THE PROPHET’S INVITATION TO THE PEOPLE IN THE MARKET, LADIES FATIMA AND SAFFIYAH, HIS HOUSEHOLD, DURING HIS MIGRATION, AND A VILLAGER Hayatus Sahabah by Muhadith Kandahlawi (Kandhelvi) Rendered into current English by Khadeijah Abdullah Darwish (Anne Stephens) Free give away Acquired from Amazon’s Kindle Not for sale or resale by any third party ©2013 - www.Muhammad.com THE INVITATION TO THE PEOPLE IN THE MARKET Rabee’ah son of Ibad belonged to the tribe of the Banu Deel, all of whom had embraced Islam. Rabee’ah narrates that during the Time of Ignorance, he had seen the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, in the marketplace of Dhul Majaaz saying to those gathered around him, “O people, say ‘Laa Ilaaha Illalaah’ and you will be successful.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was being followed around by a man who had a squint, but was none-the-less a handsome man and whose hair was divided into two locks, who would tell the people, referring to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, “He is an irreligious liar.” Rabee’ah asked who the man was and was told Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. In other narrations it says that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, would try to avoid Abu Lahab who made it is business to persistently harass him as he preached. Another narration tells that tribesmen would attack the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and no one would say or do anything to prevent it. These situations never deter the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, from speaking to the tribesmen about Islam. …. Tariq, the son of Abdullah, narrates that he was in the market of Dhul Majaaz when a man passed by wearing a shawl with red threads who was telling the people, “O people, say, “‘Laa Ilaaha Illalah; and you will be successful.” The heels and leg of this man had been injured and were bleeding. He was followed by another man who was shouting out, “O people, do not follow him, he is a liar!” Tariq asked who these people were and was told that the man wearing a shawl with red threads was a man from the tribe of the Banu Hashim who claimed to be the Messenger of Allah, and that the other was his uncle Abul Uzza (known as Abu Lahab). …. A tribesman from the Banu Malik, son of Kinnana narrates that he saw the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, at the market of Dhul Majaaz telling the people, “O people, say, “‘Laa Ilaaha Illalah’ and you will be successful” and that as he did so Abu Jahl threw sand at his face and call out, “Do not let this man deceive you into leaving your religion. He wants you to forsake your gods! He wants you to forsake Al Laat and Al Uzza.” This did not deter the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. When the narrator was asked to describe the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, he said, “He was wearing two shawls with red threads. He was of medium height and had a well-built body and his face was extremely handsome. His hair was jet black and his complexion was exceptionally fair.” THE INVITATION TO LADIES FATIMA AND SAFIYAH, KINSMEN OF THE PROPHET praise and peace be upon him Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, Mother of Believers, narrates that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, gathered his family together soon after Allah sent down the verse : “Warn your tribe and your near kinsmen.” Koran Ch. 26:214 The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, “O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, O Safiyah daughter of Abdul Muttalib, O children of Abdul Muttalib, ask me whatever you wish from my wealth, help you a thing against Allah (I cannot help you against the punishment of Allah).” THE INVITATION TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PROPHET’S HOUSEHOLD AND OTHER RELATIVES TO A MEAL TO TELL THEM ABOUT ISLAM Ali narrates that when the verse: “Warn your tribe and your near kinsmen.” Koran Ch. 26:214 was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, gathered his family members to speak them about Islam. The invitation for a meal, with the intention to tell them about Islam, was duly delivered to thirty of the Messenger of Allah’s relatives. After they had all eaten, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked them, “Who will assume the responsibility of paying my debts and fulfilling my pledges? Whosoever does this will be my companion in Paradise and my successor in my family.” One of the invitees spoke saying, “But you are an ocean, who could possibly assume your responsibilities?” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, repeated his requested thrice.” No one spoke except Ali who said, “I am prepared.” Ali narrated that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, invited the family of Abdul Mutalib to a meal and that each of them had such a huge appetite that each individual could easily consume a young animal and drink the equivalent of a large vessel.. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, prepared some food for them the amount of which was very little, yet everyone ate from it until they were replete. After all had eaten there was as much food left over as the original amount and it appeared as if nothing had been eaten from it. Thereafter, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, sent for a small cup from which everyone drank their fill. Yet again, after all had satisfied their thirst there remained the same amount that was offered at the beginning, and it appeared that no one had taken from it. Immediately after they had finished eating, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, “"O sons of Abd Al Muttalib, I know of no Arab who has come to his people with a nobler message. I have brought you the best of this world and the next. Allah has ordered me to invite you to Him. So who will help me in this matter, my brother, my executor, and successor being among you?" No one volunteered, whereupon Ali who was the youngest of them stood up, but the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, gestured to him to sit down. He repeated his request twice more and each time Ali stood up. Upon the third time, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, took his hand (as a sign of acceptance). … Ali also narrated that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, instructed him to prepare a leg of an animal for a meal and a measurement of flour, and it was during that time that the verse: “Warn your tribe and your near kinsmen.” Koran Ch. 26:214 was sent down. Then the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, told me (Ali) to invite the Banu Hashim who at that time numbered approximately 40 – 42 tribesmen. (After the guests had arrived), the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, sent for the food. He placed the food before them and they all ate and became replete even though there were people in the gathering who could each consume (the meat of) a young animal. Then the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, sent for the small cup of milk. He passed the cup around to each of his guests and each drank from the milk until their thirst was satisfied. One of the guests commented, “Until this day I have never seen such magic.” Ali said, “It was widely believed that the person who said this was Abu Lahab.” The next day, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said to Ali, “O Ali. Prepare the leg of a goat together with a measurement of wheat flour and a large cup of milk.” This Ali did and the guests came, ate and drank again as they had done so on the first day, and the same (miracle) occurred again, and there was as much food remaining as there had been at the beginning. A guest commented, “We have never before seen such magic as we have witnessed today!” …. …..Another hadith reported by Abi Hatim narrates, that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said to the people, “Which of you is prepared to settle my debts and to succeed me as head of the family after my demise?” Everyone remained silent, including Abbas who feared that all his wealth would be consumed in the settlement of his debts. Ali remained silent out of respect for Abbas who was considerably older than himself. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, repeated his request and Abbas remained silent. When Ali realized this he said, “O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I am prepared to accept this responsibility.” Ali said that on that day I was the poorest of all of them, and my eyes were very sore, and my stomach was bloated and my legs were extremely thin.” THE INVITATION MADE WHEN THE PROPHET WAS MIGRATING TO MEDINA praise and peace be upon him When it was time for the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to migrate from Mecca to Medina, he took as his guide Sa’d Aslami who lead him and Abu Bakr through the valley of Rakobah. Sa’ds son, narrates, “My father informed us that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and Abu Bakr - whose young daughter was being suckled by a woman from their tribe - came to them, seeking the shortest route to Medina. I (Sa’d) informed them, that there was a road leading through the valley of Rakobah, however there were two thieves from the tribe of Aslam called “Muhanan” (the contemptible ones) who plundered the roamed the valley. I said that if he wished they could take a detour and avoid them but it was decided to take that route. As they drew near to the valley, the thieves said to one another, “Look at this person from Yemen!” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, dismounted and spoke to them about Islam and they accepted. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked their names and they told him “Muhanan” and said, “No, you two are ‘Mukraman” (meaning the two honored ones) and the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, invited them to join him in Medina. THE INVITATION OF THE PROPHET TO A VILLAGER Praise and peace be upon him Abdullah, the son of Omar narrates that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and some Companions were traveling when a villager came in sight. As the villager drew close, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked, “Where are you going?” The villager replied, “I am on my way home.” Then the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked, “Would you like to take something good with you?” The villager inquired, “What is the good thing?” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, “It is that you bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is His worshiper and Messenger.” The villager asked, “Is there anyone to verify what you say?” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be him, said, “Yes, that tree will be the witness” Then he called to the tree that stood at the edge of the valley, and the tree came plowing its way through the ground to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. As it stood before the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, he asked it thrice to bear witness to the truth of what he said. Each time the tree bore witness to the truth of his words and then returned to its place where it was growing. (The villager embraced Islam and) as he was about to return home, he said to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, “If my tribesmen follow me, I will bring them to you, otherwise I will come by myself and live with you.” May Allah be pleased with all the Companions.