THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH 009 The First to Believe by Khadeijah A.Stephens Copyright © 1984-2012 by Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com Khadeijah A.Stephens \Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem The First to Believe Now that Prophet Muhammad, (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had received the instruction to tell of the favors of his Lord, he spoke to Lady Khadijah in depth about Allah. Lady Khadijah recognized the truth and became the first to embrace Islam and thereafter Zayd who had lived in their household for many years. In those early days of Islam, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) confined his preaching to his immediate family. At the time Lady Khadijah embraced Islam, Prophet Muhammad, (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had not received instructions as to the manner in which he should offer his prayers. Then, one day on the outskirts of Mecca, Angel Gabriel came to him and struck the ground with his heels. From the indentation, a spring of water began to flow and the Angel showed the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) the ritual cleansing procedure he should make before offering his prayer. Now that the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) had learned how to perform the ritual ablution, Angel Gabriel taught him how to offer his prayers with its postures of standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting which was the same way in which his great ancestors, Prophets Abraham and Ishmael had offered their prayers so many centuries before. Gabriel informed Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) that he should commence the prayer with the words "Allahu Akbar" -- Allah is the Greatest --, and to conclude the prayer by turning the head first to the right then saying "As-Sallamu alaykum" -- peace be upon you -- and then to repeat the same to the left. Thereafter, Gabriel departed and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) returned home to teach Lady Khadijah and together they offered their prayer in unison. In the early days of Islam the daily prayers consisted on two units of prayer before dawn and two units of prayer after sunset. Ali and Abu Bakr, and the Early Converts One day, Ali, Abu Talib's son, who had lived with them since the time of the famine, entered the room and found the Prophet and Lady Khadijah praying together. As soon as they concluded their prayer Ali asked what they were doing whereupon he was told that they were praising and giving thanks to Allah, then the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) spoke to him about Islam. Ali was struck by the things he learned. He thought deeply about them and was unable to sleep that night. The following morning Ali went to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to tell him that he believed and wanted to follow him. And so Ali, who was only ten years old yet had the maturity of a person twice his age, became the second male to embrace Islam. Abu Bakr, who had been a friend of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) for many years, was next. He was a very amiable, tender-hearted man from the tribe of Taym, respected not only by his own tribe but by others. He had gained a reputation for offering sound advice and interpreting visions, therefore it was not uncommon for tribesmen to consult and confide in him. Whenever circumstances presented themselves, Abu Bakr would speak to those whom he trusted about the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and his message. Amongst those who were receptive were Abdu Amr and Abu Ubaydah both of whom embraced Islam and changed their names to Abd Ar Rahman -- worshiper of the Merciful, Othman Affan Al-Umawi son, Az-Zubair son of Awwam Al-Asadi, Abdur Rahman son of Awf, Sa'ad son of Abi Waqqas, Az-Zuhri and Talha sons of Ubaydah At-Tamimy. Among the early converts were Bilal son of Rabah from Abyssinian, Abu Ubaydah son of Al-Jarrah from the tribe of Bani Harith son of Fahr who gained the reputation as being the most trusted of the Muslim nation, Abu Salamah son of Abd Al-Asad, Al-Arqam son of Abi Al-Arqam from the tribe of Makhzum, Othman son of Maz'oun and his two brothers Qudama and Abdullah, Ubaydah son of Al-Harith son of Al-Muttalib son of Abd Munaf, Sa'id son of Zayd Al-Adawi and his wife Fatima the daughter of Al-Khattab who was the sister of Omar, Khabbab son of Al-Aratt, Abdullah son of Masood Al-Hadhali. The Vision of Khalid, Son of Sa'id One day, Abu Bakr received an unexpected visit from Khalid, Sa'ids son. It was obvious from Khalid's face that something was worrying him. Khalid took Abu Bakr to one side and told him that as he slept he had seen a very disturbing vision, and knew it should not be dismissed. Khalid told Abu Bakr that in his vision he had seen his father trying to push him into a very deep, raging pit of fire and of a violent struggle he had with him. He was about to fall when suddenly, he felt a strong pair of hands grip him tightly around his waist and he was sure that if it had not been for those hands he would have undoubtedly been pushed into the fire. Khalid told Abu Bakr that when he looked round to see who had saved him, he saw the hands were none other than those of Muhammad, and then the vision vanished. Abu Bakr's face lit up as he told Khalid that Muhammad had become the Prophet of Allah, (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and that if he followed him he would indeed be protected from the burning fires of Hell. Khalid was awe struck and made straight for the house of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to ask him about the message he had been given. He became engrossed by the Message and embraced Islam. However, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told him that for the time being he should keep the matter a secret from the rest of his family. Abdullah, Masood's son Embraces Islam Abdullah, Masood's son was a shepherd who tended a flock of sheep belonging to Uqbah, Abd Muayt's son. One day when the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and Abu Bakr were passing they stopped and asked him for a cup of milk. Abdullah told them that unfortunately the sheep did not belong to him and that he did not have any of his own to be able to offer them a cup of milk. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) asked Abdullah if there happened to be a lamb that had not yet been mated in the flock. Abdullah told him that there was and went to fetch it. The lamb was set down in front of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) whereupon he massaged its udder as he supplicated to Allah. Miraculously, the udder filled with milk and they all drank. After thanking Allah they continued on their way. A few days later Abdullah went to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and embraced Islam. Later on, Allah in His Mercy, blessed Abdullah in such a way that he was able to recite by heart no less than seventy chapters of Koran with its precise diction. Othman & Talha Embrace Islam Othman, Ahllan's son, was a trader and was upon his return journey from Syria, when one night as he and his fellow caravaners slept, he heard a voice saying, "O you who sleep, wake up, indeed Ahmad has come forth!" The voice with its message penetrated deep inside him and consumed his thoughts for many days. He did not know what to make of the message, and who “Ahmad” was -- which means the “praised one” and is one of the Prophet’s names mentioned in the previous Holy Books in particular the Gospel given to Jesus which no longer exists. As he drew near to Mecca, Talha, a cousin of Abu Bakr caught up with the caravan and rode along with Othman. Talha had an experience similar to that of Othman. He had been on a journey that had taken him through Bostra when, much to his surprise a monk approached him asked if "Ahmad" from the people of the Holy House had come forth. Talha was taken aback and asked the monk who "Ahmad" might be, the monk answered that his grandfather was Abd Al Muttalib and that his father was Abdullah, then he told him that it would be during that month he would appear. Talha did not know what to make of the monk's inquiry and like Othman the matter had consumed his thoughts. Talha and Othman shared their experiences with one another; both were completely bewildered and agreed that the only way to understand the meaning of these events would be to go straight to Abu Bakr upon reaching Mecca and ask him. As soon as they reached Mecca they went to Abu Bakr to tell of their experiences and he in turn took them to see the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and asked them to relate their accounts. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), listened then told them about Allah and that he had been called to prophethood. Without hesitation both Othman and Talha embraced Islam. Abu Dharr Embraces Islam Abu Dharr belonged to the tribe of Bani Ghifar was amongst the first to convert to Islam. He had heard that a man from Mecca laid claim to be a prophet, so he asked his brother Anies to go to Mecca and bring back news of him, and dutifully, his brother left for Mecca. Upon Anies’ return, Abu Dharr asked him what the man who laid claim to the prophethood said, whereupon his brother told him that he had heard him advocating goodness and forbidding evil. Anies told him, "They say he is a poet, a soothsayer and a sorcerer, but I have heard soothsayers speak, and his words are unlike them. I compared him with the reciters of poetry and he is not like them. After what I have said no one should fall into error and refer to him as a poet. He is truthful and they are the liars." Upon hearing this news Abu Dharr gathered his water-skin and stick and set off to Mecca hear for himself. When he reached Mecca he did not like to ask anyone straight away about him so he settled himself in the precincts of the Mosque and waited. As he waited, Ali happened to pass by and realizing he was a stranger offered him a place to stay. Abu Dharr accepted and followed Ali back to his house, but did not disclose the reason for his visit. The following morning Abu Dharr went to Ka’bah again to wait, but this time he asked about the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) but no one was forthcoming. Ali happened to see him there again so he went across to him and asked why he had come to Mecca. Abu Dharr told him, in confidence, that he had heard a Prophet had appeared in Mecca and that he had sent his brother a while before to find out more about him. He told Ali, his brother had returned with an answer that had aroused his curiosity, so he decided to journey to Mecca himself to hear more. Ali told him he had found what he had come for and to follow him at an undetectable distance to avoid any possible harassment. He also told him that if he saw someone whom he thought might bother him, he would pretend to adjust his shoe and this would be warning for him to go away. However, there was no need for concern, and Abu Dharr followed him and was at last brought to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam). That same day, Abu Dharr embraced Islam and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) advised him to return to his village but keep his conversion secret until he learned of their victory. But Abu Dharr was so enthused that he declared, "By Him, who has sent you with the truth, I will announce my conversion to Islam publicly!" Then, he went directly to the Ka’bah where he proclaimed for all to hear. "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger." The Koraysh tribesmen were infuriated and almost beat Abu Dharr to death and if it had not been for Al-Abbas who threw himself between him and his assailants he would have been severely injured. Al-Abbas rebuked the angry crowd saying, "Woe to you, do you want to kill a man from the tribe of Ghifar, when your caravans pass through their territory!!" Abu Dharr was not to be put off and the next day he went to Ka’bah and declared his witnessing again. The same thing happened all over again and Al-Abbas intervened once more then Abu Dharr returned home to his tribe. Later on, when the ever-increasing number of Muslims met with extreme hostility and persecution from the Koraysh, Abu Dharr took to the roads. There he would lie in wait, ambush the Koraysh caravans and retrieve the stolen belongings and restore them to their rightful Muslim owners. The Characteristics of the Early Muslims Those who embraced Islam in its early years were seekers of the truth and by nature, upright and truthful. Living in Mecca at that time were a group of people called "Ahnaf". To them idol worship was repugnant. They tried their best to follow the way of their great ancestor, Prophet Abraham, but apart from their belief that God is One, there was little else left of the religion of Abraham to guide them and it was in this group of people that Sa'id, Zayd's son belonged. Othman, Maz'un's son had abstained from alcohol long before the advent of Islam. After embracing Islam he wished to live the life of a recluse, however Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) persuaded him otherwise. Another characteristic of the early Muslims was that none of them were from the Koraysh hierarchy, which prompted the scorn of the unbelievers. Allah quotes their mockery in the Koran when they said to the believers: "Are those whom Allah favors amongst us?" Koran Chapter 6 verse 53 Upon reflection, one remembers that the followers of previous prophets were, for the most part, those considered by some to be on the lower and unimportant edge of society. The Holy Koran reminds how Prophet Noah’s council said Noah: " We see your followers are none but the lowliest amongst us, and their opinion is not to be considered. We do not see you superior to us, rather, we consider you liars." Koran Chapter 11 verse 27 The early followers of Prophet Jesus were also of the same upright nature and similar in status and his leading disciple, James was known as “James the Just”. Tufayl from Yemen Tufayl was the son of Amr Ad-Dausi who resided a little outside Yemen in southern Arabia; he was a poet of high renown and as such had earned great respect from not only his own tribe, but also that of others. It became necessary for Tufayl to journey to Mecca, so he set out on his journey to the City. As he neared Mecca he was stopped by a party of the Koraysh blocking the road. The Koraysh warned Tufayl about the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) whom they now described as being, amongst other things, a sorcerer. However, there was among those who formed the blockade a young boy by the name of Amr, Salama's son whose heart had been touched by the verses he heard from returning caravans from Mecca and so he committed those verses to heart, but fearing the reaction of his elders he kept his inclination to himself. The frightening things the Koraysh said disturbed Tufayl to the extent that upon reaching Mecca he plugged his ears tightly with cotton to protect and prevent him from hearing anything. When he reached Mecca, the familiar sounds of passersby and the market place were now silenced on account of the cotton placed firmly in his ears and he felt at ease. For many years it had been Tufayl's custom to visit the Ka’bah and circumambulate it before attending to business. As he entered the precincts of Ka’bah he noticed a lone figure standing near the Black Stone offering his prayer. It was never the practice of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to offer his prayer in a loud manner, and this prayer was no exception, yet Allah allowed his quiet recitation to penetrate the cotton with which Tufayl had plugged his ears. Tufayl knew well the intricacies of the Arabic language and was captivated by the compelling beauty and rhythm of the verses. He had heard many poets recite most excellent poetry, but the composition and arrangement of these words with their message was quite the most beautiful and certainly unique. He had never heard anything that could be remotely compared to the verses he now heard. Suddenly, he remembered the warning, but Allah caused his reason to prevail. Tufayl knew he was able to distinguish between right and wrong and realized that what he had just heard was anything but evil. After the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) finished offering his prayer, Tufayl followed him to his home and entered. He told the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) how the Koraysh warned against him and how he had plugged his ears tightly with cotton so that he would be unable to hear him, yet he had heard his beautiful recitation. Tufayl asked the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to tell him more about his message, whereupon the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) told him that the verses he recited were not his own composition, rather they were from the Holy Koran sent to him from Allah, via the Angel Gabriel. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) to the great pleasure of Tufayl, proceeded to recite several more verses and concluded his recitation with the short chapter "The Oneness" "Say, 'He is Allah, the One, the called upon. who does not beget, and was not begotten, And there is none equal to Him." Koran, Chapter 112 This short chapter penetrated the depths of Tufayl's heart. As soon as the recitation had finished Tufayl could no longer restrain himself and converted to Islam, then returned home with the instruction to tell others in his tribe about Islam. Upon his return, Tufayl recited verses from the Koran and spoke about Islam to his family and tribesmen, but only his mother, father, wife and Abu Hurairah came into its fold. Tufayl was both very disappointed and angry that so few had accepted the invitation so he returned to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) in Mecca feeling very sad that so few had embraced Islam. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) spoke kindly to Tufayl and supplicated to Allah for their guidance and told him to return home, continue preaching, and to be patient with their shortcomings. Tufayl obeyed the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and in the years to come many families in his tribe accepted Islam under his patient guidance and after the Battle of the Trench, he and his tribesmen migrated to Medina where he and they took part in many encounters. Tufayl was finally martyred in the hostilities of Al Yamamah. Swaid, Samit’s son Embraces Islam Another of the early believers was Swaid, Samit’s son. Swaid was a poet of some standing from Yathrib so when he met the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) he quoted to him some of the words of Luqman. The Prophet affirmed the veracity of his narration but told the young man that he had something far better and proceeded to recite some verses of the Koran. Swaid listened carefully to its words which touched his heart and he embraced Islam without a second thought. Swaid was killed during the Battle of Bu’ath in the eleventh year of the prophethood. The First to Believe 009 Back Cover Subtitles Ali and Abu Bakr, and the Early Converts The Vision of Khalid, Son of Sa'id Abdullah, Masood's son Embraces Islam Othman & Talha Embrace Islam Abu Dharr Embraces Islam Tufayl from Yemen Swaid, Samit’s son Embraces Islam The Characteristics of the Early Muslims