March on Mecca.
On the 10th Ramazan, 8 A. H. or the 1st January 630 A. D. Muhammad took the road to Mecca with a fully equipped army of ten thousand strong, and marched in all haste towards the Holy City of Mecca. The Muslim army continued its unopposed march to Marr-uz-Zuhraan, within sight of Mecca. Here they were ordered to camp and to await developments, and they were permitted to light camp fires. Soon the heights were ablaze with a thousand fires, and the Meccans who had not received any tidings of the impending danger, were struck with terror at this sight.
Realising that Islam could no longer be prevented from spreading, Abu Sufyan sought to save his skin by a profes-sion of the faith. The Holy Prophet did not trust him any more than at the time of Ohad. Hence he did not expose his army to any surprise move on the part of the Mec- cans. He ordered his forces to surround the city and to enter from four different points. To Ali, who commanded a large body of cavalry, was confided the Sacred Banner. which he was to plant on Mount Hajun, and which he was to maintain there until the Prophet joined him.
Express orders were given to all Generals to practise forbearance, and under no circumstances make the first attack. The main body of the army advanced without molestation. Muhammad brought up the rearguard. clad in a scarlet vest, and riding on his favourite camel Al-Qaswa. He proceeded slowly, his movements being impeded by the immense multitude which thronged around. him. Arriving at Mount Hajun, where Ali had planted. the Standard of the Faith, he had a tent pitched for himself. Here he alighted, put off his Scarlet garment, and assumed the black turban and the pilgrim’s garb.
Not long after this, accompanied by Ali, he proceeded direct to the sanctuary of Kaaba, kissed the sacred stone, performed the seven circuits round the sanctuary, and offered his devout prayers.
The city was at his mercy, but history does not afford a similar example of the magnanimous generosity and forbearance which was displayed by Muhammad. “What can you expect at my hands?” He asked them. “Mercy”, they replied. Tears came into the eyes of the Prophet when he heard them beg for mercy. “I will speak to you”. he continued, “as Joseph spoke to his brethren. I will not reproach you today. God will forgive you, for He is merciful and loving. Go; ye are free!” can anything be
more sublime than this? (Eternal Peace be upon him and his Holy Progeny).
sixty symbols around the
There were three hundred and Kaaba representing the pagan Arab Gods. The Prophet pointed to each with his staff whilst reciting the verse, “Truth has come and falsehood being perishable has vanished” and the symbols fell on their faces. Pictures of Abraham and Ishmael and of the angels in female form, which covered the walls of the Kaaba were obliterated. Hobal the Symbol treated as the greatest deity of Mecca, was fixed on a high position beyond reach. To destroy it, the Prophet desired Ali to mount on his shoulders. Ali hesitated for a moment. “Do as you are told” reiterated the voice of the Master. Ali then got up on the Holy Prophet’s shoulders and completed the destruction. He threw down all the symbols, replica of the “Age of Ignorance”, and then jumped down from the shoulders of his Master. Then the Prophet asked Ali, “how did you feel when you were mounting my shoulders?” To this Ali replied, “While there I found that my hand reached to a height as high as Heaven, and that I could remove whatever I wanted with ease.” The Holy Prophet replied, “O Ali! I congratulate you on performing a Divine duty, and lucky am I indeed that I The Holy held the Divine burden on my shoulders.” Prophet’s order to Ali to mount on his shoulders was nothing but a Divine Revelation which signified that Ali was a partner in this Divinely ordained Command of the Lord.
The Bani Jazhima.
The Bani Jazhima, who lived at a day’s march from Mecca, had already embraced Islam, but none of them had turned up to pay respects to the Prophet at Mecca. The Prophet deputed Khalid with a small detachment to
enquire, with difinite instructions not to provoke a struggle. Khalid secretly rejoiced to get this commission which afforded him a chance to take revenge for the murder of his uncle some years ago at the hands of the Jazhimites. Revenge he did take by ordering the execution of some of them.
The Prophet, grieved at receiving the sad news of the outrage, raised up his hands to Heaven and called God to witness that he was innocent of what Khalid had done. On his return, when Khalid was upbraided, he shifted the blame to Abd-al-Rahman, but the Prophet indignantly rejected the imputation.
Accordingly, the Holy Prophet sent Ali with a sum of money for distribution among the people to compensate for the bloodshed, and to restore to them what Khalid. had wrested from them. The generous Ali executed the commission faithfully. Inquiring into the losses and sufferings of each individual, Ali paid as much compensation as they demanded. When all blood was atoned for and all the sufferers were satisfied, he distributed the remaining money among them, gladdening every heart by his bounty. The Prophet applauded this generosity, praised and thanked Ali. Khalid was rebuked and reproved.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 