus the killing of thousands of Muslims including Imam Hussein.

If my Lord Wills, I will continue this in next program.

Recitation of the Holy Scripture.

The competition in (worldly) increase diverts you

Until you visit the graves.

Nay! Soon you will know.

Again, nay! Soon you will know.

Nay! If you only knew with a knowledge of certainty.

You will surely see the Hellfire.

Then surely you will see it with the eye of certainty.

Then that Day you will be asked about the pleasures (you indulged in).