Day: November 24, 2024

Section 2 Allah made His Prophet a witness over mankind; a description
of this praiseworthy and honorable rank

Allah says, “O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, and to bear warning, a caller to Allah by His permission and as a light shedding lamp.” 33:45-46. It is learned from this verse that Allah endowed His Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, with every noble rank and praiseworthy quality and that by conveying the Message He made him a witness of his nation which was one of his special, praiseworthy qualities. He is the one who brought the good news for all people who obey him, and warned those who opposed the Message he delivered. His Message called to the Oneness of Allah, and that it

He alone that should be worshiped. Allah described him as a “light shedding lamp” with which he guided to the truth.
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Ata, Yasar’s son met Abdullah, Amr’s son, who was the son of Al As and asked him to described the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. He said, “Indeed, by Allah some of the characteristics described in the Koran

found in the Torah that reads, ‘O Prophet, We will send him as a witness, a bringer of good tidings and as a warner and a refuge for the unlettered. He is
are
My worshipper and My Messenger, I will name him the one upon whom peoplerely.

He will be neither uncouth nor vulgar, nor yet shout in the market-place or repay evil with evil, rather he will pardon and forgive. Allah will not return him to Himself until the crooked nation has been straightened by him and they declare ‘There is no god except Allah!’ Through him, eyes that were blind, ears that were deaf and hearts that were covered will be opened.” A similar narration is reported by Abdullah, Salaam’s son and Ka’b Al Ahbar.

Isaac’s son quoted description of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, in the Torah saying, “Who neither shouts in the market-place nor uses obscene language or indecent words. I open him to every excellent quality and will give him every noble characteristic. I will make tranquility his robe, devotion his axiom, fear of Me his conscience, wisdom his understanding, truthfulness and loyalty his nature, pardon and good ethics his character, justice
his demeanor, truth his jurisprudence, guidance his leader, submission (Islam) his religion and his name is Praiser (Ahmad). I will guide him after there as been a lack of guidance, and I will teach him after ignorance. I will raise him after obscurity and make his name known after being unknown. I will give him in abundance after there has been scarcity. I will enrich him after poverty and gather him after separation. I will unite hearts that have been divided, and scattered passions and separate communities through him. I will make his nation (all who believe him) the best nation that has ever come forth to people.”

The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, told his Companions of his description in the Torah, “My worshiper, Praiser (Ahmad), the Chosen, born in Mecca who will migrate to Medina (or he said Tayyibah) his nation will be those who praise Allah in every situation.”

In the Koran Allah tells us, “And to those who shall follow the Messenger – the Unlettered Prophet (Muhammad) whom they shall find written with them in the Torah and the Gospel. He will order kindness upon them and forbid them to do evil. He will make good things lawful to them and prohibit all that is foul. He will relieve them of their burdens and of the shackles that had weighed upon them. Those who believe in him and honor him, those who aid him and follow the light sent forth with him shall surely prosper.” 7:157.

Allah also says, “It was by the Mercy of Allah that you (Prophet Muhammad) dealt so leniently with them. Had you been hardhearted, they would have surely deserted you. Therefore ask forgiveness for them. Take counsel with them in the matter and when you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those who
trust.” 3:157.

As-Samarkandi commented upon this verse saying, “Allah reminds them that He made His Messenger merciful to believers, compassionate and lenient. If he had been harsh and spoken to them sternly they would have deserted him. But Allah made him generous, tolerant, kind and gentle.”

Abul Hasan Al Qabisi explained the verse “And so We have made you a median nation, in order that you will be a witness above people, and that the Messenger be a witness above you.” 2:143 saying, “Allah makes the excellence of our Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, very clear and also the excellence of nation.” his
By “median nation” Allah means a nation that is both balanced and good. The meaning of the next verses “And in this so that the Messenger can be a witness for you and in order that you be witnesses against mankind.” 2:143. And “How then shall it be when We bring forward from every nation a witness, and bring you (Prophet Muhammad) to witness against those!” 4:41 is, as Allah guided you, We chose and preferred you by making you an excellent balanced nation and also to permit you to be witnesses for the previous prophets against their nations, and Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, will be a truthful witness for you.

It is narrated that when Allah asks the prophets, if they conveyed the Message, they will affirm having done so, but their nation will say, “No bearer of glad tidings or a warner has come to us.” 5:19. It is then that the nation of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, will bear witness on behalf of the prophets and the prophets will endorse their testimony. It is explained that everyone of you believing readers will be a witness over the other nations and that Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, is a witness over us.

As for those who believe, Allah says, “and bear the glad tidings to those who believe that they have a firm standing with their Lord.” 10:2. Katada together with Hasan al Basri and Zayid, explained “firm standing” refers to Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, who will intercede for believers on the Day of Judgement. Al Hasan also added “It is the giving of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, to believers.” In addition Sahl At- Tustori explained that it is the mercy Allah had pre-ordained and placed in Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him. Muhammad son of Ali At- Tirmidhi further expounded saying, “He is the leader of the truthful, and the true. He is the one whose intercession is accepted, and the one whose supplication is answered.”

Section 3 – The kindness and gentleness of Allah towards the Prophet

Allah said, “Allah has pardoned you. Why did you give them leave (to stay behind) until it was clear to you which of them was truthful and knew those who lied?” 9:43. The kindness and gentleness of Allah is demonstrated in this verse. Awn, Abdullah’s son draws our attention to the gentleness of Allah who tells His Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, that He had pardoned him by referring to his status of continuous pardon before He mentions his minor mistake if any.

As-Samarkandi reported that he had heard it explained that Allah protected His Prophet, and made his heart sound. If he had first been addressed with the words “why did you give them leave” then his heart would have been so stricken that it might almost have burst from the terror of these words. But

Habib Ajmi

Once a guest was partaking of the meagre meal at Miracles of the Saints
that poor Ajmi had prepared for him, when a beggar knocked at the door. Ajmi took all the food and gave it to the beggar. Surprised at Ajmi’s ugly behaviour the guest (who was no other than Hasan Basri) said, “You must know a little of manners too!” Ajmi was silent for a moment, when to the surprise of Hasan there appeared a lady with a delicious dish. Both sat and partook of the meal. Then Ajmi spoke, “Hasan, you are a good man. You should develop a little more faith in Allah”. (i.e. know that something given in Allah’s name returns several fold). (Tadhkeratul Auliya)

The Mystery of the Letter

The authorship of this letter has remained a mystery. Either it was forged by the seditionists themselves, to give them an excuse for re-entering Medina, or was the outcome of the villainy of the Caliph’s Secretary, Merwan, who wrote it and put the Caliph’s seal on it. Certainly the Messenger had been sent without the Caliph’s knowledge and sent, moreover, by a route where he was most likely to fall into the hands of the Egyptian rebels.

The Shi’ite chroniclers assert, most emphatically, that the letter was the work of Merwan, who hated Ali and who had recourse to this trickery in order to re- inflame the differences that Ali had so admirably and tactfully composed. The Sunnis, on the other hand, point out how easy it would have been for the rebels to make a counterfeit of the Caliph’s seal and that they had carefully planned the whole affair as part of a stratagem to get back into Medina. It seems that Ali himself. unlike his partisans, also suspected the rebels of a premeditated and concerted plan of action.

Whatever the origin of the letter may have been, not only the Egyptians, but three bands of rebels turned back towards Medina, pitching their tents before the city.

The Caliph Answers the Allegations

Ali interviewed the rebels and asked them how it was that they had all returned simultaneously, especially as their destinations had lain in three different directions and could only have been reached by three different roads. Dissatisfied with their story, he then took them to the venerable old Caliph who solemnly declared, on oath, that he had no personal knowledge of the letter and that it must have been forged by his enemies. Angry altercations followed and the behaviour of the rebels was extremely insolent. The Caliph then asked the rebel leaders to prove the charge of authorship of the letter, but they could not substantiate it with any evidence. Highly enraged and incensed, the rebels said,” whether the letter has been written by you or not, in both cases, you are unfit to hold the office of Caliph. You must abdicate.”.. To this Uthman with a dignity and grandeur of which he had not been thought capable replied, “Abdicate I will not. How can I put off that inantle wherewith the Lord has girded me? Tell me what evils you complain of, and I am ready to rectify them.” White-hot with passion, the rebels burst forth, “It is too late to mend. Either abdicate, or our swords will fall heavily on you to force you to do so.” To this Uthman’s laconic rejoinder was” As to death, I should prefer it, and as to fighting, I loathe it, and I will see that my people refrain from it. Had I wished to fight, I could have called legions to my side who would have battled for me today. But I am unwilling to be the cause of shedding a single drop of blood.” 4 i

The Caliph Appeals to the Good Sense of the Rebels.

By this time the rebels had re-entered Medina and had begun, once again, to undermine the loyalty of the Medinites. They caused lampoons about the Caliph to be read in the streets, ridiculing him in every way.


Summary of Uthman’s Reign

They mingled with the Medinites in the Mosque and threw dust on the Caliph when he came to lead the prayers. One Friday, after he had ascended the pulpit, the Caliph addressed them thus: “Ye know full well that the holy people of Medina consider you accursed because you have rebelled against the Holy Prophet’s vice-regent. The Holy Prophet’s prophecy that the damned would gather at the places which you occupy today is coming literally true. Now it is high time for you to atone for your evil deeds by repentence and good actions.”

Scarcely had this oration finished when the rebels turned the men of Medina out of the Mosque, showering stones on them as they fled. One of the stones struck the Caliph, who fell unconscious to the ground, and had to be carried to the safety of an adjoining house.

The Caliph’s House is Besieged

Daily the tension between the rebels and the Caliph increased. The ever-growing insolence of the rebels compelled the Caliph to shut himself up in his house, which was besieged and in a state of virtual blockade. Ali now made good his vow to defend Uthman, deputing his sons to act as bodyguards for the old Caliph. Ali’s friends Talha and Zubair, who had so often fought beside him in the wars of the Holy Prophet also sent their sons to defend the venerable Uthman. These youngmen, the flower of Medinite youth, performed sentinel duty at the door of the Caliph’s house. Meanwhile, as there were no reserve troops in Medina, Uthman was compelled to send urgent calls for help and re-inforcement to Syria and Basra.

When the insurgent leaders learned that the Caliph had summoned troops to his aid they immediately sent one of their number to officiate at the Mosque and to lead the congregational prayers in place of Uthman. This act, symbolic of the negation of Uthman’s sovereign rights, was intended to convey to the multitude that
Uthman was no longer Caliph in their eyes. At this turn of events Uthman called Talha, Zubair and Ali into conference and, in the hearing of the rebels said:

“Fellow brothers, I have prayed for you to God Almighty, that after I am taken away, He may set the affairs of the Caliphate in right order. For ever after the Lord has chosen me as his viceregent, I see that people have risen up to slay the Lord’s elect. Have a care, ye men. The taking of life (in Islam) is lawful only for three things, apostasy, murder and adultery. To take my life without any of these causes, is tantamount to the suspending of a sword over your own necks. You. yourselves will never be rid of sedition and bloodshed.”

The insurgents paid no heed to the Caliph’s overtures. On the contrary, they enforced the blockade with double rigour. They cut off the Caliph’s supply of water and rations, so that he suffered from extreme hunger and thirst. Ali, at this juncture, intervened and addressing the rebels said, “You are treating the venerable old Caliph more cruelly than any one would treat the prisoners on the battlefield. Even honourable infidels do not cut off the supply of water to a thirsty enemy. But Ali’s sermon fell on deaf ears. Umm Habiba (daughter of Abu Sufyan and the widow of the Holy Prophet) who was a cousin of Uthman, tried to carry water on her mule into the Caliph’s house with Ali’s help, but she was roughly handled by the insurgents. They cut her bridle with the sword and forced her to retreat. In great agony the Caliph waited for his end

The Domination of the Meccan Quraish

The martyrdom of Uthman was to result ultimately in a victory for the Meccan Quraish over the Orthodox Medinites and, in particular, for the Umayyad party in Mecca over the Hashimites who had hitherto dominated Medina. With the martyrdom of Uthman the sanctity of the Caliphate had gone and, with it, the special place of Medina as the capital of the Caliphate. Until now the Caliphate of Muhammad’s successors had rested on the strength and zeal of the masses but now the Islamic fraternity was to become pitifully divided amongst itself. Under the pretext of maintaining law and order the Umayyads went ceaselessly to work to set the Medinites against their Hashimite leaders and while paying lip service to Islam, to cast the very principlesof the Islamic Commonwealth to the winds. In place of the old Islamic society based on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, there was now to arise a powerful monarchy, a dominating class of nobles and a society riddled with immorality. The old orthodoxy which had rested on the foundations of piety, equality, and the selfless personality of the Caliph was to give way to lax morals, favouritism, and luxurious court. Thus, while apparently remaining in the fold, these victors were to betray the cause for which they pretended to fight. Every blow they were to strike to achieve power would turn out to be a blow at Islam.

Meanwhile, immediately after the murder of Uth- man, terror and chaos reigned. Who would be chosen as his successor? Who, indeed, would be brave enough to assume that role? The whole of Islam was torn by bitterness and dissension. No Caliph would ever again be able to rely on the unanimous support of the Believers in Faith. One man alone had popular acclaim, he alone might be deemed great enough to hold Islam together at this tragic time. That man was Ali, a Hashimite and a man of Medina. The Umayyads could afford to bide their time. Meanwhile Ali reluctantly allowed himself to be appointed Uthman’s successor; thus becoming the Fourth and last-of the Orthodox Caliphs.